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How To Save At CVS Pharmacy

  • Posted on June 13, 2011 at 12:58 AM

CVS Pharmacy is a great place to find fantastic deals. Often times, it is possible to save up to 90% or more on your transactions if you plan carefully.  But before you tackle CVS, here are a few pointers that should help you get the most bang for your buck.

Become Familiar With Your Store’s Policies.

CVS has some corporate policies (for example, you can use one manufacturer’s coupon and one store coupon per item), but they also allow regional and store managers to set policies. Some stores will accept coupons printed from the internet others may not. Many stores will issue rain checks for items that earn Extra Care bucks while others will not. Some stores will also limit the number of coupons you can use during each transaction. If you know your store’s coupon policies, you can save time and embarrassment during the check out process.

Extra Care Program

The Extra Care Program is CVS Pharmacy’s customer loyalty program. You can sign up for an Extra Care card in store or online.  After you sign up for the Extra Care Program, make sure that you register your Extra Care card online.  You will receive a coupon in your e-mail for $4 off your next CVS purchase of $20 or more and they will send you valuable coupons from time to time.  In addition, you can check your Extra Care earnings online and print your quarterly Extra Care Bucks.

Extra Care Bucks

Extra Care Bucks are card specific and can only be used with your CVS Extra Care card. Your Extra Care Bucks will print at the bottom of your receipt and typically have an expiration date that is about a month from the purchase date.
Earning Extra Care Bucks is easy. Look in the weekly CVS ads found in your Sunday paper. In addition to their weekly specials, they will have specific items highlighted in yellow – when you purchase these promotional items, you will earn Extra Care Bucks (also referred to as ECBs).

In addition to earning Extra Care Bucks for purchasing promotional items, you can also earn “quarterly” Extra Care Bucks.  You will earn a quarterly ECB based on 2% of your out of pocket spending (this means after all coupons and other discounts have been applied).  You will also earn 1 ECB for every 2 prescriptions you purchase in store or online at the CVS Pharmacy.

The earning and payment dates for quarterly ECBs are as follows: (your quarterly ECBs will start printing on your receipt on these dates and you can also print them online.)

  • For ECBs earned December 15th-March 14th:  print date is on April 1st
  • For ECBs earned March 15th-June 14th:  print date is on July 1st
  • For ECBs earned June 15th-September 14th:  print date is on October 1st
  • For ECBs earned September 15th-December 14th:  print date is on January 1st


What If You Lose Your ECBs?

Make sure you keep your ECBs in a safe place! Think of them as money. If you lose them, you cannot replace them.  SOMETIMES customer service will reprint any unused quarterly ECBs you have earned as a courtesy, but don’t rely on this.

How Many ECBs Can I Use In One Shopping Trip?

You can use as many ECBs s you would like in one trip!

Explain This “Rolling” ECBs Thing.

To “roll” an Extra Care Buck means to use it to pay on another advertised deal that has an Extra Care Buck offer attached to it and receive that Extra Care Buck after you pay. Thereby rolling the old Extra Care Buck into a new one. If the limit is more than one, you can roll one Extra Care Buck into another for the same item, it isn’t prohibited, and another Extra Care Buck will print!

CRTs

CRTs are additional coupons that will print out on the bottom of your receipt.  These typically have a shorter expiration date than ECBs (ranging from a few days to one or two weeks) and are “store” coupons so they can be used in addition to manufacturer’s coupons!   Look for red “scanners” in your stores and scan your Extra Care card at these machines whenever you visit a store – CRTs will also print from these machines.  Typically, the CRTs you get will match up with upcoming promotions and help you save even more money!

Buy One, Get One Free Promotions

If your store is having a Buy One, Get One Free promotion and you have a Buy One, Get One free coupon for that item, you can get two items for free!

A Few More Tips

If you are participating in a promotion that says “Spend this amount, get an ECB for this amount”, you do not have to spend the total amount all in one store or in one transaction.  If you look at the bottom of your receipt, it will tell you how much you have left to spend.  This really helps if your store doesn’t have everything you need in stock!  This also applies for a “Buy 2 items, get an “X” ECB” promotion”

The amount you have to “spend” is based on your total BEFORE coupons!

