CVS Basics  

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Extra Care Bucks (ECB's)


One of the best ways to get great deals at CVS is with their ECB's!  When you purchase qualified items, an ECB will print at the bottom of your receipt. For example, this week if you bought a box of Pampers for $21.99, you would receive a $10 ECB. The ECB's are valid toward any store purchase (excludes prescriptions). These can be used with all of your other manufacturer coupons.

You do have to be careful and plan your trip well because you have to use the entire ECB or they reduce the value to what you owe and you then lose the remaining amount.  I often will plan my transactions in order to get back smaller amounts, so I may do one transaction and get back a $2.99 ECB, a $1.99 ECB, and a $4.99 ECB.  Doing this makes it easier to work the deals the next week because I don't need to have such a large total to use my current ECB's.
As with Walgreens and Rite Aid, the goal at CVS is to work their deals in order to get the cheap and/or free stuff and still have ECB's remaining for your next deal there. The first time you shop CVS, you will likely pay out of pocket; however your goal should be to pay less then you will receive in ECB's for that first purchase.  My first time shopping CVS as a couponer, I spent $11 out of pocket and got back $13 in ECB's.  Then the next sale, you will use those ECB's to pay little or no money out of pocket (or, if needed, for items you can't find on sale anywhere else such as milk, paper products, etc). Each week, I will show some scenario's to help you understand this a little better.