Entering the World of the Drugstore Game

I am slowly taking baby steps in saving our family money.  Here is how it worked for tonight.  I carefully scanned the Rite Aid ad and found that the Softsoap was on sale for $2.97, plus $2 UP rewards, the VO5 Shampoo and Conditioner was on sale 3 for $2, plus a $1 UP rewards, and I had a $2 off coupon for Crest Complete Toothpaste.  I read online to double make sure I could use the UP reward immediately and in combination with coupons, and I could!  That meant I made three purchases.  The soap stayed at $2.97 for my first purchase, the shampoo was free (although I did have to pay tax on it) with the $2 UP rewards for my second purchase, and the toothpaste went from $3.99 to $.99 with the coupon and $1 UP rewards for my third purchase!

Is $2.97 good for 8.5 ounces of soap?  Not really, but it was good for the premium soap, and it gave me the $2 UP rewards which made my shampoo and conditioner free.  I hope I like the aroma, but normally the basic scent is the one I like best and other scents tend to drive my nose bananas.  Do I normally buy VO5 shampoo?  No.  But one of the suggestions from Crystal at http://moneysavingmom.com/ was to try the cheaper brand.  If you can't stand it, then switch to a different one.  The concept was to try something  cheaper to see if you really needed the higher priced brand.  So, we'll see.  If not, Kyle can smell like strawberries for awhile.  HA!

In the end, instead of paying $11.85 before tax, I paid $3.87 before tax.  I figure that isn't too bad as I enter the world of drugstore game.  You can learn more about the drugstore game at http://moneysavingmom.com/.  Scroll down to the "Best of..." title on the right and then watch some of the "31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget".