Tomorrow the “big” CVS sale starts. I’m posting my scenarios early in case your stores start the deals early.
You can view the breakdown of the ad here.
Even if your stores start the deals on Saturdays usually, most of these items are part of the 2 day sale, so it may not work. Scan sale items first to see if they are ringing up at the sale prices.
If you are new to CVS, don’t have any coupons, or have very few ECBs to start with, here’s the easiest way to start: (you don’t have to do all of these scenarios, but it also gives you an idea about things that you can substitute if your store is out of something)
Transaction #1:
*Buy 1 Excedrin Express Gel – $3.99
Use a $2/1 printable which can be found on Excedrin.com
Total OOP = $1.99, earn $3.99 ECBs (plus there is a mail in rebate for the Excedrin, so it will be free after rebate)
Transaction #2:
*Buy 2 Arm & Hammer Essentials starter kit $2.99
Use 2 $1/1 printables from Armandhammer.com
Use your $3.99 ECB (they will have to adjust it down to $3.98), earn $5.98 in ECBs
Transaction #3:
*Buy 1 Arm & Hammer Essentials starter kit – $2.99
*Buy 1 Zantac 150 8ct $4.99
Use $1/1 printable from Armandhammer.com and $1 Zantac printable found here
Use your $5.98 ECB and earn $7.98
There is a MIR for the Zantac – you should get $4.99 back
Transaction #4:
Buy Right Guard Professional solid – $6
print .50 off coupons here (use code RIGHTGUARD)
Buy Thermacare heat wrap – $2.49
Use $7.98 ECB, pay .01, earn $8.49 ECBs
Transaction #5:
Buy Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine nail Color $5.99
Buy Thermacare heat wrap – $2.49
Use $8.49 ECB (they will have to adjust it down to $8.48) and earn $8.48 ECB
Transaction #6:
Buy Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine nail Color $5.99
Buy Thermacare heat wrap – $2.49
Use $8.48 ECB, earn $8.48
Transaction #7:
Buy 1 Zipfizz energy 3ct $5.99
Buy 1 Halls Naturals 25ct $2.59
Use $8.48 ECB, spend .10, get $8.58 back
Transaction #8:
Buy Right Guard Professional solid – $6
print .50 off coupons here (use code RIGHTGUARD)
Buy 1 Listerine antiseptic 16.9oz $2.99
Use $8.58 ECB (they will have to adjust it down to $8.49), earn $8.49 ECBs
So, for an investment of $2.10, you get all of this and you will earn $6.98 in rebates and still have $8.49 in ECBs.
Here are my scenarios (I’m starting with more ECB and have some coupons):
CARD #1 (I have $55.72 in ECBs to use)
Transaction #1:
Buy 1 Listerine antiseptic 16.9oz $2.99 get $2.99 (limit 5)
Buy 2 Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine nail Color $5.99 get $5.99 (limit 2)
Buy 3 Arm & Hammer Essentials starter kit $2.99 get $2.99 (limit 5)
Buy 2 L’Oreal HIP Metalic eye shadow duos $6.99 get $6.99 (limit 2)
Buy 3 ThermaCare neck to arm heatwrap 1ct $2.49 get $2.49 (limit 3)
Buy 2 Right Guard Professional solid 1.8oz or aerosol 6oz $6.00 get $6.00 (limit 5)
Buy 1 Zipfizz energy 3ct $5.99 get $5.99 (limit 1)
Buy 1 Excedrin Express Gels 20ct $3.99 get $3.99 (limit 1)
Buy 1 Halls Naturals 25ct $2.59 get $2.59 (limit 1)
Buy 1 Zantac 150 8ct $4.99 get $4.99 (limit 1)
Total before coupons = $74.95
Use $1 Listerine CVS coupon from pharmacy book, use .50 Sally Hansen coupon from 9/28 SS, use 3 $1 Arm & Hammer printables, use 2 $1 L’Oreal coupons, use 3 $1 Thermacare coupons, use 2 .50 Right Guard printables, use $2 Excedrin blinkie, use $1 CVS Excedrin CRT, use $1 Zantac printable, use $4/20 CVS coupon (from an e-mail)
After coupons = $56.45 (spend .73 OOP), earn $74.95 in ECBs (19.23 more than I started with)
Transaction #2:
Buy 1 Benefiber drink mix 16ct $7.29 get $7.29 (limit 1)
Buy 2 Crest Pro Health toothpaste 4.2oz or rinse 8.45oz $2.99 get $2 ECB (limit 2)
