Rite Aid is Right On!!

Traci got me into couponing several weeks ago, so I have been giving this a go.  It takes some time to search for the coupons, organize them, match them to sales and etc.  However, there are many websites out there that give you lots of help, and many manufacturers giving coupons.  Two sites that Traci got me watching are A Thrifty Mom and Spectacular Savings. 
I'm also signed up for several couponing websites, but those gals often put links to coupons you can print.  If you can get coupons from your local newspaper inserts you are lucky!  I rarely rarely get an insert in our Sunday paper.  Bigger cities will get 3 different inserts.  So, most my couponing is from ones I can print.
Fred Meyers has coupons on their website that lets you download them to your Rewards Card.  I did that this week and it worked out fine.  No clipping or carrying coupons.  Just print your list of what's on your card and watch the ads.
I've gotten some pretty sweet deals with coupons at Walmart. 
But one store I haven't shopped in hardly at all is really a friend to couponers and bargain hunters.  If you go to RiteAid.com and sign up for their Wellness membership you get extra savings, and you can watch AdPerks for some really good coupons that you can use all month.  Many of these they coordinate with their sales.
They also have UP rewards where you get coupons to spend as cash on your next purchase. 
And, they also have "Single Check Rebates" on items that last all month and it's a flyer full of items.  The coolest part ever are the "freebates."  You buy the item, go online and enter your receipt number and etc.  It has all your info in the computer and then when you're ready you request your check.
This week I did awesome on my RiteAid shopping trip.  What was interesting was after I was done checking out was the unexpected reactions i got. I had unloaded quite a few items out of my cart, and the out of pocket total (after coupons and etc) came to $67.64.  I knew there were several people in line behind me, but was quite startled when I turned to go and the elderly gentleman behind me said, "Wow, can you teach me how to shop like that?!"  I was quite taken aback!  I was thinking $67.64 wasn't that good, and I proceeded to try and explain that a lot of it was freebates.  He said, how do you do it?  So, tried to tell him about the websites online, and then turned to ask Traci (who was shopping with me), what they were (I was a bit tongue-tied).  As soon as she started saying the website both cashiers grabbed paper and pencils to write them down and were double-checking what she said and asking her questions.  I just kept thinking, that wasn't even as good a deal as you think, as we were barely out the door and another customer came and flagged us down and started asking questions and wanted to know all about how we did it.  My best estimate was that I paid around $22 for the stuff I bought.  She said she was shocked watching me put all that stuff up there and thinking to herself, "lady, that's going to come to about $200!" so the $67 total looked pretty fantastic to her.
Well, I took pictures of all of it except the 2 boxes of Special K, which were a great deal for me at $2 a box after UP rewards.  Then I listed and figured it all up and was totally, totally shocked at how little I had paid!

 Could you take a guess how much?  ...Lower than $67.64

The twelve items in this picture were just the FREEbates!  That totalled $59.08 of the out of pocket expenses.  But you have to see how it works up in the details below to understand. 

Bottom line: I paid $5.06! for what you see in the first picture!!  
(Cause I took the $4 out for the cereal not pictured)  Yeah, quite a shock that you can actually do this, huh?  Tell me about it. 
Thank you to Traci for getting me going on it!

Here's the abbreviations so you don't get confused:
MQ=manufacture coupons UPR=up rewards SCR=single check rebate RP=regular price
OOP=out of pocket cash

RiteAid purchases 10-20-10

3 Kleenex @ .99 = 2.97 -$1/3 MQ = $1.97 (or .66 a box!) (RP 1.79 ea)
1 Cottonelle Fresh wipes $3.29 MQ free = .0!!
1 pkg Kit Kat snack size $2.50 - $1/1 MQ = $1.50 (RP 3.99)
2 Kellogg Special K Cereal 12oz $5.00 for 2 -$1 UPR = $4.00 (RP 4.79)
1 3-pk Venus Gillette razors $5.99 -$2/1 MQ -$1 UPR = $2.99 ($1 each) (RP 9.99)
2 Tresseme Conditioners 32 oz (large!) and 1 Tresseme styler product
    $3.99 each =  $11.97 -$5/3 MQ = $6.97 -$3 UPR = $3.97 ($1.32 each!)
    (RP 5.49/2, 4.99)
1 Scope Mouthwash (750ml) with free sample toothpaste attached
    $3.99 -$2.00 UPR -$.75 MQ = $1.24! (RP 4.99)
1 Listerine $3.99 -$1/1 MQ -$1.00 UPR = $1.99 ($5.29)

Single Check Rebate “freebates”  (12 items)
Simply Saline 1.5 oz $3.99 (RP 5.99)
Simple Saline/child 1.5 oz $3.99 (RP 6.49)
Theramax Allergy Spray $6.99 (RP 10.99)
Cold Wars 20ct. $3.99 (RP 8.49)
Cold Buster warming syrup $6.69 (RP 8.99)
Bio-Guard Tabs 30 ct. $6.99 (RP 9.99)
Child Chestal Cough syrup $4.99 (RP 6.29)
Oscillococcinum children $4.99 (RP 6.99)
Bee MD honey lemon cough drops $2.49 (RP 2.99)
Thermacare back heat pad $2.99 (RP 3.99)
Bodi Heat 4 ct $2.99 (RP 3.99)
Blink Tears, drops 15ml $7.99 (RP 1099)

$5 off $25 purchase coupon (you can get one of these quite often)
$1 off anything (value reward for watching AdPerks)
Two $1 MQ off freebate items (came to $8.00 extra coupons)
MQ coupon total: $17.64
Total coupons: $22.64 (with $8 extra coups)
UPR from last purchase: $8.50 (I always subtract this cause I took it off the sale price of the items from my last purchases)
OOP: $67.64
SCR: 59.08
$67.64 (oop) minus $59.08 (scr) = $8.56 plus $8.50 (upr last purchases) = $17.06 minus $8.00 UPR this purchase =$9.06!!

Regular Price on all of it: $151.14  (Not as bad as that lady thought, but I wouldn't pay most of their regular prices)
So, get couponing!  It's pretty cool!  I am getting to try brands and products I would have never used otherwise and it's awesome!