Beginner's Guide to Coupons #4: CVS

Hands down the biggest money saver for me as I have learned to use coupons over the last year has been the drugstore deals. I never used to shop at CVS or Walgreens. Now, I'm there at least once a week and they are definitely where I get my best deals. Things like toiletries and medicines and cleaning products, that can typically be budget-brakers, end up being cheap, free or moneymakers. Each store runs their deals differently. Let's start with CVS.

CVS

CVS has a customer loyalty card called the Extra Care card. If you don't already have one, get one next time you are in CVS. You can begin using it immediately. (Be sure and put down your email when you fill out the form--they will email you coupons.)

This will allow you to earn extra care bucks (which I call ECB's). CVS will run deals where if you buy such-n-such, you will get an ECB printed out with your receipt. This works like cash and can be used on your next purchase.

Things to know about ECB's:

• Some deals are only Sunday-Tuesday. Be sure to take advantage of these early because after Wednesday no ECB will print.
• All ECB deals have a limit. That means, with your card, you can only take advantage of earning that ECB a certain amount of times. Most of the times the limit is 1, but sometimes it is more. Read the fine print in the ad, and I will always list the limit with my matchups.
  
• They are like cash. You can use as many as you want when making a purchase.
• ECBs expire in 4 weeks
• ECB's must be used in conjunction with the extra care card they were printed for. In other words, you cannot give me your ECBs for me to use. If the number on them does not match my card number, it will not be accepted.
  

So how is it that some items become money-makers? Well, let's say there is a deal on tylenol. It's 3.99, and you get a $3.99 ECB. So you pay $3.99 plus tax, but you get back an ECB for $3.99 to use later. It's cost to you ends up being free, just a little tax. BUT, if you use a $1/1 coupon, you only pay $2.99 (plus tax) , and you still get the $3.99 ECB. So you just made money on that deal! The key is to combine coupons with the ECB deals for great values as well as occasional money-makers.

A couple of tips:

• Always scan your card at the kiosk at the front of the store (usually by the beauty items and/or flyers--pictures at the top of this post). This will get you store coupons, and these can make for great deals. It's always my first stop.
• These store coupons can be stacked with manufacturer coupons for good deals. So even if they don't look like a great deal---hang onto them, just in case.
  
• If you have a $5/20 purchase, or a similar coupon, use it FIRST. Sometimes, after your other coupons, your purchase would go below the amount, which would make you unable to use it. Use your manufacturer & store coupons next. Then, last, use any ECBs you have toward your purchase.
  
• Use my list and the flyer carefully to make sure you are buying the correct item and size to earn the ECB's. Usually it is marked on the shelf, but not always. (You can use the kiosk at the front of the store as a price checker also.)
  
• CVS will give you a rain check. Take advantage of this, especially some of the best deals go fast and may not be restocked until after the week is over.
• Seasoned CVSers have figured out how to break up their purchases into multiple transactions, using ECBs from the first transaction on the second, and so on, so that there out-of-pocket is as low as possible. As impressive as that is to me, I don't always take the time to plan it out like that. But give it a shot and let me know if you can keep your OOP under $5 a week! It can be done! ; )

Mostly, have fun and don't give up! I've had my share of discouraging trips to CVS, where they wouldn't take my coupons, or the price wasn't what I expected, or they were out of what I wanted, or someone was just rude to me because I'm a coupon lady. But hang in there! There are great deals to be had and most of my local cashiers are wonderful. It is worth it--I promise!

Feel free to post any questions!

Beginner's Guide to Coupons #3: Decoding the coupon lingo

For those of you who are new to couponing, here is a list of the common abbreviations and "lingo" used for coupon match-ups.

General

There are several different kinds of inserts in the papers, but the ones you get differ from week to week. Most weeks, you will get a Smart Source insert and a Red Plum insert. Once a month, you will get a Proctor & Gamble insert. Occasionally, there will be an extra smart source or miscellaneous insert. The abbreviations are:

• SS: Smart source
• RP: Red Plum
• P&G: Proctor & Gamble
  

A coupon match up will read something like this:

• $1/2 Kellogg's coupon in 8/2RP

This means there is a coupon for $1 off of the purchase of 2 boxes of Kellogg's cereal in the Red Plum insert of the Sunday paper on 8/2.

• Blinkie: coupons found on the aisles in grocery stores in a little machine that spits out the coupon
• Tearpad: coupons found on the aisles in grocery stores on a tearpad
• IP: internet printed coupon (my blog will usually have a direct link to these)
  
• BOGO: buy one get one free
• WYB: when you buy
• YMMV: your mileage may vary (In other words, some stores may accept the coupon, others may not.)
• OOP: out of pocket
  

CVS

There are a few special abbreviations to know for CVS coupon match-ups, which are explained in the guide to CVS.

• ECB: extra care buck (A coupon that prints out after you purchase specific item(s), good for cash value off your next shopping trip at CVS.)
  
• CRT: cash register tape (a coupon that prints out with your receipt or at one of the machines at the front of the CVS store)

Walgreens

There are a few special abbreviations to know for Walgreens coupon match-ups, which are explained in the guide to Walgreens.

