I am planning to start posting the CVS ad matchups every week beginning this week!
I have loved CVS for so many years now and cannot begin to tell you how much this one store has saved my budget. There are several things that I rarely need to pay for because I am able to get them FREE using the CVS Extra Care Program and keep them in the house so we have it when we need it.
Here’s a sample of things I don’t pay for when I’m following the CVS sales:
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Cotton Swabs
Feminine Hygiene Products
Toothbrushes
Paper Towel
Tissue
Makeup
Shampoo
Conditioner
….and much more!
I want to take this time to walk you through the basics of CVS Shopping so that in the weeks to come you’ll be able to take full advantage of the matchups when I post them.
There are a couple of key things you need to learn to make this work for you!
ECB’s- This is short for Extra Care Bucks, and they are used just like cash at CVS. CVS offers several items each week that you can earn ECB’s from. The amounts vary according to the item. But at the end of your trip you want to earn ECB’s that you can use on a future purchase to “pay’ for things you need on your weekly list without dipping into the budget!
Rolling- This is how to best use the ECB’s you earned the week before. For example let’s say last week you earned $6.99 in ECB’s. This week you’ll want to find a way to spend that ECB and earn more ECB’s back. I always look for sale items that I can buy with my ECB’s that will give me more at the end of my order. The idea is to always leave the store with ECB’s in hand for the next week!
Stacking- This is how to make the best use of coupons at CVS. CVS allows you to use several different kinds of coupons on one item. There are four different kinds of coupons
- Manufacturer’s Coupons- These are labeled manufacturers and can be found in the paper, magazines, or printed from the internet.
- CVS Magic Coupon Machine Coupons- CVS has a Scanner in their stores. If you scan your Extra Care Card it will shoot out coupons for various amounts.
- Receipt Coupons- These are coupons that you get on the end of your receipts from time to time.
- CVS $ Off Coupon- These are the best coupons and very special. You can get them from the Magic Coupon Machine,mail, email, or at the bottom of your receipts. These can be anything like $4 off $20 purchase all the way up to $15 Off $100 Purchase and are very valuable!
Correct Order of Things- You need to make sure you hand your coupons to the cashier in the right order to get the most savings. The right order is CVS $ off coupons, CVS store coupons or manufacturer coupons, and finally your ECBs.
Now that you’ve learned the basics it’s time to take your Extra Care Card and go shopping!
If you don’t have an Extra Care Card you can sign up for one in the store or online here. But if you sign up online you’ll have to wait until your card comes in the mail.
I hope you’ll join me back here on Saturday when I post the CVS deals each week!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, I just discovered the Extra Care thing and am kicking myself that I didn’t know about it sooner! I mean, they practically hand you cash as you walk in the door. It started with a prescription (a $10 generic) and a coupon for $25 gift card with a new prescription. Along the way I walked out with some free toothpaste. And also used a coupon for $4 off a $20 purchase. Oh! And I just recently got a coupon for $5 off a $15 purchase. My former drug store didn’t give me bupkis.
I think you forgot to mention the green tag (or whatever it’s called). I bring my own bags into every store and every fourth time you do it you get $1 Extra Care bucks. I’ve already earned $2 doing it!
.-= Shelby´s last blog ..Digital Scrapbooking + Giveaway! =-.
It can be very addicting lol!
Thanks for reminding me about the green tag too!
Can you explain why the order of the coupons matters?? I just handed all my coupons to the cashier yesterday and it didn’t seem to make a difference……maybe it depends on the store?
Some cashiers know which order to scan your coupons, but it doesn’t always work out and here’s why.
Example:
You have a $4 off $20 coupon. Your order comes to $21.00. If the cashier doesn’t scan the $4 off $20 coupon first you won’t be able to use it because if the cashier starts scanning your manufacturers coupons or ECB’s first it will bring your total down sometimes below $20 which will make the coupon unusable since the order must be at least $20 before coupons.
As you said it didn’t seem to matter and that’s because you probably have a great cashier who understands the order of things. But if you don’t want to be surprised with a larger balance than you planned for I suggest making sure the cashier follows the order of things.
I hope that make more sense? Feel free to ask more questions if you need too.
Thanks for the tips! my bff & her sis have been on me to try CVS bargain shopping, so I’ve bene trying it for the past month or 2 & have been AMAZED at the savings! Thanks for the tips! I’m following to make sure I can keep up!
It is very exciting to learn that you can get a lot of your personal hygiene products free at CVS! Keep up the great work!
Thank you for this! I am determined to learn this system and stop paying for things folks are getting free. This really helps!
Just remember every little bit helps. You’ll get better and better at this the more you do it.
I do not have a CVS in my town so I’ve been Rite Aid shopping and absolutely love it. I am planning a trip to the city where I can also shop at Kroger and Meijer and am planning to try out the CVS thing. Rite Aid’s UP Reward items must be done on separate transactions to get the UP reward for each thing. How do ECBs work for that? If you have something that you can earn ECBs on, will it give you all of them in one transaction or do you have to separate the items out?
You can do it all in one transaction! Good luck!
Thanks to a friend who referred me to moneysavingmoms.com I ran across your website. This is wonderful and sooo hopeful to save money, Im a stay at home mom like the many of us, and I am desperate to help my husband and our whole household save somehow and someway. I praise Jesus Christ for enabling you to share this information with so many of us, you truly have been a huge blessing. thank you
Vanessa
Thanks so much Vanessa! It is my honor to share what the Lord has shared with me!