walgreens 5 dollar challenge....game on!

Since joining the world of coupons, I have learned that Walgreens is often our best friend when it comes to getting freebies and personal care items at very cheap prices.  Alyssa at Keeping the Kingdom First features a weekly $5 Walgreens challenge on her blog.  Simple rules: You can only pay $5 or less out of pocket for your items.  With Walgreens' great register rewards deals....it's easy to get the hang of this.

Here are my purchases from this past week:

-TUF Towel

$0.49 with Walgreens' in-ad coupon

-Pantene shampoo and Pantene hairspray (both from their new line of products)

$2.50 each

Used two $1/1Pantene coupons from inserts and then I received a $2 register reward to be used toward my next trip to Walgreens

(Really it's like my two products were $1.50 each...and this deal is still on for this week!)

-20 oz. Diet Coke (to get me through my night class)

$1.49

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*Used a $5 register reward from previous Walgreens trip

*Paid $2.62 out of pocket including tax

*Received $2 RR (register reward) to use toward next trip

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Here is my $5 challenge plan for this week:

-One Oscar Mayer Deli Creations $1.99 with in-ad coupon....

use $1/1 coupon from 5/16 SmartSource inserts making this $0.99

-Old Spice High Endurance Body wash for $4.49 (this will give you a $4.49 RR making this FREE)

-cheapo filler item at $1.50 or less (possibly candy by the register or another quick snack or drink for class)

*I will use my $2 RR from last week making this right under $5 plus I will get a $4.49 RR to use next week!

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Walgreens tips:

-You can use a Walgreens coupon and a MC (manufacturer's coupon) on an item

-Walgreens coupons can come from their monthly coupon booklets (found in the store) or from their weekly ads (you can also get these in the store and they come in the Sunday paper)....they even have some online coupons

-Hand over your coupons in the following order: register rewards, manufacturer coupons, then Walgreens coupons (if not the register will beep and the cashier will probably look blankly at you and the register...no offense to them...it just seems to always play out that way)

-Have the same number of items you have coupons or more items than you have coupons (the register is a tricky little dude, huh?)

-Plan your trip ahead and make sure your coupons and Register Rewards aren't worth more than your items...I have never had luck with them changing a coupon amount or RR amount to make my total zero...that's where "filler items" come into play...cheap items to make your total atleast a few cents so that you are able to use all your coupons

-Register Rewards (RRs) are like an in-store credit.  These will print out after you check out and they can be used on your next transaction (even if you choose to do more than one transaction in the same visit).

-There is almost always at least one deal in the Walgreens ad where you will get an RR that is worth the same value of the item so that it basically makes an item free...use a coupon on the item when you buy it...and it's like you're getting it for free plus making money to use next time.

Example:  I buy body wash for $2.99 that is giving a $2.99 RR but have a $1/1 coupon...I only pay $1.99 for the body wash, but a $2.99 RR will still print out.  Yay! It's like making $1. 

-Search great blogs like Deal Finding Chik and Money Saving Mom for great Walgreens match-ups to find the best deals each week.

My final tip is to be patient if you're new to this.  I started out knowing nothing about how to shop for the best deals at Walgreens.  I really never even shopped there.  However, we live literally a minute away from one, and it is so convenient to shop their for our personal care items.  Just keep trying and keep planning your trips ahead of time.....and you'll be having money-saving success quickly!