Saving at CVS

In my quest to save money I have found that CVS, which is a place I used to avoid for most items expect prescriptions, actually can save you tons of money. It's just a matter of knowing the ins and outs of CVS.

I am still learning to master CVS, some times I am very impressed with my savings, others I wonder if it was actually worth the time and energy.

Extra Care Bucks or ECB are the key to saving money at CVS. These are printed on the bottom of your receipt and can be used like money on all products except prescriptions and tobacco and alcohol. (Check the store or fine print for any restrictions I may have missed.) You can not get changed back from ECB, so if your purchase total is $2.50 and all you have is $3 in ECB you can use it, but you lose the 50 cents. For more info on ECB, how to use and earn them go here.

At CVS it is important to know their coupon policy. First off you can use both a manufacturer's coupon and CVS coupon for the same product. Also, CVS accepts competitor coupons. These are especially important because many competing pharmacies have coupons will give you a gift card if you fill a new prescription or transfer one from another pharmacy. If you fill a prescription and present one these coupons CVS will honor it. I suggest double checking when you fill the coupon so there are no surprises when you check out. These coupons vary in value, but I have used one for $10 and know someone who had one good for $25 a prescription up to four scripts! Super bonus! If you have 4 scripts to fill that's $100 in free money.

Basically the plan when shopping at CVS is to purchase items that will generate more ECB, that are on sale and for which you have a coupon. This sometimes takes research and time. Also, if you make your purchase in multiple transactions you can use the ECB that you generate from transaction one to pay for transaction two, and the ones generated from transaction two to pay for transaction three and so on. The best way to get a good understanding of this is to check out the $5 CVS challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First.

CVS often gives out coupons that are good for $5 off a $25 purchase or coupons good for $10 off a $50 purchase. If you have one of these give it to the cashier before you use any other coupons. Next use your store and manufacture's coupons. Finally use your ECB.

If you have any questions or your own tips to share for saving at CVS please comment below.