I recently got another CVS gift card worth $50 by redeeming some rewards points and I am all set to start my money saving adventures at CVS in the upcoming year. For 2011 I plan on using strictly my:
-gift card
-coupons and
-ECBs to purchase items.

I attempted late in 2010 to see how far I could go using only those methods but then faltered a few times and ended up spending money out of pocket. I am going to be on a mission in 2011 to not spend ANY money out of pocket and see how much I can get for the year. I have added a Total Item Cost column to my CVS spreadsheet for the upcoming year and will put the total cost of the items I buy (including tax) so that I can track the total value of items for the year.

I was not tracking the total value of items so even though I can tell you that I had the following totals:
$38.51 out of pocket
$167.43 ECBs earned
$165.43 ECBs spent (I lost $2 ECBs when they expired in December after I stopped shopping)

I do not have the total value of all the items I bought for the year. This new column will allow me to keep a running total every week of what I buy so that I can make a true comparison of how much I spend and make at CVS.

I know that prices at CVS are generally higher than at Walmart for the items I normally buy, but when combined with coupons and the ECBs they end up cheaper so that is why I will continue to buy toiletries on my CVS challenge.

I will also be sending a lot of the toothpaste, body wash and razors to friends so do not think that I am just hoarding all that stuff. Anything that I can donate will go off to friends and family so that I do not have a pile of unused items just taking up space in the bathroom.

Wish me luck as I see how far I can make my $50 gift card go.