Confessions of a CVS Junkie

A couple of days ago I gave Money Saving Mom a “Your Blog is Out of the World Award”. Here’s why: thanks to her blog, I’ve learned how to get CVS to PAY me to shop there! Not in actual dollars, but in CVS “Extra Care Bucks”, which you can use like cash at CVS stores. I am going to give you the short version of how I do this, click here to go to Money Saving Mom for the long version.

First, you have to apply for one of CVS’ free Extra Care cards. Just go in the store and getcha one. This card allows you to get the sale prices at CVS and also to get “Extra Care Bucks” (ECBs) back on the purchases of certain items they have on weekly and monthly specials. There are usually at least one or two monthly items that are “free” after ECBs. For instance, this month there is a new mouthwash by Sensodyne called “Oasis” that is on sale for $5.99, and you get $5.99 ECBs back when you purchase it. So it’s like getting the item for free, but if you happen to have a manufacturer’s coupon for the item, you can actually “make money” on the deal. I had a manufacturer’s coupon for $1.50 off the Oasis mouthwash, so when I bought it I “made” that dollar fifty. CVS also often has store coupons for say, $2 off a $10 purchase or $4 off a $20 purchase that you can stack with manufacturer’s coupons to “sweeten the deal”. Here’s an example of a transaction I did Sunday at CVS.

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I bought one of those Oasis mouthwashes, a Gillette Fusion Razor, and a Febreze candle. The total before tax & coupons was $22.97. I used a CVS $4 off of $20 coupon, a $4 Gillette manufacturer’s coupon, a $1 Febreze manufacturer’s coupon, and that $1.50 Oasis coupon. That brought the total down to $12.47. I used $11.99 worth of ECBs I had from a previous purchase, and paid $2.04 out of pocket, including tax. Great deal, huh? Especially since I got $16.99 back in ECBs as well! ($6 for the razor, $5.99 for the mouthwash, and $5 for the Febreze candle. Although I should mention you had to purchase $10 worth of Febreze to get this benefit – I had purchased the other Febreze products on a previous transaction).

So, now I am an official, full-on, CVS nerd! I live for the weekly and monthly CVS ads so I can get out my calculator and my coupons and start figuring out my deals! I’m like an addict, always ready for my next high. I’ve even got my husband into it. He got his own Extra Care card so we can do some deals more than once if they have a limit. Here is a picture of ALL the stuff I got at CVS on Sunday. I did it in three transactions, using both my and Bobby’s Extra Care card.

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I spent about $60 in Extra Care Bucks and got about $34 BACK in ECBs. The total dollar amount in real money I spent out of my pocket was…drumroll please…$6.94!!! WOOHOO!!

That’s right my peeps, I got five 100 oz. Tides, two jumbo packs of Pampers, two swiffer wet refills, two swiffer dry refills, some Kashi crackers, Febreze fabric refresher, air freshener, and candle, the Fusion razor, a four-pack of Charmin, and four Oasis mouthwashes for $6.94. HOLLA!

So now, get started with your CVS deals! Head over to Money Saving Mom to read her CVS 101, and check with her every week for the CVS deals and coupons! Other places that are helpful with coupons are the CVS forums on SlickDeals and Deal of Day.

And, because I love you dear readers, here is the $2/$10 some coupon link to get you started!
CVS $2/$10

Happy Shopping! I look forward to hearing your bargain tales!

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WFMW: What do I Fix?

Well, this Works For Me Wednesday is about that terrible crisis we all have at least a couple times a week month…”What the heck am I gonna fix for dinner????” In our house, the recipe I throw together on the fly is one that was passed down to me from my mother-in-law. It’s called “Mexi-Stew.” I think we all have our own variations on it, but this is the basic recipe:

2 cans crushed tomatoes
2 cans corn
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans mild chili beans
1 pressed garlic clove (or 1 tablespoon garlic powder)
1 tablespoon chili powder
Cut-up hot dogs or polish sausage

Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes or so….it’s soo yummy and it’s even better leftover! It’s also very good meatless…I always pick the meat out of mine and give it to my hubby. We add lots of shredded cheese on top too.

If any of you try it, let me know! For more great on-the-fly recipes, head over to Rocks in my Dryer.

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