How CVS overages paid for my Easter candy

This afternoon after my final triathlon training day (big day is next Sunday!), I stopped by CVS to get deals for both weeks. Yes, I was sweaty and gross but by myself. This will be probably be my last chance to buy Easter goodies without the kids.

Tip: If you shop on Saturday afternoons / evenings, make sure you have your list of deals from the previous week because all the tags will likely be down and replaced with next week's tags. It takes a little longer to get the right products but it's worth it to me turning two trips into one.

Here's how CVS overages / money makers paid for 3 Dove solid chocolate bunnies and 2 bags of Dove solid chocolate eggs. I've said it before: I'm a chocolate snob but it's important to me that the first ingredient in my chocolates be chocolate and not sugar (check the ingredients on other brands), and Dove has no artificial colors. Yeah!

First I scanned my CVS card at the kiosk and was surprised by a random $1 ECB. Free money! Then I bought:

• 2 Airwick Freshmatic kits and 2 Airwick Fresmatic refills ($5 each; spend $20, earn $10 ECB; used 2 $4 MC on kits, 1 B1G1 MC on refills, and 1 $1.50 off refills=$4.50 MM). See other deal scenarios here.
• 1 Complete eye solution ($9, get $9ECB=FREE; I couldn't find the coupon that reportedly came in last Sunday's paper which would have made it a MM.)
• 2 Oral B Advantage toothbrushes ($3 each, get $1ECB for each, used 1 B1G1 and 1 $2 MC=$1 MM)
• 1 Crest Pro-Health toothpaste and 1 Glide Pro-Health floss ($3.50 each, get $2.50 ECB for each, used $1 MC for toothpaste and $1 MC for floss in home P&G home mailer=2 FREE.) However, the ECBs did not print and so the clerk had to punch it in manually. The machines won't let them do cents and so she rounded each up to $3, making this a $1 MM. Had I known this, I would have asked her to print one $3 and one $2 so that it would be fair. Tip for future trips.
• Since my total before coupons was over $40, I used the $5 off $40 coupon I printed from Facebook a few days ago. It expires 4/10.
• I also used $15 ECBs from previous trips

Subtotal: $.47

Total with tax: $4.07

Total savings: $57.74

ECBs earned: $27

My second transaction included:

• 3 Dove chocolate bunnies & 2 bags of Dove chocolate eggs (normally $4.99 each, on sale for $3 each, used $2/2 Mars products in All You magazine, $1/2 Mars products from paper, and $1 off Dove bag chocolates from paper)
• 1 Russell Stover chocolate bunny ($.74, get $.74 ECB=FREE; deal Sunday through Tuesday only; limit 1)
• 1 CVS Super Bubbles ($1.49--was supposed to be $1.99, get $1.99 ECB; deal Sunday through Tuesday only). Again, the ECBs for the Russell Stover and bubbles did not print; so she gave me $1 and $2 ECBs. Had I been thinking clearly, I would have taken the $2 and not had her print the $1. Lesson learned.
• I used the $10 and $3 ECBs from previous transaction too.

Subtotal: $.23

Total with tax: $1.23

Total saved: $27.58

ECBs earned: $3

To recap, I'll be donating everything from the first transaction to my Couponing for Charity mission. CVS overages & free coupons totaled $12.50 and my chocolates after coupons were $11. And that is how CVS paid for my Easter candy! Thank you, CVS!

Note: I have no affiliation with CVS, and this was not a paid post. I'm just a happy customer.

How to Score FREE Easter Candy

A few weeks ago, I was "On the Hunt for the Hunts"--affordable items to stuff Easter eggs for several egg hunts. I settled on stickers as the most economical and environmental choice, but now that I'm preparing the Easter baskets for the kids, I realized CVS's candy sale this week is really a good deal.

I wanted three chocolate bunnies--one for each of the kids. Since yes, I am a chocolate snob, I prefer Dove or Lindt to the cheaper brands. CVS has both brands this week for $3 each, but Dove's is 6oz of solid chocolate and Lindt is 3.5oz. I'll take Dove. Better yet, if you spend more than $10 on candy, you get $3ECB. Here's how to stock up on items you probably need and score "free" chocolate at the same time (deals good through 3/27 as far as I know).

Transaction #1:

Buy 1 tube of Colgate Total for $3.99. Use $1/1 coupon, pay only $3 and get $4ECB.

Buy 1 pack of Pampers for $8.97 (all sizes should apply, even if the tag doesn't specify--do a price scan before you buy). Use $2/1 coupon or $1.50/1 (they're everywhere), and get $3ECB.

Total I spent: $10 plus tax

Bonus: I also received a $2ECB if I spend $10 on my next transaction; not sure if that's printed for everyone. Regardless, you should have at least $7ECB.

Transaction #2:

Spend at least $10 in candy a number of ways. You can buy any 4 types of bagged candy marked 2/$6. Or you could buy 3 bags of candy and two packs of generic jelly beans to spend a little less, but nobody likes jelly beans in my house. Another idea is to buy 3 bags Hershey chocolates and 1 other item and use a $2/3 printable found here. Note: The coupon will not work with the $.99 advertised Hershey chocolates because of the size.

I chose 3 Dove bunnies and 1 pack of Dove eggs.

My total spent: $3 plus tax (after $9ECB), and I walked away with $3ECB for next time. Sweet!

Make sure you have your green tag attached to a reusable bag; for every four visits to CVS, you get $1ECB. Money for something I'm already doing--awesome! And if you bought Pampers, don't forget to set aside your receipt for the P&G deal to receive $100 of coupons. You just have to spend $50 on any P&G products from 2/1/10 to 4/15/10; separate receipts are fine. One per household. I just mailed mine yesterday.

As long as we're on the subject of Easter baskets, I wanted this year's baskets to be personal, economical, and environmental. Buying new pre-made baskets fails all three criteria. So I'll reuse baskets from previous years (along with the plastic grass from year's past), fill them with the bunnies I just bought along with our stash of plastic eggs with various chocolates and stickers, and have one special gift per child (all $8 each) that I know they'll love and use.

At Target today I picked up one Bakugan combat set for Bobby (saved $3.99), 5 puzzles in 1 box for Devin, and a bubble machine for Brooke (saved $2.09). Connect 4 and Monopoly are also a steal right now: $7 each. With a $4 coupon for Connect 4 and a $5 coupon for Monopoly, these only cost $2 or $3 each. If they're out, ask for a raincheck (good for 45 days but the coupons expire April 15.)

How did you save money on Easter this year?