Stockpiling Household Needs

Some of these items--toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, lotions--can get very expensive. A trip to the store to get a few items can easily total $20 or more. There are often coupons, and this can help, but what you really need to do is stockpile these items when you can get them cheap--or in some cases free.

I am a recent convert to Walgreens shopping. Some of my friends have been going there for a long time, but it seemed to me that everything was so expensive. Why go somewhere and pay more? Here's why. Register Rewards. Walgreens also puts out their own coupon books every month that provide a coupon stacking opportunity. When you put Walgreen's coupons together with manufacturer's coupons, and then add in the Register Rewards, there are often time when you are getting paid to take some items away.

Here is a brief explanation and I'll use an example from this week's Walgreens deals.

Character Bandaids (like Spongebob, etc.) are on sale 2 for $3. That's a decent price, and who doesn't use bandaids? Walgreens has a coupon in the Children's Activity Booklet (can be purchased in store, it's a coloring book with a lot of good coupons) that gives you $2 off PER package. Now you've gone from paying $1.50 per package, to having an overage of 50 cents per package. Throw in the Register Rewards that they have this week for another $1 when you buy two. You've now MADE $2 on this item.

Some caveats here:

• You'll have to add in a filler item in order for the coupons to deduct the full amount. There are many other items you may need for the household that might not be on sale, so just add in something that is over $1.
• Register Rewards are a little confusing at first. It prints out as a Walgreen's coupon when you get your receipt. You can use these on any item the next time you shop in the store. You will only get one Register Reward per deal, so if you buy 4 packages of bandaids, you'll still only get $1 RR.
  
• However, if you come in the next day, you can get the deal again as long as you don't use the same RR. Meaning, you can't use that $1 RR to purchase the bandaids or you won't have a new one print out.
  

I will post the link for my favorite coupon matchup site for Walgreens deals. Common Sense with Money has all the deals for you, so give it a look. There are new deals every week, and more new deals that last for a month.

Some can go overboard with stockpiling, but I usually try to only get a few extras of most items. Toothpaste and makeup items can expire, so you will lose money if you get too carried away.