SO, my all time fav place to shop with coupons: CVS. CVS has a program called the "Extra Care" program which basically is CVS money (called Extra Bucks) you get back on certain items in the ad for the week.
Here is an except from one of my fav blogs to go to for coupons...Southern Savers!
The Extracare system is a customer loyalty program like most grocery stores. You always have to show your extracare card to receive the benefits. The program does not save you money off normal prices however, what it does is reward you after your purchase with Extracare bucks that print on your receipt that you can then use on your very next purchase.
The products that will print the extracare bucks are listed in most CVS advertisements, and will say “free after ECB” or “get $2 ECB back after purchase”. It is using the extracare buck system that you will be “buying” everything at CVS for free.
How??
Here is a short shopping trip to try to explain it easier…
Go into CVS and buy 1 of the free after ECB items. (The first time you do this you will actually pay real money – so for the very first time it is technically not free but from here on it will be.)
This month you could go in and buy Listerine Smart Mouth Rinse @ $3.49
You pay $3.49 plus tax
On your receipt it will print an ECB for $3.49 that you can use on you very next trip.
You can even walk back to the tooth care isle grab another bottle walk up to the counter, hand them you next bottle and hand them your ECB from your last purchase. You might owe a penny depending on your state tax system… and on your receipt will print another ECB for the same $3.49. You can continue this cycle of handing them play money until you either reach you limit for the item or the cows come home if you keep grabbing free items.
I think you are now seeing how great this could be. But it gets better. Remember that coupon they emailed you when you signed up???
Let’s go back and re-pretend scenario #1 and this time you checked on our website and got prepared for the deals before you went. You walk in for your very first trip with multiple coupons in hand and a shopping list…
You buy:
2 Listerine Rinses
2 Oral B tooth brush packs
Total = 20.96
You have your CVS store coupon (from the email) for $4 off $20 and you have (2) $1.00 off Listerine coupons you printed
You pay 14.96 plus tax after all your coupons…(being your first trip you pay with real money)
It will print the full value of ECB on your receipt so you now have 20.96 in ECB!!! These ECB will be in the amounts totaling the different products so you will have one for $6.98 and one for $13.98. You can again use these right away if you like or they give you one month to use them before the expire.
Now with your $20.96 in ECB in hand you can go back in and buy 2 more of each of those items pay with you new CVS ECB’s and again at the end of that receipt it will print another $20.96!!!
Here are a few tips she gives as well!
A few tips:
- Make sure you always give them a $$/off $$$ (like the $4 off $20) coupon first before manufacturers coupons. In the example above had I used the manufacturers coupons first the total would have been less 20 dollars.
- Always have a list of exactly what is free, sometimes it is very specific items and you want to make sure you are getting the right things.
- If you are using a $4 off $20 or type of coupon like that make sure you have a few backup plans to hit your $20 in case your CVS is out of something.
- Take in a calculator to help you quickly add up your total to make sure you are going to have the right amount for you ECB’s to cover it.
- You need to always make sure that what you are buying is equal to your ECB’s or a little more (pennies). You can pay for $4 worth of items with $5 in ECB but you are losing money that way and don’t really want to do that. So find some filler items that you like, $1 disposable razors, a pack of gum… lots of options.
MY Tips:
-List out everything you want to get before you go so you make a 1 1/2 hr shopping trip into a 15-20 min. one
-ALWAYS have a back up plan...most CVS stores run out of the extra bucks stuff (cause of coupon ladies who purchase 50 of each thing), so make a plan B or even a C (you'll appreciate it in the store...but this will seriously take 15 minutes of your time at home)
-If they don't have what you want, get a rain check...they will put the amount of extra bucks you would have received as well, so you can get it at a later date WITH the CVS money
I'm pretty sure that sums up a CVS trip...if you need assistance, I'm an email away (n.ternate07@gmail.com) or FB me with your list or scenarios :-)
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