• Wags: Walgreens
• RR: register reward (A coupon that prints out after you purchase a specific item(s), good for cash value off your next shopping trip at Walgreens.)
  

That's the basics. Be sure and read my post on CVS & Wags for more details on how their programs work.

Beginner's Guide to Coupons #2: Rethinking

Ok, so the first step is to LET GO of some ideas you may have about couponing, and RETHINK your approach to grocery shopping. We'll go through these one step at a time.

LET GO OF THESE:

1. It is cheaper to just buy the store brand. This is just not true. The trick, which we will discuss later, is to buy items ON SALE and WITH A COUPON for the best deal. The combination of those two things will get you brand name products for alot less than store brand items.
2. It is cheaper to buy in bulk. SO not true. When I started, I went around my local wholesale store and literally wrote down the unit prices for all the things I regularly bought there. Then, I compared it to when I bought those same items on sale/with coupons. I was shocked at how much I had been overspending when I thought I was saving.
3. I hate clipping all those little coupons and filing them and sorting them--what a pain! There are so many ways to organize your coupons, and many of them are great. But I will show you, step by step, how I organize mine, and you will see, I only clip what I use. It takes time, yes, but once you have a system, it won't be as time consuming as you may think.
   
4. I don't have time to figure out what's on sale, what I have a coupon for, what store it's cheaper at, etc., etc. No problem! That's what I'm here for! And there are a ton of other great blogs out there that help you match up coupons to store deals, which saves you LOTS of money AND time!

RETHINK:

1. Sometimes you can't cook like a food network star. I know this sounds a little odd, but this was a big one for me. As someone who likes to cook, and likes to buy fun ingredients to cook with, I've had to learn to let my fancy menus go. And I can't always make whatever I want. I buy what's on sale, and I plan my menus around what I have---not the other way around. The more stocked my pantry is, the more creative I can get.
   
2. Drugstores are your new best friend. I will never pay for toothpaste again. I don't have to buy razors for the next 6 months. And I have enough medicine (that I got free or under $1) to stock a pharmacy. I NEVER used to shop at CVS or Walgreens. Now I'm there at least once a week. Seriously, you won't believe how much you will save, and not just on toiletries---food, too! I will dedicate one post to CVS and one to Wags (Walgreens) for details on how to take advantage of their deals.
3. Buy produce from a local farm stand. Some things, you just can't get a coupon for. You should shop for fruits and veggies in season--that will always save you money. But I have found a local produce stand where I can get all the fruit and veggies I need for a week for under $20. And I use alot of produce! Sometimes items are less than half of what they cost at the grocery store.
   
4. Delayed gratification. I realize that sometimes you just need something, and you have to buy it, whatever the price. But many things, if you think about it, you could do without for a week or two until it's on sale. And the more you stockpile, the more you have until it does go on sale again. Like snacks. Sometimes yogurt is on sale and we have plenty to eat. Other times, we run out of yogurt, but I have cheese sticks I got for under a dollar. Or--JACKPOT (at least for my kids)--I got pringles for 33 cents a can. What we have is what we have, and whatever we don't---we live without.
5. You are going to need to buy multiple copies of the Sunday paper. To start, buy 2, so you have at least 2 of every coupon (which you'll need for buy-one-get-one-free deals). I buy six every week. Hunt around for your best deal on papers--I get mine at Walgreens for 75 cents.
   
6. Internet printed coupons RULE. There are great coupons available right on the web! My blog will include links to these when I match them with a deal. Often, you can get a better coupon online for an item than in the paper! So make sure you have lots of ink and paper handy.
   

And the main thing is, don't give up! There will be some bumps and scratches along the way, but nothing worthwhile ever comes easy, so stick to it! I promise, you will be glad you did!

A look ahead in this series...

• organizing your coupons
• coupon lingo
• CVS
• Walgreens
• Publix
• tips for surviving the store clerks and cashiers
  

Beginner's Guide to Coupons #1: Introduction

A year ago, I did not use coupons. I mean, well, not on purpose. Sometimes the store would attach a coupon to something I was buying, and then, well, sure, I used it. But I always thought clipping all those coupons looked tedious and time consuming, and I figured I would just try to buy things on sale when I could or just buy the store brand.

But last year that all changed. We have always been on a budget, and one of the biggest line items in our budget (after our mortgage) has been our groceries. Not only that, but I CONSISTENTLY would end up over my budget! I used all kinds of excuses, like...well, hey, we all need to eat!, or...my time is worth the extra money I spend, or (my personal favorite)...for crying out loud, I have four kids who eat like football players! I honestly didn't think there was much I could do, but I decided to give it a shot anyway, and after a couple months, if it didn't work...I would quit.

But it DID work. Not only have I been able to stay within my budget for groceries, but I was even able to LOWER my monthly budget amount! Sometimes I get sloppy/lazy, and spend more than I should. But I know that over all, I have already saved my family thousands of dollars over the course of the last year.

And the thing that surprised me most is that is wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. An adjustment, yes, and definitely more work than doing NOTHING. But so worth it in the end.

So this will be a series on how to begin using coupons to save TONS of money on groceries (and to clarify, I don't just mean food--toiletries, paper products, cleaning products, etc. also included!).

So follow along and post your questions or comments! I'd love to hear from you!