The Frugal FireWife: Playing the CVS game

Level: Beginner: Easy

This week CVS has Colgate Sensitive 6 oz or Total Advanced 5.8 oz $3.79, Get $3.79 ExtraCareBuck.

If you have the $1.00 coupon from the 1/30 SS insert, or the 2/06 SS insert, or the Jan or Feb. All You magazine, you pay $2.79 + tax for (1) tube of toothpaste. Otherwise just pay $3.79 + tax.

After you checkout, you will get a coupon, or ECB, for $3.79 at the end of your receipt.

Because this particular deal has a limit of (2), you can get another tube of toothpaste and use the $3.79 ECB and pay only tax.*
(Unlike Walgreens, you CAN use the ECB on an identical item and still get another ECB back.)

After you checkout, you will get another ECB for $3.79 printed at the end of your receipt. Keep up with it and save it for next week.

*If you have another $1.00 coupon, in addition to the toothpaste you should get something that costs (at least) $1.00. They have a $1.00 section where you can buy a jar of fruit or a cupcake mix or sandwich baggies, etc.
(Also unlike Walgreens, you can use a coupon and an ECB on a single item without needing a *filler* item, but in this case, because the TP costs the same as your ECB, using a $1.00 coupon will make your TP cost $1.00 less than your ECB, and they don't issue *change* ECBs. Use it or lose it.)

In the end, you will have spent either $2.79 or $3.79 + tax and gotten (2) tubes of toothpaste, and possibly a $1.00 item, and still have $3.79 to spend next week.

Next week there are a couple of Free after ECB items, and more cheap toothpaste. (Different variety of TP, see picture for item.)
You have to go Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday only to get this deal. After Tuesday, no ECB for the Cadbury.

Buy (1) Cadbury @ .75, (1) bag Gold Emblem Jelly Beans @ .99, and (1) tube Colgate toothpaste at $2.77, for a total of $4.51.
Use the $3.79 ECB from last week, and pay $0.72 + tax.

You will get back, printed at the end of your receipt, a $2.00 ECB, a .75 ECB, and a .99 ECB.

The limit on the candys are (1), but the toothpaste is (2), so you can get another toothpaste and use the $2.00 and the .75 ECB, and pay .02 + tax.
You will get back a $2.00 ECB. Keep with your .99 ECB and save for next week, or later.

This time you will have spent .74 + tax and gotten (2) more toothpaste, a Cadbury egg, and a bag of jelly beans, and still have $2.99 to spend next week or later.