Using Time Wisely

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CVS: 3 Transactions + 6 Products = $1.68

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Photograph Credit: CVS

Last Saturday, I made a shopping trip to my CVS only to discover a company policy change regarding uploading the next week’s sales.

Prior to last week, my CVS activated the new week’s sales at noon on Saturdays. Now the new sales are loaded into the system, but the computer does not activate those sales until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

It was a little setback as I arrived at 3:30 p.m. and had gathered my items in about 10 minutes. Never fear, I used my time wisely to exchange one of our propane tanks at Bi-lo, which is next door. When I returned to CVS, it was after 4:00 p.m.

Do you want to see what I purchased and how I stretched my dollars? I thought you might, so I took a picture. Here are the items I purchased:

To keep my out-of-pocket (OOP) total to a minimum, I purchased these 6 items in 3 transactions.

Transaction #1

1 Zyrtec – 5 count for $5.99

1 Irish Spring Deodorant – $3.99

Scanned my green bag tag to earn a $1 Extra Buck after 4 visits – $0

Subtotal: $9.98

Used $2.50 coupon for Zyrtec

Used $1 coupon for Irish Spring Deodorant (printable)

Used $5 Extra Bucks due to expire from a previous visit

New Subtotal: $1.48

Tax: $0.09

Total: $1.57 – paid using the gift card received from filling a prescription

OOP: $0 and received Extra Bucks: $5.99 (Zyrtec) and $2 (Irish Spring)

Transaction #2

1 Revlon nail polish – $4.99

1 Hershey’s Bliss Chocolates – $5.99

Subtotal: $10.98

Used $1 coupon for Revlon

Used $1 coupon for Hershey’s

Used $5.99 Extra Bucks from Transaction 1

Used $2 Extra Bucks from Transaction 1

New Subtotal: $0.99

Tax: $0.03

Total: $1.02 – paid with gift card received from filling a prescription

OOP: $0 and received Extra Bucks: $3 (Revlon) and $6 (Hershey’s) – on Saturday the Hershey’s Extra Bucks ($5.99) did not print, so the employee manually issued the Extra Bucks for $6.

Transaction #3

2 Jumbo packages of Huggies diapers – $8.99 each

Subtotal: $17.98

Used $3 coupon for Huggies

Used $3 coupon for Huggies

Used $6 Extra Bucks from Transaction2

Used $3 Extra Bucks from Transaction2

New Subtotal: $2.98

Tax: $0.18

Total: $3.16 – paid $1.48 from remaining balance on gift card

OOP: $1.68 (cash) and received Extra Bucks: $2 ($1 for each package of Huggies)

By purchasing items in multiple transactions, I am able to stretch our dollars to keep the out-of-pocket expense low. I willingly spent the $2 on diapers, nail polish, and chocolate. The Zyrtec and deodorant were a bonus money-maker and freebie. I purchased $43.56 worth of product for $1.68 which is a savings of $41.88 or 96%.

These are the results of my shopping trip. What great deals have you seized to stretch your dollars? Remember to start slow. You will get to great savings as you learn from each shopping trip. Keep up the great savings!

CVS: Using Extra Bucks

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Photograph Credit: CVS

Since I have been a stranger to most stores in the last month, I am getting back on track. Having gone grocery shopping this week, my family now has food to eat. Yea!

By spending the time getting my coupons cut and matched up with the store sales, I was able to spend less than $100 to re-stock my kitchen and freezer. Though I still need to complete my menu plan and make an Aldi run, I have used my time wisely to get back on track.

After spending the day at the pool with my kids, I have another shopping list to make. My CVS Extra Bucks expire on Saturday, and I am not about to lose the savings I have worked hard to obtain. The Extra Bucks are store credit to help stretch my dollars. I will definitely be making a stop by CVS today.

The best time to shop at my CVS is after noon on Saturdays. My CVS activates the next week’s sales on Saturday morning which allows me to shop the current week’s sales and next week’s sales in one shopping trip.

Instead of making a trip today for this week’s sales and returning on Monday morning for next week’s sales, I can use my time wisely and shop both sale weeks at my CVS on Saturday afternoon.

I found this neat tip by asking the CVS supervisor when the new sales were activated at my store. By befriending and communicating with the store employees, I have learned a few extra tips and tricks to saving money, energy, and time.

