Find out how I got to the 'Corner of Happy & Healthy'!

Earlier this week I had the chance to see Elf The Musical (yes more on this to come), and during the play Duane Reade is actually referenced which made me laugh as I've spent this year as one of Duane Reade's VIP Bloggers (Sign from the Universe? You decide!). So when I got my newsletter the next day and saw this:

you know I had to go shopping! I can spend over $30 there easily so spending $30 and instantly getting rewards that amount to getting $5 back is just a pure win/win! I picked up my weekly circular as well as the NEW Holiday Magazine and got to 'circling'!

New Happy & Healthy 'Storezine' Holiday Edition 2012: Available in Stores from November 4th until December 31st, 2012

Duane Reade Holiday Magazine and Weekly Circular Display

I have to start by saying this week has been pure insanity. Because of Hurricane Sandy being followed by a Nor-Easter in New York City, a week's worth of meetings and events were post-poned, all those meetings and events were shifted to this week. I have not had one single solitary moment to myself all week and have events on Saturday and Sunday as well, to say I'm stressed out and had very little time for personal errands is an under-statement!

I'm not sure what the point of 'e-tickets' are when you are expected to still print the tickets and show them at the door or print the confirmation email, I literally ran out of printer paper this week (I know this month has been insane but my printer feeder tray really does hold a lot of paper! I was pretty surprised to get the 'paper low' warning message pop up. I thought it was a mistake, but lo and behold I only had 5 sheets of paper in there and no new ream of paper in my supply cubby!), that would normally mean a trip to an office supply store for me, and an extra shopping trip I did NOT have time to add in. Thankfully Duane Reade saved the day by saving me an extra trip. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised to find printer paper at my local Duane Reade!

Exclusive to Walgreens and Duane Reade, Ology brand products provide assurance that these items work as well as the larger brands but are also free of the harmful chemicals that today's pediatricians are so concerned about. And, best of all, they're available at an affordable price.

Made from readily renewable sugarcane husks that would otherwise be disposed, and quick-growing bamboo that regenerates in as little as six months.

• For copiers, printers and fax machines
• 100% tree free
• Low moisture paper means less paper jams
• Whitened with H2O2, a non-chlorine based bleach
• 94 brightness, 20 pound
• Biodegradable

I got to save myself an extra trip to the office supply store AND support a product that's eco-friendly? Um, yes please! I got two of these! (Note this item is an 'in-store' only right now, and prices may vary per store, these are NOT available for purchase online.)

And while on a paper theme, I picked up some bathroom tissue from the Ology brand as well.

Duane Reade ology Facial and Toilet Tissue Display

Soft and strong, this biodegradable bath tissue is made from readily renewable sugar cane husk that would otherwise be disposed, and quick-growing bamboo that regenerates in as little as six months.

• 300 two-ply sheets per roll
• Septic safe
• 4 in x 3.7 in sheets
• 370 sq. ft. total area

My Take:

I'm seriously thinking that Ology could easily become one of my favorite Duane Reade brands! I also bought Vitamins, Laundry Detergent (Notice in the picture it's the 'Butterfly Kiss' scent, yes I really am all butterfly all the time!), Fabric Softener, New Toothbrushes + Toothpaste, Air Freshener, frozen meals and quite a few of my favorite ice cream in a limited edition flavor that they only launch several times per year. By the time I was done and the cashier packed me all up I had two super heavy bags to lug home, and a Total Savings of $14.80 (9%), and 5,480 balance rewards points earned this visit! On my next visit I will have $10 in spending money in my balance rewards because I had some to start with plus an additional $5 when I completed this shop thanks to my ology purchases which earned me extra rewards. Getting all that shopping done AND getting money back for my next visit - Not sure it gets any better than that!

WIN! And if the great deals haven't tempted you yet, how about a chance to win great prizes? (Somehow I knew that would get your attention! With the current 'Text2Win' Sweepstakes if you text HAPPY to 35350, you are entering a contest for a chance to win a $6,000 + weekend getaway grand prize, or a weekly $100 Walgreens Gift Card by answering weekly questions only found in Happy & Healthy via text.

Major Shopping Haul this weekend at Duane Reade!

Get Social With It:

Follow Duane Reade  on Twitter and ‘Like’ them on Facebook and don’t forget to tell them you saw them Featured on Ascending Butterfly! For more information, visit duanereade.com or youtube.com/duanereade

Butterfly, Did you a score great deal this weekend?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric #DRHappy&Healthy #cbBigApple  I am a Duane Reade VIP Blogger and Ambassador which does entitle me to additional incentives. However, all opinions expressed  are 100% my own.

