Rite Aid Rebates Tutorial

Hi friends! Since my "Rite Aid Rocks" post, telling you all about the great free stuff I get, I've had lots of Qs as to how it actually works, so I thought I'd walk you through the process:

1. Get Rite Aid ad in Sunday paper (or Monday mail). Browse through looking for the items that offer rebates. Some will say "Free" in the red box, or others will just have a low price after rebate. Here is an example of what their ad looks like:

As you can see, they're already showing you the electric toothbrush is free with a rebate, and coupon in Sunday's paper.

2. Check Pinching Your Pennies Blog to see if they've posted coupon links and such. Sometimes it will be up on Sunday night, sometimes on Monday, or sometimes not at all. I think it just depends on how many free/great deal items are available that week. The point is, they will do the work for you by showing where any coupons or other rebates are to add to the already fabulous deals. For example:

toothpaste is $3 -$3 scr rebate=Free

but you also have a $1 coupon,

so you just made $1 on that purchase!

3. If PYP doesn't have a list, simply go to their coupon list, here, and type in the best deals items to see if you can find a matching coupon. If you're already a couponer, this will be pretty easy because you'll probably already know which items likely have coupons. You can also try googling for coupons. Often companies will have a link on their site. For example, if Biore had a great product on sale, and you couldn't find a coupon through PYP's coupon list, type" Biore coupons" into your search engine, and see what you can find. Also, rite aid often has $5 off $25 coupons. These can really maximize your savings and earnings! PYP will link you to them.

4. Grab your coupons, list, and ad, and take your trip to Rite Aid. The store has their rebate items marked quite clearly, so it is easy to find them. Check out, and hold on to that receipt. That is all you need for your rebate.

5. At home, Log on to riteaid.com/scr and "sign up for scr." Then simply "enter your receipts." No postage. All digital! I would suggest doing it right as you get home from your shopping trip so you don't forget. I also keep the items in a tied bag, so they are not opened until I see that the rebate has went through. This usually takes a couple of days. They'll send you an email. I've never had a problem before, but just in case I happened to grab the wrong thing, I would still be able to return it if I wouldn't be getting my rebate.

6. Request your rebate check! You can do this once a month. The check usually takes about 3 weeks to arrive.

This may look like a lot of work, but it'll only take a week or two to get the hang of it, and then it's a cinch! Also, it is totally up to you how much work you put it. Some days the item is already free with a rebate, and I don't have the energy or time to look for more coupons, so I don't! All in all, this has just really been a great way for me to stock up my medicine and toiletries.

Also, some weeks there are a lot of free/great stuff, other weeks there are only one or two items. A couple of weeks ago they had around $60 in meds (We are seriously ready for any winter sickness!) for two weeks staight, but the last couple of weeks it has slowed down. So, you decide when it is worth it for you to make the trip, or if it is stressing you out more than the worth of a tube of toothpaste. You really can run yourself ragged if you try to hit every deal in town.

Feel free to ask any other questions, and I'll do my best at answering them.

Happy shopping, ladies!