Thanks for responding. Oh well, guess I will just buy more Kleenex! (Can never go wrong with Kleenex)
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Got a nice deal today:bought 2x$81 Lancome Eye Cream , 2xVim, 1xScrubbling bubbles, had a digital offer 20x, received 15k department pts, the cosmetician gave me a $10 SDM card, a set of luxurious samples ( says $125 value), a full size Vichy cleanser, new Tresor perfume sample and some small Nux trial samples. Got 48600 pts incl the department pts, and also received $5 from C51.
Mini shop today ... my local SDM has a ton of hair products marked down to $1.99 in clearance (Garnier, L'Oreal, Clean & Clear, Aveeno). Since I have a pretty good stockpile of hair products, I practiced restraint :lol: but I did get the following:
Fructis Triple Nutrition $1.99 - $1 coupon - $1 Zweet rebate = $free
Drano Max Gel $3.99 - $2 coupon - $3 C51 rebate = $0.99 overage
Tampax Pearl Pocket $3.99 - $1 coupon - $2 C51 rebate = $0.99 cost
All I had to pay was the tax so ended up $0.78 out of pocket. Wish I had a few more Garnier coupons as the Zweet limit is 3.
Wrong thread; needed to have eyes check
Went to SDM on Sunday for a personal offer of 16,000 pts WUS $75. Didn't even clue in that they had Maple Leaf bacon on sale for $3.49. So spent $0.99 on each pack (after $2.50 coupons), bought 24, and got 8 Ready Crisp bacon for free (with the coupon books of course), got my points. With the few thousand I already had, was able to go back in and "spend" $60 using only my Optimum points where I got food necessities like Highliner fillets, milk, eggs, and a few treats for my grandson <3.
Pretty happy with that, especially when I wasn't expecting to spend so little! :)
Gotta love manager's stickers! Next to the cash was a rack with 4 loaves of Country Harvest bread, dated March 16 (today is the 14th), each with a $3.00 manager's sticker attached. Since the bread is on sale for 2/$5.00, I walked out with 4 loaves of bread, totally FREE! :)
Lindt bars - 2/6.00 and 2.00 sticker on each. 1.00 per bar
This brag is thanks to Anne and everyone at SC for sharing your tips and knowledge about SDM and baby items.
I bought:
1 X pampers swaddlers 12.99
1X pamper cruisers 12.99
1 X pamper wipers 2.99
1 X huggies wipes 2.99
and other stuff totaling $46.
I had 1 p&g insert coupon for $1 and another for $2
Total points earned 22,200
i used VIP 3000, 3000, 2000, 2000
personal bp 3000 for any pampers
20X wus $40
Pretty happy with this shop! If I keep going like this, my baby's diapers and wipes will be next to nothing!
I have thought about this quite a bit over the past couple of months. If you look at redemption like spending actual money (i.e. being as careful in looking at prices and which products you buy while redeeming as you'd if you were spending actual cash had there been no points system in place) and buying with points as getting discounts, this problem is solved, at least for me.
I go redeem to get milk/butter/eggs/frozen stuff on sale/use coupons/upload receipts for cash back, then, it is pretty ok because I'd have paid that same price for those products literally anywhere else where there are no points system in place. I mean without SDM optimum, I would have been paying that price using cash anyways. So, the points become equal to cash for me. If I end up redeeming for overpriced products or buying unnecessary things just to reach redemption limits, that's another story. Savings are still there but not to the extent you'd have hoped/estimated while earning points.
May be it is too obvious for everyone who has been using the program for many years. It is only after I could make sense of how to redeem without losing value, I could go and finally redeem for the first time last week! Hopefully, I will get PC points conversion email soon (fingers crossed).
I keep track of all of my purchases in a spreadsheet, listing each thing I buy, quantity, price, coupons, store discounts, points used.
At the end of each year I was able to sort all my purchases at SDM to get a list of everything I buy there and the frequency. (Keeping in mind that I only shopped there because it was the best price.)
Now I have a list of the things I *only* buy at SDM, because it's the best price - but I always wait for those sales so I am buying at *my* price.
I freaking stay away from the junk food - pop, chips, candy, cookies - these are total budget busters and no value to me.
I do buy a lot of health, personal care, household items at SDM so it is the store where I use the most coupons out of everywhere that I shop.
