I figured I would begin by explaining what a CVS ECB deal is, as I have a feeling I will be posting a lot of those deals on here. CVS has a program called "Extra Care" - this is basically their store rewards card. You can sign up for free in any CVS and make sure to have the card scanned (or give your phone number) everytime you make a purchase to get coupons called "Extra Care Bucks" that print on the bottom of your receipt every so often. A lot of times these rewards will be after spending a certain amount in any given quarter, however, there are also deals that prompt ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) to print immediately when you purchase a certain item. The good thing about this is that these ECB's are literally dollars off your next purchase.
Let me give you an example; This week CVS is having a deal where if you purchase Oust spray for $2.99 you get $2 back in ECB's. This $2 prints out when you make the purchase, and you can turn around and spend that $2 on anything in the store (except for Prescriptions or Gift Cards). So it's basically like getting cash back - and in the example I just gave, it's like getting that can of Oust spray for .99 cents.
Occasionally things will actually be free after ECB's - another example; this week Soy Joy bars are $6 for a pack, with $6 in ECB's back = FREE. The best way to maximize these deals is to roll those ECB's into future purchases of items that give back ECB's as well.. I have been doing this for a few months now. I initially invested about $20 into purchasing things that had good ECB value - Lets say I spent $20 and managed to get back about $15 in ECB's on that purchase. The following week I went back and bought more things that were free, or close to free, after ECB's. I used the previous weeks bucks to purchase that weeks items, thereby not spending money out of my pocket (oop = out of pocket, another term that will be used frequently). Once you get started, it's easy to go into CVS and not have any actual OOP expense each week. The other great thing is that after every few purchases, a coupon for $3 of a $15 purchase will print with your receipt. This coupon can be used before redeeming your bucks on your next purchase, and therefore can actually wind up with you making money!
I am going to finish this entry by showing you todays purchase broken down:
Oust Spray - $2.99 ($2 ECB)
2 Soy Joy boxes - $12 ($12 ECB)
Crave-NX Diet Spray - $7 ($7 ECB)
Total before any ECB's/Coupons: $21.99
Redeemed a $3 off $15 coupon - $18.99
Used $19 in previous ECB's
Total OOP Expense: $0
Total ECB's printed to use for next time: $21
On the above deal, I actually managed to make $2 because of the coupon. I went in with $19 in ECB's, and left with a few products, and $21 more in ECB's to use next time!
The above deals are valid until Sunday, so get out to the store tommorow and pick up your own and see just how easy it is! Keep in mind that the bucks DO expire (typically 30 days later) - but if you're like me, you'll start visiting CVS once a week and keep rolling those dollars into new ones!
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