The CVS $5 Challenge: October 4-10

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Welcome, my fellow CVS fanatics and newbies! It’s Sunday, time for our weekly CVS $5 Challenge. The place to go for simple CVS scenarios with step-by-step instructions.

This is another great week to shop at CVS! All you need is an ExtraCare Card, a CVS ad, a printer and coupons to get started.  Be sure to register your CVS loyalty card with Upromise for extra college savings.

Don’t forget you can grab a clickable CVS $5 Challenge Button for your post or blog.

If you are a first time visitor, here’s the lowdown:

Join me on Sundays as I host The CVS $5.00 Challenge!

Seasoned CVSers: share your best scenario(s) for the upcoming week at CVS.

Your budget: $5.00 out-of-pocket cash.

Your mission: to grow that $5.00 into even more ECBs to use in upcoming weeks.

Want to participate? Start by reading the rules here.

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Here is MY $5 Scenario for the week of October 4th:
*coupons in red

Transaction #1
Buy 1 Tone Soap (2-3 pk.) @ $1.88
Buy 1 Colgate Toothpaste @ $2.99
$1.00/1 Tone printable (IE) or printable (FF)
$1.00/1 Colgate Toothpaste (9/27 SS insert)

Total After Coupons= $2.87

ECBs earned= $1.00, $2.00

Transaction #2
Buy 1 Revlon Nail Polish @ $3.99
Buy 1 Cheerios Cup @ $1.00
$1.00/1 Revlon Color Cosmetic (9/13 SS insert)
$1.00/1 Cheerios printable here
Pay with $2.00 ECBs from above

Total After Coupons & ECBs= $0.99

ECBs earned= $3.00

Transaction #3
Buy 1 Pantene Expressions or Restoratives Hair Care @ $4.99
$1.00/1 Pantene (9/13 RP insert)
Pay with $3.00 ECBs from above

Total After Coupon & ECBs= $0.99

ECBs earned= $2.00

Grand Total OOP= $4.85

Total Value= $14.85  with $3.00 ECBs remaining!

Keep rolling those ECBs for more savings!

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There you have it! A way to play the CVS ECB game by helping newbies learn the ropes. And who knows – you just might be inspired yourself by some of the deals you find, too!

Simply post your scenarios on your blog, then drop by Keeping the Kingdom First and add your permalink to the Mr. Linky below.

Please link directly to your scenarios. Links directly to your homepage will be deleted. Linking back to this meme to share it with others is greatly appreciated!

Don’t have a blog? You can leave a comment with your scenario, too. I invite everyone to participate.

Comments

  1. says

    The Dove is buy 18 bars at $21, get $10ECB.
    Buy Colgate and Revlon polish free after $1 coupon and ECB, to go over $25.
    Use the $1.25 off multipacks of Dove, 3 of them. And the $5off$25 email coupon.
    Now the Dove isn’t just $11, it’s $2.75 for 18 bars. Cheaper than generic, and it’s 1/4 cold cream or something like that.
    .-= JoeTaxpayer´s last blog ..Reading my Fellow Finance Writers =-.

  2. says

    Thanks for the heads up on the Dove Bars. I might just stop by the library to print off the coupons. Also, I was able to get $2 FREE ECBs to print from the price scanner on Sunday 10-4. This may be for everybody or for the summer ECB rewards.
    .-= Frugal Friend´s last blog ..Winnie-the-Pooh Party Today =-.

  3. Misty says

    I am a newbie as you call it and i was wondering if you are doing each of those scenario tranasactions in one trip or going 4 different times? Also if you do them all at once, do the cashiers get crabby about it or tell you, you are not allowed to do that?

  4. says

    Misty – here’s my experience;
    So long as you are not printing the same $off$ emailed coupon and going back to the same person, there is no ‘rule’ stating you can’t go back in line for a second purchase to use prior ECBs from same day.
    That said, people are people. I’ve had cashiers who force through coupons I point out just expired and they do it with a smile, and “congrats on the buy today.”
    I also have a CVS in a different direction from my house where they have a sign “please provide ALL coupons prior to purchase.” I thought nothing of this until the cashier sorted to use manufacturer coupons first, which would have dropped total too low to use a $5off$25. He said that was the manager policy. I took back the handful of coupons and left. I’ve not set foot in that location since.
    BTW – the ‘nice’ CVS has a sign “we take all competitor coupons”. This opens the door to using RiteAid and Walgreen coupons whether they be on a single item or a $off$ type coupon.

  5. corrin says

    You gals are making my head spin, but I’m going to give it my best shot during my next trip. I’m learning!

    • Jessica says

      If you have the old revlon coupon that expired on 9/20 it says the exact same thing “$1 off any Revlon color cosmetic product” but the picture is different in that it has nail polish included on it. Maybe you could show them that one if they question it. I mean it does say “any”. Good Luck!

  6. Misty says

    Thought I would let you know that last night I went to CVS and it was a amazing shopping trip. I planned it all out so that I would be doing 3 seperate transactions. I spent $30 oop ($10 was for a set of pictures) and I have $13 towards my next trip. The best part is i saved over $95!! That is unbelievable to me, but it excites me to see if i can do even better next week. Here is what I purchased for that $20: 2 bottles of laundry soap, 6 bottles nail polish, 1 toothbrush, one tube of toothpaste, 2 deodorant, 2 shampoos, 2 conditioners, 1 hair mousse, 3 bottles dish soap, 2 nasal sprays and 1 box tylenol cold. I can’t wait to see what next weeks deals are. I hope this inspiries the other people new to bargain shopping out there. Yes it is complicated and confusing at first but once you take the time and understand it, you feel very empowered. Why shouldn’t we get more for our money, we work hard for it.

  7. says

    Misty –
    I follow http://www.iheartcvs.com to plan ahead. She posts the weekly ads up to 4 weeks out, and this helps you organize coupons and plan your spending. Keep in mind, that $95 would take over $125 gross to net. You can earn 6 figures and that’s still 3 hrs of time saved for just that small effort of planning. Don’t forget, nearly every item you mention is fine to sit in the closet for some time with no risk of going bad. (And the near-free polish is great to try a color you’re not sure you’ll like. I have an 11 yr old girl, and am in tune with this.)
    Joe

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