Heres a few transaction scenarios for you, you can also check out the walgreens thread for more great ideas.

Dental Care Transaction
Sale: Reach: Total Care Toothbrush or Floss, 30 yds, 2 pack advanced design toothbrushes. Listerine: 72 ct. Pocket Paks, Total Care or Advanced Mouthwash, 8.45 oz. Limit 3. 3/$9
Get: (1) Reach 2 pack advanced design toothbrushes, (1) Reach Total care Floss 30 yds, (1) Listerine Pocket Paks 72ct.
Use: (1) Reach Toothbrush or Value Pack, any $1/1 (5-31-10) SS-6/14. (1) Reach Dental Floss, any excluding trial sizes or any Reach Access Flosser $1/1 (5-31-10) SS-6/14. (1) Listerine Antiseptic, any 500 mL or larger or any Plax Rinse, or any Efferdent 78 ct. or larger, or any Listerine PocketPaks 24 ct. or larger or any Listerine PocketMist .50/1 (5-31-10) SS-6/14.
Use Store Coupon: In Ad Instant coupon (back page) $5.01/3
Pay: $1.49

Cold Care Transaction
Sale: Vicks, 10 or 20ct Nyquil or dayQuil or liquid, 6oz. VapoRub 1.75 oz. $4.49
Use: 5x Vicks NyQuil or Dayquil, any $2/1 (2-28-10) PG-1/17 (if your not getting nyQuil/ DayQuil use Vicks Product, any except NyQuil or DayQuil $1/1 (2-28-10) PG-1/17 )
Pay: $12.45 + tax
Get: $10 rr from Vicks

This is a good deal when you think that your paying $13.94 for 5 bottles of Nyquil, toothbrushes, Listerine and floss AND walking out with $10.

If you have any questions about how Register Rewards work go here for the answers.

My husband and I love steak & seafood. For New Years Eve, Anniversary and Valentine’s we used to go out and spend easily $100 on a meal. That no longer fits the budget. For just $40 this past Valentine’s Day I prepared 2 lbs of crab legs, 2 lbs of shrimp, steaks, roasted red potatoes and steamed asparagus – THAT WAS A LOT OF FOOD!!

Do you have a favorite restaurant that you crave? Did you know that you can typically search online and find recipes that VERY closely mimic those at your favorite restaurant for just a fraction of the price? Imagine the budget savings by cutting out all the expensive overhead and the satisfaction of serving it right at your own table. Yet, you will not feel deprived because you will still get to eat your favorite foods. You can locate these recipes offered right on the web by simply using your search engine. All you have to do is type in the name of the restaurant and the recipe name, and soon you will be in your kitchen cooking up all your favorite recipes.

It can be very expensive to go out to a restaurant for a delicious meal. And if you have a big family, the more ridiculous the prices are. One of my family’s favorite places to eat is Texas Roadhouse. Yummy! They have really good rolls. After searching online I found a recipe that is pretty darn close:

TEXAS ROAD HOUSE SWEET YEAST ROLLS – Copy Cat

1 1/2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups milk- scalded and cooled to lukewarm
3 tablespoons of melted butter – cooled
1/2 cup sugar
2 quart all purpose flour —
2 whole eggs
2 tsp. salt

Soften yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar.

Add yeast, milk, sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter. Beat thoroughly. Let stand until light and foamy.

Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well. Add enough flour to form soft dough. Sprinkle small amount of flour on counter and let dough rest.

Meanwhile, clean and dry bowl; grease clean surface of bow. Knead dough until smooth and satiny. Put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until double in bulk.

Punch down. Turn out on floured board. Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes.

Shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes (until golden brown). Baste immediately with butter

Yield: 5 to 6 dozen (depending on the size – I made mine kind of big and got about 3 dozen)

And don’t forget to check out Pinching Your Pennies – Pennies Per Serving Forum. Registered users can post recipes and ask questions there! Anytime I need a recipe I can usually find help right there.

Of course, if you are going out to a restaurant…. Look for coupons. There is nothing wrong with using coupons or discount cards at restaurants.

