Tuesday, August 12, 2008

First Try At The CVS Game

Not too shabby! I have been blog-stalking several other blogs to try and figure out exactly how you can get something for nothing... and I decided to give it a shot on this rainy day. Kate and I needed to get out, so why not go spend a little to save a lot?! I started off with nothing. If you look at other blogs in their tales of $0.00 purchases at CVS, they are usually starting with some ECB (Extra Care Bucks, they are what you earn by spending on certain items at CVS and can be used like cash in their store). I have a CVS card and I have been studying their weekly ad trying to figure out which items I had coupons for and what we would actually use. I split it into 3 transactions to earn the most ECBs.
Transaction #1:

Alavert (Brandon always needs allergy medications) for $5.99 (on sale from $10.99)
Infant Advil (Kate definitely will use this with these teeth) for $5.79

I had coupons for $1.oo off Advil
$4.00 off Alavert
$2.00 off any $10 purchase at CVS (I printed several offline from another blog)

So, I spent $5.76 out of pocket, but walked away with $3 ECB from the Alavert, $5.79 ECB from the Advil, and the register printed out more coupons too!
Basically, even though I spent a little, I walked away with $8.79 to spend.

Transaction #2:

Huggies Diapers $8.99
Huggies Wipes $2.50
2 Colgate toothpastes (Buy one get one free) $3.29
CVS brand Ibuprofen $3.19

(CVS has a deal this week that if you spend $25 on certain baby items, you earn 5 ECB, and the diapers and wipes went towards that purchase.)

I had coupons for $2.00 off diapers
$1.00 off wipes
$1.50 off toothpaste
$2.00 off $10 CVS coupon
$3.19 off Ibuprofen printed from the register (which made it free)
$3.00 ECB from last purchase

So, I spent $6.26 out of pocket this time- not quite free, but I would have spent WAY more on the diapers alone anywhere else!

Transaction #3:

Huggies Diapers $8.99
Huggies Wipes $2.50
Johnson's Baby Lotion $2.99
Playskool Cottony Cloths Wipes $5.79
(all went towards $25 baby purchase to earn more ECB)

I had coupons for $1.50 off diapers
$0.50 off wipes
$1.00 off lotion
$2.00 off Playskool wipes (printed from register at first purchase)
$2.00 off $10 CVS coupon
$5.79 ECB

So, I spent $8.53 out of pocket, but walked away with $5 ECB this time too. So, even though I did spend some money, it was not as much as I would have even paid for the 2 packs of diapers, which I needed anyway!
I would love any tips from seasoned CVS shoppers on how to save more, but I had a great time buying all of this stuff for such great prices! I am already looking at my ad to see what else I can get with my $5 ECB to earn even more!

7 comments:

Ole Miss Mom said...

YOU'VE GOT IT!!!! Just keep rolling those ECBs!!!! You have to start somewhere..and clearly you are going to get it! Great job!!!

Emily said...

YAY! I am impressed. I have been thinking about figuring it out too! Good job!

katie said...

what the heck?!? so what blog did you get all this info from? please share! :) we all need stuff for nothing...

Emily said...

Good job! Where did you find all those coupons? Do you think at the end of the day you save more that way then buying at Wal-Mart or Sams. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth the time for me.

Emily said...

another question - did you do all 3 transactions the same time or different visits?

The Slagleys said...

Thanks! I am so excited to get the hang of it, even though it takes some thought at the beginning. I think I definitely saved more than I would be going to Sams. We normally buy diapers and wipes at Sams, but we got them a LOT cheaper when you figure out the price per diaper (which I did to justify spending to Brandon)and the cost of all the extra stuff we got for free! I did all 3 transactions in the same store all in about 30 minutes. The first transaction gave me several coupons, so I took them away from the counter to pick up those things too, then just did the next 2 at the register as separate transactions. The checkout lady was very nice and told me I was smart for taking advantage of the coupons and ECB as most people don't take the time.
Like I said in the post, you have to spend a little in the beginning to get the ball rolling to earn more ECB, but it is fun now to figure out what to spend/save on next!

Mary Beth said...

I'm impressed! I should probably get into the game :-) Thanks for sharing!

Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers
Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers
Lilypie First Birthday tickers