CVS Green Bag Tag
Several times, I have mentioned using my green bag tag and receiving $1 ECB on some transactions. I wanted to explain a little bit more about that in case anybody was confused by what this is.
It looks something like this and it’s available to buy for around $1 at CVS. You attach it on to a reusable bag and each time you go to CVS, they will scan the card during your purchase. It doesn’t provide a discount during the transaction, however, it tells the computer that you are bringing in your own bag. After scanning the card 4 times (on seperate days and transactions), you will receive a $1 ECB in return. So in other words, each time you use it, you are technically making $0.25. Keep in mind that it can not be scanned twice in on day. You will not get the credit for the second scan on the same day.
If you forget how many times you have used the card, your receipt will tell you how many more you need to get the ECB. I have already used my bag 9 times and gotten $2 ECB! It’s not much, but when you use it a lot, the money can really start adding up and every little bit counts!
Hurry! FREE full sized Essence of Beauty Antibacterial Collection Product and FREE candy or drink!!
Woo hoo!! Free stuff at CVS!!! Head on over to Facebook and “Like” them to receive a coupon for a FREE Essence of Beauty Antibacterial Collection product. You must be a member of their Extra Care Rewards program in order to get the coupon.
Also, head on over to Twitter and register if you do not have an account for a coupon for FREE candy or individual beverage. Both coupons will be emailed to you and then you can print them at home. Last time I got this coupon, I got a full sized bag of Starburst Jellybeans for FREE! They were on sale for $2 and because the coupon is good for ANY candy up to $2, it worked! Why not get more bang for your buck? (or no buck since you aren’t spending any money lol!)
Hurry up because these coupons expire April 17th! Make sure to visit Hip2Save often, as they list more awesome deals like these ones all the time!
Sample Showcase
Want another way of getting coupons? Request samples! Most of the time, when you get samples of products, they will send a coupon for it too! It’s an easy way to get rare coupons that you can’t find in newspapers and online. Plus, you get to try new stuff for free without committing to buying it. Head on over to Sample Showcase for a variety of products you can sample for free!
New Walmart Coupon Policy
Apparently, Walmart just revised their coupon policy on March 2nd. There are a few changes and there’s one that I really like. It states:
“Coupons may exceed the price of the item. Change may be given or applied toward the cost of the basket purchase”
So if something costs $1.99 and you have a coupon for $3 off, you get $1.01 applied towards other stuff purchased or your change back! However, many people have reported having problems with cashiers not being informed and reducing it to the price of the item, so it would be wise to print out the coupon policy and take it with you. This was you can show the manager that you are not making it up! http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx
They also have the rule that you can not have more coupons than the number of items being purchased. Someone had a great idea and I thought I would share it with everyone. Buy a few bananas and ring them up seperate. This will give you more “items purchased” and allow you to use more coupons.
*Update* Last off, I learned a new awesome tip tonight from my fellow coupon friends. Supposedly, you can use Walgreens Register Rewards at Walmart! I guess these are just like manufacturer coupons and many people have reported using them without any problems. So if you have any RR that need used soon, but the prices are too much at Walgreens, use them at Walmart!
Store Coupon Policies
I have had a few questions regarding store policies on coupons and how to “stack” coupons. One helpful thing that I have learned (because not all employees are trained to the store’s policy) is to print off the store’s coupon policy and take it with you when you shop. This may help in “winning” any arguements over whether or not you can use a coupon(s) on a selected product. Just select a store to view it’s coupon policy.
Albertsons
CVS
Giant Eagle
Kroger
Kroger print at home policy
Rite Aid
Target
Walgreens
Walmart
Coupon Lingo
Depending on where you live, different newspapers carry different “brands” of coupons. There are 3 types: Smartsource (SS), RedPlum (RP), and Proctor and Gamble (P&G). Each of these has coupons for different products. So say you are looking for a coupon for Crest toothpaste, it will be located in the P&G coupon booklet. It took me a long time to learn this! I would see different websites use abbreviations as to where they got their coupon from and I was so confused!
So then I thought that all Sunday newspapers carried coupons. NOPE. As a resident of Norwalk, OH, I have noticed that if you are looking for coupons in a newspaper, it’s next to impossible to get them! We usually only have coupons for McDonalds, pizza places, and Steak N Shake. My city only has a small newspaper and it doesn’t carry any of the major coupons. I’m still on a hunt to find a newspaper around here that has the coupons located inside. I know that Schild’s IGA carries USA Today, so I might end up scoring some coupons there.
