We have a Brita faucet filter that's at least five years old, so I decided last month that it's time for a new one. (We have very hard water, and there's quite a bit of discoloration where the water comes out.) I printed off my coupons - one was a Target coupon for $10 off with the purchase of a Brita system and multipack of filters, and a manufacturer's coupon for $4 off any Brita system (neither coupon is available now).
When I went to Target last month, the filters were on sale, but the systems weren't. The Target coupon didn't expire until 7/31, so I decided to wait. I checked the ad each week, and the shelf when I visited the store. But it wasn't until the past Saturday that I spotted a good deal on its last day - if it was in the ad, I'd totally missed it.
The cheapest faucet mount system was on sale for $14.84 (normally $16.49). And the multipack of filters was on sale for $25 with a $5 gift card offer. So with my coupons, I paid $25.84 plus tax. And I got back a $5 gift card to spend next time, so it was like paying $20.84. Considering the multipack of filters is usually around $29, I felt like I'd hit the lottery.
What I realized afterward is that I've changed in the two years since I started playing The Drugstore Game. By nature, I'm not the most patient person, but I've learned that if I can wait, a good deal will come along. It makes me uncomfortable to see only a cup of mayo left in the jar and not have an unopened jar in the cupboard waiting, but I've learned to wait because maybe it'll go on sale the next week - and it usually does.
The corollary to this lesson is that it isn't necessary to hit every sale at every store, because the deals will repeat themselves :)
1 comment:
I love your message in this post because lately I have been fighting coupon burn out. It is good for my peace of mind to remeber that another good deal will come along and maybe it will be even better. I had the same thing happen to me but it was peanut butter and this weekend I go the deal buy 2 and get free bread. It mightnot have been the best deal but it was good enough sans coupons ;-)
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