Drugstore Deals and Fears...

It has been a LONG time since I have shopped at CVS or Walgreens. I got to a point where I was very good at finding the deals, cutting the coupons, printing the coupons, making my scenarios and getting great deals!! But then it seemed for a while that there just weren't deals worth spending the time and money on. I have still looked each week to see what I could maybe get for the littlest amount of money, but after I let my RR and ECB's run out so that I wasn't rolling them anymore, I was even more picky about the deals, since I would HAVE to start by spending money no matter what.
SO...
I recently made my first trip (in a LONG time) to Walgreens...and I felt like a newbie all over again. I was diligent but nervous. I was excited about the deals, but afraid I would not find what I needed for my scenarios. I was going at a late hour so there wouldn't be as many people, but was still holding up the line...
To my surprise and delight, I found everything in my scenarios except 1 item. This threw me off a little bit, but not too much...BUT...unfortunately I forgot one of the basic, and yet very important, rules of Walgreens. Coupon to item ratio! I forgot to plan for this! How could I forget? I used to have this all down to a science, and now I am forgetting the basic steps! And the rough thing about this part is that they do not have the clearance items up by the registers!
SO...
I ended up spending more than I planned and more than I would have liked, but felt like I did better than my actual first time ever doing this. The cashier wasn't a helpful one through my forgetfulness, but I got through it, and got some nice items...and some RR to hopefully roll...

The candies became my filler items as I quickly went back into the store (between transactions when I realized my epic failure) and tried to find the cheapest items available. The blowpops were on clearance for .32 for the bunches, so I was pleased with this. As for the other items:

Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion 6.8oz @ $6.99, Get $6.99 in Register Rewards (did 2 of these)
Use $1.50/1 coupon HERE (IE) or HERE (FF)
Pay $5.49 out of pocket
Get back $7 in RRs (they round up)

Gillette Fusion MVP Manual or Power Razor System @ $8.99, Get $6 in Register Rewards
Use $4/1 coupon from the 9/27 P&G
Pay $4.99 out of pocket
Get back $6 in RRs

Halls Refresh Sugar Free 20 ct @ $1, Get $1 in Register Rewards
Use 75¢/1 coupon from the 9/27 SS
Pay 25¢ out of pocket
Get back $1 in RRs

Oral-B Advantage 1-2-3 Toothbrush @ $3, Get $3 in Register Rewards
Use 75¢/1 coupon from the 9/27 P&G
Pay $2.25 out of pocket
Get back $3 in RRs

Herbal Essences Hair Care @ $2.99, Get $2 in Register Rewards
Pay $2.99 out of pocket
Get back $2 in RRs

Chapstick Fresh Effects @ $2.99, Get $3 in Register Rewards

The only thing I didn't find? Robitussin DM To Go 2 pk @ $2.49, Get $2.49 in Register Rewards

So, I did 4 transactions and ended up spending $9.74 out of pocket (would have liked to have kept this under $5) and got back $11 in RRs for next time. Hopefully next time goes more smoothly!!