If you are fortunate to live in a place with a Sunday paper that has lots of good coupons, you might want to try going to the Dollar Store to purchase your paper. Apparently, you can buy it for $1, unlike other places that run $2. Thanks Beth Foster for the tip!
If you’d rather just get your coupons from websites, some of the lingo can be confusing! Here is a few things I have learned online:
$1.00/1, $2.00/1, etc: One dollar off one product, two dollars off one product, etc.
BOGO: Buy one, get one. Will usually end with “free” or “half off” meaning buy one, get one half off, or buy one get one free.
B1G1, B2G1: Another way to write ‘buy one, get one’. The “B” stands for “buy”, the G stands for “get”. The numbers indicate how many of a product you must buy to qualify and the number of products you get when you redeem the coupon or offer. B1G1= Buy one, get one. B2G1= Buy two, get one B2G2= Buy two, get two
ECB: Extra Care Buck CVS pharmacy program; now renamed Extra Bucks.
EXP: Expires or Expiration Date
IP: Internet Printable coupons may be printed right from your home computer. Usually limited to 2 prints per computer, download quick and safe printing software to be able to print securely from home.
MIR: Mail in Rebate, refers to rebates which must be submitted by mail. These are the traditional rebates that require you to mail in both your receipt and proof of purchase in the form of UPC barcodes.
MFR: Manufacturer abreviation.
OOP: Out-of-Pocket; refers to the amount of money you will pay a store to make your purchase. Does not include and after-purchase savings, coupons or rebates.
OYNO: On Your Next Order. Store promos such as Spend $25, save $10 on your next shopping order. OYNO refers to savings that you will not see on your first transaction, but that may be applied to your next purchase. Most OYNO coupons have no minimum purchase. If you spend $25 and receive a coupon worth $10 off your next order, there is no minimum purchase on that next order. If you spend and value over $10, you may redeem your coupon. If you spend under $10, you may use your coupon, but will forfeit the difference.
P&G: Proctor and Gamble manufacture a wide range of consumer goods and are one of the largest corporations in the world. Proctor and Gamble puts out monthly coupon inserts filled with coupons for a variety of Proctor and Gamble produced brands, just a few of which include: Always, Bounty, Crest, Dawn, Gillette, Olay, Pampers and Tide.
PSA: Prices starting at; when a group of items are on sale, such as Fiber One products 25% off. We might write “PSA $2.09″ and list a group of Fiber One coupons. This means that the cheapest Fiber One product is $2.09 and prices go up from there.
Q: Coupon abbreviation.
RR: Register Rewards. Walgreens drugstore rewards program, and version of the catalina coupon. Look for the same machines located at register, dispensing long receipt-like coupons that may be used on a future purchase. RRs cannot be ‘rolled’ like catalinas.
SCR: Single Check Rebate, Rite Aid Drugstore monthly rebate program. Each month pick up your rebate booklet to see hundreds of dollars in possible rebate savings. Shop with coupons, save your receipts and enter quick information online. The SCR system stores all your rebates and totals them each month. Request your monthly check be mailed to you and cash it like any other check! No clipping barcodes or UPCs, no mailing or stamping an envelope.
SS: Smart Source. A marketing company, like RP, Smart Source coupon inserts and website feature coupons from a variety of manufacturers. Smart Source is part of News America Marketing Co. Smart Source coupon inserts can be found in most Sunday papers.
WAGS: Abbreviation for Walgreens Drugstore
UPC: Universal Product Code. Bar code printed on product packages that can be scanned electronically.
WYB: When You Buy. Some sales or coupons require purchase of multiple items. When reporting a deal on KCL, we always include a final price. Example: Buy 2 Mint Milano cookies $2.00 each, use 2 $1.00/2 coupons, Final Price: $1.50 each, WYB 2. You must buy 2 in order to use the $1.00/2 coupon, so the final price states “WYB 2″.
Rite Aid Coupon Policy
Questions on how to stack coupons at Rite Aid? This is direct off of Rite Aid’s website for their coupon policy:
To Our Valued Customers:
Rite Aid gladly accepts the following coupon types as detailed in the coupon acceptance guidelines listed below:
COUPON TYPES:
Manufacturer Coupons
- Manufacturer coupons are found in newspapers, magazines and even affixed to products. The UPC on these coupons begins with a “5.”
