Okay, you have your CVS card in hand, your Green Bag Tag, and your ExtraCare Bucks (if you have any left over from last week) in hand, and you are getting ready to head off for shopping! (See CVS Part I for more information if you aren't familiar with this procedure yet.)
3. Before you leave the house, when you get your CVS flyer, look for items that will give you ExtraCare Bucks ("ECBs"). In your weekly flyer you will see examples like the following:
Note that this ad says the "price with card" is $5.99. It also states that you will received $2.00 in ExtraBucks back for your next purchase. Additionally, CVS is also good at noting items that have current coupons in this week's Sunday paper. That it shown with the little pair of scissors and the --$2.00. Nice of them to show you that!!
TIP: If you didn't get this week's paper (but, of course you did!), you can also go into your coupon archives or check out other sites (such as Coupon Divas, which I link to each week) for other ideas on finding great coupon matchups. If you don't have one on hand, you may also check out my Internet Coupons and where to find them and see if you can find one online to print as well!
4. Find the correct coupon and clip it from the paper. The one I used looks like this:
5. When you go into CVS, check out the Coupon Machine and see if there are any new coupons for you. Remember, scan your card until it says, "No more coupons. Please try again tomorrow!"
TIP: There are usually TWO per store. Sometimes the one in the front of the store isn't working, although this rarely happens. For example, it might be out of paper. If you run into this, try the one in the BACK of the store, which gets used less often!
6. Now find the correct item you were originally looking for. Be sure it matches your coupon. Also, make sure that the items have the tags stating that it gives back the "ExtraBucks." They will look like this:
Note: It reads much like the ad: Price $5.99 with card. $2.00 ExtraBucks given. IF IT DOES NOT, AND YOU FEEL IT SHOULD, CHECK WITH AN EMPLOYEE! They do not mention the coupon here, though.
Awesome, we found our item! Grab one!
7. The first time you do this, you might experience some out-of-pocket expenses ("OOP") to get you started. In this particular case, it would be $3.99. (Don't worry, you'll get half of that back!)
BUT, once you get started, you will have ExtraBucks to be able to pay for these items with little to no actual money exchanged.
8. So, checking my CVS ExtraBuck envelope, I see that I have a $3.00 ECB and a $4.98 ECB I can use.
NOTE: If you had a $3 and a $1 ECB, you COULD use that instead... more than 1 ECB may be used per transaction!! However, they do NOT give you cash back from any "overages" on the ECBs. It's use it all or lose them.
My cost right now will be $3.99 ($5.99 for the item, less $2.00 in the coupon). Here is what an ECB looks like:
Hmmm... My best option today is to use the $4.98 ECB. BUT, I don't want to lose that extra $1, so I need to pick up a "filler" item for $1. That's easy enough.
I've noticed that the Emerald Nuts snacks are on sale for 10 for $10. Awesome! I love those, and my nutritionist wants me to add more to my diet. Perfect! Let's grab that, too.
8. So, let's head to the register with these two items: trail mix and toothbrush. The friendly lady rings me up. I give her my CVS card, and naturally, I brought my reusable bag (or large purse) so I can also use my "Green Bag Tag." She scans that, too, along with my items.
The total comes out to be:
- Emerald Nuts -- $1.00
- Colgate Sonic -- $5.99 Saved $2.30
- Used 1 Coupon -- - $2.00 (Colgate)
- Used 1 CVS Coupon (ExtraCare Bucks) -- - $4.98
Yes, I paid 1 penny for these items! 1 cent was the only CASH that transferred between me and the cashier. :) All by only using my coupon and ECB! AND, I earned another $2.00 in ECBs to pay for something else later!! NOTE: "Later" to CVS means any other transaction... which means, I could turn around, go back into the store, and buy something else IMMEDIATELY!
ONE PENNY! What a great deal! Take a look at the receipt and see for yourself!
As you can see, it takes a SMALL amount of simple math work, but is WELL worth it. Bring a calculator if you need it. I do it all the time.
This particular item is going to be donated to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, along with some of my other hoard I have been collecting. For more information about Pine Ridge, you can view here: http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/
Again, I encourage you, even if you do not need the item yourself, and if it is FREE (or in this case one penny), after you build your own stockpile, consider donating to whatever charity that is close to your own heart. Not only is it good for your community, but it warms your heart to know that you are helping those less fortunate in a way that does NOT break your budget.
I hope this helped everyone, and please, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment below. I look forward to hearing from everyone and seeing how this program works for you! Let me know about your "brags!"
Hugs to everyone.
Amy aka Sweet Savings
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