The most competitive prices to SDM's sales are Walmart, IMO. Walmart regularly has rollbacks on contact lens solution, vitamins that can blow SDM away. However WM does not advertise these sales aggressively like SDM does and not all products they sell are online so you actually have to go to the store to monitor these deals, which is a PITA to me. They don't even deliver a flyer in my area anymore. Anyway, WM and SDM are price-warring these days. Loblaws is also offering some good deals because of their connections with SDM now. One that comes to mind is the best sale price on Restoralax in the flyers is $2 cheaper at Loblaws vs. SDM at the best of times. Loblaws also has had better deals on L'Oreal Preference vs. SDM. Just examples, but solid ones. Before shopping at SDM, watch prices at WM and Loblaws.
That's my strategy. Create a list of things that are good to buy at SDM and only buy those products there. I buy all of my milk there exclusively and for the past 3 weeks I have had a 15X on milk offer as a result.
The points I am getting work out to about 23% off all purchases, where all purchases are at my best price. I spend about $100/month.
Me too :-) I started the exercise last month. Thankfully, I had all the receipts stored except for the first few from November when I didn't realize I'd be using the program so extensively.
That's exactly what I do. Why shop elsewhere when you can get points along while spending the same amount? For other products, it is just comparing the price in relation to the personalized offer I get and it has to be quite a lot cheaper than other places because I am getting to get my points value back after a few months.Quote:
At the end of each year I was able to sort all my purchases at SDM to get a list of everything I buy there and the frequency. (Keeping in mind that I only shopped there because it was the best price.)
Now I have a list of the things I *only* buy at SDM, because it's the best price - but I always wait for those sales so I am buying at *my* price.
No pop for us either, other things are bought only on 3000/$10 on candies & snacks but very rarely and we monitor our consumption.Quote:
I freaking stay away from the junk food - pop, chips, candy, cookies - these are total budget busters and no value to me.
Yep, after points, coupons and cash backs, I have bought so many household/health items for 'free'- last week had 1800BP on tide with 20x WUS $50 coupon. So, paid 4.64 including taxes after $1 off coupon, got close to 2850 points (including pro-rata 20x points) back, which even at $85/50000 redemption is worth more than what I paid.Quote:
I do buy a lot of health, personal care, household items at SDM so it is the store where I use the most coupons out of everywhere that I shop.
There are so many SDM locations I can just walk to/take TTC to- literally 5 of them within 15 minutes of walking distance and so many of them whenever we are out and about for any other reason while Walmart takes over half an hour by car! Funny you mentioned contact lens solution, I got 15x points on Life Brand Contact Lens Solution last month, which was about $12.69 on sale for 355ml*2 bottles. That made it cheaper than any other place for me with 15x points and personalized 18500/$75 coupon. I bought only one set the first time to try it but it is quite good and I'd stock up on it next time I receive the coupon.Quote:
The most competitive prices to SDM's sales are Walmart, IMO. Walmart regularly has rollbacks on contact lens solution, vitamins that can blow SDM away. However WM does not advertise these sales aggressively like SDM does and not all products they sell are online so you actually have to go to the store to monitor these deals, which is a PITA to me. They don't even deliver a flyer in my area anymore. Anyway, WM and SDM are price-warring these days. Loblaws is also offering some good deals because of their connections with SDM now. One that comes to mind is the best sale price on Restoralax in the flyers is $2 cheaper at Loblaws vs. SDM at the best of times. Loblaws also has had better deals on L'Oreal Preference vs. SDM. Just examples, but solid ones. Before shopping at SDM, watch prices at WM and Loblaws.
We have been getting the same milk coupon on our two cards during alternate weeks like clockwork. I have not bought milk without that coupon in over a month now :razz:Quote:
That's my strategy. Create a list of things that are good to buy at SDM and only buy those products there. I buy all of my milk there exclusively and for the past 3 weeks I have had a 15X on milk offer as a result.
I am yet to do that calculation. I think I will have to redeem a few times to calculate that properly but I have been spending quite a bit more at Shoppers per month- I am buying almost everything there except for produce/grains/few other kitchen staples.Quote:
The points I am getting work out to about 23% off all purchases, where all purchases are at my best price. I spend about $100/month.
Walmart had Bausch + Lomb Biotrue 2-pk for $9.99 and there is a $2.00 coupon...they put it on Rollback regularly but they rarely advertise it.
ETA: you can watch the product here http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/bausch-l.../6000189068324 and coupon is here http://www.biotruesolution.ca/en-ca/try-biotrue but they are 300 ml bottles