“You robbed CVS!” says my husband each week. Let me explain First and foremost, you need to have an Extra Care card. This red cad (pictured on the left) does a lot of work for such a little thing. It’s the key to getting big savings at CVS. Each week we match our coupons with the sales being offered at CVS and we utilize the Extra Care Bucks we had earned on previous transactions. We compare the CVS sales flyer with our coupons and check a local blog to plan our shopping trip before we go. Planning ahead is key to maximizing your dollar when shopping at CVS. If you walk into the store and pay full retail price for anything; then CVS is robbing you! Extra Care Bucks (pictured on the right) print at the end of our
receipt for a specific dollar amount and can be used to decrease the amount you will pay for a future transaction. CVS will allow you to make multiple transactions so you can “roll’ your Extra Care Bucks (ECB) to your next transaction. Say you are going into CVS to purchase 2 items and one of them earns you $4.00 ECB. You can go the register purchase just the item that earns $4.00 ECB first. After completing that transaction, you can tear the $4.00 ECB off your receipt and hand it to the cashier as she rings up your second item. This will take $4.00 off your total for the second item. This requires multiple transactions and entirely too much forethought for my liking. We prefer just to collect all of our ECB and use them the following week. They are good for one month so there is no urgency to use them immediately. Either way it’s a great way to stretch your budget.
Another great thing about CVS is their Extra Care Coupon Center. This is a tall skinny red machine located somewhere within every CVS. Scan you Extra Care card and it will print coupons that you can use only at CVS. Shown here on the right side of the picture to the left. 
They also print additional coupons at the end of some receipts. Pictured on the left side of the picture at the left. Both of these coupons can be used only at CVS and they can be combined with other manufacturer coupons. This process is known as stacking. Matching coupons with coupons and earning Extra Care Bucks is like winning the trifecta! For instance, Irish Spring is currently on sale three for $9.00. I have three coupons for $.50 off one Irish Spring body wash. I also had a receipt coupon from a previous CVS trip for $3.00 for 2 body washes. This week, if you purchase three body washes you earn $3.00 ECB. Ultimately, it works out that I paid $.50 each for three Irish Spring body washes. Even though Boyet does not currently need body wash at fifty cents each its too great a bargain to pass up!
You will find the rest of the bargains that we purchased on todays shopping trip below.
They also print additional coupons at the end of some receipts. Pictured on the left side of the picture at the left. Both of these coupons can be used only at CVS and they can be combined with other manufacturer coupons. This process is known as stacking. Matching coupons with coupons and earning Extra Care Bucks is like winning the trifecta! For instance, Irish Spring is currently on sale three for $9.00. I have three coupons for $.50 off one Irish Spring body wash. I also had a receipt coupon from a previous CVS trip for $3.00 for 2 body washes. This week, if you purchase three body washes you earn $3.00 ECB. Ultimately, it works out that I paid $.50 each for three Irish Spring body washes. Even though Boyet does not currently need body wash at fifty cents each its too great a bargain to pass up!You will find the rest of the bargains that we purchased on todays shopping trip below.
Listerine – $3.99Earn $1.00 Extra Care Bucks each
Used Two - $1.00 off coupon
Venus Razor – $6.99
Earn $4.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used One - $3.00 off coupon
Earn $4.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used One - $3.00 off coupon
Schick Hydro Silk Disposables 4 count – $12.99
Earn $4.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used One - $4.00 off coupon
Axe Products - 2 for $9.00
Spend $15.00 earn $5.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used Four - $1.00 off coupons
Spend $15.00 earn $5.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used Four - $1.00 off coupons
Halls Cough Drops – 2 for $3.00
Buy 2 earn $1.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used One (1) $1.00 off Two (2) coupon
Irish Spring Body Wash – 3 for $9.00Buy 3 earn $3.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used Three - $0.50 off coupons
Also used One – $3.00 off Two coupon printed on previous CVS receipt
Advil PM 32 ct- $7.99 each
Buy 2 earn $5.00 Extra Care Bucks
Used Two – $1.00 off coupons
Physcian’s Formula – $14.99Organic Wear Blush/Bronzer Combo
Spend $14.00 Earn $10.00 Extra Care
Bucks
Used One – $1.00 off coupon
At regular price with no coupons, no sales and no ECB our total would have been $110.35 with taxes!! However, I spent $37.59 including taxes and I have $34.00 in Extra Care Bucks to spend on a future visit at CVS. As you clearly see all of these products are full size name brand products. We are thankful that we have learned how to most effectively utilize a coupon in order to maximize our money. We are also thankful that CVS offers such amazing sales, allows coupons stacking and offers Extra Care Bucks.
