A good CVS week

Since I started shopping the CVS deals a couple months ago, I've managed to keep up with it every week. Even the week that I had Jacinta! It was actually a good excuse to get me out of the house for a few minutes.

Some weeks have been better than others. Sometimes I get things that we use (like Pantene), sometimes I get things we'll give away. I have acquired A LOT of toothpaste. I may not ever pay for toothpaste for us again, and I still have a ton left over to donate. That's how often it's on sale.

But this is a week where I managed to multiply my ECBs pretty well, so I wanted to share.



Transaction 1
(2) Right Guard Total Defence 5 Deodorant: $2.69 each for a total of $5.38 - $3.00 off 2 coupon = $2.38 OOP, $2 ECB each for a total of $4 ECB

(2) Crest ProHealth Toothpaste: $3.50 each - $0.75 coupon each = $2.75 OOP each for a total of $5.50 OOP, $3.50 ECB each for a total of $7 ECB

U by Kotex: $4.99 - $1 coupon = $3.99 OOP, $4.99 ECB

Schick Hydro Razor: $8.99 - $5 coupon = $3.99 OOP, $4 ECB

Subtotal $15.86 - $15 in ECB I already had = $0.86 (+tax)!!!! And I earned $19.99 in ECBs! So I actually earned money on this transaction.

Transaction 2
Pantene Shampoo: 2 for $6.97 - $1 off 2 coupon = $5.97 OOP, $3 ECB

Subtotal $5.97 - $4.99 ECB from transaction 1 = $0.98 (+tax)!!!! This was not a money-maker like the first transaction, but I use Pantene and it was a great deal.

So, between the two, I started with $15 of ECBs, and walked away with $18. I spent $1.84 OOP, so if it wasn't for the pesky sales tax I would have made money overall. But even with tax, I only spent pennies...and it sure feels good to come away with more ECBs than I started with.

Once I discovered the trick of paying for everything in two (or even three) transactions, it made a big difference in my totals. If you don't have enough ECBs at the beginning to cover everything you want to get, you can just buy what you can cover and then use the ECBs from the first transaction to cover the second. Pretty slick!

Needless to say, I have been enjoying my CVS trips. Figuring out how to make the most of my money definitely appeals to my geeky side...and my frugal side (which is an important side these days).

If you have a few minutes every week to plan ahead, you should give it a try!