How's your CVS shopping going this week?

[JTsMom]

Just curious to see what deals everyone is getting this week. I'm so excited for the Huggies deal that starts on the 17th that Lori posted about earlier, so I'm trying to stockpile some ECB's. So far this week, I've done the same deal 2X- once on DH's card, once on mine. I used a $4/$20 coupon, and bought 1 Garnier Fructis, and 3 of the Maybelline trio eyeshadows, both of which are FREE after ECB's. Basically, I made a $4 profit on each, and had to pay very little out of pocket b/c of the ECB's from last week.

I still have to go do my big deal this week. My plan is:
2 Excedrin 13.98-$4 in printable coupons ($10 ECB earned)
4 Colgate toothpaste/brushes - $4 in printable coupons ($5 ECB earned)
5 CVS Children's Aspririn (Free after ECB 8. 95 earned)
1 Preciscion Diabetes Monitor (Free after ECB 19.99 earned)

52.92 total before coupons
-10/50 coupon
-8 printables
-20.46 ECB's from last week
= 14.46 out of pocket
ECB's earned=$43.94!!!
Profit of $9.02

my backup deal is to swap out the monitor for the 3 weight-loss gum thingies- whatever they were called, 3 aspirin instead of 5, and 5 of the Boost smoothies. I'd also need a .10 filler.

$50- $10 off 50 coupon, - $8 printables- 20.46 ECB's=11.54 OOP, $40.92 ECB's
Profit of $8.92



Either way, not too shabby imo! :boogie:

[Momof3Labs]

I've grown my ECB by a ton this week but don't have time to post at the moment. But do you have one of the 9.99 coupons for the Precision monitor to throw in there? They were in the inserts several weeks back (check the coupon database at HCW to find out when). That will lower your OOP!

One Touch monitors had a coupon several weeks ago, too, for 19.99 (free after coupon). Also helps boost your spending to the $50 leve for those 10/50 coupons.

Theraflu is a good deal, too. Buy two at 13.18 total, use a $3/2 coupon and get back $10 ECB. I had some CRT coupons for it, too, making it a moneymaker.

There are also the 6hr energy drinks BOGO this week. 4.99 for two, and get back a $5 ECB for every two you buy (so spend 4.99, get back $5). Good to use to get up to $50 for your 10/50 coupons!

[hellokitty]

Lori,

This will sound like a dumb question, but why does everyone keep getting the glucometers??? It doesn't sound like everyone is diabetic. What do you mean by swapping the glucometer out for something else? Every time I see a CVS thread here or elsewhere everyone keeps getting the glucometer. I must be missing something. I'm a RN and know how to use them, but why is everyone getting one???

[westgre]

Ok, I only buy things that we use, and usually only buy things I need at the time.
Coke 12 pk $2.99 (saved $2.00)
Coke 12 pk $2.99 (saved $2.00)
Coke 12 pk $2.99 (saved $2.00)
Duracell AA 16 pk $8.99 (saved $2.50)
Duracell AA 16 pk $8.99 (saved $2.50)
Clear Care contact lens cleaner $6.99 (saved $2.00)
CVS hair detangler $2.49 (saved $.30)
Fructis Shine Burst $3.99 (saved $.30)
Barbie Valentines $2.24 (saved $.75)
Sponge Bob Valentines $2.24 (saved $.75)
Duracell AAA 4 pk $4.99
Palmer's Cocoa butter $6.29

I used:
$3.29 Extra Bucks
$10.00 Extra Bucks
$5.00 Extra Bucks
$10 off $50 coupon

total with tax: $29.56
today you saved: $43.39

I received:
$10.00 Extra Bucks
$3.99 Extra Bucks
coupon for free 4 oz. Aquify contact lens cleaner
rebate form for Clear Care -- should receive the $6.99 back

I can't wait for the Huggies deal -- I already have my Huggies coupons waiting...

[Mrs.MJP]

Lori,

This will sound like a dumb question, but why does everyone keep getting the glucometers??? It doesn't sound like everyone is diabetic. What do you mean by swapping the glucometer out for something else? Every time I see a CVS thread here or elsewhere everyone keeps getting the glucometer. I must be missing something. I'm a RN and know how to use them, but why is everyone getting one???