Now that I have told you how to shop at Rite Aid, I thought I would show you what I did in January and February. Here is what I bought during those two rebate periods:

(sorry, no photo since I didn’t think about doing this until the other day)

(1) pkg Airborne
(1) Oral B electric toothbrush
(5) Soy Joy bars
(2) Olay body wash
(2) Olay lotions
(1) Olay bar soap, 6 pack
(2) Olay moisturizers
(1) Kotex tampons, 18 ct
(1) Always liners, 22 ct
(1) Always liners, 44 ct
(2) Tampax tampons, 40 ct
(3) Tampax tampons, 20 ct
(1) Tampax tampons, 36 ct
(3) soda bottles, 2 liter
(1) Maybelline mascara
(2) Valentine M&M bags
(3) Kleenex boxes, 110 ct
(2) Trident Layers gum
(1) Pampers diaper box, size 4
(4) Pampers jumbo packs, various sizes
(1) Colgate Total toothpaste, 4 oz.
(1) Complete Contact Solution
(1) NyQuil tablets
(2) Valentine candy bags
(1) Electrasol tabs
(1) Neutrogena cleanser
(2) Orbit gum, 3 packs
(1) light bulbs, 4 pack

Clearance deals @ 75% off:
(4) Pokemon pencils @ .50 cents each
(4) nail polish @ .25 cents each
(1) french manicure set @ $1.75

TOTAL SPENT AFTER REBATES: $15.11!

WHOO HOO!

That’s a 86% savings from my oop cost, and a 93% savings from retail cost!

(notice with all that stuff is 4 packs of diapers and a box of diapers? AWESOME!)

Here is how it figured out:

$219.52 retail cost
$104.83 OOP cost (after coupons)
$89.72 rebates received
(rebates were as follows: $11 for Jan., $17.49 for Feb., $35 P&G promo, $15 Olay and $11.23 Olay)

PLUS, I was able to submit many of my receipts for the $100 P&G coupon booklet offer. So I will really come out way, way ahead (especially considering these coupons can be doubled!)

THIS is why you need to start shopping at Rite Aid!

Get going and start saving!

UPDATE: As of May 2011 Rite Aid has made some coupon policy changes. You can find them here. Print out the new policy for your coupon binder!

Rite Aid has a great coupon policy! They are coupon friendly and usually very willing to help. Here are all the details. You can also call 1800 Rite Aid to ask questions at any time. They are very helpful.

I recommend printing this policy and keeping it with you in your coupon binder.

Rite Aid gladly accepts manufacturer coupons, Rite Aid coupons and certain Internet/Print at Home coupons in all stores as detailed in these coupon acceptance guidelines:

GUIDELINES:

Multiple Coupons

• Rite Aid accepts manufacturer coupons and Rite Aid coupons for the purchase of a single item. However, no coupon’s redemption amount can ever exceed the price of the item.
• Only one manufacturer coupon is accepted for each product, unless coupled with another manufacturer coupon found in a Rite Aid circular.
• 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.
• Rite Aid reserves the right to limit bulk purchases of items if the purchase will deplete our supply for other customers.

Buy One, Get One Free Coupons

• When items are featured on a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the item being purchased.
• If a customer presents a Buy One Get One Free coupon for the purchase of two items that are on a Buy One Get One Free promotion; we accept the coupon, essentially making both items free.
• Be advised that the cash register will compute any sales tax due, which sales tax varies and is defined by applicable state law.

Internet/Print at Home Coupons

• Rite Aid only accepts coupons printed off the internet from manufacturer’s websites, emails and coupon websites up to a maximum of $5.00 off per item as long as the coupon redemption amount never exceeds the price of the item.
• Rite Aid coupons are not considered internet/print at home coupons, even when they are printed from an internet site or an email, and therefore these coupons only are not subject to the $5.00 limit.

Total Purchase Coupons

• From time to time, 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.
• Any manufacturer coupons that may be presented with a total purchase coupon will be deducted after the purchase total has been determined.
• Rite Aid may accept more than one total purchase coupon as long as each total purchase coupon is used in separate transactions with each transaction meeting the minimum purchase requirements. Rite Aid reserves the right to limit the number of total purchase coupons that may be used by a customer in a single day.

