My first few months of drugstore couponing.

I just started couponing around the middle of March 2011.  My sister started bragging about all of the money she was saving so I thought I would give it a try.  I read blogs, match ups and decided to start with Walgreen's.    I don't remember what I bought the first shopping trip but I remember I ended up with about 15 total RR.  I do remember my 2nd trip, I went unprepared. I hadn't yet figure out what 'fillers' were, I didn't make a list, I didn't right down numbers.  I put my items on the counter, the cashier started ringing them up, I handed him the coupons, got my total and started handing him my RR, for some ungodly reason I handed low to high.  Remember what I said about 'fillers'? You got it, I didn't have enough, and by going low to high I lost out on a few bucks.  I still saved a bit but not near as I could.  I continued just doing my couponing at Walgreen's.  I didn't go every week but made sure to go ever other week so my RR didn't expire.

My sister suggested I try CVS, she has finally gotten up the nerve to go herself and she had a great shopping trip at CVS.  I wasn't ready, I was terrified at the thought.  I remember years ago someone on a website I frequent talked about CVS, what she came home with, how much she saved and it just didn't register in my brain, I couldn't wrap my head around it.  It had to be so complicated since I just didn't 'get it'.

I continued another month or so at Walgreen's.  I was getting fed up with their practices.  Most places, when they say 2/$5 mean $2.50 each.  Not Walgreen's.  They might have one for $4.99 and the other for $.01!  So if you have a buy 1 get one free coupon, also known as BOGO, you don't get the expected $2.50 off! I was so fed up the last time this happened  I decided it was high time I try CVS, as my sister suggested.  I read up more, made a list, found the closest one to me and headed out.  I had butterflies in my stomach, I was so scared to walk in there.  Thankfully my sister gave me a little run down on what to do, how the stores are usually laid out, so I wasn't going in 'totally' blind, although somewhat blind since this was my first trip inside a CVS.  I was practically sold the moment I walked in, I don't know many places where the customer gets a 'Hi' or 'Hello' when they first walk in.  I continued to shop at Walgreen's a couple more times but after seeing how easy CVS was, seriously folks this can't get any easier, I never went back to Walgreen's.  Okay, I went back 1 time, to spend my last $6.50 in RR, I bought 4 Diet Pepsi and never went back.  That was at least 2 months ago.  I don't read their match ups or their weekly ad.  I LOVE CVS.