My day is set with a free family activity at Home Depot and a shopping trip to CVS using my Extra Bucks. How are you planning to use your time wisely and stretch your hard-earned dollars?

CVS: Prescription Gift Card Coupons

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Photography Credit: CVS

At my son’s soccer games, my oldest daughter loves to go play with the other kids. She traipses through bushes, climbs over rocks, and slides down the hill. Having a great time comes with consequences. In this case, she acquired a nasty bug bite. Paul and I kept an eye on it. Two days later it was bright red, warm, and had blisters on top. When I took her to the pediatrician, our doctor put her on an antibiotic for the infection.

When I got the prescription, I checked to see if this was one of the free medications offered through Publix. It was not. The next option for savings was looking in my CVS envelope where I carry my coupons. In the envelope, I found a K-mart coupon for a $10 gift card when you fill a new or transferred prescription. This was very exciting. Here is why I get prescriptions filled at CVS:

  1. Our insurance carrier will process prescription claims according to our contract terms when I use a CVS pharmacy.
  2. CVS will honor competitor prescription coupons. Since K-mart is a local competitor, CVS will honor the K-mart coupon.
  3. When I use my Extra Care Card, I will earn an additional $1 Extra Buck for every two prescriptions purchased.
  4. When I use my CVS Green Bag Tag, I will earn $1 Extra Buck for every 4th visit. You can only use your Green Bag Tag once a day.
  5. I love to shop at CVS and will use the $10 gift card.
  6. CVS has a drive-thru. Yeah!

Since I pass about 3-4 CVS Pharmacies on the route to and from school, I dropped off the prescription through the drive-thru before afternoon pickup. On my way home, I drove through the drive-thru and handed the cashier my Extra Care Card, my reusable bag with Green Bag Tag attached, the K-mart coupon, and my flexible spending credit card. During my transaction, I purchased the antibiotic medicine for $9, got my fourth scan of my Green Bag Tag, and obtained a $10 CVS gift card. The results of this transaction were my daughter’s medicine, a $10 CVS gift card, $1 Extra Buck printed on the bottom of my receipt for using a reusable bag, and 1 credit toward earning $1 in Extra Bucks for every 2 prescriptions you have filled.

If I purchase another prescription before the quarter ends, then I will earn $1 in Extra Bucks. Those Extra Bucks will not print at the bottom of my receipt the day I fill the second prescription. I will get that $1 Extra Buck at the end of the quarter. Once every 3 months my Extra Bucks will print at the Coupon Center (big red machine at the front of the CVS store) or at the end of my receipt. Included with my “$1 for every prescription filled” bonus, I also earn 2% on most of the items purchased with my Extra Care Card in those 3 months.

Though I did not plan to visit the doctor’s office, I was prepared and used the resources at hand to stretch my dollars. All in all, I spent $9 pre-taxed and received $1 in Extra Bucks, a $10 CVS gift card, and 1 prescription credit. Not too shabby for an unexpected expense. Please leave a comment sharing ways you save money when filling a prescription.

Using BOGOF Coupons Wisely

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Question: If a $4 item is buy one get one free (BOGOF) at both a drugstore (i.e. CVS) and a grocery store (i.e. Publix) and you have a BOGOF coupon and a $1 off coupon, then where do you use the coupons to get the best deal?

A.      The drugstore

B.      The grocery store

C.      Same deal at both the drugstore and the grocery store

What do you think? Are the deals the same? Because both stores have the same product on sale, does that mean that both deals are equal?

If you went to the drugstore and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $4, and the second rings up $0 (free). You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $4 item and the $1 off coupon on the free item. You can use the second coupon because you purchased two items. Since you can use a manufacturer coupon on each item purchased, you can use both coupons for this transaction. You would need an additional item in this transaction to absorb the $1 overage since stores will not give you money back. The result of shopping at the drugstore would be gaining $1 in overage: $4 item – $4 BOGOF coupon + $0 item – $1 coupon.

If you went to the grocery store and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $2, and the second rings up $2. You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $2 item and the $1 off coupon on the other $2 item. Since most grocery stores’ BOGOF deals do not require you to purchase both items, the stores charge half of the price for the first item and half of the price for the second item. The $4 items that are BOGOF rings up $2 for the first item and $2 for the second item. You can then use a manufacturer coupon for each item purchased. The result of shopping at the grocery store would be spending $1: $2 item -$2 BOGOF coupon + $2 item – $1 coupon.