Shop Early In The Week

If you shop early in the week, you will have a better chance of finding sale items in stock. If sale items are out of stock, remember to ask for a rain check. CVS rain checks are not store specific and do not expire.

~D

How To Save At Walgreens

  • Posted on June 12, 2011 at 11:51 PM

What is so hard about saving money at Walgreens?  It’s not the lack of coupons.  It’s not the lack of in store deals. It’s that there are so many ways to save at Walgreens it’s hard to decide which to use first.  If you’re new to couponing and strive to maximize your savings it can make your head spin. I’m starting to get the hang of it, and you can too.  A few more trips and I might even consider myself a pro. And if not at least I will be on a first name basis with staff!

So, here we go with ways to save at WAGS.

Register Rewards

Register Rewards are special coupons that are printed at the register using Catalina machines. They are Walgreens specific coupons (i.e. you can’t use them anywhere else). They are linked to specific products each week. Sometimes you only need to buy one item to earn Register Rewards.  Sometimes you get them for buying a certain amount of products. Make sure to check out the Walgreens weekly ad found in the Sunday paper to find out what Register Rewards deals are featured.

Example: You buy Bounty Paper Towels and a $1 Register Reward prints, or you buy shampoo AND conditioner and get a $2 RR.

How RRs work.

Specific Register Rewards can only be used once per featured item.  You can not use Register Rewards to purchase an item and then use that specific Register Reward to try to purchase the same items again.  The next RR will not print. This is how Walgreens limits the number of deals per person.

Example: If you purchase toothpaste and get $2 RR, you cannot buy another toothpaste and use that RR to get another RR.

Rolling RRs

You can “roll” your RR by using them on a different Register Reward deal as long as you are not using them on the same products (see above). If you want more of a Register Reward deal then alternate you purchase with another purchase.

Example: Buy Toothpaste, get a $2 RR. Then buy Shampoo, use the a $2 RR, get a $3 RR. Buy another toothpaste, use the $3 RR and you will get another $2 RR. Confused?  It can be daunting to those new to couponing, but it will make sense the more you do it.

Troubleshooting Register Rewards

Some Walgreens stores have reprogrammed their Catalina machines. If you buy an item and are told that using a coupon made your RR NOT print, you are probably in one of those stores. There is nothing in Walgreens policies that state you cannot use coupons.  As a matter of fact, Walgreens allows you to combine their in-ad and/or in-store booklet with manufacturer coupons AND your register rewards. CHA-CHING!  So… If your RR does not print, don’t bother with the store management (they can fix it, but they usually don’t like to).  Your best bet is to simply leave and call 1-888-8COUPON and talk to the Catalina company. They will HOPEFULLY mail you the RR that should have received in the store. You should be able to avoid this by giving your coupons, Register Rewards and store coupons in this order…

  • Any $/$$ (like $5 off $20 purchase)
  • Register Rewards
  • B1G1 (Buy One Get One) manufacturer coupons
  • Other manufacturer coupons
  • Store coupons

This is often where I get confused/forget or just screw my order up! To me it seems backwards to use your register rewards first. Technically they are considered a manufacturer coupon, so the system will kick them out if you have already used a coupon from that manufacturer.
Another thing I learned is that Walgreens coupons are really price changing codes rather than money off coupons. So you want to use these last. You want the computer to think the item is full price when you use your manufacturer coupon. Then use the store coupon to reduce the price to .59¢ or whatever the coupon is for. If your store is quick to use store coupons first then keep your store coupons out of sight until after manufacturer coupons have been used. Put manufacturer coupons on top of the products to help them get scanned first.

Filler Items

One caveat to Walgreens coupon policy is that you cannot have more coupons than items in your transaction.  If you have a single item in your transaction, and you have 2 coupons for that item, you must purchase another item to complete the transaction, since you have 2 coupons total, but only 1 item. This is where filler items come into play. Filler items are low cost items that you can add to your transaction in order to complete it. One of my favorite filler items is the $.39 caramels that they often have sitting at the register.

