If you know me very well, you know that I’ve become very fond of CVS. If you’re not familiar with their Extra Care Bucks program, you earn Extra Care Bucks (ECB for short) which basically acts like cash to be used on your next purchase when you purchase specific items. You need and Extra Care card (it fits on your key ring just like the grocery store frequent shopper cards). You can request one online at CVS.com or you can sign up in the store.
The Extra Care Bucks print off on the bottom of your receipt (along with coupons that can be used in the store). For a long time, we didn’t realize what they were and would just throw our receipts away! I haven’t spent any “real” money at CVS in a long time because I’ve been using my ECBs (about $100 worth) over and over again since December.
There are weekly deals (listed in the weekly ad) as well as monthly deals. Here are some “deals” that you can take advantage of during this upcoming week:
*Crest toothpaste (a variety of flavors) or Oral B toothbrushes – they will be $2.49 and you will get an ECB for $1.50. There will be $1 off coupons for the toothbrushes in Sunday’s paper and $.50-.75 off coupons for the toothpaste in Sunday’s paper. You can do this up to 5 times.
*Colgate toothpaste (MaxFresh, which we have grown to love, or Total Advanced) – it will be on sale for $2.99 and you earn a $2 ECB for each one you purchase. You can do this deal twice. There were $1 off coupons for the Total Advanced in last week’s paper and there are printable coupons here for $1.50 off:
http://www.colgate.com/app/ColgateTotal/US/EN/SpecialOffers.cvsp
*Children’s Advil – this is a monthly deal. It is on sale for $5.79 and you earn a $5.79 ECB (so it’s “free” after the ECB). You can do this deal twice. There is a printable coupon for $1/1 here:
http://www.wyeth.com/specialoffers?rid=/wyeth_html/home/user_group_landing/for_pc/coupons.html
*Venus Embrace, Vibrance, Breeze or Fusion razor – it will be on sale for 9.99 and you will earn 3.00 ECB. There will be a $2 off coupon for the Embrace/Vibrance/Breeze and a $4 off coupon for the Fusion in Sunday’s paper.
(This isn’t the greatest deal, but if you need a razor and you’re getting started, it’s not a bad deal. The Fusion is obviously a better deal than the Embrace/Vibrance/Breeze…the Fusion is Jason’s favorite razor)
An added tip – usually when these razors are on sale, there are gift packs with a travel size shave gel and moisturizer that also ring up at the sale price. Scan them at the scanner first, but if they ring up at $9.99, they are part of the deal and you will get the ECBs. I always get these when I do these deals so I get free shave gel, too!
*Pantene – it will be on sale 3/$10 and you earn a $2 ECB when you buy 3. There will be coupons for $1/2 in Sunday’s paper. Again, not the greatest deal, but if you need shampoo and like Pantene, it would be like getting it 3/$7.
*CoverGirl make up will buy one, get one free for foundation, powder, blush, and concealer. There will be a coupon for a free face product when you buy foundation in Sunday’s paper, so if you get a foundation and a face product (powder, blush, foundation, concealer, etc.) and use this coupon, everything will be FREE!
If you’re going to do this deal, make sure you buy two products that are comparable in price. The cheapest one always comes off as a part of the store’s “BOGO” deal and then when they deduct the “free” for the coupon, they will always take of the less expensive one, too, so you end up paying the difference.
If you are not wanting to spend very much out of pocket to start earning ExtraCare Bucks, you can transfer a prescription and get a free gift card. They have a coupon in this week’s ad for a $30 gift card when you do this. They will also honor competitor’s coupons (Kroger/Walgreens/Target).
