Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is another installment of Register Review, but from a drugstore perspective.

With most of our household items fully stocked, the only way drugstores can lure me into their doors is by offering a great deal on diapers or holiday items, or if my rewards are about to expire.

This week, CVS won me over. I shopped early in the week to snag these 12 items for $0.75 in 2 transactions. Yep, less than a dollar for 12 items. Want to see how?

When I entered the store, I scanned my CVS Extra Care Card at the red coupon machine. The machine ejected coupons. My children scanned the card again which resulted in more coupons. On the third scan, a message indicated that more coupons would be available tomorrow.

The coupons that print from the red coupon machine are CVS store coupons, which you can combined with manufacturer coupons. I received a CVS coupon for $1 off 2 seasonal M&Ms packages, and another coupon for $.25 off any 2 Mars Easter eggs. Knowing I was purchasing these two items, I added them to my CVS envelope to use at checkout.

Transaction #1

Allowed cashier to scan my Extra Care Card and my Green Bag Tag (which earns $1 in Extra Bucks for every 4^th scan – only one scan allowed per day)

Purchased 2 single Snicker Easter Eggs – earn $1 in Extra Bucks (store credit) when you buy 2 Mars Easter Eggs or Bunny Singles for $0.50 each (limit of 2 deals).

Subtotal: $1

Used CVS $0.25 off coupon

Total: $0.75 + $0 tax

Paid the $0.75 and received $1 in Extra Bucks (a coupon that prints at the bottom of my receipt)

*ahem* 2 of the Snicker eggs did not make the photograph 😉

Transaction #2

Allowed cashier to scan my Extra Care Card before ringing merchandise

Purchased 2 single Snicker Easter Eggs – earn $1 in Extra Bucks when you buy 2 Mars Easter Eggs or Bunny Singles for $0.50 each (second deal – limit reached)

1 bag of Gold Emblem Jelly Beans – earn $.99 in Extra Bucks when you buy these jelly beans for $.99 (limit 1)

1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush – earn $2 in Extra Bucks when one purchases this toothbrush for $2.99 (limit 2)

6 bags of M&Ms – $3, but buy one get one free (limit of 6). My store was already out of the seasonal peanut and almond varieties, so they substituted the non-seasonal version for my sale.

Subtotal: $13.98

Used the following coupons:

CVS $1 off coupon for 2 bags of seasonal M&M’s

4 – Manufacturer’s coupons for $1 off any 2 Mars Easter Items

1 – Manufacturer’s coupon for $1 off Colgate 360 toothbrush

Used the following Extra Bucks

$5.99 from a previous week

$1 from an earlier week’s green bag tag usage

$1 from Transaction #1 – rounded down to $.99

Total: $0 with $0 tax, and received Extra Bucks for $1 (Snickers eggs), $2 (toothbrush), and $0.99 (jelly beans).

For a total of $0.75, I purchased $33.31 of merchandise which is a 97.7% savings, and I have $3.99 in Extra Bucks to spend at CVS by April 24, 2012.

Taking the time to learn the drugstore game was time well spent. By matching sales, store coupons, and manufacturer coupons, the savings multiply. Long before I began seeing the deep discounts at the grocery store, I practiced and refined the drugstore game. I concentrated on CVS for a few months.

When I understood and had successful trips, I branched out to learn Walgreens. After nailing down the Walgreens system which is different from CVS, I learned Rite Aid which is unique from CVS and Walgreens.

Each store is different and learning the tips and tricks takes time, but for my family, it is using time wisely. Hope you have enjoyed these register reward breakdowns.

The sales in this post were for this week. However, the M&M and Snicker eggs were part of a 3-day sale that ended on Tuesday. The toothbrush deal will continue through today. If your store is out, request a rain check. Happy savings!

Question: Do you shop at CVS? Why or why not?

Photograph Credit: CVS

During August, select CVS locations will offer a free health screening for immunization awareness month. In helping to raise awareness, you will receive a $5 CVS coupon after completing your free health screening.

To get the free screening and coupon, you must present your Extra Care card at your visit. The coupon is limited to 1 per customer and cannot be used with other CVS coupons. You can use your $5 CVS coupon with manufacturer coupons to lower your out-of-pocket expenses.

Participating CVS locations

Photograph Credit: CVS

Health Screening Details

Photograph Credit: CVS

If you have further questions, call 1-855-287-7867 for more about the free health screening events.

In stretching your dollars, consider stopping by a participating CVS location for a free health screening and snag a free $5 coupon while using time wisely. This event runs through August and expires on September 1, 2012. Happy savings!