Although saving money at Walgreens can be a somewhat confusing task, if you work at it, the rewards are well worth it. If you are patient and polite, chances are your cashier will be too and your transactions will go smoothly. As with any store that you shop at, know the store coupon policies. Print them out when possible and keep them in your binder. 🙂

All You Coupons July 2011

  • Posted on June 11, 2011 at 10:04 PM

 

 

I can’t believe it! I got my issue of All You BEFORE it hit the Wal-Mart shelves. That never happens!

Ok, so this month isn’t as meaty coupon wise, but there are still some good ones and it would still be worth getting a second (or third) subscription. Here is what’s inside for subscribers. I’ll grab a few issues from the store and compare tomorrow.

~D

 

 

All You Magazine Issue 7,July 22, 2011

  • Save $0.50 off one box of Tetley Tea (exp. 9/30) – p. 8
  • Save $1 on any Emeril’s Product (exp. 10/30) – p. 19
  • Save $1 off one White Cloud Product (exp. 8/28) – p. 25
  • Save $0.50 off any Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Sauces or Marinades (exp. 9/25) – p. 27
  • Save $1 with the purchase of any 2 Smucker’s Toppings Products (exp. 9/30) – p. 35
  • Save $0.50 on one package of any Dr. Scholl’s, Dr. Scholl’s for Her Diabetic Socks (exp. 10/31) – p. 42
  • Save $1 off Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation SPF 15 (exp. 8/31) – p. 45
  • Save $1 on any Colgate 360 Toothbrush (exp. 8/31) – p. 47
  • Save $1 on any Dr. Scholl’s Odor-X Product (exp. 8/22) – p. 50
  • Save $0.55 off any one Sani-Hands Instant Hand Sanitizing Wipes (exp. 10/31) – p. 52
  • Save $0.75 off any one Sani-Surface Household Disinfecting Wipes (exp. 10/31) – p. 52
  • Save $1 on any Coppertone Suncare Product (exp. 8/31) – p. 54
  • Save $1 off any NYC New York Color Product ($1.72 or more) (exp. 7/31) – p. 56
  • Save $1 on any Reach Toothbrush (exp. 12/31) – p. 58
  • Save $1 on any size Truvia Natural Sweetener (exp. 9/15) – p. 65
  • Save $3 on any Pure Protein Powder (exp. 12/31) – p. 67
  • Save $0.50 on any Pure Protein Powder (exp. 12/31) – p. 67
  • Save $4 on Miralax (30 dose) (exp. 10/31) – p. 74
  • Buy any 1 Huggies Little Swimmers Disposable Pants, Get a FREE (up to $2.21) Nestle Juicy Juice 100% Juice (4.23oz 8pk) (exp. 8/31) – p. 84
  • Save $1 on any teak from Traditional Medicinals (exp. 12/31) – p. 86
  • Save $0.50 on any one Brach’s Product (exp. 10/1) – p. 92
  • Save $1 on any size or variety Olivari Mediterranean Olive Oil (exp. 9/15) – p. 94
  • Save $2 on any one Smithfield Summer Spiral Ham (exp. 9/10) – p. 96
  • Save $0.50 on any Florida Crystals Sugar Product (exp. 8/31) – p. 102
  • Save $1 on one bottle of Florida Crystals Light or Amber Organic Agave Nectar (exp. 8/31) – p. 102
  • Save $1 on one package of Borden Singles Sensations (Exp. 7/31) – p. 104
  • Save $1 with the purchase of All You Magazine’s August issue AND any one Nature Made Vitamin (exp. 8/26) – p. 106
  • Save $1 with the purchase of All You Magazine’s August issue AND NYC New York Color (exp. 8/26) – p. 107
  • Save $1 with the purchase of All You Magazine’s August issue AND any Salon Perfect Lash Product (exp. 8/26) – p. 107
  • Save $1 with the purchase of All You Magazine’s August issue AND Bic Disposable Shaver (excludes trial sizes) (exp. 8/26) – p. 107
  • Save $1 with the purchase of All You Magazine’s August issue AND Dr. Scholl’s Socks (exp. 8/26) – p. 107
  • Save $1 with the purchase of All You Magazine’s August issue AND any Bic Multi-Purpose Lighter (exp. 8/26) – p. 107
  • Save $1 with the purchase of All You Magazine’s August issue AND Germ-X (exp. 8/26) – p. 107
  • Save $0.75 off any one bag of Eight O’Clock Coffee (exp. 9/30) – p. 114
  • Save $1 off any one Caltrate or Centrum Product (60ct or larger) (exp. 8/14) – p. 116
  • Save $1 off any one Advil PM, Advil Migraine (24ct or larger) OR ThermaCare HeatWraps Products (exp. 8/14) – p. 116
  • Save $5 on the ActiFade Precision Age-Defying Complex (exp. 9/30) – p. 118
  • Save $5 on the WrecklingBalm Tattoo Fade System (exp. 9/30) – p. 118
  • Save $5 on the SkinZinc Psoriasis Relief System (exp. 9/30) – p. 118
  • Save $1 off any Zapzyt Product (exp. 9/30) – p. 132
  • Save $1.50 on any Nylabone Non-Edible Chew (exp. 9/1) – p. 135
  • Save $1.50 on any Nylabone Edible Chew or Treat (exp. 9/1) – p. 135

