Last week I was reminded that not everyone can follow along with the “coupon lingo” that I sometimes write into my posts. I thought this week, with P&G being our only insert and me being out of town with my family… I would post something a little different than deals…I would post some how-tos.

This is a very short version of a something that I teach in my Coupon Class. If you are interested in hosting a class, or attending a public class where you can learn a whole lot more couponing ins and outs; please feel free to EMAIL ME.

I started with definitions of some of the acronyms that I use. In the paperwork I use in my class…this section is 3 1/2 pages long!! That idea is out the window for one simple blog post!

I decided that what I would help you with today is a quick “How To” for shopping at CVS and Walgreen’s. Both of these pharmacy stores have reward incentive programs for their “loyal shoppers” and both often have items that are “free” after their incentive program rewards and coupons. That is about where they end in similarities so I thought I would give you a short run down. Today I will do CVS, next week I will do Walgreen’s.

CVS has a card that you will need to pick up called the “Extra Care” card. This tracks your purchases, allows you discounts off of their normal every day prices and allows you access to their weekly and monthly “sales”. You can pick one up at the front of the store or you can register for one online. I suggest the former as you can then use your card on the spot. I also suggest registering your card online because then you have the ability to use your phone number instead of the card if you ever leave the card at home.

Deals at CVS produce “Extra Care Bucks” (ECB)bucks” print off on the bottom of your receipt and work just like money…at CVS. It is incentive to keep shopping at their store. Be sure you save these! You can roll these ECB into several purchases and after your first couple of transactions you should be able to shop for pennies!

When you look through the weekly flier you will look for items that are “free” after ECB … meaning they produce ECB equal to the price. If you have coupons for these items, and you are rolling ECB, then these items can be money makers. You will also scan to see what other items produce ECBs and what items you can match up with coupons to make the items free or nearly free after ECB.

My friend Jaycie at Coupon Geek has a helpful post about rolling ECB that breaks it down trip by trip. Each deal generally has a limit as to the number of times you can do it, but there are no restrictions on using your ECB on the same deal.

It really becomes a game…in fact shopping at CVS is often referred to as “The CVS Game”; shopping to see how many items you can get for free each week! Once my own household is stocked, these are the items that I find and donate to local area shelters. I really like to shop, and you need to use your ECB before they expire, so I purchase items for them.

I hope this helps to make the idea of shopping at CVS a little bit clearer for you. Feel free to share some of your favorite CVS shopping tips here or on on FaceBook page!