Sale Items

• Rite Aid will accept coupons for an item that is on sale.
• In the event that any item’s selling price is less than the value of the coupon, Rite Aid will only 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 ever provided in exchange for any coupons.

General

• Coupons and their face value cannot be exchanged for cash
• Competitor coupons are never accepted at Rite Aid.

Just $19.99 each for Boneless Ham, Turkey Breast, Mini Ham, or Pot Roast entrees with this printable coupon.
Valid at participating stores in AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, LA, MO, MS, NC, NV, OR, SC, TN, UT and Fairview Heights, IL.

Find a store near you at THIS LINK.

Print the coupon at THIS LINK.

Visit a participating Panda Express and get a FREE single entree serving of Honey Walnut Shrimp. This offer is good for one day only on Wednesday, 3/10. Become a fan of Panda Express on Facebook and your coupon now!
Link to coupon

Leave This Town by Daughtry
4.4 out of 5 stars
Price: $3.99

Album Savings: $11.49 compared to buying all songs

First off…after reading the last Rite Aid post you might be wondering:

Well…that is why PYP is here! We try our best every week to match up the deals for you. We even tell you where to get your coupons and what promos are going on. So to find out all you need to do is check PYP for the weekly Rite Aid post.

I do recommend you read the regulations and monthly details on Rite Aid website for the Single Check Rebate program. Also, double check your local ad as some prices do vary by location. When I shop before I buy I always check that I am buying the right item for the rebate.

Okay. You are on board for wanting to sign up for Rite Aid’s Single Check Rebate Program. It is really easy!

Start by going to their website. This is what it looks like.

Click on where it says, “Sign up for SCR.” Then just fill out the info and you are done! Now every time you enter in receipts when you shop go back to the website and log in to your account.

So lets say you went shopping and you now need to record your receipt. You want those rebates! After you log into your account, you will see a page where you can click on “store” or “online” purchases for receipts. This is what the page looks like when you enter a store receipt:

After you fill out the information, you click the button, “enter receipt.” SO EASY, huh!

That’s it! In a few days you will get an email from Rite Aid telling you if you submission was accepted for the rebate. You can look up your rebate status anytime online in your account.

After you are done rebate shopping for the month, you can request your check be mailed to you, which only takes 2-3 weeks! I have never had a problem with my check in 6 years of doing the SCR system. It always comes.

Plus, if you are also participating in extra Rite Aid promos, like the P&G promo or the Gift of Savings (where you can get more money back if you purchase a certain amount of certain items) you will see those totals in your account too.

Rite Aid also has a Video Values Program. You sign up (its free) and watch quick advertisements to earn credits for printing store coupons. When you earn 20 credits you can print off a $5 off $20 purchase coupon! You can do this every month.

I encourage you to sign up for the Single Check Rebate program now! The only thing you are losing is money!

Tomorrow I will post Rite Aid’s Official Coupon Policy.

Become a fan and request a FREE bag of Sun Chips.

Available to first 100,000 fans.

LINK TO OFFER

With four major earthquakes occurring around the world in the last two months (three of them just in the last 2 weeks, and one of those just yesterday), emergency preparation has probably been on quite a few minds recently. I even heard a spot from our state’s governor on the radio yesterday letting everyone know of our state’s preparedness web site and other resources.

One of the main things that is suggested on most of the government and community preparation web sites is to have an emergency “kit” (sometimes called a 72-hour kit or a bug-out bag) for each member of the family, that contains items that would be useful in possible emergency situations.

There are many options for kits out there – you can purchase pre-assembled kits, you can make your own, or you can do a combination of both. As an aspiring “frugalista”, I really wanted to make my own because I was pretty sure I could do it for pretty cheap, and doing my own meant I could customize it for my family’s needs.

As I’ve done research on this, I’ve found so many lists of suggested items, and so many ideas. But I also found that it’s easy to get bogged down in trying to plan for every possible scenario. It can become overwhelming, and it’s hard to not get stalled in our efforts or abandon our plans all together because of the perceived complexity of the whole endeavor.