Buy 1 Listerine antiseptic 16.9oz $2.99 get $2.99 (limit 5)
Buy 8 ct Gillette Fusion catridges – $25.99 each (spend $15 on Gillette, get $5 ECB)
Buy Gillette 2 in 1 body wash – $4.99
Total before coupons: $47.24
Use: $2 Benefiber coupons, 2 $1 Crest coupons, $1 CVS Listerine coupon (from Pharmacy book), Free Gillette body wash when you buy Fusion cartridges coupon
Total after coupons = $37.25
Earn: $19.28 in ECBs (I end up with $56.98 in ECBs which is $1.26 more than I started with)
CARD #2 (I have $53.78 in ECBs to spend)
Transaction #1:
Buy 1 Listerine antiseptic 16.9oz $2.99 get $2.99 (limit 5)
Buy 2 Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine nail Color $5.99 get $5.99 (limit 2)
Buy 2 Arm & Hammer Essentials starter kit $2.99 get $2.99 (limit 5)
Buy 2 L’Oreal HIP Metalic eye shadow duos $6.99 get $6.99 (limit 2)
Buy 3 ThermaCare neck to arm heatwrap 1ct $2.49 get $2.49 (limit 3)
Buy 2 Right Guard Professional solid 1.8oz or aerosol 6oz $6.00 get $6.00 (limit 5)
Buy 1 Zipfizz energy 3ct $5.99 get $5.99 (limit 1)
Buy 1 Excedrin Express Gels 20ct $3.99 get $3.99 (limit 1)
Buy 1 Zantac 150 8ct $4.99 get $4.99 (limit 1)
Total before coupons: $69.37
Use: $1 CVS Listerine coupon (from pharmacy book). 2 $1 Arm & Hammer coupons, 3 $1 Thermacare coupons, 2 Right Guard coupons, 1 Excedrin $2 blinkie, 1 Excedrin $1 CRT, $1 Zantac printable, $4/20 CVS e-mail coupon
Total after coupons: $54.37 (use $53.78 in ECBs, spend .59)
Earn: $69.37 (profit of $15.59 in ECBs)
Transaction #2:
Buy 1 Halls Naturals 25ct $2.59 get $2.59 (limit 1)
Buy 1 Arm & Hammer Essentials starter kit $2.99 get $2.99 (limit 5)
Buy 1 Listerine antiseptic 16.9oz $2.99 get $2.99 (limit 5)
Buy 1 Benefiber drink mix 16ct $7.29 get $7.29 (limit 1)
Buy 2 Crest Pro Health toothpaste 4.2oz or rinse 8.45oz $2.99 get $2 ECB (limit 2)
Total before coupons: $21.84
Use $1 Arm & Hammer printable, $1 Listerine CVS Pharmacy coupon, $2 Benefiber coupon, 2 $1 Crest coupons
Total after coupons: $15.84, earn $19.86 in ECBs
Transaction #3:
Buy 8 ct Gillette Fusion catridges – $25.99 each (spend $15 on Gillette, get $5 ECB)
Buy Gillette 2 in 1 body wash – $4.99
Total before coupons: $30.98
Total after coupons: $25.99
Pay w/ ECBS: Earn $5 ECB (ECBs remaining: $47.40, which is $6.38 less than I started with)
**There is a MIR (up to $5) for the Zantac, so I will get $4.99 back in cash for purchasing that.
ETA: I went to 4 stores in 2 1/2 hours last night and wanted to update with a few notes from my experience:
On the L’Oreal HIP make-up, it is ONLY the Metallic kind that is printing. They had about 4 colors that were in the Metallic and they were at the very top of the display in all of the stores I went to.
The Thermacare is considered “trial size” so you can’t use the $1 off coupons (I was bummed about that because I had a bunch).
There are only certain flavors of the Listerine that are giving ECBs (I bought the Cool Mint and it worked). You can only use one of the $1 off pharmacy coupons per transaction and the $1 off comes off only once.
My Sally Hansen ECBs didn’t print, but apparently that’s because the 24 hour stores still have the Saturday sale prices in effect until 6 am and it was ringing up B1G1/2off. It should be fixed this AM.
At every store I went to, the Arm & Hammer is on a cardboard display that only holds about 15-20. They were wiped out at every store, which is not surprising considering the limit is 5, and there are IPs to make it a moneymaker.
The Excedrin ECBs print for the Excedrin Express Gels or the Excedrin Tension Headache (Purple box) Express Gels.
If you buy the Right Guard aerosol, there is a $2 coupon inside the box. I tore it off and used it toward my next purchase 🙂
