Though I look over Couponmom.com religiously, last spring I ended up getting what I call CVS ExtraBucks Fatigue. My mind was just not willing to do the mathematical gymnastics and equations required to shop at CVS. But “need” overcame CVS avoidance. I needed Head & Shoulders shampoo and any decent conditioner on sale. Off to CVS I went with some coupons in hand. Though I’m not about showing groups of groceries I buy each day, I am doing this as a reminder for myself that there are still good deals out there if I use a little ingenuity.
Here’s what happened (as one CVS associate said, “Today’s your lucky day!”). Hoping my math is correct!:
First CVS transaction:
- 3 large Head & Shoulders shampoo (retails for $7.79 each and on sale for $5.99 each)
- 4 bags of candy for Halloween (get ’em now!) (retails $3.99 each and on sale $2.50 each)
- 3 coupons for $1 off of 1 Head & Shoulders
- 1 coupon for $1.50 off of 3 bags of candy
- paid out $24.96 for items that retail a total of $39.33
- plus received $8 in ExtraBucks
Second CVS transaction (cross-town on the way home–realized I still needed conditioner!):
- 2 huge bottles of Herbal Essence Conditioners (retails for $7.79 each, on sale for $5.99 each)
- 1 coupon for $3.00 off of two Herbal Essence products
- gave cashier my $8.00 in ExtraBucks
- paid out $1.04 in cash for items that retail $15.58
- but the kicker is that I got a $5.00 ExtraBuck coupon!!!! Hmmmm, wasn’t expecting that one.
I paid out $26.00 for items retailing $54.91. But some coupon experts would say that I ended up paying $21.00 for my items (if I calculated in my $5.00 EB). I’m just happy I saved $28.91 on things I really NEEDED + received $5.00 in EB! Some other couponing experts would also have walked out paying zero for their goods. But I didn’t have any EBs or gift cards going in. I really am hoping the mass hysteria of extreme couponing is over, and we can all just get back to the business of getting decent deals!
So, have I overcome my CVS EB Fatigue? Not sure. Only when I NEED something will it spur me on to do the mental math gymnastics!
~Marilyn, TFF
Two Frugal Fairfielders 
Still sounds confusing! LOL! So they said they are phasing out the RR program? That’s interesting news! Thanks for calling Walgreens Wendy! You are our fearless customer-service caller ;–)
~Marilyn, TFF
You are right about the $5.00 EB coupons You can’t count them twice, if you calculate them into the final price,they can’t be calculated into the final total on your next trip
Wendy
4
I know, that would be cheating, lol! Actually, I just count it towards the next purchase. I know Couponmom.com counts it on the first transaction (I think, but sometimes it’s so confusing). ~Marilyn
Hey, we can get really nice details at CVS, too. We signed up for rewards ALSO for beauty and signed up recently for Double Bucks rewards for the next few months. That being said, you need to be on the look out for these things because they don’t advertise them so much. Guess they don’t want the secret getting out too much. 😛
Yes, I did get those double points. I wonder if that’s why I ended up with an extra $5 EB–LOL!! But CVS did have a campaign earlier this year urging consumers not to throw out EBs.
~Marilyn, TFF
You know what’s great, too? When you get e-mails from them, you can load the 20% deal or whatever they send directly from your phone to your card with just a few button presses. Pretty nice.