Question: Would you use this service or schedule an appointment with your own doctor?

Photograph Credit: CVS

Wow! CVS is granting double quarterly extra bucks from September 16 – December 15, 2012.

When shopping with your Extra Care card at CVS, you can earn extra bucks in the following 2 ways:

1. Immediately – printing on the bottom of your receipt, and

2. At the end of the quarter – earning 2% on everyday purchases and $1 for every 2 prescriptions filled.

Increase in Quarterly Extra Bucks

Beginning tomorrow, Sunday, September 16, you can earn double quarterly extra bucks. Instead of the 2% on everyday purchases, you can earn 4%.

Earning Double Quarterly Extra Bucks

To get the double quarterly extra bucks, you need to do the following:

1. Get a CVS Extra Care Card

2. Sign up for double quarterly extra bucks

• In store – scan your Extra Care card at the coupon center (red machine also used for price checking) and receive a coupon to double quarterly extra bucks. When you checkout, allow the cashier to scan your Extra Care card and the double quarterly extra bucks coupon. In December your quarterly Extra Bucks will print at the coupon machine, at the bottom of your receipt, or at your home via your on-line account.

OR

• On-line – register your Extra Care card on-line

3. Make purchases in store and on-line using your Extra Care card

4. Watch for your quarterly rewards to print in December.

In stretching your dollars, allow CVS to give you extra savings through their double quarterly Extra Bucks promotion. With a few moments of your time, you can earn extra credit for items you already purchase. In using time wisely, sign up and start the double earnings tomorrow. Happy savings!

Question: How often do you make purchases at CVS?

Ignoring most of the FREE and inexpensive deals at the drugstores for most of 2013, I was lured into CVS this week by the FREE chocolate.

Limiting my CVS trips to great sales on diapers, pull-ups, and Mountain Dew last year, I was glad to snag a freebie. You, too, can pickup FREE M&Ms through January 11, 2014, by combining a sale with a store coupon.

Miss 3 and I planned to stop by CVS on Wednesday morning, but one of our other errands took a bit longer than expected. So, we bumped that errand to Thursday morning where we stopped at a local CVS location.

Finding the Coupon Machine

With my keychain, housing my CVS loyalty card, in hand, Miss 3 went to the red coupon machine and scanned our card. She then waited beside the output slot for the coupons to emerge. After getting the coupons, she scanned the card again, but no more coupons printed.

Photograph Credit: CVS (from e-mail message)

Gathering the Product

Looking over the coupons, we received the $.75 off Mars Chocolate Singles.

Though we could have chosen a Snickers, Twix, 3 Muskateers, or Milky Way bar, Miss 3 chose her favorite plain Nim&Nims (M&Ms).

The Nim&Nims is a cute “–ism” that we enjoy and are not yet ready to correct. 😉

Using the Coupon

Teaching Miss 3 how to use her coupon, I helped her organize her items. She proceeded to checkout with the loyalty card, her coupon, and Nim&Nims. As we shop during non-peak hours, we had the place to ourselves, so we could take our time.

The cashier enjoyed her 3-year-old customer, who proudly presented the items in the correct order

1. Loyalty card
2. M&Ms (on sale for $.75)
3. Coupon (store coupon for $.75 off)

Smiling, the cashier took her items, gave her the receipt, and thanked her for shopping at CVS. As Miss 3 was admiring her package of M&Ms, I retrieved my keys before leaving CVS.

I enjoyed this shopping trip as Miss 3 is gaining confidence in using coupons. She completed the transaction without needing money while getting a reward for her efforts.

If you are new to couponing, are teaching someone how to use coupons, or just need a chocolate pick-me-up, then swing by your local CVS to see if the coupon prints for you. Our coupon had an expiration date of January 17. However, the Mars singles are on sale through Saturday, January 11, 2014 at the $.75 price which makes the item FREE.

TIP: As CVS limits the number of prints for store coupons, you may or may not get the $.75 coupon from the coupon machine. When the print limit is reached, that coupon will no longer print. I share this because sometimes the limit is reached before the sale is over.

In using time wisely, this deal may not fit into your schedule. If that is the case, then let it go. There will be other deals. Believe me, I passed on so many great deals last year, and we still saved more than we spent in 2013. I’ll be sharing those results in tomorrow’s post.

Getting back into coupons, I was glad to have a very easy transaction that resulted in Miss 3’s confidence, a few minutes of time, no out-of-pocket cost, and a reward to share. In stretching our dollars, I couldn’t pass up FREE chocolate and a teachable couponing session. Happy savings!

Question: If you went, did you get the FREE Mars Chocolate coupon?