I’m a firm believer in the idea that ANY preparation is better than no preparation at all. So I wanted to find a way to put together a bare-bones, bare-basics kit that wouldn’t cost much money and could be thrown together in a matter of a few minutes so that it would be done and ready should the need ever arise.

In an emergency situation, the top priorities are water, wound care and sanitation/hygiene. You can go a few days without food. You can go for weeks without a shower or brushing your teeth or shampooing your hair if you had to (no, it wouldn’t be pretty, and it might be downright miserable, but you’d at least survive).

But you CAN’T go for very long without water. And if you happen to get a wound (which is quite likely in an emergency) and it gets infected and is untreated, you just plain WON’T be able to go for very long – period.

With that in mind, I rummaged through my house to come up with the items that I felt were a bare-minimum for an emergency kit. These are kind of the essentials for sustaining or preserving life. Here’s what I came up with:

small backpack
sweatshirt/jacket
bottled water [it’s not the recommended 3 gallons, but it’s certainly better than nothing, and you can add more if space and weight allow]
assorted adhesive bandages
antiseptic wash (or alcohol wipes or iodine)
antibiotic ointment
otc pain relievers
any prescription meds you take on a daily basis
food for 1 day [I just grabbed 6 granola/nut bars – convenient, no cooking required, and could be easily rationed if needed]
bar of soap
washcloth
roll of toilet paper
(for the gals) feminine hygiene products

[If you have a young child, you might want to include a baby blanket, cloth or disposable diaper(s) and possibly a bottle and formula]

It took me about 15 minutes to gather all these items. There was still about 6 inches of room at the top of the backpack, and even with the water bottle included, the entire pack only weighed 5lb 10oz. It was fast, cheap (all items came from around my house already) and lightweight.

Remember, this is not a deluxe version. This is just a quick put-together kit that you can do on the cheap that will get you started. But even this bare-basics kit will still get you a lot farther in an emergency situation than having no kit at all.

Of course, the idea is that you can then add to and customize your kit as time and finances and circumstances allow. There are many more things you might want to add if space and weight will allow. But even if you don’t add anything else, at least you’ll have something put together should the need ever arise (but hopefully it won’t).

Here’s a quick list of other things you might want to add on (and this is by no means an exhaustive list):

flashlight
trash bag/rain poncho
copies of important documents (birth certificates, IDs, contact information, etc.)
additional first aid supplies
change of clothes and additional cold weather items (hat, gloves, etc.)
additional personal hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste, wet wipes, razor, etc.)
knife or survival tool
additional food
whistle
matches
solar blanket
water purification tablets or water filtering device
hand sanitizer
etc.

I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions on emergency kits or other things you’ve done to “get prepared”.

[For additional resources, check out www.ready.gov or www.fema.gov/areyouready.]

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PYP has recently launched a few Facebook groups to aid in sharing deals on a more local level.  If you live in one of these areas,  be sure to become a Fan!  We also recommend becoming a fan of PinchingYourPennies.com on Facebook, for lots of great national and online deals. We’re closing in on 25,000 fans!

California Shopping Secrets Facebook group Northern and Southern California deals
Colorado Shopping Secrets Facebook group Colorado deals
Idaho Shopping Secrets Facebook group Idaho deals
Nevada Shopping Secrets Facebook group Nevada deals
Oregon Shopping Secrets Facebook group Oregon deals
Utah Shopping Secrets Facebook group Utah deals
Washington Shopping Secrets Facebook group Washington deals
Wyoming Shopping Secrets Facebook group Wyoming deals
SavingMoneyinAZ.com Facebook group – Arizona deals

PinchingYourPennies.com Facebook group – mostly freebies and national and online deals.

You can easily freeze cheese in your freezer, so if you find that killer deal on cheese, or if you are like me and you scavenge the discount bins and are buying cheese close to the best before date, you can easily freeze it for use later.