Rite Aid Manufacturer Coupons
- Rite Aid Manufacturer coupons generally appear in our weekly circular, on our website and are sent to customers via e-mail. These coupons are labeled “manufacturer coupon” and have a UPC that begins with “49.”
Rite Aid Valuable Coupons
- Rite Aid coupons are labeled “variable coupon” and have a UPC that begins with “48.”
Internet/Print at Home coupons
- Rite Aid will accept Internet/print at home coupons up to the equivalent value of $5.00 off.
- A Rite Aid coupon (with the Rite Aid logo) is NOT considered an Internet coupon (even if printed off the Internet) and is therefore not subject to the $5.00 maximum.
+UP Reward Coupons
- +UP Reward coupons are special coupons earned by a customer in a prior purchase that can be used for any nonprescription purchase with a small number of exclusions that are listed on the +UP coupon. Multiple +UP coupons can be used (subject to the printed exclusions) up to the amount of purchase before sales tax.
Buy One, Get One Free
- We accept two coupons for the purchase of two items that are on Buy One, Get One Free Promotion.
- We accept a Buy One, Get One Free Coupon with an item that is in our flyer as Buy One, Get One Free, meaning both items are free. The cash register will compute any sales tax due, which varies by state law.
Total Purchase Coupons
- Rite Aid may feature total purchase coupons which discount the total purchase amount based upon meeting specific requirements. For example, $5 off a $25 purchase price threshold coupon.
- These coupons are accepted under the following conditions:
- The coupon is valid and in date; only one total purchase coupon per transaction.
- Total purchase equals or exceeds $25 before tax (before any coupons are applied).
- Coupons for individual items can also be used including another “48″ coupon that is tied to an item in the transaction.
- Provided the total of items purchased is equal to or greater than the purchase requirement, other coupons can be used in conjunction with the total purchase coupon.
ACCEPTANCE GUIDELINES:
General Guidelines:
- Coupons must be valid and in date; Coupons cannot be exchanged for cash.
- Register will validate coupon through scanning or keyed entry of the coupon UPC number.
- In the event that any item’s selling price is less than the value of the coupon, Rite Aid will accept the coupon in exchange for the selling price of the item. Coupon redemption can never exceed the selling price of an item and no cash back is allowed.
- When making a return for a product that had a coupon attached, Rite Aid cannot refund cash for the value of the coupon and cannot return the coupon that was used.
- Rite Aid reserves the right to not accept any coupon where the validity or the coupon cannot be established.
Multiple Coupons
- More than one coupon can be used on the purchase of a single item under the following conditions:
- All coupons match the item being purchased.
- The total of the coupons is equal to or less than the selling price of the item before sales tax.
- No more than one “48″ Rite Aid valuable coupon, one “49″ Rite Aid Manufacturer coupon, and one “5″manufacturer coupon can be used on a single item.
- Rite Aid may accept multiple identical coupons for multiple qualifying items as long as there is sufficient stock to satisfy other customers within the store manager’s sole discretion.
More Drug Stores 101
Rite Aid Single Check Rebates– Some items that you buy have single check rebates. These are like normal rebates where you submit your information and get money back (not +UPs). However, you submit your information online from your receipt. You get 1 check at the end of the month instead of a check per item bought. There’s a video by the lady who does hip2save.com and she explains everything you need to know about these.
http://www.hip2save.com/store-guides/riteaid/
Rite Aid Healthy Heart Promo– Until the end of March, they have a promo going where if you buy $30 of select items, you will receive $10 +UPs. In addition, when you reach $50 of the select products, you get another $10 +UPs for a total of $20. There is a limit of 1 per household. A few things that are on the list are Afrin, Coricidin, Listerine, Colgate toothpaste, and Naturemade vitamins. For a full list of items that are included, visit http://content.riteaid.com/heart/PlusUpOffer.pdf. NOTE: This is different from the Winter Rewards Promotion, where you receive $20 +UPs if you buy $100 worth of certain products. The Winter Rewards ends February 26 and they will probably be starting a new promotion to earn +UPs.
CVS store coupons– If you go to cvs.com, you can register your cvs card on their website. You have access to information pertaining to your card, such as the points earned or any extra care bucks you may have. Today, I received an email saying that I had a coupon for $4 off $20 purchase! This is the first coupon like this that I have gotten, so I think they may do it every couple of months. I also learned about their store coupons. They have a booklet of store coupons that you can get in the store that is similar to Rite Aid video rewards coupons. You can stack the coupons with manufacturer coupons and use the $4 off $20 in addition for maximum savings! Make sure you ask for a booklet back in pharmacy next time you are in there!
