The Art of CVSing: Making it Work for You

Have you noticed I'm a big CVSer? I thought I was the biggest CVSer until someone emailed me a few weeks back and said she had 8 CVS's in her town and she shops at them all! Well, I'm glad I only have one CVS or I'd be crazy trying to get to them all.

In the land of no Kroger, no Walgreens, very little competition between grocery stores and where prices are higher than other parts of the country, we're forced to be very creative! That's what I call "making CVS work for you". Take this week for example. There are not that many FREE deals at CVS. Does that mean I took a week off from CVSing? Of course not! I made my own deal!

Here's what I got this week for......$1.36!

This isn't much compared to other weeks but my goal was to get the Cheerios, and that I did. This is what just one of my transactions this week looked like:

3 Cheerios 3/$10, Get $5 ECB (-1 $1/1 coupon and 2 $ .55/1 coupons)

3 Renuzit Triscents, Raincheck from last week: $5.49 each, Get $2 ECB for each (-3 $4 coupons)

Vitamin D $2.99, Get $2.99 ECB (no coupons) March Deal

Total Before Coupons: $29.46

Total After Coupons: $15.36, paid with Extra Bucks plus some change

Total ECBs Earned:$13.99, net difference = $1.36

Strategy and planning played a small part in this transaction. I had to add in the Vitamin D because I only had two ECBs to use and didn't want to lose them, so I rolled them using the FREE after ECB vitamin D.

The raincheck Renuzit Triscents were a money-maker and although I didn't need to buy them, they helped me get the cereals for much cheaper than I would have.

Here are the 3 most important rules of a CVSer:

#1 Buy things you don't really need to get the things you do...that's how I got 36 bottles of Tide last year! The Renuzits above and Children's Throat Coolers are good examples of this because they earn you ECBs.

#2 Get a Raincheck...I'll often get a raincheck for things that are FREE after ECBs and later find a coupon that can be used with it to turn it into a money-maker. CVS rainchecks never expire. $$ off CVS coupons also can turn these into money-makers.

#3 Match-up Coupons...Often a great price is made with the match-up of coupons. Match sale prices with manufacturer's coupons AND CVS coupons or CRTs (cash register tape coupons that print out on your receipt). Know your store's policy. Do they take expired coupons? Do they take expired ECBs?