CVS Coupon-ing Week of 9/18/11

There probably comes a point when coupon-ing becomes too extreme. If you have seen TLC’s Extreme Coupon-ing, then you probably realize how strangely addicting this hobby can be and that people who get hooked to the point of no return end up sacrificing large parts of the their lives to commit to this addiction. Obviously, I don’t have a life-threatening drug or alcohol addiction, and I know I’m not even as bad as some of the people on that show… but I can see down the road and I realize that I maybe need to cool it a little bit.

Lately, I’ve been trying to not buy quite so much and only make use of the really amazing deals. Also, while I was attempting to start coupon-ing at Walgreens as well as CVS a few weeks ago, I’ve decided that one store is more than enough for me. Sometimes it’s really hard for me to accept that I need to not buy quite so much, though. Because when you’re saving as much money as I am, it doesn’t really seem like there could be a downside to the bags and bags of free stuff.

My CVS Shopping Plan (week of 9/18/11):

(4) M&Ms Halloween Fun Size – 4/$10 + $4ECB* ($1/2MC* + $1.50/2MC)
(2) 5 Gum – $1 ($1 CVS coupon* + BOGO CVS coupon)
(1) Softsoap hand soap – 3/$5 ($0.75/1MC)
(1) Revlon Age Defying Makeup – $10 + $2ECB ($5/1MC)
(1) Carmex Lotion – $4.99 + $2ECB
(1) Crest ProHealth Rinse – $3.99 + $1.25ECB ($1/1MC)
(1) Aquafresh toothpaste – $4.89 + $2ECB ($1/1MC)
(1) U by Kotex – $4.99 ($4.50 worth of CVS coupons)
(1) Carmex Lip Balm – $0.99 ($0.30/1 MC)
(2) Excedrin – $11.49/each + Get $10ECB wyb* $20 (two $1.50/1 MCs)
(14) Palmolive – $0.88/each (seven $1/2MC)

Original Total = $80.71. I used one $10/$50 Purchase CVS coupon and one $5/$30 Purchase CVS coupon. My employee discount saved me $5.60. I used $23.50 ECB on this purchase.

Final Total = $3.57 + $21.25ECB!!!

*ECB = Extra Care Bucks (see here for more details). WYB = “when you buy”. MC = Manufacturer coupon (found in your local Sunday paper and weekly Redplum flyers). CVS coupon = They print out on your receipt after you buy something, or you can print different ones from the Instant Coupon Printer located in all stores. Printed MCs = You can print coupons from sites like Coupons.com and CouponNetwork.com from your home.