CVS = frugal fun

Who knew shopping at CVS could be so much fun?! I stumbled across a blog that explained the whole process of shopping at CVS for mere cents. It took me a couple weeks to actually give it a try, but I've been "CVSing" now for a few weeks and have gotten tons of stuff for around $6 out of pocket and have $14 worth of credit still to spend. Each month, you can earn Extra Care Bucks (ecbs) on certain items. A lot of times the purchase price and ecbs are the same, so the item is essentially free. These ecbs expire after 30 days, so you have to shop there at least once a month to keep rolling your ecbs. Here's my purchase from the other day:
2 Listerine Smart Rinse mouthwash $3.49 each ($6.98 ecbs)
4 bottles Dawn dish soap $2/2 ($2 ecbs)
2 CVS boxes of band-aids $1.99 ($3.98 ecbs)
1 can BB tuna $.66
Total: $15.62
- 2/$1 Listerine coupons (printed online)
- $3/$15 CVS coupon from the newspaper
- around $10 in ecbs from previous purchases
Total out of pocket: $.35, and I earned $12.96 in ecbs, so I actually made "money" in ecbs for next time. You can keep rolling your ecbs from purchase to purchase. If you have a CVS near you, I urge you to give it a try.