Goodbye, CVS!

After months of couponing at CVS, it was time to stop it completely. Yes, completely. What I mean by that is that we spent every last dollar of our ExtraBucks, which means we won't be going there for a long time! The only things that will cause me to visit again would be because 

          (1) it's out of necessity like I need a prescription filled or some over-the-counter medicine

          (2) there's something in the store on clearance or FREE

          (3) there's an amazing sale where I could roll ECB in the same visit and leave having spent them all

Why am I taking a break from CVS? I was getting really tired of keeping track of the ECB even with the one month expiration date. In fact, I actually lost ECB on Howard's card accidentally! We contacted CVS, but they said they couldn't reissue it. I'm pretty bummed about that because it was a rather large amount, but I know that I've scored so many deals that this isn't really losing if I think of my entire couponing journey with the store. Still, I wish they could have reissued it.

The other reason why I'm not going to be working on deals there is because we are very well stocked on items that I typically purchase there. I'm guessing I won't have to start building up our stockpile again until about a year from now. It's very relaxing knowing that we have 4 huge bundles of toilet paper in the closet that I only cost me $1.96 out of pocket. Not having to flip through the flyers and plan out deals to stretch out ECBs will be a relief, and I can focus on couponing for groceries instead! Besides, CVS stopped sending me the extra percent off or $ off $$ coupons on Thursdays because I'm either in a cycle of not receiving them or they know it helps me spend next to nothing out of pocket, haha.

Our last trip was on January 12th because I had a few dollars expiring. On Howard's card, we had $6 ECB left. Though it doesn't look like much compared to my past CVS hauls, it was a fun one because we were just burning them up! The 16 oz Planters peanuts were on sale 2 for $6. I had a $1 coupon off of 2, so that meant using $5. We actually like the Gold Emblem Sparkling Fruit Water, so we got one of those for $0.88 on sale. There would still be $0.12 left to use. The ECB would beep though (and not deduct from the tax), so the last deal was the Nestle candy. The deal that week was to buy one for $0.79 and get $0.79 in ECB back. So as small as this haul was, it was actually two transactions. The second transaction was using the $0.79 ECB on a second Crunch bar, which was then completely free. Including tax, this cost $0.78 out of pocket. Pretty good deal, I'd say!

I had $9 on my card. The funny thing is that the prices of everything in my haul added up to be EXACTLY $9! The Kotex was on sale for $4.99, and I also purchased Gold Emblem Sparkling Fruit Water for $0.88. I had seen on Instagram that people were finding the scunci hair accessories for just $0.29. I grabbed two of those knowing that I'd use some of the items and can donate the rest to Operation Christmas Child at the end of this year. Lastly, I too did the same deal with the Nestle candy. My final out of pocket cost was $0.15, which was the cost of the bottle deposits! Of course, we will be recycling the bottles, which means I'll get the money back, so it was essentially all free! That's how I like it, and it was the perfect way to say toodles to CVS!

Here's a detailed look at what was in each of the scunci packages. I'll definitely be using the butterfly clips and hair ties from the first package. I use the clips at home when I just want to get the front part of my hair out of my face. The colors are really bright, but they're totally fine to use at home because after a while, they do eventually break and I'd rather these break than the black and tortoise ones I have. I'll also see if I can fit the thicker headbands from the second package because I just really don't like having my hair in my face when I do things like the dishes or craft. Everything else will be given away.

 

I'm very grateful that I was able to get items for our own personal use and for my family members and cousins throughout these past few months at CVS. It'll still always hold a very special place in my couponing heart, but right now I'm more relieved than anything. Now I can spend my couponing energy on Stop & Shop, Target, and Pathmark!