12.04.2007

Great Finds: CVS Savings


I know this won't interest most of you but I got such a great deal today, I had to share!

For a few months, I have been reading this blog. Besides posting great deals and other tips, Crystal has convinced me that I need to take advantage of the deals at CVS, so I decided this would be the week. Actually, I started saving last week by having two new prescriptions filled at CVS and getting a $25 CVS gift card for each new prescription (found a coupon online).

To give you a little background, finding and getting the deals at CVS is a bit of a "game" and can be very confusing at first. But, once you get the hang of it, you may never have to pay for toiletry and household items again! If you check out the blog I mentioned above, go to the right sidebar and check out Crystal's post entitled CVS 101. She gives a great overview on how everything works and how to get started. Study it carefully!

Anyway, today I made a quick stop at CVS. Above is a picture of the things I got. Below is a detailed list:

4, 100-ounce Tide on sale for 4.99 each
1, 4-roll Charmin on sale for 2.49
3 Reach toothbrushes at 2.99 each
1 double pack G.U.M. toothbrushes for 3.99
2 Garnier Fructis shampoo at 4.49 each

Now for the good part!! For all the above, I paid a grand total of $6.86 cents out of pocket!! Yes, you read that right--$6.86!!!!!!!!! (I didn't use the gift cards. I'm saving them.)

I will try to explain a bit. First, it's important to know that you need to have a CVS Extracare card. You can sign up for these online or in the store. Each week, CVS has various items on sale that you can earn Extra Care Bucks (ECB) for by using your Extracare card. ECBs are CVS' version of cold, hard cash! They print out at the end of your receipt and can be used just like cash toward future purchases (Don't inadvertently throw them away!) Today, when I checked out, I had $12.50 in ECBs from previous purchases. I also had two CVS coupons that I printed off the computer for $2 off a $10 purchase and $4 off a $15 purchase. (Most CVS' will allow you to "stack" these coupons.) I also had manufacturer's coupons that I had collected and/or printed off the internet. So............

I had 2 $1 coupons for the Tide Free. (I normally wouldn't buy the "Free" but it was all I could find coupons for and as long as it's Tide, I don't care!) I would have had 2 more coupons but I forgot them! Even so, it was still a great deal. (Regular price on these is $7.99 each!)

I bought 4 Tides and 1 Charmin so that I could earn back $5 in ECBs. (The deal was to buy $20 worth of certain Proctor & Gamble products and get $5 in ECBs.)

I also had 2 $1 coupons for the Garnier shampoos. These were a great deal! The regular price is $4.49 each. I had $1 off coupons AND I could earn $4 in ECBs for each shampoo I bought. So, with my coupon, in the end, THEY were paying ME $.49 each to take these!!! However, when I got to the register, my $8 worth of ECBs didn't print out. I mentioned it the clerk, and he realized that this sale had ended on Sunday but they had forgotten to remove the signs! Thankfully, they still gave me the $8 credit. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought them.

The toothbrushes weren't on sale but I had manufacturer's coupons, and I got $1 ECB back for each purchase. We always need toothbrushes (I could use one a week!) and these were a good deal, so I got them.

By the time I used my previous ECBs and all my coupons, I got all the above for $6.86 out of my pocket. AND, I have $8 in ECBs to use toward future purchases!!!!!!

I know this probably seems very confusing and if you aren't interested in saving money or doing a little work to save some money, this won't interest you at all. But, if you are willing to put a little time and effort in, this CVS "game" can really pay off--in more ways than one!

* This is a great site for printable coupons.
** There are limits on some products such as "two per card". Watch for those so you don't end up paying more than you anticipated! I am going to sign Jeff up for a card so that I can get deals on his card too!
*** All ECB deals are figured on the price before any other coupons. So, the fact that I had coupons for the Tide didn't detract from my $20 needed to get the $5 ECBs.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now All I need is to have a CVS somewhere. The word verification letters for this message would have been an awful Scrabble hand (XZqj- among others)

Maggie said...

Nice job, I need a good deal of tide!

Anonymous said...

ok, so this is what 'stay at home' moms do? I sooooo need to stay home and organize myself enough to go out and land a good deal! way to go, JEN!!!!