Walgreens: What's more important, less OOP or more MM?

[VJWilson27]

What's more important to you, less cash out of pocket, or making more money?

I used to be all about making money, no matter what the OOP was, but since DH lost his job, I'm going towards less actual OOP even if that means I'm losing a few cents. (or a dollar lol)

I'd much rather use a filler, and lose some $$$ than have to pay more OOP. We always have to pay tax, so even some of the freebies, I pass up. Unless I have a coupon to make it worth the tax, I don't get it.

[zoeys_mom]

Why can't we have both

I say less oop, but then again we pay tax on AFTER coupon price so our oop is typically lower than most!

[anbfraz]

I love money makers (who doesn't?!), but if I have to choose I prefer to spend less oop!

[irishlass]

I use to be about money maker.....now that Walgreens doesn't do the rebates anymore I am all about less OOP. I still find good deals, but pass more deals now then I use to.

[holamelitta]

For me, it depends on how big the potential MM is. If I have to spend a $1 more oop just to get a $1 MM, I probably won't do it. But if I can get a $5 MM, then that's a different story!

[cupcake85]

Usually a lower OOP

[irishlass]

For me, it depends on how big the potential MM is. If I have to spend a $1 more oop just to get a $1 MM, I probably won't do it. But if I can get a $5 MM, then that's a different story!

gotta agree with you on this one

[justmeagain]

I miss the good ole walgreen days.........
finding fillers (things I would never normally buy) is getting ridiculous......the different amounts of the RR's and trying to roll them........and still having OOP costs......yuck.....
I just really miss the good ole walgreens days.......it was SO much easier and zero OOP......I had so many walgreens GC's.......aaaaahhhhhhh......the memories........LOL

[cbgo]

Thank you so much for posting this question. I was really thinking that I was the only one.

I used to be all about the MM, but that has really changed over the last few months. I found myself getting a bunch of pencils that I will never use and other crazy stuff that is worthless to me. I am super lucky to live in a state that taxes on the total after coupons, but the fillers really add up when you are rolling alot of RRs.

I guess I saw it as kind of a game, "How much money can I make a Wags this week?" I finally decided that I was going to work really hard on reducing my OOP everywhere. So, I am only using fillers that are something that I really want or can use. I made a bet with myself last week that I would only spend the change in my purse at Wags for the week. I used the tuna as a filler and managed to roll $150 worth of RRs without clearing any shelves and without breaking a dollar bill. I also now have a nice stockpile of tuna that I don't have to spend money on at the grocery store.

I passed up several freebies so that I could use a RR from that item to make the OOP lower. In the past, I would have just spent the extra money and justified it by that fact that I was making a "profit" in terms of the RRs. Until I can pay my electric bill with a RR, it is just simply not worth it anymore.

[TheWoman]

I go for money makers as long as they are true money makers.

If all the money I make is eaten up by fillers it is not a true money maker.
If I run out of stuff that I want to buy at wags so I have to spend rr on items I could have gotten cheaper elsewhere it may not be a true money maker.
If I use the rr to buy items that I wouldn't have paid cash for, it is not a true money maker.

If done correctly, buying the true money makers will lower your oop. Maybe not this week, but then you have the rr to lower the oop next week. Or maybe it will make your Wags oop higher but then you don't have to spend as much at Target. Of course it helps that I live in a state with no sales tax so free after rr is truely free after rr.


When I look at my oop, I don't just look at this store on this day, I try to see the whole picture. Right now I have a $10 Rite Aid gift card. I could buy an $10 item at Rite Aid and have a $0 oop, or I could buy it on sale for $8 at Wags and have an $8 oop. If I am trying to cut costs this week only I buy it at Rite Aid. However, next week when I buy the $10 rebate item at Rite Aid I have to spend $10 cash because I already used my gift card. My total oop for both weeks is $2 higher because I was trying to limit my oop the first week.