How To... CVS

Step One? Sign up for an Extra Care card. This is your key (well, card) to all the great deals available to you at CVS.

Every week, there are certain deals to be had using your card. When you purchase these items, you receive Extra Bucks on your receipt. These can be used almost like cash (you can't purchase a few items, like alcohol or tobacco with them... the limitations are printed right there on the EB) on your next visit to CVS. When you combine these deals with manufacturer's coupons, things begin to get fun...

Example 1

Let's say that Crest ProHealth is on sale at CVS this week for $2.99. When you buy a tube, you receive $2.00 in Extra Bucks, essentially making the toothpaste only cost $.99. However, last week there was a coupon in the Sunday paper for $1 off any Crest toothpaste. Combine the deals, and you have just purchased a tube of toothpaste for just tax. Here's the math:

             Crest ProHealth  $2.99

             Coupon               - $1.00     

             Extra Bucks*     - $2.00

                                                -.01

* Your Extra Bucks will print on your receipt. So you will pay $1.99 plus tax, and get $2.00 back.

Now once you do your first CVS trip, you can start doing this thing called 'rolling'. Rolling is when you use your Extra Bucks to buy other items that will earn you more Extra Bucks.

Example 2

So you have your Extra Bucks from the Crest deal last week. This week, Gillette razors are on sale for $9.99. You will receive $5.00 back in Extra Bucks. There was also a $4 coupon available in the paper. This time, I am going to show the math exactly to what you will pay out of pocket. You'll see the Extra Bucks at the end. Here you go:

             Gillette ProFusion   $9.99

             Coupon                     - $4.00

             Last weeks EB         - $2.00            

                                                   $3.99 - Pay this out of pocket and receive $5.00 back on your receipt.

If you continue to roll your Extra Bucks every week, you can usually keep your out of pocket expenses low while still building a stockpile of the items you use most.

Check back here weekly, as I will be posting match-ups, as well as deal scenarios where I'll show you how to do the deals for as little out of pocket as possible!

Cardenas Deals and Coupon Match-ups 01/13-01/19

The dates for Cardenas sales are different from most other stores in the Los Angeles County area. They run sales from Thursday to Wednesday (versus Wednesday to Tuesday that we're all used to), except they have a 2 day sale that is valid Wednesday 01/12 and Thursday 01/13. This 2 day sale happens virtually every week.

Here are the best deals that I see for this week... the best deals are bold and blue.

Two Day Sale 01/12-01/13

Fuji Apples - .99/3 lbs

Dole Classic Blend Salad - .79

Regular Sales Date Items

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Leg Meat - .89/lb

Springfield Tomato Sauce - 6 for $1, Limit 12 

Sweet Oranges - .99/5 lbs 

For tomato sauce, 6 cans for a dollar is my stock up price. However, there IS a limit. Since we use tomato sauce on a relatively regular basis, I will be taking my husband with me so we can each get 12 cans. Doing this ensures that I will have enough tomato sauce for about 12 weeks, which is about how long it takes for sales to cycle through.

Food 4 Less Deals and Coupon Match-ups 01/12-1/18

Here are the best deals that I see for Food 4 Less this week... the very best deals are bold and blue.

Colgate Toothpaste - $1.00
SS 01/02/11 .50/1
Final Price: .50

Farmer John Lunch Meat - $2.00

Wow, it's a slow week! Another note on the toothpaste... you WILL end up getting toothpaste for free at one of the drugstores fairly often. However, this is a good price if you need toothpaste :)

Stater Bros Deals and Coupon Match-ups 01/12-01/18

These are the best deals that I have pulled from our Stater Bros Ad - the very best deals are bold and blue :)

Three Day Only Sale (Saturday 01/15-Monday 01/17)

Stater Bros Pasta 10-14 oz - .49

Stater Bros Pasta Sauce - .99

Oscar Mayer Wieners - .99

Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast/Tenders/Cutlets 2.5lbs-3lbs - $4.77 (I visited Staters tonight, and the only ones I could find were the breasts and tenders, but both were 3 pounds - makes them $1.59/lb).

Regular Sales Date Items

Marie Callender's or Healthy Choice (must buy 5) - $1.49 

SS 01/02/11 Buy 5, get 1 free (up to $3.00)
Use $1 Marie Callender's  Here

Final Price: 6 for $7.45 or $1.24 each if you buy Healthy Choice, and .49 if you buy Marie Callender's

Foster Farm Chicken Breast w/ Ribs Attached - .99/lb

Kiwi - .10 each (I love kiwi!)

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits - .99

GM 01/02/11 .30/2 

Final Price: 2 for $1.68 or .84 each

That's all that I really see that might be worth the trip - if anyone sees anything else, please let me know and I'll update this!

*Quick Note: There are many times that you can get name brand pasta (whole wheat varieties included) for free or for mere pennies. However, this is a good price if you are just starting out. Depending on how often your family eats pasta, pick up just a few of these and wait for a rockin' sale!

Day One

...of many, or so I hope :)

There are few things in the world that make me as happy as getting a good deal. Walking out of a store paying 65% or more makes me feel invigorated. Now, not so much that I will convert two rooms (or even one, at this point) to house my stockpile, a la Extreme Couponing. Still, it makes me happy.

Another thing that gives me that feeling is showing and teaching people how it's done. I'm hoping this blog will give me an outlet to teach others what I have been lucky enough to learn myself.

So if you have any questions, specific or general, please don't hesitate to leave a comment, email me, send smoke signals or hire an airplane to write in the sky... actually that one's not frugal, so better to choose another method, and I'll get back to you. If I don't know the answer, I'll find it for you!

That being said, I will either do the coupon match-ups or link to a blog that does do them for the following stores:

• Ralphs
• Vons
• Albertsons
• Stater Bros
• CVS
• Rite Aid
• Walgreens

I will also post deals available at Cardenas, Food 4 Less, and El Super, although they don't usually have an overabundance of deals like are usually available at the more expensive grocery stores.

If you read all this, awesome. I hope that you can come and learn something from me. If you have friends who are living outside their means, send 'em over. We like everyone here!

Staci