CVS Trip : $200.90 for $22.70 OOP

Yes, I am officially addicted.

I've been a few times since I did my first post on CVS and although I got some great deals, I always came home realizing I could have saved even more or I should have planned my shopping better.

Today, I am proud of being cheap. Yes, I got $200.90 worth of stuff for $22.70 out of pocket and I even came home with $18.98 in extra care bucks. The best part? I figured it out on my own.

The last few weeks I have been reading awesome sites like money saving mom, Ashley Smith's, etc. and although they are SUPER helpful, it seems like every time I go to CVS with a game plan, they are always out of something I need to make all my coupons work and I end up messing up. So today I went with no plan and just decided to see what happened.

I am going to make this post super detailed for those of you, like me, that are just starting out doing the whole "CVS THANG."

Here's what I took to CVS (which, by the way, I went to Rivergate, as the last few times I have been to the one in H'ville, they have been wiped out):

*all my coupons
*my June extra care booklet
*my June 29th flier that came in today's paper
*I had a gift card from having a prescription filled that had $8.64 left on it (when you get you an extra care card, you will get a coupon that tells you if you transfer a new prescription there you will get a $25 coupon. FREE MONEY!)
*I had a $5 off a $25 purchase which had printed off at the register the last time I had shopped
*I had a $5 off a $30 purchase which they sent to me via email
*I had $5 in extra care bucks
*I also had my husband and all my kids so I immediately felt like I was totally going to mess up b/c of being rushed, ready to kill the kids, etc. but it really wasn't bad

I started off walking through the store looking for anything that ended up being free once you got the extra care bucks back. I then went for anything that ended up being dirt cheap once I got extra care bucks back and used coupons. Here's what my first two transactions looked like there:

1 Accu-Check Compact Plus Diabetes Monitoring Kit $9.99 earned $9.99 ECB back
1 Listerine Smart Rinse $3.49 earned $3.49 ECB back
1 CVS plastic band aid $1.99 earned $1.99 ECB back
1 CVS plastic band aid $1.99 earned $1.99 ECB back
1 Physicians Formula mascara $7.99 earned $7.99 ECB back
SUBTOTAL $25.45
USED $5 off $25 coupon
USED $5 Extra Care Bucks I already had from previous purchase
USED $8.64 gift card I already had from previous purchase
PAID $8.22 OUT OF POCKET
RECEIVED $25.45 in Extra Care Bucks Back AND a $5 off a $25 purchase
Receipt said I saved $78.10 - diabetes kit retails for $74.95!!!

1 Crest Tarter Control Toothpaste $1.99 earned $1.00 ECB back
1 ORAL B double toothbrush pack $6.99 earned $6.99 ECB back
1 ORAL B double toothbrush pack $6.99 earned $6.99 ECB back
1 ORAL B double toothbrush pack $6.99 earned $6.99 ECB back
1 Gummy Savers candy $2.19 (these were buy 1, get 1 free)
1 Gummy Savers candy FREE
1 Gummy Savers candy $2.19 (")
1 Gummy Savers candy FREE
1 Brut deoderant $3.39 earned $3 ECB back
1 Brut deoderant $3.39 earned $3 ECB back
Subtotal: I think it was $42ish
USED $5 off $30 purchase coupon from email
USED $.55 off Brut coupon from an old Sunday paper
USED $.55 off Brut coupon from an old Sunday paper
USED $.75 Crest toothpast coupon from old Sunday paper
USED $6.99 (BUY 2 GET 1 FREE)coupon on Oral B toothbrushes from old Sunday paper
USED $2.19 (BUY 1 GET 1 FREE)coupon on Gummy Savers from old Sunday paper-this made both packs FREE!
USED $2.19 (BUY 1 GET 1 FREE)coupon on Gummy Savers from old Sunday paper-this made both packs FREE!
USED $9.99 ECB from last transaction
USED $3.49 ECB from last transaction
PAID $1.91 OUT OF POCKET and received $27.97 in EXTRA CARE BUCKS!
Receipt says I saved $41.37!!!

*PLEASE NOTE: It was later that I realized that chick-e-poo took all my extra care bucks but didn't use all of them, so I am going to have to call them to get my $7.99 ECB back :( I don't know if I would have even realized this even without the kids and I feel kind of silly going back, but that is $8 worth of free stuff I will get with that coupon so I am definitely going to try. I will call first before I spend the money on the gas. I also noticed on this receipt that one of the Gummy Savers didn't ring up right so really my transaction should have been free but I'm not complaining about $1.91 worth of stuff.
**EDITED TO ADD: I DID GET MY $7.99 ECB BACK. I CALLED AND THEY REMEMBERED ME AND I WENT BY AND GOT IT!**

We were going junking for the day, so we headed into Madison and what do you know...another CVS! We went in and decided this time, we weren't worried about ECB's and free stuff, we were blowing the $27.97 on stuff that was on our grocery list. The first thing I noticed upon entering the store is that they have a SCANNER there...WOO HOO! I was so excited. You take your extra care card and scan it and it checks for coupons. It told me there were no available coupons for me today but to check back tomorrow. I have seen online where people are getting $3 off $15 purchases, $4 off $20 purchases, etc. on these little scanners so I was happy to see this little guy.

Here's transactions 3 and 4:

Dr. Pepper 12 pack $3.00
Dr. Pepper 12 pack $3.00
Dr. Pepper 12 pack $3.00
Mountain Dew 12 pack $3.00 earned $3.00 ECB back when you bought 4 packs
1 Bic razor set $13.98 earned $5.00 ECB back when you bought the set
SUBTOTAL: $25.98
USED $5 off $25 purchase coupon from transaction 1
USED $4.00 off Bic razor coupon from old Sunday paper
USED $1.00 ECB from transaction 2
USED $6.00 ECB from transaction 2
It's at this point that I realize that I am missing my $7.99 ECB. I am flustered and M.E. starts screaming. Jonathan sees THE look on my face and takes all the kids outside except for Anna who stays behind to help. I decide to just figure it out later so I just pay for this one of pocket.
PAID $11.09 OUT OF POCKET and get $8 in ECB
receipt says I saved $22.36

Then cashier realizes that my $5 ECB from the razor didn't print. She calls a manager. Yes, there is now a line and I want to die. They question me as to if I have already bought one. No. They decide to just go ahead and give me some kind of $5 coupon since it didn't print. They also decide to open another register when they see the amount of crap left in my buggy and my coupon holder bulging at the seams.

As I am typing this, I now realize I have somehow lost my receipt for transaction #4, but let's just say that I got a bunch more for next to nothing. This is where I got the 4 boxes of pop-tarts, reese's snacks, band-aids, brut deoderant, 2 24 packs of water, etc. for I think about a dollar.

It was an AWESOME DAY and I can't wait for the new July deals!