As you can see from this sample scenario, the answer to the question is definitely A. The drugstore since the result is gaining $1 in overage. Though the deals look the same, the answer lies in how the store handles the sales. Knowing the stores’ coupon and sales policies will help you use your coupons wisely, maximize your savings, and stretch your dollars.

Using your CVS Extra Care Card

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Last week I shared my 94% savings at CVS, including the spend $20 on Excedrin products and receive $10 in Extra Bucks. If you are asking what are Extra Bucks, then let me explain. Extra Bucks (EB) are store credit coupon(s). If you look through a CVS sales ad, you will find deals for Extra Bucks (i.e. spend $20 on Excedrin products and receive $10 in Extra Bucks). I’m going to use the Excedrin deal for an example, but this deal is not currently available. So, please do not try to work this deal at CVS today because it will not work. The point here is to see how the sales and promotions work at CVS. Let’s begin:

1.       Go to CVS with your Extra Care Card. Don’t have a CVS Extra Care Card? No worries. Just ask the cashier when you arrive. You will fill out a short form and be given your card to use immediately. (NOTE: I give a junk e-mail account that I check often. CVS will e-mail you often with internet savings, store sales, and money saving coupons that you can only get via e-mail. I usually only want the coupons. I use the junk e-mail, so my regular account is not bogged down with sales notices.)

WHY DO YOU WANT AN EXTRA CARE CARD? Your card will give you the sales prices and generate your Extra Bucks. Each EB deal has a limit. Your card will keep track of your purchases. So, if the store you are in only has 2 more Excedrin products, then you could purchase them here. Then go to the next CVS store and purchase the remaining 1-3 products needed to get your total to $20. Once your total amount spent on Excedrin products reaches $20, then your $10 EB coupon will print. You do not need to purchase all the required items in one transaction. Knowing this information is a great tip to saving money!

2.       Scan your CVS Extra Care card at the Coupon Center. The Coupon Center is red machine usually located at the front of the store. The machine is also a price checker. I have found the machine at the front register, at the front of one of the aisles, and in the middle of the floor between the front registers and the aisles. If you scan the area and do not know what you are looking for, then just ask one of the cashiers.

SIDE NOTE: Get to know your cashiers. They are great! Most of them want to help you save money and get great deals. They want you to come back. At my local CVS, I know the employees by name, and I do not hesitate to ask for help when needed.

3.       Look at the coupons that printed on the side of the Coupon Center. Some people have found that they can scan their card twice with additional coupons printing. I have tried, but I always get “You have printed your coupons for today. Please come back tomorrow.” I still try to scan it a second time. Who knows . . . maybe you will get a special card.

4.       See if you can use any of the coupons with your current Excedrin deal. These coupons that print are store coupons. You can use a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on each item purchased. Let’s say, that one of the coupons that printed was $3 off when you purchase $10 of pain relief medication. Then you could use this store coupon with your Excedrin deal. However, if the coupons that print do not work with the planned deal (i.e. Excedrin), then I just place the printed coupons in the back of my CVS labeled envelop.

5.       Go to the pain reliever aisle, and find the Excedrin. Make sure the total amount will be at least $20. Then proceed to the checkout counter.

6.       Hand the cashier your Extra Care card. She/He will scan it. This action will cause your EB to print at the end of your transaction. The cashier will then ring up your Excedrin products. If you have manufacturer coupons, then hand those to the cashier. She/He will scan them to deduct those amounts. You will then pay the remainder of the balance.

7.       The cashier will then hand you a receipt. At the end of your receipt, you will find a coupon for $10 Extra Bucks. You can then spend that coupon on just about anything in the store. You cannot use EB on prescriptions, alcohol, gift cards, lottery, money-orders, postage stamps, and tobacco products.

8.       You will now have $10 in store credit to either save for next week or apply to transaction #2.

If this system seems confusing, then just take it slow. The drugstore game is complicated. Each store plays by different rules. Once you get to know the rules, the game becomes strategic. I will share my strategies with you and hope you can also pay little to nothing for items you need.