Let me get this straight....so you paid out of pocket for the batteries $6.50/each=$13, and $4.33 for 2 tides (that's less the $5ecbs), for $17.33 you got 2 tides and 2 big packs of batteries....it looks ok, but not the biggest sale I've seen. It almost looks like people are doubling up what they think is an ecb...if you reference the same $5ecb two times, it really isn't, it should only be referenced once. ??? I buy my tide 100 oz on sale at Shaws when its 2.99 and i stock up. Please correct me where I'm looking at this differently.

i have a question about the ECB's... do you have to get some sort of special card or anything to get these?

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Mary
mom to Jacob 6 yrs. old (first grader!!)
Nathan 5 yrs. old (registered for kindergarten!!)
wife to Matt for 7 yrs.

you sign up to get a cvs card....its easy enough....then you use it each time you go...its the way they track your purchases, and you earn "bucks" with these purchases.

I just started out the CVS thing with $0 ECBs this week. It does cost a bit more to start from scratch, but once you start, you pay less OOP over time.

This week, I have paid out of pocket about $40, I think (I need to check the receipts).

This is what I got for my $40 (I had some mqs too, with rolling ECB from the first trip into the 2nd trip)

2 bottles of Garnier Fructis shampoo (2.99 each)- got 4 ECB
3 tubes Apricot scrub St. Ives (3.79 each)-got 5 ECB
4 packages Be Fine facial cleanser (1.99 each) got 12 ECB
2 3-packs Irish Spring soap (2.49 each)
1 10-pack irish Spring soap (5.99)-got 5 ECB
2 heat wraps for pain (1.79 each)- got 2 ECB each
1 package Alavert (6.99)- got 3 ECB
1 100-count bottle of vitamin C (2.99)-got 2.99 ECB
1 Lypsyl lip balm (2.99)-got 2.99 ECB

If you just look at the numbers here (OOP versus what I got), it looks like a good deal. not the greatest, not the worst.

However, the clincher is that through those purchases I now have $27 in ECBs to be used towards future purchases. so, on my next trip I can buy $27 worth of stuff, close to no OOP. So, with my $40 initial investment, I can keep getting things with little or no more money spent. With the exception of the Be-Fine cleanser, these are all products that my family regularly uses.

Hi, bargainbabe, unless my math is totally wrong, the total here is $52.90 +/-; and I think that is a lot of $ for the things listed....most or many of the things listed can be puchased on sale for less than half that (i.e., 3pc irish spring for 2.49....I never pay that much). So even if I add in the ECBs, and use those next week on something that I want/need, I just don't see where the savings is. The prices of what your paying with the ECBs are expensive. If you find sale prices, fine, but sometimes those ECBs expire and there is nothing you need that is on sale. So using my train of thought...just say you used your $27 ECBs only on 3 pk Irish Spring (10 more 3 pks), I still think if you added that to your list, $53 is a lot of $....to me it just seems that people forget the original and continuing OOP for all their purchases, and they underestimate what they spend.

I went today on my lunch hour. I bought:

3 St. Ives facial scrubs $3.79 each =$11.37
1 CVS allergy meds $4.29 = $4.29
total: $15.66

then I used a $4/$15 CVS coupon, and a CRT freebie coupon for the allergy meds

OOP $6.54 with tax
ECB earned $5 towards an upcoming purchase

and I got a CRT for the free CVS brand mouthwash 250 ml size also!

Well all I know is that I've been doing this for quite a while and I walk out of CVS every time with two or three bags full of shampoos, deodorant, razors, OTC meds, etc and never pay more than a few bucks out of my pocket. So I don't think I'm underestimating what I spend. I spend a few bucks for bags full of stuff. It's all in knowing how to do it. If you look at my first post there are several items that are FREE after ECBs. I don't see how you can do much better than that personally.

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Sorry, I wasn't clear on my last post. If I had purchased all of those items at once, it would be close to $52.90 OOP. Those were in 2 separate trips. On my first trip I earned 12 bucks, which I used to pay part of the second trip's bill, along with Irish spring mfr. coupons. I also had an Alavert coupon for dollars off. At the end of the second trip, I now have $27 in ECBs sitting in my coupon organizer to be used the next time I go in there. ECBs are like cash. You can redeem as many as you want.

They do expire after a month. However, if I felt like it, i could walk into a CVS, buy 2 more packs of lip balm at $2.99 a piece and pay for them with ECBs only. (no more cash OOP) The cash register would then print out 5.98 worth of ECBs (not expiring for another month), and i'm back up to my $27 worth of ECBs again. that is how people extend their ECBs. They go in and purchase items that you get an equivalent amount of ECBs back in with a new monthly date.

So, yes, i have spent about $40, which is not a great deal on that stuff. But over time it will multiply into me having spent $40 and gotten a WHOLE LOT of stuff.

I coupon, keep a price book, the whole works. I have always just been a Walgreen's girl. But now that I have stumbled upon CVS I wonder where it has been all my life.

You can also use coupons on "free after ECB" items making them better than free. My last trip I had multiple coupons for monthly free item (look for a monthly ECB flyer at your CVS store, usually just inside the store). I had about $5 worth of coupons on items that were free after ECB. I also had a $3/15 CVS coupon. I added a few other items I wanted. I paid $13 and went home with $15 ECB. CVS paid me $2 to buy a big bag of products

I definately compare my Tide prices here in Florida. Even on sale without coupons, the 4.99 would have been a better deal than the big jug of Tide at Sams and even Walmart. I believe that Florida has jacked up grocery prices and we also don't double coupons here. I agree with Aliadam that once you learn how to work the deals (with coupons on sale items and ECB's) you do pay pennies out of pocket. Believe me, if Tide were on sale here for 2.99,I'd be all over that deal!