Sunday Coupon Preview: Redplum June 12, 2011

  • Posted on June 11, 2011 at 12:19 AM

There will only be 1 Redplum insert this Sunday. I wasn’t sure we were even going to get one, so I’m happy. 🙂 Again, coupons and values vary by region.

~D

 

REDPLUM

Ben & Jerry’s pints Save $1.00/1 (7/10)
Bounty Basic 6-roll ct towels or larger Save $1.00/1 (7/31)
Citracal Calcium+D slow release 1200 product Save $3.00/1 (7/31)
Citracal Calcium gummies or any citracal product Save $2.00/1 (7/31)
Dial Lotion or Body Wash Save $2.00/1 (6/30)
Ester-C tablet, gummy or powder Save $2.00/1 (8/9)
Goodlife recipe treats for cats Save $1.00/1 (8/6)
Herbal Essences or Aussie product Save $1.00/1 (7/31) ETS
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, Raisin Bran Crunch and/or Raisin Bran Extra Cereals 15oz or larger Save $1.00/2 (7/24)
Motrin PM no trial Save $1.00/1 (7/30)
Natural Instincts Vibrant hair color product Save $3.00/1 (7/31)

 

Sunday Coupon Preview: SmartSource June 12, 2011

  • Posted on June 11, 2011 at 12:02 AM

 

 

It looks like this Sunday we’ll get 1 insert from SmartSource. Keep in mind that you may not receive all of the following coupons. It will vary by region. If you buy extra papers make sure to check them to make sure the inserts are in them. It’s a shame we have to start doing that. 🙁

~D

 

 

SMART SOURCE

(expiration date)

