how to shop and save at cvs

One way that I am able to keep our household expenses so low is by shopping at drug stores, such as CVS.  I’m able to buy shampoo, conditioner, deodorants, razors, soaps etc. for free, pennies on the dollar or in some cases they pay me to take the item - also known as earning cash back.

Is it possible to stretch a buck in this day in the age? The answer is Yes!

First Things First

•Sign up for the Extra Care Card (ECC) - you can do this in the store at the register. Always give the cashier your ECC BEFORE they ring up your transactions.

•Grab the Circulars – CVS has 2, one comes out monthly and the other weekly.  You can find these generally when you first enter the store. The first circular is called the Extra Care Book, and the second one is their weekly ad circular.

•Extra Care Bucks (ECB) - Is CVS money that you can use in their stores only. The ECB’s are printed on the bottom of your receipts so keep track of these. The ECB’s are good for one month and you can begin using them on your very next CVS purchase. Something to remember about ECB’s is that the amount listed on the ECB has to be used in its entirety. CVS will not give you back the difference in cash or in another ECB printout, which means if you have an ECB for $11.37 and you are using it on a transaction for $5.00, CVS will not issue you back the difference in cash OR issue you the difference back on a new ECB.  Once you use it, you lose it so get as close as possible.

•Out of Pocket (OOP) - this is money that is coming out of your pocket.

•Transactions - Each register trip/transaction at CVS. There are times when you can have 2-3 transactions per trip.

•CVS coupon machine - When you go into CVS, you will see a red coupon machine (looks like a price checker from Target).  Scan your ECC and it will give you some coupons. If you can, use them in conjunction with your transactions.

Things to Remember

•There may be times that you are “buying” things that you don’t need but they will be “free” and will generate more ECB’s. Don’t pass these up.  Pass them on to family, friends, your church or a homeless center.  Giving back is a great feeling!  Plus if you have any ECB that are getting ready to expire, these work great at regenerating the ECB forward.

•To really work CVS to your advantage you’ll want to combine coupons with store specials when you shop. It’s not necessary but you do grow your ECB’s faster this way.

Below is an example of how you can grow your ECB’s.

Transaction # 1
Buy 2 Glade Sense and Sprays at $5 each
Use 2 $4/1 coupons from the 8/23 Smart Source (coupon insert from Sunday paper)
Total OOP: $2 plus you’ll receive $3 in ECBs

Now, take the $3 in ECB that you just earned and use it for Transaction #2.

Transaction #2
Buy 1 Carefree Ultra Protection at $3.79
Buy 1 filler item for $0.30 (piece of candy, etc)
Get $3.79 ECBs (Limit 4) 
Use $1/1 printable coupon here
Total OOP: $0 plus you’ll receive $3.79 in ECBs

For a total of $2 OOP (over two transactions), you are walking away with 2 Glade Sense and Sprays and 1 Carefree Ultra Protection, 1 filler item PLUS $3.79 in ECB’s that you can use for your next transaction at CVS.  So to answer the question: “Is it possible to stretch a buck in this day in the age?”  The answer is Yes! 

If you have any questions or deal scenarios of your own, please share and leave them in the comment section below.  I will review the thoughts/questions regularly.