Some things I've learned about CVS

I'm still on my CVS high after making my purchases today, so I thought I'd share some tips that I have learned over the last couple of months.

First, always make a detailed list! I like to price everything out before hand, so I know exactly how much I'll be spending and if I have enough ECBs. It also helps me keep track of which coupons I need to clip.


Here's an example of what I do with my list. It tells me where to find the coupon, a description of what I'm getting (Colgate Proclinical vs. just any old Colgate toothpaste), how much I'm paying out of pocket, how much it's on sale for (so I can compare to the sale tags at the store), where to find it, how many I'm buying, and all the totals for price and ECBs. The list especially helped today since they hadn't finished putting all the sale stickers up in the store.

So today, I had a store coupon for $4 off a $20 purchase. You use that coupon first, so I needed to make sure my subtotal before the other coupons came to at least $20. The mistake I made was that my excel sheet was calculating the subtotal AFTER the coupons...so I didn't actually need as much as I bought. I should have left off the Dial soap (which I didn't have a coupon for since I had used it previously). So the lesson is, make sure your excel sheet is doing the right calculation! Or else!

Also, the coupons for the Lady Speedstick were internet coupons, and sometimes you can only print one per computer. So I got Paul's computer to print the second one. But, oops!, I forgot to make sure the printer was set up right and it didn't print. But the website thought it did. So I couldn't end up printing it at all. I should have only gotten one Lady Speedstick, since I only had one coupon and I didn't really need two to reach the $20 minimum purchase. And next time I will make sure the printer is all set to go before I hit print!

Anyway, here's my loot for today.


Blade 5 Razor System: $6.99 total, $6.99 ECBs
Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner: $2.99 each - $1 coupon each = $3.98 OOP and $4 ECBs
Lady Speedstick: $2.99 each - $0.75 coupon (but I only had one!) = $5.23 OOP and $4 ECBs
Colgate Proclinical: $3.99 each - $1 coupon each = $5.98 OOP and $4 ECBs
Dial Bar Soap: $1.88 total, $1 ECBs

Subtotal $24.06 - $18 ECBs that I had from last week = $6.06 - $4 store coupon = $2.06 (+tax).
Total ECB: $19.99!

So I managed to get more ECBs back again this week. Yay!

CVS definitely has a little bit of a learning curve, but I feel like I am doing better every week. And having fun at the same time! Having fun + saving money = a winning combo for me!

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!

Playing the System - CVS

Since I joined Coupon $ense last summer and started using coupons on a regular basis, I've been intimidated by the CVS loyalty program. Their Extra Care Card offers money back on certain transactions in their weekly ad, called "Extra Care Bucks" or "ECBs". They can be combined with regular coupons if you can spot the right deals. It seemed like a complicated system to me, so I kept telling myself "I'll start it next week" over and over again.

I finally bit the bullet and am now in my third week of "CVSing". Not only is it a lot easier than I thought it would be, but it is addicting! I can't wait to get my CVS ad on Sunday so I can see what great deals they have for the week. My Coupon $ense instructor has been invaluable, as well as the various couponing blogs that I've discovered. My favorite I've found so far is Deal Seeking Mom. I just like how everything is written out.

Anyway, here's my first week at CVS.

Because it was my first week, I didn't have any ECBs to use already. So I knew I would pay more out of pocket (OOP) this time.

Pantene Products: 2 for $6.97 - $2 off 2 coupon = $4.97 OOP, earn $2 in ECBs
Gillette Fusion Razor: $8.99 - $4.00 coupon = $4.99 OOP, earn $4 in ECBs
(2) Oral-B Toothbrush: $4.00 each - $0.75 coupon each = $3.25 OOP each, earn $4 in ECBs each

So my subtotal was $16.46, but I earned $16.00 in ECBs. So even though I had to pay the $16.46 (+tax) up front, I earned almost that much back to use for my next transaction.


For Week 2, I had $16 in ECBs to spend. The first CVS I went to didn't have everything I wanted, so I made two trips.

Trip 1:

Herbal Essence Shampoo: $2.99 - $1 coupon = $1.99 OOP, earn $1 ECB
Gillette Razors: $6.49 - $2 coupon = $4.49 OOP, earn $2 ECB
(4) Stayfree Pads ($3.89 each): $15.56 total - $7.78 (2 buy one get one free coupons) - $2 (2 coupons for $1 off) = $5.78 OOP, earn $2 ECB per package for total of $8 ECB
2 travel size baby shampoo for $0.99 each, no coupons or ECB on these, I just needed them

Subtotal: $14.24 - $14 ECB that I used from my first trip = $0.24 (+tax). This is where I went "Wow, this is awesome!" I still had $2 ECB from my first transaction, and earned $11 more, for a total of $13 ECB for next time.


Trip 2:

Right Guard Deodorant: 2 for $5.00 - $3.00 in coupons = $2.00 OOP, earn $2 ECB
(Not shown, 2 Snickers bars for 50 cents each...because I was hungry and they were by the register. I only ate one though. I saved the other one for Paul. I swear).

Subtotal: $3.00 - $2.00 ECB I used = $1.00 (+tax). If I had resisted the Snickers bars, I would only have paid tax on this transaction! $13 ECB left for next time.

Week 3:

CoverGirl Powder (the promotion was $3 ECB when you buy $10 worth of product):
$6 each, $12 total - $6 (buy one get one free coupon) - $1 coupon = $5.00 OOP, earn $3.00 ECB
Crest Rinse: $3.99 - $2 coupon = $1.99 OOP, earn $2 ECB
Colgate Toothpaste: $3.99 - $1 coupon = $2.99 OOP, earn $3.99 ECB
(Not shown, I caved on my hunger again. Keep in mind that I am doing this at lunchtime usually...1 20 oz Mountain Dew for $1.49 and 1 Doritos single for $0.99: $2.48 OOP, earn $1 ECB. So at least I got something back for it!)

Subtotal: $12.46 - $11 ECB used = 1.46 (+tax). $11.99 left in ECB for next week.


Sorry if this is boring, but I find it fun and a bit of a challenge. The goal is to spend ECBs on products that earn more ECBs...so in theory you would just keep rolling them over and not really spending much money at CVS ever again! A lot of the things I choose to buy are things we will use, and if we won't use them then I plan on donating them. And since CVS allows one manufacturer's coupon per product, you can combine different coupons to get great deals like the Stayfree Pads from Week 2, where you actually make money.

I'm still a beginner at it, and far from figuring out the great deals all on my own, but that's where belonging to Coupon $ense really pays off. It makes it much easier to plan my shopping trip.

That goes for grocery shopping, too...but that's another story.