CVS

There are many deals you can get by shopping at drug stores. CVS is my favorite and I want to share a diaper deal I got on Sunday. CVS deals run Sunday to Sat. so it is best to shop as early as you can in the week. This week Pampers diapers were a great deal (and I did not want them to be sold out!) so I went to CVS on Sunday afternoon. I am going to try and explain how CVS works and why I love it so much. Here are some CVS tips to get you started.

1. First, you need to get a CVS card (if you don't have one). This is very easy and you can get it in the store and start using it immediately. Your goal in a CVS shopping trip is to get Extra Care Bucks...ECB's (CVS money) that can be used on your next shopping trip.

2. Everytime you go into the store, scan your CVS card in the red machine (I think it is called the Extra Care machine) to get extra coupons. I will sometimes get a save $3 off a $15 purchase or even $4 off $20. If your store does not have a red machine near the front, the cashier can scan your card before you start shopping. If you do not feel comfortable asking, you will still get these coupons, just with your receipt. You can use them on the next trip!

3. Check http://www.southernsavers.com/ on Fridays for the upcoming week's CVS deals. Jenny at Southern Savers does a great job of giving you examples of fairly simple transactions. Also, read over the comments after her CVS post. It is here where I find some of the best deals!!

4. Make your CVS shopping list on the Southern Savers site (click on printable shopping list) and print it out to take with you. Gather your coupons and go shop!

5. I am going to explain how I organize my coupons in another post. For now, here is my CVS shopping list for this week. I could not copy and paste from the Southern Savers website, but this is exactly what hers looks like. The possible coupons you can use are listed below the item. You may use 1 manufacturer coupon per item...Or, if you have a store (CVS) coupon you may "stack" that with a manufacturer coupon for even more savings. For example, a few weeks ago Huggies wipes were on sale. I had a manu. coupon for the wipes, plus I scanned my card upon entering the store and got a CVS coupon for Huggies wipes. I used both coupons and ended up getting the wipes for next to nothing.

$3.99 ECB wyb colgate Total Advanced, Enamel, or Sensitive Toothpaste at $3.99 Limit 1
-.75 off Colgate Total, printable
-$1 off Colgate Total Toothpaste, SS 3/07
-$1 off Colgate Total (April) All You Magazine

This means that the toothpaste is FREE...You do have to pay up front, but you will get the exact same amt. of ECB's back to use on your next trip. If you have any of these coupons, you will actually make $1...which is called overage! SS is Smart Source, a coupon insert from the Sunday paper.

$3 ECB wyb Pampers Diapers Jumbo pk or Easy Ups at $8.97 Limit 3 (includes Swaddlers and Cruisers)
-$1.50 off Pampers Diapers or Pants, PG 2/07
-$1.50 off Pampers Easy Ups Trainers, PG 2/07
-$2 off Pampers Swaddlers, Cruisers, or Extra Protection Diapers, PG 2/21 or RP 3/14

"PG" is Proctor and Gamble and "RP" is Red Plum. Those are also inserts from the Sunday paper. Not all 3 inserts will be in the paper every Sunday.

This is a great deal on diapers. Even if you are starting out and do not have these coupons, $5.97 is a good price. If you have the $2 off coupons, then you can get these diapers for $3.97 a pack...and you can get 3 packs at this price!

Here is what I got and why I love ECB's...

1 Colgate toothpaste - $3.99
1 Cruisers - $8.97
1 Pampers - $8.97
1 Easy Up - $8.97
Total - $30.90

Here are the coupons I used...
I used a $5 off $30
$1 off colgate
$2 off Cruisers
$2 off any Pampers
$2 off any Pampers (Easy Ups)
Then I gave them my old ECB's from last week...-$2, -$5, -$8

Total - $3.90...plus tax.

Plus, here are the ECB's I got back to use next week...
$9 ECB's ($3 ECB x 3 packs of diapers)
$3.99 (for the Colgate)
Total ECB's back for me to use next week - $12.99 in ECB's!!!

Isn't that a great deal? That is just one example of the many wonderful deals you can get at drug stores.

One more tip for getting started. The Southern Savers website can be a little intimidating. Do not try to look at 3 grocery stores, 3 drug stores, Target, etc. when just starting. Start slow and get comfortable with one store before moving on to other stores!