Air Wick FREE warmer unit wyb any scented oil refill fragrance up to Save $2.19 (7/24)
Air Wick scented oil twin refill pack or (2) single refills Save $1/1 (7/24)
Air Wick freshmatic ultra odor detect starter kit Save $4/1 (7/24)
Air Wick freshmatic refill B2G1 FREE up to Save $5.50 (7/24)
Ball realfruit pectin flex batch Save $1/1 (8/31)
Ball or Kerr jars, any case Save $0.75/1 (8/31)
Breakstone’s any sour cream dips Save $1/1 (7/15)
Chex Mix or Chex 100 calorie snack, any flavor, 4.5oz or larger Save $0.50/2 (8/6)
Crystal Light drink mix Save $1/1 (7/31)
Fiber One cereal listed: Fiber One original, Fiber One honey clusters, Fiber One raisin bran clusters, Fiber One caramel delight, Fiber One frosted shredded wheat, Fiber One 80 calories Save $0.75/1 (7/23)
Finish Quantum 25ct, Finish Powerball 32 ct or Finish Gelpac 32ct Save $1/1 (8/7)
Finish Jet-Dry rinse agent Save $0.55/1 (8/7)
Finish dishwasher cleaner Save $0.40/1 (8/7)
Goodnites Underwear jumbo pack or larger Save $2/1 (7/9)
Grey Poupon mustard Save $0.75/1 (7/10)
Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper or Chicken Helper home cooked skillet meals, any flavor Save $0.75/3 (8/6)
Huggies any diapers Save $1.50/1 (7/9)
Huggies any little snugglers or little movers diapers Save $2/1 (7/9)
Huggies any baby wipes 64ct or larger Save $0.50/1 (7/9)
Luster 1 hour white Save $4/1 (7/31)
Luster white 7 (power white or sensitive) Save $1.50/1 (7/31)
Lysol Neutra Air fabric mist Save $1/1 (7/12)
Lysol Neutra Air aerosol can Save $1/1 (7/12)
Lysol no-touch hand soap system (starter kit only) Save $3/1 (7/13)
Lysol any disinfecting wipes Save $1/2 (7/12)
Lysol any toilet bowl cleaners or no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaners Save $1/2 (7/12)
Lysol any multi-surface cleaner pourables Save $1/2 (7/12)
Lysol all purpose cleaner triggers or antibacterial kitchen cleaners Save $1/2 (7/12)
Lysol bathroom cleaners Save $1/2 (7/12)
Mitchum advanced control Save $0.75/1 (7/17)
Phillips Sonicare flexcare+ or flexcare rechargeable toothbrush Save $15/1 (7/31)
Phillips Sonicare rechargeable toothbrush (excludes xtreme battery) Save $10/1 (7/31)
Phillips Sonicare any multipack of brush heads or xtreme battery toothbrush Save $5/1 (7/31)
Raid Max bug barrier starter Save $3/1 (7/16)
Raid Max bug barrier refill Save $1/1 (7/16)
Shick Hydro razor, any Save $4/1 (7/24)
Shick Hydro refill Save $2/1 (7/24)
Shick Hydro shave gel Save $0.75/1 (7/24)
Welch’s Essentials juice cocktail blend, any flavor Save $0.55/1 (9/15)
Yoplait Yogurt cups, any variety, includes original, light, thick & creamy or whips Save $1/10 (8/6)

 

 

 

 

FREE Pet Safety Pack

  • Posted on June 9, 2011 at 1:22 AM

MizCouponista is owned by 5 cats. That’s part of the reason I coupon. I need to make sure they are all well taken care of. Cat nip can be expensive too! 😛

I recently moved so I was in need of more emergency stickers. The ones that you place on your window to alert emergency personnel that there are pets in your home. The ASPCA offers a free one. My cats posted about it on their website, along with a list of things for their own first-aid kits. You can read more about it HERE.

~D

 

Target Time! Why Target Is My Favorite Place To Shop

  • Posted on June 8, 2011 at 10:52 PM

Target is my favorite place to shop for many reasons. Even before I started stepping up my coupon game I always found amazing deals while shopping there. Having a Starbucks in the store makes it even sweeter. Now all I have to do is convince them to stay open 24/7.

Now to make sure you get the best deals here are a few things I’ve learned and I’d like to share with you.

Before I start here is their Price Match Policy & their Coupon Policy. I have these printed and in my coupon binder. Always arm yourself with store policies before you hit the check outs! 🙂

Types of Sales at Target:

  • Weekly Sale ~ A temporary price reduction advertised Sunday-Saturday and lasting up to 2 weeks.
  • Temporary Price Cut ~ A temporary price reduction lasting 1-8 weeks.
  • Price Cut ~ A permanent price reduction advertised for up to 90 days.
  • Clearance ~ A permanent price reduction often on discontinued inventory.  Clearance prices are good while supplies last.

Holiday Clearance Schedule

  • 50% off day after holiday for three days
  • 75% off fourth day after holiday for three days
  • 90% off seventh day after holiday for 1-2 days.

Coupons:

Target has their own printable coupons. These can be stacked** with manufacturer coupons for added savings. You can find them on the Target website and they are also often included in the Sunday Newspaper inserts. (Varies by region. Here in Montana they are rare so you have a better chance finding them on the website.)

**There is a proper way to hand your coupons when shopping at Target: Always hand your manufacturer coupons first and then your Target coupons.

Mobile Coupons:

Target mobile coupons on a smartphoneGet exclusive offers up to five times a month via text message on your web-enabled phone. Your first coupon will arrive 1-2 weeks after sign up. Register your cellphone here. When you’re ready to redeem, just show your coupon barcode to the cashier, and with a simple scan your savings are applied.

