After last week, I came to the conclusion that I do not need to spend any more money at CVS. No matter how good the deal is. I have enough. I will simply roll my ECBs (use them on products that will give me the same or more ECBs) so that they do not expire.
I want to tell you exactly how I was going to make $3 at CVS this past Monday. And come home with razors, shampoo, conditioner, batteries, more batteries, and some sort of stomach remedy (x4). But, 1) I doubt you would be as interested in reading it as I am interested in publicly lamenting the loss of such a prolific shopping experience and 2) I can’t seem to escape the clutches of my teething baby boy long enough to type all that up.
So, what happened, you ask? The razors were gone. And there were only three stomach remedy items on the shelf. I had to rework the coupons and deals in my head with the use of my cell phone calculator. And I didn’t do very well. What I thought would be making me $4 in overage ended up costing me $4. So I didn’t have a Free Week. And I didn’t have a Money Making Week. And when you take a full half hour of a cashier’s time (the ECBs weren’t printing, I kept choosing the wrong batteries, the deals were entered in the computer wrong, just about everthing went wrong), you can’t rightfully ask her to void the transaction so you can rework your coupons to try to get a better deal.
So here was my not-so-free trip to CVS:
Two Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioners 25.4oz @ 7.29 ea = 14.58
Three Gas-X softgels 10ct @ 2.89 ea = 8.67
4pk AA Energizer batteries @ 4.99
4pk AAA Energizer batteries @ 5.69
Crest ProHealth Night rinse @ 6.29
Total: 41.22
Coupons: $1.50 for the rinse, $1 Energizer (x2) found here, $1 Garnier (x2), $4/20, $4/20, $2/10 = $15.50
New Total: 25.72
ECBs earned: $8 from Garnier ($4 ea), $9 from Gas-X ($3 ea), $5 from Energizer = $22
New Total: $3.72 (plus tax)
I was sad.
Especially when, driving home, I realized as a bowling ball instantaneously appeared in the pit of my stomach that I could have used a $5/30. I could have made money.
CVS stores are restocked on Wednesdays. So, armed with a $2/10 AND a $2/10 men’s skin care coupon, I searched out a CVS that had two of the razors on sale and I earned back $2 of my misspent $4. Here’s how:
Two pkgs Bic Comfort3 Advance razors 4pk @ 4.77 ea = 9.54 (plus tax = >$10, however, the cashier at this store insisted my pretax total was over $10, so I bought a candy bar to pacify her)
Coupons: $2/10 and $2/10 men’s skin care
New total: $6
ECBs earned: $8
New total for the week’s CVS adventure: $1.72 (plus tax). Total worth of products: $50.76.
Sigh. I suppose I can live with that.
Here’s the loot:
Um, yes. About the candy bar wrapper. My self control needs some work.
between the gas-x and the Beano we shouldn’t have any flatulating around here for awhile…
I just have one question, do you really need all this stuff you get at CVS and Walgreens? I just can’t fathom needing all that Beano, Gas-x and dish soap. Between your house and Jes’, you guys must have the cleanest dishes and hair and most deodorized pits I’ve come across. I just wonder if it wouldn’t be cheaper in the long run to just get the shampoo and razors when you need them. I don’t know what the gas prices are where you live but here in Maine at 2.87 a gallon, I can’t see this as saving me money. Please don’t take this wrong, I really am curious.
I’m actually curious about your response to Beckie’s question, too. I’ve been finding that while I might be able to get a lot of STUFF for not much money, I don’t NEED any of it. You can only stock up on so much.
Beckie (and Ashley) – Gas money is not an issue as CVS and Walgreen’s are both a minute away from where we live, and they are also on the way to Kroger’s and Aldi’s.
However, I am still quasi-new at this (I started just a month before Benjamin was born), and I’m still discovering which sales are worth it and which will come around again (shampoo, toothepaste, bodywash seem to cycle a lot faster than razors!). I am very much the type that wants to GRAB IT WHILE I CAN. I am terrified of missing anything close to resembling an opportunity.
So I’m learning. Right now I think I AM in need of a CVS break. The hard part is that my ECBs will expire if I don’t use them and I only want to use them on things that will give me more ECBs (thus costing me nothing), so it’s a hard cycle to break.
So as far as cost is concerned, I’m really not spending anything in gas, and only a few dollars on these things. And I do end up giving it away when I can (Josh’s sister is a college student (read: broke) and I loaded her up when she was here a couple weeks ago).
But yeah… I’m learning. 🙂
Thanks for not taking my question wrong. Here in Maine the closest CVS is 20 min away and I don’t know if we even have Walgreens, maybe in Portland which is 45-55 min away. I guess if you really get most of the stuff free and you have places for it to go to, then it is worth it. If I lived that close I might just try out this whole CVS thing.
I would like to know how to accumulate ecb’s. will they print out or are they on your red card balance? sorry for the zillion questions i’m new to this and want to save $$
also do you know how LOW the christmas decorations will go after the season?