Walgreens store coupons– Just like CVS, Walgreens has a monthly booklet of store coupons that you can stack with manuf. coupons. This can be found right by the ad for the store as you walk in. The current book out now expires Feb 26th. They will get a new booklet for March. The view of the new coupons for March, visit http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2011/02/23/march-coupon-book-for-walgreens/
Walgreens 101
In my experience, Walgreens is good only if you can find the deals. However, I have run into a lot more problems with them than I have anywhere else.
You do not need to sign up for a card, which is nice because you do not need to keep track of where it is and you don’t have to give out any information. They have something similar to Riteaid in that if you buy certain products, you can get coupons for money off your next purchase. However, one thing that I found out is that you cannot use the coupon on another transaction of the same item. So if you get some Colgate toothpaste and get a reward, you cannot go get a second Colgate toothpaste and use the rewards on that. They have a lot of restrictions on what you can use it on, so you need to read the coupon very carefully. They also expire pretty quickly. I would recommend using the coupon immediately, because if you are anything like me, you will forget to use it by the time it expires! Finally, if you are buying only one thing, you can not use two coupons that printed out from other items purchased. They have a limitation of one coupon per item. Sounds frustrating and it is… Here’s my experience-
One week they had Thermacare wraps on sale for 2.50, then you get a 2.50 coupon back. I had a $1 off manufacturer’s coupon, so I bought 2 of them for $3. I got $5 back in coupons, so I made $2. Then the next week, they had a deal on Pullups. They had them for 8.99 and you get a $2 coupon on your next purchase. I had a $2 off manufacturer’s coupon for the pullups, so they came to 6.99. I was going to use the $5 in coupons I received from the Thermacare, but the guy at the counter told me I was only allowed to use 1 coupon per item bought… so I used one $2.50 coupon (paying only 4.49 for the pullups) and saved the other. I turned back around and bought some milk that was on sale for $2.39. I got 2 gallons and used the other $2.50 coupon from the Thermacare and the $2 coupon I got from the Pullups. I think I paid .08 out of pocket. I was really frustrated by the experience because they set so many limitations on those coupons, but it ended up okay. I got something I was about to go to Aldi’s and buy anyway!
Rite Aid Couponing 101
Rite Aid has been one of the best stores that I have found for getting things for free or even making money. But before you rush off to the store to make some money, there are a few things you should know first.
1. You have to sign up for their wellness card in order to recieve the deals that are advertised. They have a point system in which you earn points for items purchased. For every 125 points you hit (up to 375), you receive a one time 10% off your entire purchase. At 500 points, you receive 10% off every non-prescription purchase, as well as free health screenings. At 1,000 points, you receive 20% off all non-prescription purchases. Once you sign up, you can access your card online, and you can print out a coupon for $5 off $25 purchase! http://www5.riteaid.com/wellness
2. In conjunction with the wellness card, Rite Aid has these things called +UP rewards. These are basically coupons you get back when you buy certain items. They can range in amounts depending on what you buy. I like to think of it as free money to use on my next transaction. They print out on the bottom of your receipt. The only thing that you have to be careful of is to not let them expire. They typically expire about 2 weeks after they print, but if you’re like me, you will use them a couple of days (if that!) after they print! http://www5.riteaid.com/stores/plus-up
3. They have video rewards. http://riteaid.adperk.com/ You have to create a seperate account (this is not the same as the wellness card). You will watch short commercials on different products. When the commercial is over, you type in a code (to prove you watched it. You have 30 seconds to type it in, so don’t leave the computer!) After you have typed in the code, you will either get a coupon for the product you chose or 1 credit towards your beauty bonus coupon. When you get about 15 credits, you get a bonus coupon for $4 off $20 purchase. Each month, they have new coupons.
4. Rite Aid lets you stack coupons. They have store coupons and also accept manufacturer’s coupons. If they are advertising an item on sale and they have a store coupon for it (it will say “rite aid” on it and the bar code will start with a 49) and you also have a manufacturer’s coupon for the same product (manufacturer’s coupons start with a 5), you can use both! Their video rewards coupons start with a 48. You may use a 48 (video rewards), 49 (store coupon), and 5 (manufacturers) coupon on one item. If you have any +UP rewards from other purchases, you can use those on top of the coupons! This is how I get a lot of stuff for practically free!
couponsavvyme 