Tuesday Tip- Shopping at CVS

You asked for it and we are here to help you get started couponing or help you sharpen your skills and get back to the basics.  

We are starting with the basics so if you are a Coupon Diva these may be things you already know but can't hurt to check them out and make sure, so we can all sharpen our skills. If you don't have time to read it all READ what's in red below.

HELP - I don't know how to shop at CVS - What's an ECB? 

Just like with Walgreen's, I rarely shopped at CVS until I discovered the great deals there. There are many ways to save and even earn money while shopping at CVS.We will start with the Weekly Ads. You can get the Weekly Ad online, in front of the store or in your local Sunday paper. The Ad lists all sale items and items that will produce Extra Care Bucks and the quantity needed to earn them.

What are Extra Care Bucks (ECB)? These are dollars that you earn when making a certain purchase and can be used on any future CVS purchase. You do not have to get all the items at the same time but will not earn the ECB until you fulfill the entire purchase. Your ECB will print out on your receipt so make sure to always check before throwing away your receipt. There are weekly and monthly ECB. *You will also earn 2% back in ECB quarterly on your purchases which will print automatically at the end of the sales period.

In order to start earning ECB, you need to have an Extra Care Card. You can get a card simply by asking a cashier for a form or by signing up online. If you fill out the form in-store, you will get your card to start saving imediately. However if you sign up online, it will take about a week to get your card in the mail. Remember to register your account online to receive special offers by email or in your mail box.

In addition to ECB, there are also CRT (cash register tape) coupons that print automatically on your receipt. These are not listed in the Weekly Ad and just print randomly. These are pretty general , for instance, $2.00 off of Huggies Pull-ups. You can also get X off of XX CRTs. It will look like this~ $4.00 off of $20.00. Both are considered stores coupons and can be combined with manufacter's coupons (MFC). You can stack a basic CRT, a X off of XX CRT and a MFC all together for maximum savings. Just make sure to hand the cashier the X off of XX first while the total is the highest.

Here's what it looks like:

Buy (2) Huggies Pull-ups @ $10 each = $20.00

Use $4 off $20 first

Use (2) $2.00 CRT's =$4 off

Use (2) $3.00 MFC= $6 off

Total $6.00 for both packs of Pull-ups

Even better if you would earn $5.00 wyb $20 worth of Huggies

Total would be = $1.00!!

Making money at CVS can be very simple! Almost every week there is a promotion where you will earn the same amount of ECB that you spend.

For instance:

Colgate Toothpaste $2.99

Earn $2.99 ECB wyb 1

Use $1.00 off MFC

Total = $1.00 overage after coupon and ECB

CVS also has other great ways to save: 

• Clip-Free coupons that will automatically be taken off at the register. You can find these in a flyer by the front door.
• Email or "snail mail" coupons - remember to sign up online to get these.
• BOGOF sales - you can use two MFC coupons on a buy-one-get-one-free sale.

For example:

Max Factor Mascara $7.99 BOGOF

Use (2) $3.00 off MFC

Total = $1.99 for both

As with anything, "practice makes perfect" so don't be discouraged if you make a few mistakes. You'll be shopping like a pro soon enough. 

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