Holiday Shopping Tips - Save on Beauty Products with Strategic Shopping

Sales flyers: Each of the drugstore chains have weekly flyers listing dozens of sale items offering discounts as high as 50% off or "buy one, get one free." These promotions alone offer great savings on beauty products, but Strategic Shoppers know that they are only the start of the game.

Coupons: Drugstores also accept manufacturers' grocery coupons that can be combined with sale prices. For example, if Revlon cosmetics are 50% off and there is a $2 coupon available from the newspaper, it is possible that if you used the coupon, you would get the item practically free.

Automatic rebate rewards: In addition to sale prices and coupons, shoppers can "stack" more savings on one item by using automatic reward programs (offered only by CVS and Walgreens). CVS has a program called "Extra Bucks" which is an automatic rebate program. Walgreens has a similar program called "Register Rewards." Each week several items generate these rewards with their purchase, and the Extra Bucks or Register Rewards are printed out immediately as cash-off coupons on the receipt. In many cases, the automatic rewards are equal to the price of the item, making the item effectively free. The catch is that you can only use the rewards coupons on your next order, so if you decide to play the drugstore savings game, you'll want to make a habit of it to avoid losing your reward value. For example, one week CVS had Complete contact lens solution 12 oz. for $8.99, and you received an $8.99 Extra Buck when you bought it. That same week Maybelline foundation cost $8.99 and had an $8.99 Extra Buck so it would also be effectively free.

Other savings strategies that help shoppers save on beauty products at drugstores include:

CVS/Pharmacy: 2% cash back rebate when you use their loyalty card called the "Extra Care" card.

Email newsletter coupons: When shoppers sign up for the CVS email newsletter at www.cvs.com, they will be sent store coupons periodically that they can use along with newspaper coupons and Extra Bucks. Coupons are typically $4 off a $20 order or $10 off a $50 order.

Rite Aid: Rite Aid has a more traditional rebate program called their "All in One" rebate program. It is a mail-in rebate program that simplifies the traditional rebate process of mailing in paperwork for each rebate item. With the "All in One" program, shoppers can submit all rebates earned for the month on one form, and they can do it by mail or online. Rite Aid also has a monthly in-store coupon booklet that offers store coupons for many items including beauty products.

Stephanie Nelson is The Coupon Mom and has taught shoppers how to save with Strategic Shopping and coupons since 2000. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show, Fox News, CNN and many local news broadcasts teaching her savings strategies with her free website CouponMom.com.