CVS: $34 becomes .85 cents!

Total Before Savings:  $34.27

ECBs Used:  $15.99

Coupons Used:  $8.48

Cash OOP:  .85 cents

ECBs Earned:  $12.79

2 Dawn Hand Renewal 9.5 oz. - On sale for .99 cents this week.  Used 2 $1/1 MFCs from the paper, making both of these FREE!  Look at your coupons - you should have a .20/1 any Dawn Coupon and a $1/1 "Hand Renewal" Dawn coupon.  The "Hand Renewal" one DOES NOT specify a size.  It just has to be the "Hand Renewal" variety.  

2 Colgate Optic White - $3.99 each.  Used 2 $1.50/1 MFCs, making these $2.49 each, but I also earned $3 ECBs by purchasing 2 of these.

1 Rephresh Tampons - $6.79.  Earned $6.79 ECBs with this purchase.

1 Soft Soap - $2.99.  Had no coupons.  Boo.  Earned $2 ECBs for buying 1. 

1 Aussie Shampoo - $2.99.  Used a $1/1 MFC and earned $1 ECB.

1 Ritz Crackerful - $2.50.  Got a coupon at the Coupon Center for a FREE box, making this FREE! 

So in 8 weeks, I've gotten $396.77 worth of stuff for $41.22 cash out of pocket (and if you count the free $50 gift card amount, that is $91.22).  That's either a savings of 89.61% or 77% depending on how you look at it by counting my "free $50 CVS gift card".  I have $12.79 in ECBs to play around with - I will most likely go back and do the P&G deal because we are running low on toilet paper & paper towels.  It's "Spend $25, get $10 ECBs". 

Some notes/tips/other ramblings:

-  The "FREE" Ritz Crackerful coupon also said that I could get some Newton Fruit Thins too.  I couldn't find these in my store but they are in the ad.

-  Live in Weymouth or Hingham?  Well I've realized this a few months back.  I live near the CVS on Bridge Street in North Weymouth.  That's my "go-to" CVS store.  It's a 24 hour store.  A few months ago, they built a new CVS right over the bridge in Hingham at the Shipyard.  Ridiculous - since they are about 1/2 mile away from each other.  I kid you not if you aren't from around here - if you are driving down 3A it's like Dunkin' Donuts & CVS central.  I love both of those places though, so I'm not complaining.  The CVS in Hingham opens at 7am on Sunday and whenever I go there to do my ECB shopping - they are STOCKED with stuff.  North Weymouth, even if I go around 8am, is sometimes already sold out of the ECB items.  I don't know if it's because it's a 24 hour store so they have REAL crazies going at like 2 am to nab the ECB deals or what.  I have also done my CVSing at the Southern Artery Quincy store (which sells out of the sale items FAST) and the Rt. 18 CVS in Weymouth (kind of iffy on their sale/ECB stockage). 

-  If you are new to the "drug store sale shopping frenzy" - my personal opinion is to pick a store and run with it.  I personally love CVS.  So I work their deals every week (obviously).  You will also find great deals at Rite-Aid & Walgreens if you know what you are doing.  I tried doing the Register Rewards at Walgreens about 2 years ago and it was such a bother for me that once redeemed, I was done.  I have a "Wellness Card" on my key ring for Rite-Aid, but I've never worked their sales.  I don't even read the Walgreens or Rite-Aid ads because I don't want to be tempted with them.  Some people do work all three - but I just find that if you stick with the one chain of your choice (factors being:  close proximity to your home/work & personal preference), you can really understand their program and work the sales each week and be stocked up sufficiently enough, and then some, for your family with hygiene products.  I'm overly confident in my understanding of CVS and how to spot the good deals that it really doesn't take me much time at all to make up my list and pump it out each week.  So if you pick one store and just learn how their program works, you can easily stock up on stuff each week just by going to that store once and using just the coupons from the newspapers.  I rarely print out coupons for CVSing.  In fact, in the past 8 weeks, I don't think I printed out a single coupon for CVS.  Between the Patriot Ledger and The Boston Globe, I get enough to work the sales each week.  Getting just The Boston Globe delivered on Sundays costs me about $14 a month and I get the Patriot Ledger delivered every day - and that costs me $8 a month.  I think that's going up to $8.55 a month, but that's fine by me.  I read these papers too - so I'm not just buying the coupons.  I like to read all about the drama on the South Shore - and call me old fashioned, but I just can't do it online.