Guide to CVS

CVS just might be the best place to start if you're looking for free and cheap stuff. It can be a little confusing at first, but it's very easy to get the hang of it.

First things first-do you have an Extra Care Card? You will need this card for all of the deals at CVS. They are free loyalty cards that will be scanned at the beginning of each transaction. Using these cards will help you earn Extra Bucks or EB. EB are printed at the end of your receipt and can be used on your next transaction, just like cash. Your next transaction can be the same day you earn your EB. Some people will make a purchase, earn EB, go to the end of the line, make another purchase, etc. EB do expire, but some CVS stores will take them after the expiration date, as long as it's not too old.

So how do you use your Extra Care Card to get free stuff? Start by looking at the current ad for the store. Most weeks have multiple items that are free after Extra Bucks. I'll explain by using my transaction from 8/9/09:

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse was on sale for $9.99, regular price is $13.99. If you used for Extra Care Card you earned $9.99 in Extra Bucks. I also used a coupon for $1 off any Revlon product from a recent Sunday paper.

Coppertone Neutrasheild Sunblock was on sale for $8.99, regular price $12.99. If you used your Extra Care Card you earned $2.00 in Extra Bucks. I also used a coupon for $5 off from the Coppertone website.

Finally, Sharpie Highlighters were on sale for $.99, regular price is $3.19. I used a coupon for $1.00 off that I found online.

Here's the breakdown of what I bought:

Revlon-9.99

Coppertone-8.99

Sharpies-.99

Total-19.97

Tax: 1.09

Total w/ Tax: 21.06

Coupons: 7.00

Total minus Coupons: 14.06

My current total for these items is $14.06. CVS frequently emails coupons and prints coupons at the end of your receipt. I happened to have a coupon for $4 off a purchase of $20 or more. (Always hand over these coupons first.) That brought my total down to $10.06. I used $8.00 in EB earned last week to bring my total down again to $2.06. That was my final total out of pocket.

At the end of my receipt were two EB certificates, one for $2.00 and one for $9.99. (The Coppertone and Revlon purchases.) That leaves me with a profit of $9.93. Even if you had done this transaction as a new customer and started with no ECB you would have made a profit of $1.93. (This first transaction would have cost you $10.06 out of pocket, but you would have ended up with $11.99 in ECB to be used on your next purchase.)

Make sure you sign up on CVS.com to receive their emails. It typically takes two to three weeks to start receiving their coupons.

Also be on the lookout for Prescription Coupons. I’ve actually spent no money out of pocket for two months at CVS because I earned $50 in gift cards for having prescriptions filled at their pharmacy.

Still confused? I frequently post freebie list and shopping guides on the blog. I also post my CVS shopping trips. When I was first learning the system seeing what other people bought was the easiest way for me to learn the ropes. And always feel free to ask questions. You can leave a comment or send me an email at freestuffandcheapstuff@gmail.com.