How to Shop the Drugstores

If you are anything like me, you avoided CVS and Walgreens like the plague because some of their prices were so much higher than at WalMart or the grocery stores. You were being frugal after all, and watching your prices. (Go you, by the way!)

I am going to share a few secrets with you today and some tips that may help you change your mind. This has taken me hours of extensive research and time, but I’ve had a lot of success with this. Let’s start with Walgreens:

Each week, either look online or buy a Sunday paper with the ads in them. Walgreens has many deals each month that are “Free after rebate” that you will want to watch for. They also go on sale cheaper sometime during the month, so you will want to note that as well. For example, Aquafresh toothpaste was on sale for $2 a tube this past week. You use a $2/1 coupon and bam! it’s free. Neat, huh? Well, here’s the best part: you send off that receipt for Aquafresh and get your $2 back as a rebate! Even better, if you have Walgreens put their rebates on a gift card, they will add 10% more. So, your toothpaste “made” you a net profit of $2.20. Not too shabby, I’d say!

Walgreens also has what are called “Register Rewards,” where you get a coupon back for money off your next visit. For example, they had “buy 4 Aveeno products (any) and get $10 in Register Rewards.” Well, simple math tells you that you buy the cheapest products and “make” money. This is what I did. I bought 4 hand lotions that were $2.39 each (on sale). I had 4 $1/1 coupons, which made that $5.56. I got back $10, netting a profit of $4.44! And a really good deal, too, since I use a lot of hand lotion.

The main idea here is to buy things that are “Free after Rebates” and when you get your gift card, keep using that for other things that you need and “roll over the rebates.”

The only thing that I’ve found with Walgreens is that you are not able to reuse the Register Rewards to make more. I couldn’t take the $10 Register Rewards to buy more Aveeno. They are programmed to show what you bought to get the Register Rewards for that reason. You also have to be aware that they do expire. Usually, I have found that you have 2 weeks to use them. The order of the coupons matters, too. If you use a Walgreen’s coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon for the same item (totally legal), first hand them all your Walgreen’s coupons, then the manufacturer’s coupons, then any Register Rewards. If you have a total of 17 coupons, you will need to have a total of 17 items. I have thrown in pocket packs of Kleenex or penny candy items to make that up. For example, last time I went, I bought:

2 gallons of milk – $2.89 each

1 can Pringles (earned me the title Awesome Mom of the Year) – $1.29

2 boxes Celestial Seasonings tea – $2.99 (w/BOGO deal)

2 Dawn dish soap – $2.98

Minus the coupons

$2.00 off Dawn (Walgreens coupons)

2- $.50/1 Dawn (mfg coupon)

$.50 off Pringles (Walgreens coupons)

$.45 off Celestial Seasonings (mfg coupon)

$10.00 Register Reward (from Aveeno deal)

Grand total out of pocket = $0.23!

At CVS, you can get some really great deals by using their “Extra Care Bucks” (to be referred to as ECB from now on). First, to take advantage of that, you will need to have an Extra Care Card. If you don’t have one, they have them at the cash registers. Just fill out a quick form and include your email address and you are on your way. Why the email address, you ask? You will also get coupons for CVS in your inbox. For example, they will send you a $4 off your next $20 purchase if you sign up online with your care card number. Just go here.

Then, take your ads and let’s go shopping. No, wait! You need to have a plan. First, note what is on sale that will give you ECB back. For example, L’Oreal products have a $2 ECB back on buying one. So, you buy a lipgloss for $7.99 and get $2 ECB for your next purchase. Here’s an example of a week that I had at CVS.

