Let’s talk about CVS and all of the deals that can be found there.

For months, friends have been trying to convince me to shop the deals at CVS with the ExtraCare card in hand, claiming they are actually MAKING money off shopping at CVS. Say what? I keep seeing references to the deals at CVS popping up on more and more blogs (like Money Saving Mom and Thrifty Florida Mama, and I used those blogs as a guide this week to the deals I wanted to try and snag. With time, you can perfect the methods explained on those sites so that you are never using a PENNY of your own money to shop at CVS! You just keep earning ExtraCare Bucks (ECB) with each transaction and rolling them into new deals since they’re accepted as currency at CVS!

I started out by walking into my local store and asking for a new CVS ExtraCare card. I had one years ago but who knows what happened to it. After I got my new card, I scanned it at the in store coupon kiosk. Occasionally it will print out special offers and extra coupons for you – no such luck for me on this day, so it was off to the savings.

I had my coupons from the Sunday paper with me, so I was shopping smart. I bought all of the following items in a single transaction, but I’m going to break them down here for you item by item so you can see the savings:

6 twelve packs of Coke, priced at 4/$14, or $3.50 each. When you buy more than $20 worth of Coke or Diet Coke twelve packs this week you earn $10 back in ECB! I spent $21 on the Coke, but I received $10 in ECB back on a future purchase, which brings my cost down to $10 if you count the “free money” I earned on a future purchase. $10 for 6 twelve packs?? I was instantly hooked on CVS deals.

I also bought 3 bottles of Suave body wash on sale for $2 each. When you buy $6 worth you get $2 back in ECB. I also had a $2 off 3 bottles coupon. $6 – $2 coupon = $4 – $2 in ECB = $2 overall cost for 3 bottles of body wash./

Moving onto the toothpaste – I bought 2 tubes of Colgate Advanced toothpaste on sale for $2.99 each. I had $1 off coupons for each tube, bringing my cost per tube to $1.99, and I EARNED $2.99 in ECB for each tube purchased! CVS PAID ME TO BUY TOOTHPASTE!!

How about some shampoo? With 5 heads to wash, and 3 of those heads belonging to kids who tend to overindulge in health and beauty items…well, we go through a lot of shampoo and conditioner. I bought 4 bottles of Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner for $2.99 each – total of 11.96. I had two manufacturer coupons, each for $3 off bringing my cost to $5.96. By purchasing those products, I earned $4 in ECB making my final cost $1.96 for 4 bottles of product.

Did I mention my kids are sick? Of course I needed some cold medicine and Triaminic and Theraflu are on sale! I purchased 2 bottles of Triaminic at $6.99 each for a cost of $13.98. No coupons, but I earned $5 in ECB for buying 2 bottles, making my final cost $8.98 or $4.49 per bottle.

After all was said and done, I walked out of the store having spent $61.40 before tax and with $30.98 in ECB to spend on future purchases – effectively spending only $30.42 for all of that product! And now I can roll over all of those ECB’s I accumulated into other purchases that give me ECB’s back!

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Did anyone catch the inside joke Jack Donaghy (as played by Alec Baldwin) made last night during his confession scene on 30 Rock? He said, “I once stated that I was God in a deposition”…I nearly fell off my couch laughing! Maybe you sit in front of the idiot box less than I do, so you’re clueless…I’ll fill you in. In the movie Malice, Alec played a doctor with a God complex, and he gives a disposition in which he states “I am God!”

Here’s the scene in case you don’t recall it. You can also enjoy Alec’s youthful appearance – slim build and face, dark hair, practically wrinkle free….sigh. Those were the good old days, weren’t they?

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About a month or so ago I got an email from a club mailing list I belong to letting me know that Norm MacDonald would be in town doing stand-up this weekend. I immediately booked 2 tickets to his show as a pre-Valentine’s date night for the husband and myself. We both remember watching Norm as the Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live, and we loved him in the movie Dirty Work (which happens to be one of, if not the last film Chris Farley ever made.) Norm has also been the voice of “Death” on Family Guy, another favorite of ours.

Anyway, I ended up scoring 2nd row seats in this little club, and we sat with 2 ladies from out of town who were enjoying their first visit to the club. Jim was a little worried about the show, never having seen Norm do stand-up bits, and I got that – funny in a movie or on TV doesn’t always translate to funny in person. I’m happy to report that Norm MacDonald is hilarious in person. His dead pan delivery, the sarcastic style – he has this way about him that says “I’m not trying to be funny, but it just happens.” And sitting 6 feet away from him while he did that? Magical.

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