My girl Daisy is confused.
You see, for months I have been bragging on my other blog about all the free stuff that I get through couponing, especially when I can combine the coupons with CVS and their ExtraCare Program.
But the problem is, Daisy (and a few others) have said more than a few times that it sounded so confusing...that they wanted to try it, but were bad at math, overwhelmed with other things, didn't have the time, etc.
Well here you go Daisy - let's plan your first trip to CVS! (these deals are based on the June 8-14, 2008 sales ad)
Let's assume that Daisy has spent the last <mumblemumble> years of her life never clipping a single coupon (even though we know that she is going to start....RIGHT?)
Step 1: Go to CVS and sign up for an ExtraCare Card (if you don't have one already). If you already have one, RIGHT NOW go to www.cvs.com and "register" your card. This just means giving them your email address. In anywhere from a few minutes to a day or so, they will email you a $4 off $20 purchase
Step 1.5: Dig through your recycling and that of your neighbors and find the Redplum coupon insert from this past Sunday's paper (there are usually 2 inserts per week...last week was SmartSource and Redplum). There's coupons for Dove in there (including $1 off bodywash)! Then click here and here to find coupons for the General Mills cereals and/or a $1/off coupon for Honey Nut Cheerions (maybe you want cereal instead of Fiber One bars?)
Step 2: Purchase the following items (follow me on this, it wasn't in your original plan, but it's going to be 2 transactions and you'll get more free stuff)
- Listerine Smart Rinse @ $3.49, less the $1 coupon that you have
- Oral-B Cross-Action 2pk @$6.99
- 2 packages CVS Bandages @ $1.99 ($3.98 total)
With your coupon, you will hand the clerk $13.46, give or take a few pennies (depending on how the sales tax laws differ in your state)
In return, you will receive $3.49, $6.99 and $3.98 (total of $14.46 in ExtraCare Bucks). You've just made $1! (I know - now you can buy that Jaguar you always wanted)
Step 3: Don't leave the store. You don't have to do a separate visit for each transaction!
Step 4: Transaction #2 will be the following:
- 2 more Listerine Smart Rinses at $3.49 (go here to print off 2 more $1 coupons. It says limit 2 in the CVS flyers, but it seems that the limit has been raised!)
- 1 Dove Deodorant at $2.50 (use the $1 coupon from here: I believe that you can print off 2 of them...save the other one for another day)
- 2 Dove Body Washes at $3.99 (print off 2 $1 coupons from the same site as for the deodorant)
- 1 boxes General Mills cereal at $3.33 (for this transaction, just get one of the ones that only had a $.55 coupon on Coupons.com)
- any $.50-$1 item that you can find in the store (you need this in order to have enough of a total to use your ECBs...otherwise your total will be less than the ECBs you are giving them)
Total: $21.29 to $21.79
Give them: The $4 off $20 coupon, the 2 $1 coupons for Listerine, the 3 $1 coupons for the Dove, the $.55 coupon, the $3.49 and the $6.99 ECB from the first transaction and $0.26-$.75 in cash. In return, you'll get another $6.98 in ECBs for the Listerine, $3 for the Dove and you still have your $3.98 from Transaction #1 (and you've got $3.33 towards the GM/Folgers deal)
Finally - Transaction #3 (don't worry - most CVS stores have plenty of "hardcore CVSers", so they are used to this transaction splitting!)
- Buy your Folgers $10
- 2 Boxes Honey Nut Cheerios $6.67
Total: $16.67
Give them $2 in Cheerios Coupons, the $6.98, $3 and $3.98 ECBs and $.70 in cash. The clerk will give you back $10 in ECBs that you can use for a future trip!
So after all that, what do you have?
- 3 Listerines
- 2 boxes bandaids
- 3 boxes cereal
- a rather large can of coffee
- 2 new toothbrushes
- 1 Dove Deodorant
- 2 Dove Body washes
- $10 in ECBs...which is just as good as cash at CVS
All for a combined out-of-pocket total of about $15
As you can see, if you clip coupons and check online coupons sites, you can easily start increasing your stash of Extra Care bucks. While I typically like to keep my out-of-pocket costs to under $.50 per transaction, $2 is pretty good for a beginner!
I plan to start posting the best deals each week, as well as come up with my own CVS 101 post! Be sure to check back!
Lara
Ok so the ECB's you get... if I understand right, there are certain special items that give ECB's and they print out with your receipt? And then you can use them right away? I always thought they were an accumulated benefit and only printed out when you hit a certain amount!
I love that you are detailing this stuff for us. I'm great with math, but making coupons really work is totally over my head!
Thanks!!!
[the simple answer is: it depends. Sometimes there are specific items that generate ECBs. Sometimes there are "Buy $x amount of these products and receive $x in ECBs". The latter requires you to be a bit more creative with coupons. I'm working on the "CVS for Dummies" post and will have it up in the next day or so! - Mindi]
Daisy
Wow Min! Thank you so much - now the only thing is that I don't know why I never got that coupon... I signed up in the store and provided my email address and I have a login for the site - I will check into that. I WISH I had a coupon like that...