The more $ you spend at CVS - the more Extra Care Bucks you get. So if the PP has a manufacturers coupon for a free monitor - the cost of the monitor goes towards the total amount spent (before coupon) and results in more Extra care Bucks (ECBs). This is my guess. I don't shop at CVS yet - since they're still building the one in my town. But this is what I gather from reading these posts.

[JTsMom]

That's a portion of it...

Honestly, the bulk of the stuff I get at CVS, I won't use. We're an increasingly natural/crunchy/whatever you want to call it, so stuff like OTC meds, junk food, the weight loss gum, Boost smoothies etc. I try to avoid as much as possible. BUT, if CVS is actually going to pay me to take an item off of their shelf, I'm going for it! :lol I'll explain why you want this stuff anyway below....

For example, the meter I mentioned above is 19.99, right? I'm going to use a 4/20 coupon (or a higher amount- they mostly always equate to 20% off though, so in this case 4/20 is the proportional amount- I'm actually going to use 10/50, but 20% off of 20 is $4.) CVS is going to give me $20 ECB, and I'm only going to pay them $16, so I'm geting paid $4 to take the meter. Of course I'm getting paid in ECB, not cash, but I will use those ECB's to buy something I would have spent cash on- for me, that's usually diapers. My sister bought a ton of Christmas stuff for her kids with some of hers, and she regularly uses them for milk.

Sometimes, there is a coupon for the item, and then you make even more- like in the examples the other Lori mentioned above. I'm pretty bad about holding onto coupons like those just in case, so I don't do as well as some people do. AND, sometimes there is a rebate for the item.

Now for Part 2- Rolling ECB's...
The more CVS'ing you do, the more this becomes an issue. ECB's have a short life-span. I think they expire something like 3 weeks after you get them. You use deals like the meter one to "roll" your ecb's, thus, extending their expiration date. You pay for the deal with the ECB's you have that are nearing expiration, and you get brand new fresh ones. Then, when something like the Huggies deal comes along, you have a nice stack of them to blow! Lori mentioned "growing" her ECB's. That's b/c of the profit that I mentioned above. It's kind of like investing in the stock market, where you take what you earned and buy more stocks to grow your wealth- only we're using ecb's instead of cash. If you always had to pay out of pocket to do these deals, it wouldn't be nearly so fun! I wouldn't want to plunk down $50 or $75 in actual cash to do this!

Now, you're probably wondering what you do with all of this stuff you get that you'll never use- there are several options.
1. Give it to a friend/family member who will use it- I do this with most of the stuff. I have college-aged brothers who will take whatever they can get!
2. Donate it to a shelter or other organization that can use it- they will love it, and I'm sure you can probably even take a tax write off for it!
3. cough cough Ebay cough ;) or yard sales
4. This one is more shady, and it's NOT something I do, but I'm sure some probably do- return it somewhere else, and get a credit. Again, not something I'm in any way suggesting.

Of course you want to play by the rules, and not abuse the system, b/c you don't want to get banned or blow the whole program.


The best case scenario is that you will find deals on things that you will actually use, but again, I'm all for getting paid to take things, regardless of whether or not I'd normally buy them. You just have to really look at the deals, and see which ones are money-makers. If you spend even a quarter on something you won't use, it's not a bargain!


It took me a while to figure out this part- it's a little more involved, but that's how you really make out with the big savings.

HTH- I know it's confusing.

[hellokitty]

Thanks for the tutorial ladies! It makes sense. I have gotten ECB's before and they expired on me. I'm not a die hard CVS shopper and it is across town for me, so I'm still trying to decide whether or not to try this system out. Also, we are pretty crunchy and I find most of the stuff that you get ECB's for are not useful for us and I have mixed feelings about donating junk food to others.