@DuaneReade NEW Balance Rewards Program I made the SWAP! #DRBalanceRewards

This busy butterfly has been toying with changing her name from Ascending Butterfly to Social Butterfly and with good reason, all this running around and event hopping means certain things have been un-attended for awhile, like ahem, shopping for personal items! I've run out some essentials and decided it was time to kill two birds with one stone.

This is the first sign I saw as soon as I hit my local Duane Reade,  perfect reminder!

On September 16, the Duane Reade FlexRewards Program was converted to the Balance Rewards Program, and since I'm a Duane Reade VIP Blogger and Blogger Brand Ambassador, I had been meaning to swap out and switch to the new card WAY sooner, but my schedule has been absolutely insane, and while there are Duane Reade's nearly everywhere, I just hadn't had the time to stop in and actually do it.

Ever since my Medical Nightmare that began last year, I've upped my dietary supplements and vitamins, and realized that I was out of Krill Oil, and I was also out of Red Lipstick! Now red is my daily signature lip color, some people can pull it off, others can't, for me, it's a custom blend look that includes several different varieties of red colors and gloss that help me get to my desired shade. Aside from the heart health benefits of Krill Oil (which you also get from certain foods including Salmon, my personal favorite), I also find it gives me an energy boost. And I’m all for finding healthy ways to get a good energy boost! (Since my work out routine is still ammended dietary supplements are super important for me especially right now).

Another reminder, there was one on BOTH the left and right hand side of the store entrance!

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to swap cards first, or make my purchases first, but I ultimately decided that it should be OK to just shop first and then do everything at the register. And it worked out just fine!

Bye Bye Old Friend! If cards could talk! Parting is such sweet, rewarding sorrow!

About Balance Rewards:

Getting Rewarded for Everyday Purchases Could Not Be Easier!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Balance Rewards keeps some of the most popular features of FlexRewards such as exclusive savings for members and the opportunity to earn points and redeem rewards, while giving customers even more benefits.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Balance Rewards program is now active at both Duane Reade and Walgreens. Duane Reade customers can now earn and redeem points at over 7,900 stores nationwide.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Customers can join Balance Rewards at any Duane Reade or Walgreens store at the checkout counter, pharmacy and photo kiosk. They can also sign up online at duanereade.com/balance or on their mobile phone via the upcoming Duane Reade Mobile Application due for release early 2013.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Duane Reade customers who join Balance Rewards will now be able to earn points and savings on thousands of items in store and online at www.walgreens.com.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Members can earn points for making healthy choices, including 10 points for every mile logged in the Walk with Walgreens program. You can earn points for walking up to 100 miles per month.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Duane Reade Balance Rewards members will also earn 10 points per $1.00 spent for every purchase of non-prescription vitamin, cough, cold, pain or sleep medication at stores located in NY, NJ or AR where points cannot be earned on pharmacy items due to regulations.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AARP members will get exclusive 5 bonus point offers and 5,000 points when they spend $25 every month.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Duane Reade Flex Rewards program points will be converted to Balance Rewards and become available when customers join in the new program. 

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Duane Reade customers converting from FlexRewards will now have the opportunity to earn more bonus point offers on a weekly basis that can lead to a faster $5 reward redemption than ever before.

Points go further as you earn more.

Points earned	Reward
5,000	$5
10,000	$10
18,000	$20
30,000	$35
40,000	$50

Watch the Trailer to learn more:

Still have Questions? You can always reach Duane Reade's Customer Service and they will help you!

My Take:

It was super easy to make the swap, the cashier scanned my old card, there was some info that needed to be filled in and I gave it to her and she typed it in, and then I hit a button to confirm that the details were now correct and they handed me the new card and a smaller one to put on my keychain. I got enough bonus points + points with my first purchase post conversion to get a $5 reward that I could use on my next purchase, or I can just wait until I have a 1,920 more points to be able to get a $10 reward instead of a $5 reward, which is pretty cool! I like getting rewards for my day to day purchases, it makes my inner 'fab frugalista' super happy!

You can also see more photos from my 'swap mission' on google plus (where I am sure you are already following me right?)

Get Social With It:

Follow Duane Reade  on Twitter and ‘Like’ them on Facebook. - Don’t forget to tell them you saw them Featured on Ascending Butterfly and that you made the switch! For more information, visit duanereade.com or youtube.com/duanereade

Butterfly Did You Make the NEW Balance Rewards Swap Yet?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric #DRBalanceRewards  I am a Duane Reade VIP Blogger and Ambassador which does entitle me to additional incentives. However, all opinions expressed  are 100% my own.