Friday, February 13, 2009

Items to Buy at CVS

CVS is a cornucopia of the relevant and bizarre when it comes to ExtraCare Buck deals. When approaching deals, you must bring two BIG attitudes to your overall mindset:

1. A sense of humor about people, especially yourself! To get the best deals, occasionally you will need to work items into your transactions (say, to get you up to $20 for a $4 off $20 CVS purchase coupon) that have nothing to do with your actual consuming needs. Fear not! It can be donated, regifted, or sold, if need be. For example, one night before Halloween last year, I picked up a blood glucose monitor and Butterfingers in the same transaction, because they had hot deals for both that week and I had a $3 off $15 coupon. The lady checking me out was amused to say the least.

2. A willingness to flex - to try out new brands when they've got good deals, and to strike while the iron is hot on your favorites. Me getting over most of my brand loyalties is what enabled me to embrace the CVS loyalty system for its possibilities.

That said, if you collect coupons and watch the ExtraCare deals, you should be able to pick up lots of the following for free or pennies on the dollar, on a regular basis:

Haircare (Garnier, Pantene, Head and Shoulders, Nivea, Pert Plus, Herbal Essences, etc.)
Skincare and Cosmetics (Olay, Neutrogena, Jergens, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Cover Girl, Almay, Revlon, etc.)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste (Colgate, Crest, etc.)
Deodorant (Right Guard, Blade, Old Spice, Soft'n'Dri, Suave, etc.)
Body Washes and Soaps (St. Ives, Dove, Softsoap, Irish Spring, etc.)
Feminine hygiene products (Always, Stayfree, Kotex, Playtex, etc.)
Meds for Cold, Sinus, Allergies, Painkillers, Fever Reducers (Aleve, Aleve-D, Zyrtec, Advil, Claritin, etc.)
Travel sizes of toiletries
Drinks (soda 12-packs, single drinks from refrigerator, etc.)
Snacks and candy, especially before big holidays

And you can often get the following baby and kid gear for much cheaper than even WalMart and warehouse store prices:

Diapers (Pampers, Huggies, Playskool, CVS brand)
Diaper creams (Desitin, etc.)
Wipes (Same as diaper brands)
Sippy cups (Playtex, Gerber, etc.)
Kid toothbrushes and toothpaste (Oragel, Colgate, etc. with or without fluoride)
Items to Buy at CVSSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
Ebates and Swagbucks are both easy ways to earn rewards while doing what you normally do - web-searching through Google and shopping for bargains online!

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