[Momof3Labs]

Lori,

This will sound like a dumb question, but why does everyone keep getting the glucometers??? It doesn't sound like everyone is diabetic. What do you mean by swapping the glucometer out for something else? Every time I see a CVS thread here or elsewhere everyone keeps getting the glucometer. I must be missing something. I'm a RN and know how to use them, but why is everyone getting one???

The other Lori explained it pretty well, but just wanted to add what I do with them. I either give them to DH to take to work (he's a paramedic, and they use them on the ambulance or give them to diabetic patients who don't have one) or put them in my garage sale pile. This will be my first time selling off CVS excess at a garage sale so I don't know how it will go, but even if I get $5 for a meter that CVS paid me to take out the door, it's pure profit. And whatever we don't sell this summer at our garage sale, I'll probably donate.

I tend to stay away from food deals at CVS since they often have short expiration dates (must sit in their warehouse for a while) and food isn't as easy to sell at a garage sale as, say, shampoo. But, boy, you should see my tower of toothpaste!

[elektra]

Also, I have just started doing the CVS thing, and I am still saving money, getting ECB's etc., but I am starting out by really only buying stuff I need. So I am not turning a profit like some of the PP's, but I am still saving. For me, I have enough junk in my house as it is, so it just makes me nervous thinking about having glucose meters and such piling up. Who knows though, maybe I will really get addicted to "CVS ing" and start doing that! LOL.

[JTsMom]

It definitely depends on a lot of things- what you'll use, how much of an inconvenience it is to go, how into ityou'll be, etc. If you let the ECB's expire- I did that once- it's basically like throwing money right in the garbage. Here, I have probably 5 or more CVS's within 15 mins. The one I go to the most often is right next door to the post office, and I'm there all the time, so to run in isn't too much of a hassle, and I'm not wasting gas driving all over town. Ideally I go when DH is home, so I don't have to torture DS.

I pretty much avoid the food stuff too, unless it's some amazing deal. A few weeks ago they had Stacy's pita chips, which isn't exactly health food, but they aren't "bad" junk food- kwim? So I got those. They also had Skippy peanut butter, which my DH refuses to give up, so I got that for him. That's about the extent of it though- we try to buy mostly organic, so I won't buy milk there.

Right now, my main motivation is cheap diapers. If/when another comes along, I hope to use cloth, and DS won't be in them for much longer (I hope), so we'll see how long my obsession continues. There are some things that come in handy though- I can use my ECB's for Pur water filters, Burt's Bees stuff, Tom's of Maine TP, DH's deodorant (I make my own, but he refuses to use my stuff), that sort of thing, and I can feel good about donating something like a meter or feminine hygeniene stuff.

[mollys_mommy]

i'm a big cvs shopper. i had some afrin free coupons so i made $4 crazy profit just on those today. and on my receipt, the soy joy deal is STILL working, but the store i was in was still sold out!! right now i've got $49.99 in ECB to roll. i use mine to get sippy cups, diapers, razors...hair accessories...milk, eggs, oj- we've not paid actual money for milk or eggs in a year maybe? (save a few oops trips to the store around the corner of course) i LOVE cvs!!

i did the colgate/palmolive today, i had to get deoderant- i was so focused on stocking up my H that i ran out and was using a sample!!

i have been doing the monitors as well. i ask around and see if anyone i know can use or knows someone, otherwise, i'll post them on freecycle. i do the same with any excess of things i have profited from. i keep most of my family in toothbrushes and toothpaste.

[mykidsmom2]

I am still learning the ropes on how to "CVS" and all your tips have been a great help in explaining how people can save sooo much or even make money! I have tried learning on slick deals but find it very complicated and don't like the "vibe" there either, as other posters have mentioned.

Thanks for helping me save.......and spend! : )

Paula ~ bargain hunting mom to my 2 DS's

[mnosky1]

I had seen a link posted before for some of the 4/20 etc coupons but are now expired. Do they always have these and how do you get them?
Michelle

[JTsMom]

They always have them. You can get one by signing up for emails at CVS.com (then you'll also get other higher value coupons occasionally), or there are links to them on slickdeals.net Just go to their forums, look for the drugstore B&M one, and find the thread for CVS issued coupon- I think it is stickied at the top.