Coupons 101: CVS Coupon Machine

Showing posts with label CVS Coupon Machine. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Using and Earning CVS ExtraBucks Part II aka "How'd you DO that?"

A Lesson on How to Use Those CVS ExtraBucks... otherwise known as "How'd you DO that?" A question I get frequently. For this lesson, I will try to keep it as simple as possible... Ready! Let's GO!

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:

Used 1 Coupon -- - $2.00 (Colgate)
Used 1 CVS Coupon (ExtraCare Bucks) -- - $4.98

TOTAL: .01

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

CVS ExtraBucks... Where to Get 'Em and How to Earn 'Em - PART I

Extra Care Bucks at CVS is one of my favorite programs! Today's post will be how to earn Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) which we can use to get free/severely discounted products. In the next blog, I'm going to walk you through step-by-step and show you how to USE them... But first things first! :) Hope you have fun!

1. You will need to get yourself a CVS card. If you don't already have one, next time you go to the store, request one at the register. You will need to fill out a quick form, and then you get a key ring tag and a regular card. I highly reccommend that you use your "Coupons Only Email" that we created in Coupons 101 Part Two.

2. Every time you go to CVS, be sure to stop by the Coupon Machine and scan it. Little coupons will print out. Continue trying to scan until the screen reads: "No More Coupons for Today; Try Again Tomorrow." The coupon machine looks like this, and it can also be used as a price checker:

The ExtraCare Coupons the machine will print look like this:

Sometimes, the coupon is for a dollar amount or percentage off off any (e.g., $4 off a purchase of $20 or more; 30% off your total purchase; $1 off any deodorant, etc.). Other times, it will be for a dollar amount off of a particular item, as pictured above -- $1 off Belvita Breakfast Biscuits.

TIP: About a third of the time, in my experience, if it is for a particular item, the coupon will cover the ENTIRE COST OF THE ITEM -- meaning you get it for FREE!! That's right, Belvita Breakfast Biscuits cost $.99 -- making this a free item for me to try!

Did I mention that I LOVE FREE?!? So, be on the lookout for these coupons. Even if its something you might not normally buy, you might be able to get some freebies out of it. I always check the price of the item in the store just to see if it will be a "freebie." I have discovered several items in the past few months that I LOVE that I might never have tried if I didn't get it as a free sample.

GOOD KARMA TIP: Additionally, sometimes the items are things I might not need or want. However, I will DONATE them to a food pantry/other charity. Seriously, if it costs you NOTHING, try to remember that there are people out there who need food, toiletries, and other items. Please consider getting these FREE things -- even if you don't want them -- and donating them. There are many people out there in need.

3. Get yourself a "Green Bag Tag" and always bring it with you to CVS along with your CVS card. I attached it to my key chain. Bring a reusable shopping bag, or an oversized purse with you too. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY A REUSABLE BAG FROM CVS. ANY REUSUABLE BAG WILL WORK FOR THIS PROGRAM. This little gizmo earns you 1 free ExtraBuck for every four uses. And hey, recycling is AWESOME for the environment. Half the time, the cashier will try to give you a plastic bag, anyway, LOL. But, let's keep our landfills as free of plastic as we can... and that $1 in ExtraBucks can add up and also come in handy! Free "money" is always good!

TIP: You can use your Green Bag Tag once per day, but ONLY once per day!

Now that you have a little information on the basics of the program, see Part II, where I will walk you through step-by-step through using your ExtraBucks and how they can get you free or severely reduced products!

Coupons 101

Sunday, August 12, 2012

CVS Deals of the Week for 8/12-8/18/12

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Using and Earning CVS ExtraBucks Part II aka "How'd you DO that?"

CVS ExtraBucks... Where to Get 'Em and How to Earn 'Em - PART I

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