Well I was doing well with saving money at CVS the last two times I went and then this time I blew it. I only buy things that I actually use because I do not want to get extra things just to gain the extra bucks.
The best way to save money is to split up the transactions and use the extra care bucks (ECB) from one transaction to pay for the next transaction. I have no idea where my head was but I just put all the items together and rang it up as one big transaction.
Item: Dove mini deo
Price: $0.99 (used with other Dove products to get $10 purchase to earn ECB)
CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $3.00
Item: Oral B toothbrush twinpack
Price: $6.99
CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $6.99
Item: Biore pore cleansing strips (3 at $7.49 each to make $20 purchase to earn ECB)
Price: $22.47
CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $10.00
I used $12.97 ECB for the entire purchase. I could have saved more money if I had split the transactions up into three separate purchases. I am going to have to plan better the next time to how I can maximize my purchases and the ECB that I receive.
Total out of pocket today: $28.83
Total CVS Extra Care Bucks today: $19.99
Total out of pocket to date: $70.46
Total CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $35.75
CVS Extra Care Bucks Used: $15.76
CVS Extra Care Bucks Balance: $19.99
Hrm… didn’t you buy a toothbrush on June 8 also? And now, two more? Am I missing something? lol
Yes I did buy the toothbrushes Shawn :-). And now I have enough extra for guests and for when I go spend the night at someone’s place that I don’t have to worry about whether I left my toothbrush behind.
LuLuGal – Yeah, it is almost a game to try and figure out the best way to save money at CVS. I always forget to bring the manufacturer’s coupons with us when we go.
I totally agree with you on the cvs game. They can be very expensive on some things, but the extra care bucks are nice. I did find myself buying too just cause things were free after extra care bucks but then I would let one or two expire. That course means I paid for something I didn’t need and just wasted money. Still some are good deals. Usually good deals on cases of soda there too.
@ Top Ways:
Some people donate the things they get from CVS that they do not use. Maybe you can do that…instead of letting them go to waste.
That’s pretty good. We don’t have many CVSs where we live. We use Rite Aid. I don’t go there a lot but I do their rebates sometimes especially when it’s free. It leads to some pretty good savings. The last time I went to Rite Aid was quite a fiasco. I had to get my prescription and it was $56 AFTER insurance. No thanks. I didn’t need my allergy meds that bad.
Jerry
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