If you are using cheese for cheese sauce, pasta noodles, etc, grate the cheese first, and then freeze in either a freezer bag or with your food saver. As it freezes, remove it from the freezer a few times to shake it, so the cheese doesn’t stick together as it freezes. This way, you can grab just as much cheese as you need.

Note: did you know that the “cheese companies” put additives in the shredded cheese to make it not stick together? YUCK!

If you would like to freeze it in blocks, do note that the cheese will change texture slightly. So it will be fine for grilled cheese, for example, but not as good for cheese and crackers. Wrap the cheese well in foil or plastic wrap, wrapping as tightly as possible to prevent air reaching the cheese. Then place in a bag, squeezing as much air as possible.

Plan to use frozen cheese within 4 to 6 months. Thaw cheese in the refrigerator. Use soon after thawing.

The cheeses that freeze best are brick, Camembert, cheddar, Edam, mozzarella, muenster, Parmesan, provolone, Romano and Swiss. Blue cheeses are more prone to becoming crumbly but they’ll still taste good. Cream cheese and cottage cheese do not freeze well.

Is shopping at Rite Aid worth the time? If you ask me, I would answer YES! I save so much money by shopping there. Instead of buying hygiene items, medicine, and other necessities at Walmart I spend much less shopping at Rite Aid!

It’s true that most items have rebates, which means you pay out of pocket for items first then submit for the rebate later. But let me show you how easy Rite Aid’s system is. It is all done online. No forms to fill out, nothing to mail. It is fast, easy to understand and you get your rebate in 2-3 weeks after requesting it!

Rite Aid’s rebate program is called Single Check Rebates. Each month they put out a rebate schedule. It explains what dates you need to purchase the items, and which items qualify for the rebate. Most times you can only get one rebate per offer per household.

But here is the key to maximizing your savings:

You combine the monthly rebates with coupons & sale prices, PLUS additional rebates from manufacturer’s.

It really works!

Rite Aid has store coupons you can combine with manufacturer coupons to get more for your money. They also have $5 off $25, $5 off $20, and $3 off $15 purchase coupons to use periodically.

For example, through January and February I purchased certain items for the monthly rebates. BUT many of those items also qualified for current manufacturer rebates out there like Olay and the P&G promo from Rite Aid.

Here is an example of one of my purchases last month.

• Olay bar soap, 6 pack
• 2 Olay moisturizers
• Light bulbs, 4 pack
• 2 Orbit gum, 3 pack
• 4 Pokemon pencils (on clearance for 75% off)

Total spent out of pocket after coupons: $16.32
Then I submitted for the $15 Olay rebate. So I almost broke even on that trip!

Making sense?

Last fall and this past winter Rite Aid had a Gift of Savings program. If you spent $51 in their store you got $10 back. This was another way to capitalize on getting ahead. That $50 total is before coupons…..so that is why it makes such a difference! And that promo was in addition to the Single Check Rebates!

If you start shopping at Rite Aid you will be floored how much you can get for so little money. In a few days I will show you how much I was able to get through January and February for only $15!

Tomorrow I will show you how to get going in the Rite Aid Single Check Rebates Program!

1. FREE shipping on any $10 order at Avon.com! Great Easter Basket Ideas!

More info HERE

2. Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender $32.50 shipped at Amazon.com!

More info HERE

3. Alice.com. Great prices on household supplies and FREE shipping!

More info HERE

4. Pre-order Mockingjay for $8.50 plus shipping at Amazon.com!

More info HERE

5. Current Generation Refurbished iPod Touch now available at AppleStore.com!

More info HERE

6. Free 20-Page Large Hardcover Photo Book at Picaboo.com! New Customers ONLY! Shipping is $8.99

More info HERE

7. 140 FREE address labels from VistaPrint.com! Shipping is about $3.00. Design your own labels!

More info HERE

8. Denny’s Unlimited Pancakes or French Fries ~ with entree purchase of $2.50 or more
Good through March.

More info HERE

9. 32nd Annual Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s! March 23rd from 12 noon – 8pm

More info HERE

10. $10 Disney Ponyo Blu-ray coupon: Save $10.00 with purchase of Ponyo Blu-ray Combo Pack.

More info HERE