Ways to Save, Part 6: Drugstore Games at Rite Aid

I had not shopped at Rite Aid much before I started couponing. But it has become one of the best places to get some really good rebate deals, which, for me seem to be one of the best ways to get free and cheap items consistently. When I combine their monthly Single Check Rebates (SCR) with coupons, (including an Internet Rite Aid coupon for "$5 off of a $25 purchase" that they have been releasing regularly), and weekly sales, I have gotten free or really inexpensive items.

As an example, last week I got 2 packages of Kotex pads, 2 large packages of Carefree liners, 2 small Aveeno lotions, and 2 Dove Clinical deodorants all for $1.15! My actual out-of-pocket was $11.15, but I will carry the $10 until the end of the month, submit my receipt on-line, and within about 2 weeks will get the check a check in the mail for $10. You can look here to see the details of this deal.

As you can imagine, getting these items for free or really cheap has had a huge impact on our groceries/household budget. I used to get items I thought were inexpensive at a Grocery Outlet store near us, $1.99 for deodorant or toothpaste, .99 for shampoo, but I am consistently getting items for free or .25-.50 cents, making a trip to the drugstore as I do my other errands really worth it!

Each month Rite Aid prints a multi-page bulletin for their Single Check Rebates for that month. These are only found in the store in the displays by the front doors. You can also see the deals posted on blogs (see sidebar) if it's the beginning of the month and you don't have the bulletin yet. Some deals are good for the whole month, some you have to buy within a certain week for the item to be available.

The only downside I've found is that the stores around us typically carry only 3-4 items of some health items (eye-drops, etc.), so that they are often sold out. I've been told I can get a rain check and jump through some hoops to still get the rebate (if it's a week-only rebate), but when I'm trying to combine it with other items to be able to use the $5/$25 coupon, it throws the whole deal out the window. Sometimes I can find something else and still do the deal, and sometimes I've just had to let it go.

Here are the steps I do to save the most at Rite Aid:

• First, I collect health and beauty coupons, even ones I'm not sure about - I don't have to use them, but I never know if there's going to be a deal for, say, "buy 4 items, get $ off" so I collect multiples of any I find of things our family uses.
• I check the Rite Aid circular in the Sunday paper for sales and items advertised as eligible for a SCR, then write down the things I'm interested in that there is a coupon for.
• I check a few blogs that list Rite Aid deals. Two in my sidebar that consistenly have current deal posts are It's Hip toSave and Money Saving Mom.
• I print off the $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon, if available, and any other Internet coupon that will go with the deals I want.
• I make a list to get the most for the least out-of-pocket using all my coupons, the sales, and the rebate deals available that month. Then I stick to my list (unless they are out of an item...).
• Then I hold all my receipts until the end of the month, submit them online before the deadline (usually a month after the rebate period ends), then wait for the check in the mail!

I usually just deposit the check, but some I've read about cash it in each month and use that money to do more deals, so they are just "rolling over the money" to keep their out-of-pocket low each month.

Find what works for you, and start saving money at the drugstores - it's fun, too!

-Jami