Thanks again so very very much for taking the time to help me!
Is this your site? Is it in place of your other frugal mom site? I will link it if you want...
[because giving them your email on the ExtraCareCard app doesn't mean anything...you actually need to go to cvs.com. then click on the "Update your account" tab (on the left hand side) and give them your name, address, email. You will then start receiving emails from CVS about 2x/week. Sometimes it will be a "fluff" email, but oftentimes it will be a coupon (like the $25 prescription coupon that I got last week or the $5 off $30 I got today). And yes - this is my new frugal site....although you took the other off your blogroll about a month ago, right? 😉 - Mindi]
Jennifer
Hey girl... you already converted me and I only spent $0.50 the other day. 🙂 Keep the tips coming. Maybe when I get some extra time, I'll contribute some of my money saving tips.
[I'm so happy that, not only did I "convert you", but to see you commenting again! I missed you chickie! Now that I have a self-hosted blog, I can use one of those cool "Mr. Linky" things (yes - I am quite the computer tech!) and I plan on doing a "what changes have you made" post with a Mr. Linky next week. I hope you'll participate! - Mindi]
Daisy
This is the part where I whine incessantly.
I signed p for my card a few months ago and so I went back and searched my email and now I discover that my $4/$20 coupon is - uhm. Wuhl. uh, expired. I know! I know! I should have waited until I was ready but I thought I would be proactive about it? See where THAT got me?!?! How would this adjust my strategy? Or am I just screwed?
[ok - here is where we get creative...
there are a few options. First - the CVS Extra Care team are WONDERFUL. If you call 1-800-SHOPCVS and tell them that you were just cleaning out your spam filter and found their coupon, there is a high probability that they will send you another.
If that doesn't work...trash that card and get a new one. You can legally have 1 card for each member of your household. Sign up for a new card at your local store and register that one. I'm not going to get in to having multiple cards just yet (I have 5 cards, although I really only use 2-3), but you can "legally" have one card for each member of your family....yes - even The Queen has her own card! - Mindi]
Karen
I am very glad to see you started this site. You sent me an email with info, but apparently like Daisy I was a bit confused. Don't worry it doesn't take much. I am looking forward to learning your saving secrets!
[and I am really looking forward to sharing them! I mentioned a sale at a recent MOMS club event and one of the members turned around and said "Ok - how DO you know all of this stuff?" 😉 - Mindi]
Mr Lady
Post Two: How to smuggle a CVS into Canada.
[of course, you could always move back to the Philadelphia area and have CVS AND Wawa! - Mindi]
Say What?
Ah AH! I think I may be beginning to understand!
Perhaps the mental math midget can learn a new math formula after all! Thanks for posting this = and I can guarantee I will read any posts on this subject!
[I'll be posting scenarios each week! Get to clipping those coupons! - Mindi]
Daisy
Thanks Min. I will call. Let's not trot down the mulitple card path. It will surely make my head explode.
I removed your other site whenever you asked us to do so. I usually do that stuff as soon as I am aware of it. otherwise I might forget... Also - This site does not seem to recognize my wordpress log in. It is not my computer I don't think because my login is still valid at TQM.
[the multiple card path can get confusing....especially since ECBs can only be used with the card that generated them. I usually stick to just the 2 cards, but will "spill over" in to the other 3 for a particularly good deal (which is how in the last 3 months I got over 50 tubes of free toothpaste. I donated most of it - Mindi]
Daisy
Success! They will, after some significant sweet-talking, send me a new $4/$20 coupon. I assure you - I shall not allow that to happen again! I may not have it before I go out this morning, but I can do the first transaction today and do a second one tomorrow. CVS is only a few miles from here - maybe 5 minutes 3 miles sort of thing.
BTW - Why the band aids? I must know.
[I got your email about how they won't send you a new coupon.....I guess it's just time to get a new card! They are still giving out the $4/$20 coupons for signing up...it's right there on the website! Oh and the bandaids? Because they're free after ECBs and you have a young son, so I figured Bandaids are something you'll likely use! I tend to get anything that is completely free at ECB unless I KNOW I won't use it. Since I often have an $x off $x purchase coupon, these items become the "filler" to get me up to the required total! - Mind]
Daisy
Tried to print the Dove coupons - said I had exceeded my max. Uhm. hello? I never printed a coupon from Dove in.my.life! Tried both browsers. Not happening.
Min - I am just not going to stress myself out like this. I still will do some couponing - but I am not going to jump in the deep end like this. I so appreciate your efforts - maybe there will come a point where I "get it" but for now... not so much.
Something I would like to hear is how people organize their coupons? Cull those that are expired etc. Do you store them in shoe boxes or binders or what?
[yeah - I forgot that the Dove coupon was giving some people some problems...and sometimes the websites do that when they feel that they have given out too many. Don't stress about it! It can seem overwhelming and frustrating in the beginning, but I promise that you will get the hang of it!. As for organization? Guess what my next post is all about? 😉 - Mindi]
Daisys last blog post..Textbook Example