Target Gift Card Promotions:

Target often runs gift card promotions. These promotions usually require that you buy a particular item (or number of items) and when you do so, you will receive a Target gift card at the end of your checkout. Most of these promotions are advertised in the Sunday fliers, but many are not so keep your eyes peeled while you’re shopping.  here is an example.

Buy 2 Arm & Hammer Products, Receive $5 Target Gift Card

Arm & Hammer Cat Litter, 31 lb $10.99 x 2 = $21.98
$1.50/1 – Arm & Hammer Clumping Cat Litter – (armandhammer.com)

$1.50/1 – Arm & Hammer Clumping Cat Litter – (armandhammer.com)

Pay: $18.98, Receive $5 Target Gift Card
Final Price: $6.99 each, when you buy 2

A few ways to get Freebies while shopping at Target:

  • Combine Target Gift Card promotions with Manufacturer & Target store coupons. (See above example)
  • Stack a Target store coupon & Manufacturer coupon on the same item.
  • The last way to get free stuff at Target is by combining a temporary price cut or an every day price at Target with a manufacturer coupon & Target Coupon.

Finally….

Before you leave the store make sure to check your receipt to verify that coupon discounts you expected were applied. Also make sure to verify that all of the Target Gift cards you expected were awarded. It is easier to correct situations right after you complete the transaction than later.

~D

Snail Mail Call June 6th 2011

  • Posted on June 6, 2011 at 11:18 PM

This is what has popped up in my snail mail box over the last week.

Dust Off smart phone screen wipes. The offer for them is over but they have an even better one right now on their Facebook page.

2 pk sample of MiraLAX with a $2 coupon.

Natural Instincts coupon ($16 value) toward a box of hair color. This was a FB promo that is no longer available.

Coupon for FREE Yoplait yogurt. Via FB page

U by Kotex sample pack with $1 coupon.

What a variety! 🙂 ~D

Requesting Coupons via Snail Mail: Food & Drink

  • Posted on June 6, 2011 at 10:24 PM

I’m finding that when I visit company pages, more and more are directing you to their Facebook site. When you “like” them you can print a coupon. What if you don’t have a printer? What if you’re always out of expensive ink? What if you just prefer getting correspondence the old fashion way. SNAIL MAIL!

I love getting mail. It just seems more personal, even if it’s from Publisher’s Clearing House claiming I’ve won their biggest prize ever. If it’s addressed to ME I feel special. 🙂

So what’s better than getting personal junk mail? Mail you asked for. Mail that has COUPONS! Mail that has SAMPLES! There are several companies you can write or e-mail to request coupons to be snail mailed to you. The following is a list of companies in general that offer coupons, freebie, or sweepstakes or contest you can enter.  The ones in BOLD are snail mail friendly meaning the link gives you their contact info to request coupons.

REMEMBER…

If you e-mail your request don’t use your primary e-mail account. It will surely overflow with offers and you may miss REGULAR letters from friends and family. Set up an account specifically for coupons

You don’t have to draft a huge letter. Just keep it simple. Express how you love their product. Ask if they would be willing to mail you coupons so you can continue to use their products. Perhaps tell them you’ve never used their product but have heard nice things about them so you’d like a coupon to try it out. You can also call companies and ask for coupons.  I’ll personally stick to letter writing.

Are you ready to start?

 


 

Requesting Coupons via Snail Mail: Non Food

  • Posted on June 5, 2011 at 1:11 AM

Like my other post I’ve listed companies with links to get coupons/samples/other offers. This list is focused on non-food items. Next to the company name I’ve added what they offer. The ones in BOLD are snail mail friendly meaning you can e-mail your request for coupons and they will snail mail them to you.

Keep in mind most of these will hook you up with a newsletter. The ones that have customer service next to them simply mean the are linked to a generic form to e-mail them about questions. Here is where you can request coupons. 🙂

As always, if you know of any products that aren’t listed please feel free to share. If the offers are no longer available let me know. I’ve gone through each, but you never know. Things change daily and even printable coupons run out.

~D