I’ve posted, in the past, about the way that my household is trying to economize. We’re jumping on the bandwagon, I suppose. For the past two weeks, I’ve been experimenting a bit with the CVS Extra Care Bucks program. If you are familiar with Walgreens’s Register Rewards, you’ll see some similarities.
Basically, CVS offers promotions on certain goods every week (or month). If you buy that good, you can earn Extra Care Bucks to use on your next visit to CVS. At the end of each quarter, CVS will give you 2% of your purchases at their store back in Extra Care Bucks. There’s a ton of info about the program on the internet. I won’t go into it all, here. I will say that there seem to be some uber-savers out there that really work it, as in RuPaul’s “work it, girl!” Going into this little experiment, I knew that I wouldn’t be one of those people. I work full-time, I have a small household of just two people and those things really lessen my time spent on bargain-hunting and the amount of bargains to be hunted. Basically, I wasn’t willing to scrutinize every single angle of a deal or buy things like blood glucose monitors or baby food in order to score more Extra Care Bucks.
With those things in mind, here’s the story of how I bought a lot of stuff for significantly less money. On Sunday, December 21 the CVS circular advertised some great deals and Extra Care Bucks promotions that were good for only that day and the next. I made out my list on Sunday night (because I hate going anywhere on Sundays) and waited in anticipation to go shopping after work on Monday with my ExtraCare card in tow (you can sign up online). Once I got to the store and started shopping, I realized that the early birds had gotten most of the worms. Of the 12 items on my list, only six were still in stock. I didn’t feel like messing with rainchecks, so I toted my purchases to the counter for the ring up. Here’s the breakdown:
| Item | Regular Price | Sale Price | Mfg. Coupon | Price Paid | Extra Care Bucks Earned |
| Zantac 150 Cool mint, 8 ct. | $5.29 | $4.99 | - | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| Hall’s Naturals Cough Drops, 25 ct. | $2.59 | $2.59 | - | $2.59 | $2.59 |
| Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine | $5.99 | $5.99 | - | $5.99 | $5.99 |
| Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine | $5.99 | $5.99 | - | $5.99 | $5.99 |
| Loreal HIP Metallic Shadow Duo | $6.99 | $6.99 | - | $6.99 | $6.99 |
| Loreal HIP Metallic Shadow Duo | $6.99 | $6.99 | - | $6.99 | $6.99 |
| Sales Tax | $2.01 | $2.01 | - | $2.01 | - |
| Total | $35.85 | $35.55 | - | $35.55 | $33.54 |
So, on this first trip, I spent $35.55 but earned $33.54 in Extra Care Bucks. These bucks are generally good for about a month – beware! – they expire. In the ensuing week, we ran out of toothpaste, laundry detergent, fabric softener and some manly body wash. I figured I’d go use my Extra Care Bucks since cash was running low after the holidays. Last night, I perused the CVS circular for items on sale, and I went through my coupon stash see if I had coupons for the items I needed. Here was today’s shopping receipt:
| Item | Regular Price | Sale Price | Mfg. Coupon | Price Paid | Extra Care Bucks Earned |
| Crest Pro Health Toothpaste, 4.2 oz | $3.89 | $2.50 | $0.50 | $2.00 | - |
| Crest Pro Health Toothpaste, 4.2 oz | $3.89 | $2.50 | $0.75 | $1.75 | - |
| Tide 2X Mountain Spring Liquid Detergent, 50 oz. | $8.99 | $5.88 | $2.00 | $3.88 | - |
| Downy Mountain Spring Fabric Softener, 51 oz | $7.69 | $5.88 | $2.00 | $3.88 | - |
| Gillette Body Wash, 12 oz. | $4.99 | $3.99 | $0.25 | $3.74 | - |
| OralB Toothbrush | $5.49 | $5.49 | - | $5.49 | - |
| Extra Care Bucks Used | - | - | - | $21.56 | - |
| Sales Tax | $0.28 | $0.28 | - | $0.28 | - |
| Total | $35.22 | $26.52 | $3.85 | $1.11 | - |
| SUPER GRAND TOTAL | $71.07 | $62.07 | $3.85 | $36.66 |
All in all, I’m very happy with getting over $70 worth of stuff for only $36. I saved over 48%. That’s pretty good, I think. I still have $11.98 in Extra Care Bucks to use in the next few weeks. I’m going to try the strategy of maximizing my savings by “rolling” my Bucks. The idea behind that is to earn Extra Care Bucks and then spending those Bucks on items that will earn you more Extra Care Bucks. Pretty much, you’re stretching your initial shopping trip dollars a lot.
I still have a problem knowing if I’m really saving money. You know, what if all these items were cheaper, to begin with, at Kroger? I doubt that they’re 48% cheaper, but still…
Have you ever used the CVS Extra Care Bucks system? Have you had success? Is it more trouble than it’s worth?
6 responses so far ↓
ex employee // December 31, 2008 at 5:00 am |
cvs pharmacy is a bad pharmacy
Melanie // December 31, 2008 at 10:58 am |
You are my hero! This is so impressive! I’ve read about those people who are really into the CVS Extra Care bucks, and they seem like they’ll do anything for a deal. A little crazy, if you ask me.
Thanks for sharing these tips (I liked the grocery one, too). I’m going to try to incorporate some of your suggestions into my life and see if I can’t save some money!
Mare // December 31, 2008 at 12:21 pm |
I have no idea about the standard prices but I very much enjoyed the chart.
Julie // December 31, 2008 at 2:44 pm |
That is impressive — you could be my mother’s other daughter! I always lose the extra bucks, or forget to use them!
kylydia // December 31, 2008 at 4:57 pm |
Thanks. I think if I didn’t have to work, I’d be a monster at this stiff.
Kari // December 31, 2008 at 7:22 pm |
Ok, who didn’t know Mare was going to love the chart? LOL
I do love my geeky math friends.