The mother of all Rite Aid posts

This is a long one, but if you're a Rite Aid shopper, there are some things I really want you to know about so please take a few minutes to read through it, OK? Thanks!

First things first: I've got a new, super-affordable makeup-removing towelette that is ROCKING MY WORLD these days and, surprise surprise, it's from Rite Aid:

Of course I misplaced my receipt so I don't have the exact retail price, but I know it was approximately $2.50 for 64 wipes, minus 10% if you're a Wellness+ Member. Quite a deal! What I really love about these baby wipes is that, not only do they remove all of my makeup, they're also soft yet sturdy. Plus, they're alcohol-free AND, as the package says, the scent is green tea and cucumber. But what's even more awesome is that it's not just green tea and cucumber fragrance, these wipes actually contain green tea and cucumber extracts (and chamomile, aloe and Vitamin E as well)! And they're paraben-free.

Unlike the Biore Green Tea towelettes I reviewed a while back, which burned my eyes and skin like crazy, these baby wipes don't burn AT ALL. They are so gentle and refreshing on my face, and they don't leave any weird residue behind. My face just feels clean and smooth after I use them, without any dryness. If I could buy a packet for each and every one of you I would. I love them that much.

Moving on, I wanted to tell you that in addition to Rite Aid's new Tugaboo line of baby products, they've got a few other new, very affordable private brands that are worth noting. Rite Renewal is Rite Aid's private brand for beauty products that are generic versions of popular products such as Lubriderm lotion, Aveeno body wash and lotion, Dove body wash and beauty bars, Eucerin body lotion and also a few L'Oreal skincare products (these are the products I've spotted so far at my local Rite Aid locations). By the way, all of these products are BOGO1/2OFF this week.

Simplify is Rite Aid's new "price fighter" brand of products for items such as paper towels, toilet paper and bottled water. Pantry is their new private brand for food and snack items (I spotted a new coffee that is supposed to be comparable to Starbucks), and Home is their new private brand for household goods.

So as you can see, there are lots of new affordable alternatives to name brand products now at Rite Aid and I can't wait to dig in and start trying them--ESPECIALLY since you get an automatic 10% off all Rite Aid brand products when you have a Wellness+ card.

Now, on to a few noteworthy deals at Rite Aid this coming week:

1) As Make-Up on the Cheap indicated yesterday, a few brands of lip balm will be 2/$5 this week at Rite Aid including EOS, Chap Stick True Shimmer and Fresh Effects, and also Carmex Moisture Plus and Original (3-packs). If you've been wanting to try EOS, now is definitely the time to do it (click here if you missed my EOS review from last year).

2) When I posted my review of Infusium Conditioner last week, I was very happy to see that I'm not the only fan out there. Yay! If you're already a fan, or have been thinking about experiencing the magical powers of Infusium, get your Sunday paper this weekend because there should be a $2 Infusium coupon inside the coupon insert. AND, Rite Aid just so happens to have 16 oz bottles of Infusium shampoo and conditioner on sale this week for $3.99, which will bring your total down to just $1.99 per bottle. Guess who's going to be stocking up? :)

3) Even though I'm not a huge fan of Nivea lip balms, I know that some of you love them so I don't want you to miss out on this: Nivea lip balms are on sale this week at Rite Aid for $2.49 with $1 in +UP rewards (for those new to Rite Aid, +UP Rewards are like CVS Extra Bucks) when you purchase two lip balms. Well, there is also a $2/2 Nivea printable coupon currently available on AllYou (page 4). Use that coupon during this sale, and you're looking at TWO Nivea lip balms for just $0.98!

4) As you all know by now, there's a true BOGO sale on Cover Girl lip products this week at Rite Aid. So if you got the P&G insert in last week's paper, you know that there were some great CG coupons in it, including $1 off any CG product. If you bought two papers (like I did), then you're looking at $2 off your total. That's a heck of a savings! Let's say you buy two CG Shine Blasts, which are $7.99 each. With the coupons, your total for two Shine Blasts would be $5.99 or just $2.99 each.

5) Always pads and Tampax tampons are going to be on sale for $2.99 this week with a $1 single check rebate, bringing your total down to just $1.99 each. That's as low as I ever see these products go, so definitely a good time to stock up.

A quick word about Rite Aid's Single Check Rebate program: for the longest time, I was anti-rebate. I always felt like rebates were too much of a hassle and the checks took FOREVER to get to me if I ever got one at all (I think I'm still waiting for my Organix shampoo rebate from what, four years ago?). But the Rite Aid Single Check Rebate program truly changed my opinion of rebates and now I'm totally spoiled. It takes a second to sign up (on the Rite Aid website) and whenever you buy a product that qualifies for a rebate, you just enter the receipt information online and you're done. Then, once a month, you log on, click a button to request your check, and all of the rebates you've accumulated for the month will be sent to you in one single check that you can either cash at your bank, or just use as cash at Rite Aid. In my experience, it takes about two weeks to get your check, which is not bad at all. It's a total no-brainer and yet another way to save money at Rite Aid. Give it a shot and I swear you'll be hooked.

And please don't forget about Rite Aid's Video Values program. Watching short videos about products in order to gain access to printable coupons is the way to go (especially if you have manufacturer's coupons to use with them) and right now there are some great coupons available, such as $1 Ped Egg, $2 Revlon Color Burst Lipsticks, etc.

One last, very important, item I want to mention is the Rite Aid $5 off a $25 purchase coupons, which are also available via the Video Values program. This coupon is GOLD if you're planning on doing some shopping at Rite Aid, but I want to be sure that everyone knows something very important about this particular coupon. The $25 threshold needed in order to save $5 is taken BEFORE your other coupons are deducted. So if you've got a lot of other coupons you're using, it's crucial to give the cashier the $5 off $25 purchase coupon FIRST. Otherwise, your total will be decreased by your other coupons and you won't meet the $25 threshold. I've had several cashiers remind me of this and politely tell me that I always need to show them my $5 off $25 coupon FIRST, so I wanted to pass along that tip to you too.

That's it for this Rite Aid report but, as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts about anything I've mentioned in this post.