Here are some of the great deals I saw for this week at CVS and Rite-Aid. These sales don’t require store cards or coupons. These are just the for-everyone sales prices at these two stores. So even if you don’t have a CVS card, or are confused when people start talking about ECBs, or if you are simply not into coupon-clipping, these deals will still save you money. But if you do have coupons for these products, then you’ll save even more.

While I believe the sales at CVS and Rite-Aid stores are pretty much the same across the U.S., I can’t guarantee that. So do check the flyers for stores in your area to be sure of these prices.

CVS Pharmacy

Good Deals:

selected General Mills cereals, 2/$5
Bic Soleil Razor cartridges, 4ct, $4.99
Centrum original or silver vitamins (varied reg. price), $6.99
Oreo Cookies 18oz, 2/$5
Wrigley’s multipack gum, 8-10/pk, 4/$4
Kodak FunSaver camera, $3.99
Energizer Max AAA Alkaline batteries, 4/pk, $2.99
Bic Velocity pens, 2/$5
Bic Mark-It markers, $3.99
Huggies Diapers Jumbo pack, $8.99
L’Oreal Visible Lift Foundation, $9.99

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The savvy CVS shoppers I know make it a point to visit and shop there at least once a week. Last week, there weren’t many deals, except for candy. So that’s what I stocked up on to generate a decent amount of Extra Care Bucks (ECBs). Here’s a summary of last week’s transactions:

Transaction 1 from last week

Items:
several bags of assorted candy and chocolates, reg. price $24 , on sale for $17.50
3 x Kotex products, reg. price $11.97, on sale for 3/$7.50
2 x Tom of Maine’s deodorant, reg. price $10.98, on sale for 2/$5.98
1 pack Scott paper towels, reg. price $9.99, on sale for $4.99
1 pack Pampers diapers, reg. price $17.99, on sale for $12.99
2 x Maxwell instant coffee, reg. price $7.89, on sale buy 1 get 1 free
1 bag marshmallows, $1.29
SUB-TOTAL = $58.14

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I thought I’d pass up this week’s shopping at CVS. But I got a coupon for 5/$30 good for today only. So I did a 10-minute shopping stop to use it and got some great deals.

Kellogg’s cereals were buy 1, get 1 free, so I bought some even though I had no coupons and no ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs) were generated.

Here’s my CVS loot for this week. I’m showing you this photo so you know I’m not making this up.

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* When gifts become clutter (at Clutter Control Freak)

* Turn your clutter into cash (via Best Syndication)

* Cloth napkins can save you money (via Philly Burbs)

* Shopping strategy (at Bend Bulletin)

* Freezer cooking and frugal living (at Filling my Freezer)

* Tips for sprucing up your home (via Suntimes)

This week, CVS has a special “Free after Extra Bucks” promo for their photo books. The photo books are hardcover 10-page books that are printed in the Kodak Digital Kiosks inside CVS stores. The current promos are:

4”x6” 10 pg. Hardcover Photo Book (holds 36 photos maximum) – regular price is between $5.99 and $7.99; on sale for $3.99, PLUS $3.99 in Extra Bucks

6”x8” 10 pg. Hardcover Photo Book (holds 54 photos maximum) – regular price is $12.99; on sale for $7.99, PLUS $7.99 in Extra Bucks

The Extra Bucks generated means that the photo books are essentially FREE!

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This is my second week trying to find savings at CVS. My first week at CVS, I spent $30.23 and got $16.50 Extra Care Bucks (ECB). These ECBs started me out this week. Here’s what I got today:

Transaction #1:

Items:
Olay lotion, reg. price $10.99, on sale for $8.99
Olay body wash, reg. price $8.39, on sale for 5.99
Olay body wash, reg. price $6.99, on sale for 5.99
Sub-Total = $20.79

Coupons:
Olay manufacturer’s coupon - $1.00
Olay manufacturer’s coupon - $1.00
Olay manufacturer’s coupon - $2.00
CVS coupon $4/$20 - $4.00
used Extra Care Bucks (ECB) - $12.50

Total after savings = $.47
Tax = $.27
Out of pocket expense = $0.74
New ECB generated = $10.00

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Here’s a quick guide to saving energy at home, from VideoJug.

The quick points to remember are:

1. Weather-strip drafty windows and doors.

2. Turn down your heater.

3. Turn electronics off.

4. Set your water heater’s thermostat under 140F.

5. Wash only full loads of laundry.

6. Install insulation.

7. Buy and use ‘green’ products.

Remember, we can all do something to help save our planet, and save a little money on the side as well.

I’ve been a CVS customer for a long time. I occasionally take advantage of their sales and receive “Extra Care Bucks” (ECB) in my receipts. However, I never realized that significant savings can be had at CVS, with some simple planning. I discovered whole blogs dedicated to saving money at CVS. One of these blogs, the Money Saving Mom, has written up a primer on CVS 101.

This week, I decided to see whether I can cut on my grocery budget with serious CVS savings.

Here’s my CVS transaction for today:

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* 7 easy ways to lower your summer cooling bill (via USNews)

* Coupon crazy: Shoppers finding steals and deals online (via Statesman)

* Festival of Frugality #131 - Summer Savings Edition (via Broke Grad Student)

* Thirteen ways to save money on your grocery shopping (via Frugal Fridays)

* Tips to offset gasoline expenditures (via AZ Central)

* Food bill getting fat? Slim it down: Frugal mom feeds family of five on $300 a month. Here’s her coupon-free plan (via Ohio)

In addition to these articles, I thought you might be interested in browsing the following sites, all of which are dedicated to saving money!

* Money Saving Mom

* Mommy Saves Big

* Thrifty Mommy

* The Frugal Family’s Kitchen

* Free Stuff Times

Everything is more expensive these days. It is harder and harder to stretch a budget and still check off every item on the grocery list. There are ways to cut down on food bills, and still have healthy food for the family.

Today’s food editor Phil Lempert has listed ideas to “fill your grocery cart without busting your budget”. He has suggestions that can be applied to just about anything from the grocery. In addition, he also talks about 10 staple items that you can save money on. These items are milk, eggs, pasta, bread, cereal, rice, produce, fish, meat and beans. I specially like his tip for saving on pasta sauce by making your own from canned crushed tomatoes, herbs and olive oil.

These 10 items are really all you need for good nutrition and you can save money on them by following Phil’s tips. You can find his suggestions at MSNBC.

Creative Commons image by ralphbijker on Flickr