CVS

ok, I said I'd talk about CVS, so .......
First, I don't have a CVS. Stinkin' meanies won't give us one. I do go to another town regularly that does have them. The deals have not been as good recently as usual, but I am hoping it's just a temporary thing.

ANYWAY....CVS has a program called Extra Care. How it works is this: Go to CVS and sign up for an Extra Care card. It is free. Then, you buy particular items that are in the ad, usually on sale, and they generate what is called Extra Care Bucks. These are coupons that come out on your receipt that can be used as cash at another time/on another transaction. The cashier will have to scan your card before ringing you up. The ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) are linked to YOUR card. You will have to present your card to use them. You can use as many ECB's on another transaction as you would like. What you want to do is "roll" your ECBs, meaning use them on something else that generates ECBs. Usually ECB's are good for 2 weeks.

Now, AS AN EXAMPLE (I really don't have any idea what's on sale so far this week)...let's say a 2 pack of Dove soap is on sale for $2, and you get back $1 in an ECB. Covergirl make up is on sale for $3 with a $2 ecb, and sunscreen is $7.99 with a $3 ecb. You purchase all 3. You can use coupons, so let's say you have $1 on Dove, $1 on Covergirl, and $1 on the sunscreen. Your out of pocket for your first transaction would be $9.99, and you will get $6 back in ECBs, meaning you basically spent $3.99 for these items. Now, sometimes they have items that are free after ecb's. So, let's say Colgate is on sale for $2 and you get $2 ecbs back. You have a $1 coupon on Colgate. (you will make $1!!) You also want more Dove soap. You buy them both. You have another $1 off Dove as well...Well, the total at checkout will be $2 (because of your coupons). You pay the $2 with a $2 ecb, and get back $3 in ecbs. This is rolling.

ECB's will come seperated. If Dove is giving $1, CG $2, and sunscreen $3, they will come out as $1, $2, and $3. If you bought 2 Doves then it would come out as $2 instead of 1. Make sure you look at what the limits are. Some might say Dove, limit 1. You can buy as many as you want, but only 1 will generate ecb's. This is linked to your card as well. A lot of things are limit of 5. You also cannot use a $2 ecb on something that is $1. No change is given back. So, if something generates a high dollar ecb, you may want to do seperate transactions so you don't get a large amount ecb to have to spend all at one time.

I hope that came out clear. I am always open to questions. You can comment here or email me at dimestretchermom@gmail.com.