Transaction #1

4 Softsoap Spa Radiance Body Wash – $4.99 each

2 Lady Speed Stick Deodorant – 2/$5

2 Colgate Advance Toothpaste – $3.49 w/BOGO

1 Reeses Candy bar

Minus

$1.00 coupon for deodorant

4- $1.50 off body wash coupons

2- $1.50/1 toothpaste coupons

$4.00 off $20 for signing up for email offers

Total out of pocket = $2.41
ECB earned = $22.96

Transaction #2

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom cleaner – $5.00

3 Jergens Natural Glow Lotion – $5.99 each

1 Spa Radiance Body Wash – $4.99

Minus

2- $.75/1 Scrubbing bubbles coupons

$1.50/1 Spa Radiance coupon

2- $1.00/1 Jergens Lotion coupons

$22.96 ECB

Total out of pocket = $0.30
ECB earned = $9.99

Transaction #3

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom cleaner – $5.00

2 Windex window cleaner – $5.00

1 Lip gloss-$2.99

Minus

2- $.75/1 Scrubbing bubbles coupons

2- $.40/1 Windex coupons

$9.99 ECB

Total out of pocket = $0.88
ECB earned $5.00

Transaction #4

2 Lip gloss

1 sunflower seeds (snack for friend) – due to not enough pre-tax for ECB

Minus

$5.00 ECB

Total out of pocket = $0.51

ECB earned = $5.00

Total amount spent = $4.10
Total amount saved = $86.91

The thing with ECB is that you also want to make sure that you “roll” them over as well. Your card is connected with them, so you can’t give them to a friend to use unless they use your card as well. There is also always a limit on the number of “deals” that you can have. For example, the body wash had a limit of 5 per card. I could’ve gotten 6, but I would not have had the ECB back on the 6th one.

This is what Jessica of Bargain Banana had to say about CVS:

Here are a few key items in saving money at CVS.
1. Buy a Sunday paper to get the weekly coupon inserts and CVS ad. You can also pick up the ad at the store.
2. Clip ALL the coupons even if there are items you don’t use.
3. Set aside time to look at the ad and compare the sales to your coupons.
4. Look for items in the ad that say “Extra Bucks Reward.” These are items that will give you Extra Care Bucks (also called ECB’s) in return for buying that item. Ex: Buy an Oral-B Toothbrush for $4.99 and receive $4.99 ECBs or buy any Mennen Deoderant at $1.99 and receive $1.00 ECBs.
5. Try to buy items with your ECBs that will give you ECBs back. Some people call this “rolling” the ECBs.
6. Use manufacturer’s coupons for as many items as possible.
7. Make a plan and a backup plan. With so many people shopping for the same items you want, the shelves may be empty so a backup plan is important.
8. Use manufacturer’s coupons first to lower your total. Next use ECBs, then cash or credit.

**Try to spend very little out of pocket the first trip. Ex: Buy something that cost $2.99 and will give back $1.99. This will give you $1.99 to start your second trip. Keep buying items that you have coupons for and give you ECBs in return. Eventually you will spend a few ECBs each trip and walk away with more than you came in with.

Here is a sample transaction after a few trips to CVS have been made.
Start with $9.00 ECBs from last trip.

1 Dove shampoo $2.99–will give back $2.00 ECB
1 Venus Razor $9.99–will give back $6.00 ECB
1 Colgate Toothpaste $2.99-will give back $2.99 ECB
1 Johnson Baby shampoo $2.99–will give back $1.00 ECB

Subtotal before coupons=$18.96

Give coupons from the Sunday coupon insert (non CVS)
$2.00 off Dove shampoo
$4.00 off Venus Razor
$1.50 off Colgate
$2.00 Johnson Baby shampoo

Subtotal after coupons =$9.46
Use $9.00 ECB’s
Pay $0.46 + tax out of pocket (OOP)

Earn $11.99 ECB’s for next time.
Keeping rolling these every time and it will get very exciting.

In the last couple of months I have spent about $10.00 of my own money at CVS and saved over $400. My pantry is stocked with toothpaste, toothbrushes, air fresheners, shampoo, razors, etc. In the past we would wait until an item was almost gone before replacing it. This meant we usually paid close to full price. Now we are ready when items run out and we only paid pennies for each.

There are many goldmine deals to be had at each major drugstore, if you know how to find them. Try out the ideas listed above, and see how much you can save! Let me know of any others that you find.

Heather is a stay at home mother with 3 blessings to take everywhere with her. Teaching women to shop and save and get the most for your dollar are a vision that has been a long time in the making. She enjoys sharing her trials and triumphs at the local stores, as well as some good (and some not so good) recipes to help make those dollars stretch. Her column, “Practical Penny Pincher” is a must read for the thrifty homeschool mom. Visit her blog at Titus 2 Woman.

Tags: Frugal living, Home Management, Homeschool Methods, planning

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