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

Coupons:
2 Kotex manufacturer coupons ($1 each) – $2.00
1 Kotex manufacturer coupon – $.75
1 Pampers coupon – $1.00
used ECBs – $7.00

Total after savings = 47.39
Tax = $1.47
Out of pocket expense = $48.86
New ECBs generated = $5.00 (candy)

Transaction 2 from last week

Items:
4 x Johnson and Johnson allergy medicines, reg. price $6.49 each, on sale for $5 each = $20
3 CVS brand medicines, $15.47 total
SUB-TOTAL = $35.47

Coupons:
1 CVS brand coupon ($2.50/$12.50) – $2.50

Out of pocket = $34.95
New ECBs generated = $10.00 (for Johnson and Johnson products)

For the first transaction, I miscalculated and ended up being $2.50 short of getting another $5 in ECBs so I went back for another trip:

Transaction 3 from last week

Items:
more bags of candy and chocolate, reg. price$51, on sale for $35.50
2 x Crest toothpaste, reg. price $5.58, on sale 2 for $3.98
1 pack Bandaids, reg. price $3.29, on sale for $2.99
1 CVS brand medicine, $4.79
SUB-TOTAL = $47.26

Coupons:
2 x Crest coupons ($1 each) – $2.00
ECBs used – $15.00

Total out of pocket after savings = $30.26
New ECBs generated = $22.00 ($20 from candy + $2 from Bandaid)

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My out of pocket expenses were a little high last week, but I got medicines and candy that we always buy anyway. And I now have enough candy to last us until Halloween! The ECBs I have left from last week were put to good use yesterday.

Pay close attention to this one, because there is still time left to duplicate these deals this week:

This week’s Transaction 1:

Items:
2 x Dawn dishwashing liquid, reg. price $1.99 each, on sale for $.88 = $1.76 for 2
2 x Crest toothpaste, reg. price $3.29 each, on sale for $2.49 = $4.98 for 2
2 x Oral B toothbrushes, reg. price $3.49 each, on sale for $2.49 = $4.98 for 2
2 x Covergirl make-up, reg. price $8.99, on sale buy 1 get 1 free = $8.99
2 x Sure deodorant, reg. price $2.69, on sale B1G1 = $2.69
2 x Magic tape, reg. price $2.79, on sale B1G1 = $2.79
2 x pencil pouches, reg. price $3.99, on sale B1G1 = $3.99
2 x erasers, reg. price $1.79, on sale B1G1 = $1.79
1 instant energy drink, $4.99
2 x large bottles of Pert plus shampoo, $5.99, special manager’s price B1G1 = $5.99
1 greeting card = $3.99
SUB-TOTAL = $46.94

Coupons:
2 x Sure manu. coupons ($1 each) – $2.00 (final cost $.35 each)
1 Covergirl manu. coupon (buy 1, get 1 free) – $8.99 (final cost, both free!)
2 x Pert Plus manu. coupons ($2 each) – $4.00 (final cost $1.00 each)
2 x Oral B manu. coupons ($1 each) – $2.00 (final cost $1.49 plus $1.50 ECB each)
2 x Crest manu. coupons ($1 each) – $2.00 (final cost $1.49 plus $1.50 ECB each)
2 x Dawn manu. coupons ($1/2) – $1.00 (final cost $.38 each)
used ECBs – $20.00

Total out of pocket after savings = $8.26
New ECBs generated = $10.99 (from energy drink, Crest and Oral B purchases)
Rebate amount = $5.00 (school supplies + Pert/Sure)

After rebate, the total for this transaction is … $3.26!!!

It would have been even lower than this, but I’d forgotten I had another $2 in ECBs tucked away. I could still use that $2 coupon next time, so it’s OK.

I also had a little bonus from the very nice manager of the store. You see, the Pert Plus shampoos were the big ones, instead of the smaller bottles advertised in the CVS flyers. They’d run out of the small bottles. But the manager told me I could substitute something else for them. So I got the big Pert bottles for 1/2 off each. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring the $3 coupons I had for these, but had the $2 ones for the small bottles. Can you imagine if I had those $3 coupons? My total would have been $1.26! But the manager was really nice, so again it’s OK. The deal he gave me only makes me love my local CVS even more.

You still have time to do this deal at your CVS store. Tips: I was able to stack the B1G1 sale for the Covergirl make-up with the manufacturer’s coupon, essentially making both items free. If you have a coupon for the $5 worth of school supplies with a $5 Pert/Sure purchase, be sure to use those too.

If you want to follow the progress of my CVS experiment, I keep track of everything at the CVS Savings page on the right.

UPDATE (8-8-08):

I made a second visit to CVS this week, and it turned out to be my best run yet!

This week’s Transaction #2:

Items:
2 x CoverGirl make-up, reg. price $7.99 each, on sale B1G1 = $7.99 for  2
2 x CVS envelopes, reg. price $1.69 each, on sale B1G1 = $1.69 for 2
SUB-TOTAL = $9.68

Coupons:
2 x CoverGirl manu. coupons ($1 each) – $2.00
1 Covergirl manu. coupon (buy 1, get 1 free) – $7.99

Total after savings = -$0.31
Tax = $.58
Total out of pocket = $0.27

Yes, that’s 27 cents for four items! The coupons paid for part of my tax. I didn’t even use ECBs for this one. If you have these coupons, try this scenario at your store. Some stores may not allow you to use the $1 off and B1G1 coupons together, but it’s worth a try.

image used with permission via CVS Media Library

Post from: Keeping the Castle