Crazy Savings at CVS

So, about 3 months ago, I decided to embark on the world of couponing. I have always made excuses for why I couldn't, wouldn't or shouldn't do it ~ takes too much time, won't save me any money, they don't have coupons for the stuff I buy, etc. But, Corey and I really needed to trim our budget, and after visiting a few couponing websites, I thought I would give it a try. Since then, I have seen some SERIOUS savings ~ cutting both my grocery bill and baby supplies expense in half :) I have had a few friends ask to share some tips on how I am doing it and my blog seemed like the most logical option. So, here you go!

Today, I thought I would share about CVS because I got a great deal on diapers there today, and I don't know too many of my friends that wouldn't like a little savings in that department :)

I don't know about you, but I like step-by-step instructions, so to make it simple, I thought I would number this post - so its not just paragraph after paragraph.

1. First of all, if you are thinking about couponing, I would recommend visiting www.southernsavers.com ~ fantastic website with How-To's on all the stores, coupon policies, and the weekly sale items with coupon match-ups. And, I would recommend starting off slowly and then getting more advanced as you see success.

Some people shop both Walgreen's and CVS, but since I am new to this, I decided to just focus on one and found better deals at CVS. Just to be clear, I still shop Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods for all of my grocery needs. I primarily buy my baby supplies and toiletries from CVS.

2. Go to CVS.com and sign up for their Extra Care card, AND sign up for their email list. This is the ticket to super savings. They will immediately email you a $4 off $20 coupon just for signing up and then will periodically email you more - I have been getting about 1 a month.

3. CVS runs their sales from Sunday to Saturday, so check the couponing websites or the Sunday sale papers to see what their sales are. The best deals are the ones that give you ECB's or Extra Care Bucks. Basically, this is money back after your transaction that you can apply to your next transaction.

CVS will allow you to do multiple transactions in one visit. So, as an example, let's say you want to buy Crest Toothpaste for $2.99 and has $2 ECB and Listerine that is $1,.99 and has no ECB's. Buy your Crest in your 1st transaction and then use your $2 ECB towards your Listerine purchase, which you will get for FREE!!

4. Figure out what you plan to buy, coupon match-ups, and your transactions before you go - this will save you time and frustration in the store.

5. Go shopping!! When you get to the store, be sure to stop by their red coupon kiosk. When you scan your card it will print off additional in-store coupons for you to use, either on that trip or a later one.

I want to finish by sharing my example from today, so you can see how good the savings can be. The Pampers Jumbo pack of diapers (36 per bag) were on sale for 2/$18. I had $4 ECB's left over from last week, a $2 off Pampers coupon (manufacturer coupon) and a $2 off Pampers coupon that I had printed off the kiosk last week (store coupon). So, I walked out of the store with 72 diapers for $11, which averages out to about $.15 per diaper!! I was one happy Momma!!