Couponing 101... Part 6...CVS

I am going to start with CVS. I will try to make this as easy to understand as possible; however, if you have questions don't hesitate to leave a comment. I will try to answer it if I can. I have posted three pictures with this post because I wanted you all to be able to see the stuff I get from CVS and Walgreens. Now most of this stuff has come from CVS; however, a bit has come from Walgreens. As you can tell, there is about 30 toothbrushes, 5 razors, several boxes of blades in this picture alone. The second picture shows the hubby's 15 sticks of deodorant, numerous bottles of lotion, medicine, there is 12 boxes of tampons (you can't see them all), and behind those are about 36 boxes of Irish Spring soap and lots of leave-in conditioner for my thick hair. The third picture is not the most up to date picture, I have added more this week. Anyway, there are 21 sets of shampoo and conditioner, 21 bottles of body wash for me, 12 for the hubby, I think, 8 cans shaving cream for me and 8 for the hubby I think and of course the hand soap. There is more under this cabinet, but that is the bulk of it.

Now I show you all this to then tell you that all this stuff, over time, I have maybe spent $75 out of pocket. The body wash alone at $5 a bottle (most are Nivea) with 21 bottles would be $105. So yet again, couponing is worth it.
CVS is probably my second favorite place to shop after Publix. Why? Because they are nice and I can get tons of FREE to almost free stuff. So on to the details. First and foremost, if you don't have a CVS Extra care card, get one. It is free and will save you tons. You can't do what I am going to explain without it. At the end of this post, I will give you this weeks CVS run that I did so hopefully it will all make more sense.
With CVS the Extra care card is used to get extra care bucks (ECB). So if the ad says that Crest Pro-Health toothpaste is on sale for $3.50 with $3.50 ECB that means it will be FREE and there is always a limit per household (2 in this example). Check it because sometime you can get several of the same thing. ECBs can be rolled from one transaction to the next. So you buy the Crest toothpaste, using your coupon ($.75 MC in this example). Pay out of pocket the difference, which is $2.75 plus tax. Then when the transaction is complete the computer will print your $3.50 ECB. Then you can take that $3.50 ECB and buy another tube of toothpaste, paying the $3.50 with your $3.50 ECB. Therefore that tube is completely FREE, and you get another $3.50 ECB printed to use on your next transaction.

So here is what I did this week. I had a total of 5 transaction. By the way, your CVS will love you more if you have multiple transaction and someone comes up in line behind you, finish the current transaction, step out of the way, let that person check out then proceed on. Show Christian love, don't be rude and make the next person wait through all of your transactions.

Transaction 1: Right Guard Total Defense 5 at $2.49 with $2 ECB (limit of 2)
Buy 2 at $2.49 = $4.98
Use $3/2 MC
Use $1 ECB from last week
OOP = $.98 pre-tax
Earned $4.00 ECB

Transaction 2: U Kotex Tampons at $4.99 with $4.99 ECB (limit of 1)
Buy 1 at $4.99
Buy 2 Trident gum for $.99 (as filler)
Use $1 MC for Kotex
Use $1 SC for Kotex from the CVS.com coupon site
Use $.50/2 for Trident
Use $4.00 ECB from previous transaction
OOP = $.47 pre-tax
Earned $4.99 ECB

Transaction 3: Pantene shampoo and conditioner 2/$6.97 with $3 ECB (limit of 1)
Buy 1 shampoo
Buy 1 conditioner
Buy 1 Trident gum for $.99 (as filler)
Use $2/2 MC for Pantene
Use $.50 for Trident
Use $4.99 ECM from previous transaction
OOP = $.47 pre-tax
Earned $3.00 ECB

Transaction 4: Crest Pro-Health toothpaste at $3.50 with $3.50 ECB (limit of 2)
Buy 1 at $3.50
Buy 1 Trident at $.99
Use $.75 MC for Crest
Use $.50 for Trident
Use $3.00 ECB from previous transaction
OOP = $.74 pre-tax
Earned $3.50 ECB

Transaction 5: Crest Pro-Health toothpaste at $3.50 with $3.50 ECB (limit of 2)
Buy 1 at $3.50
Use $3.50 ECB from previous transaction
OOP = $.00 pre-tax
Earned $3.50 ECB

So now I have $3.50 ECB to start next weeks transaction with. As you can tell, I got 2 stick of deodorant (not the husband's brand, but makes great donation items), Kotex tampons, Pantene shampoo and conditioner, 2 tubes Crest toothpaste, and 3 packages of Trident gum for $2.66 pre-tax and I still have $3.50 ECB left to start next week.

I pretty much only buy things at CVS that have ECB attached to them because that is how you save the most money; however, there are times that I use my ECBs to buy something that does not have ECB attached. I try not to do that often though.

I do all my math before I leave the house that way I know what I want and in what order I am going to buy them in.

If CVS is out of something that you wanted that has ECBs attached, get a raincheck. They will put the ECBs on it and you can get the ECBs with the rain check when the item comes in stock. And as you can tell from my first transaction, CVS will stack a MC with a SC for the same item and use your ECBs no matter how many items you have. This is one BIG difference between CVS and Walgreens.

I think I am going to save Walgreens for tomorrow. This is a lot of information again.