This month, I am going to rave and gush about why I love CVS.
Before I started couponing, I Would. Have. NEVER! gone into a drug store to purchase ANYTHING other than prescriptions! What crazy high prices they have!!
Oh, how wrong could I be!
CVS is one of the BEST bargains out there IF you know how to manipulate the sales. SALES being the key word! Do NOT pay shelf price at CVS. There are too many options to get around that.
First and foremost, you must have an Extra Care card.
This card tracks your purchases and gives you rewards for certain purchases, promotions and frequent purchases within certain categories. You can sign up with your Extra Care card for Prescription rewards and get a $5 certificate for every 10 prescriptions. ALWAYS scan your card when you checkout. It does no good to have it if you don’t use it!
Familiarize yourself with the MAGIC COUPON PRINTER!
This is the tall, skinny red machine near the front of the store. Just scan your Extra Care card at that machine every time you visit, and it will print out coupons! Tip: Scan until it tells you to come back tomorrow! It will print more than once most of the time!
You will get 2% of what you spent in the prior quarter (Jan-Mar, Apr -June, July-Sept, Oct-Dec) back in Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) on the first day of the next quarter. So, if you spent $100 in Jan-Mar, on or about April 1, you will get $2 in ECBs. You can get them on the end of your next receipt, by scanning you Extra Care card at the Magic Coupon Printer or kiosk in the store, or by going online and printing them out.
You get Extra Bucks back on certain promotional purchases.
These come out on the end of your receipt. (WARNING: CVS receipts can be FEET long! It’s a joke with my Father in law….but I tell him, they are just printing money for me!)
For example: An item is on sale for $5 with $3 ECBs. This means that you pay $5, but get $3 back on the end of your receipt to use on another transaction. However, you can do that next transaction right away! They are good as soon as you get them!
Enroll in the Beauty Club
You get $5 ECBs for every $50 you spend on beauty purchases if you are in the Beauty Club. This includes purchases on makeup, hair care, and many other items in that department.
Now, all that being said, let me explain why I love them so. At CVS, you can use manufacturer’s coupons. You can also use store coupons from the CVS website, from the end of your receipts, or from the Magic Coupon Printer. And you can use your Extra Bucks. You can use ALL of these TOGETHER!
Here is an example for you:
I will sometimes get a coupon from the printer for $5/15. That means you get $5 off a $15 purchase. So, let’s say that I need Diapers. Diapers are on sale for $7.99 for a “jumbo pack” and I will buy two.
My pre-tax total is $15.98. I could use that $5 off $15, and I want to do that first while my total is over $15! ($10.98 is my total now)
Then, maybe I have 2 manufacturer’s coupons, each for $1.00 off a pack of diapers. ($8.98) I also have a coupon from the printer to save $3 off any “baby purchase.” ($5.98)
I also have Extra Bucks for $3.00 and one for $2.00 from previous promotional purchases. ($.98)
I can use all of these on this one transaction of two packs of diapers, and I will only pay 98 cents plus tax!
CVS is a beautiful thing once you master all the ways that you can save! I’m telling you, they will scan as long as you keep handing them things!
They are also eligible for Ibotta offers and Checkout 51 offers. That means that you can also get cash back on your purchases, ABOVE AND BEYOND all the savings that I mentioned above!
About Northshore Mama
Kari, born and raised on the Northshore, began Northshore Mama after her family experienced a couple of rough financial years. Kari shares the tips and tricks to maneuvering each store’s different marketing of their sales, as well as introducing her readers to various programs and websites where she earns free stuff every day. Northshore Mama’s mission is to bring you the coupon deals and show you how to match them up with each store’s weekly sales to get the most bang for your buck!
Northshore Mama is great!