Poll: do you CVS?
It seems to me that the CVS craze includes far more than just shopping at that particular chain of stores. It's all about stacking coupons, sales, clearance deals and rebates to see how low can you go?
Can you walk into the store with 73 cents and a pocketful of coupons and come out with more bags than you carry?
There are many, many blogs dedicated to this mode of shopping. Money Saving Mom is at the top of the food chain, but there are plenty of others that help feed the deals to Crystal. Do you have one? Plug it in the comments!
How do you feel about shopping this way? Chime in on the new poll below.
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24 Responses to “Poll: do you CVS?”
December 16th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I absolutely shop at CVS! I post weekly deals and shopping trips for both CVS and Walgreens on my blog: http://www.couponing101.com.
December 16th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I love CVS and yes I usually spend less than a dollar and have tons of stuff to bring home.
The best part of shopping at CVS for me is that I can stockpile tons of items so that I can give to others whenever I hear of a need or as extra gifts to local children’s homes.
Visit my blog at http://bargainbanana.blogspot.com
December 16th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I have a Walgreens close to me and I usually do their rebate offers every month too.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I’ve tried, and still watch blogs that show deals in case I see one or two things that are worth it…but in general it’s too much work, too much running around, too much organization, too much stuff I don’t want or need. But I’m also a working single with my first home to deal with…so I’m probably busier than most.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
CVS has saved us lots of money. It has helped us tremendously!
I took a break when our daughter was born in September, and had just returned to it, and then she got meningitis for Halloween, and had just returned and how she is in a pavlik harness to be treated for hip dysplasia. Because of the harness I need a different size diaper pronto, so tonight I will blow what extra bucks I have to get that size of diaper…and take a break until things calm down again…like when they are 29!
In all honestly, it is a lot of work, but the rewards are worth it, so I will return to it.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
My husband hates CVS!! I have to admit, I’m not sure it’s worth the time it takes ME to go. (I’m not very organized, don’t make decisions quickly, and tend to wander around looking for good deals.) I’ll end up going occasionally for really good deals but that’s it. It doesn’t help that CVS is the next town over (became not worth it in gas $), the closest one apparently doesn’t stock products very well so most of the items I wanted weren’t in stock.
I’ve been concentrating on Walgreens and Rite Aid b/c I can stop at both along with my regular grocery shopping.
December 16th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
To go to CVS it is a 60+ miles round trip. Also I stay on a really tight budget and find often people go to a “sale” and spend more than they expected. Impulse buying. My neighbor has done the CVS thing. She now has enough shampoo for a year. And has to come up with ways to store all her “savings”. I do not know why people who do this and come up with an over abundance do not donate these items to shelters and food pantries. I know of 3 families in this lil 2 mile by 2 mile town who have a monthly garage sale on the items they received for free. And still they charge more than the dollar store does. I don’t know about it for sure. Does it make you feel like you have to do it over and over again because your saving? On items you do not need?
December 16th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I don’t have a CVS where I live, but I do basically the same thing at Walgreen’s. Its definitely worth it now as I get huge discounts and lots of freebies every month, but after my second child is born and I will have two babies under 2 I might take a break for awhile:)
December 16th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I don’t purchase most of the items that stores like CVS sell so its not really worth it to me. I’m impressed by people that do it but at the same time why does anyone need to stockpile all that stuff just to get a deal.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I do any Walgreen’s free after rebate items that I will use because it’s easy and simple. CVS looks a lot more complicated to me, but I might try it out someday.
In reading blogs like Money Saving Mom where they list their drugstore deals, some seems good and useful, but others just seem like stockpiling, especially when the item still cost money.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I love CVS! Since we adopted our son in August I have not paid cash for diapers. I think it’s only hard when you first start, but when you get the hang of it, it’s fun & easy. I used to worry about buying toiletries & always had to buy the cheapest product. CVS has made it so my family can have name brand products – without paying any “real” money.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
We don’t have CVS but we do have Walgreens and Rite-aid, but most of the things I have seen that are rebate/coupon deals are things I don’t use. The food items are processed convenience food that we don’t eat, and it’s not worth my time to do the other stuff. I find deals for the other things we need and keeping out of the stores completely is the best way to save money that I’ve found.
December 17th, 2008 at 8:27 am
We are blessed to have a CVS and a Walgreens within a mile from home. I CVS and also do the Grocery Game. I was one who also thought couponing and finding deals was too much work, and basically would hit Sam’s Club and Walmart once a month or so and do a big shopping trip.
I decided to give it a try last April, and yes, I do sometimes roll ECB’s over and get things I will not use, or get free items at the grocery store. With all the free items we were able to do 10 shoeboxes for Samaritans Purse (toothpaste and brushes), 5 backpacks for the womens shelter (Kleenex, feminine products), several food drives (cereal, processed food), etc, this year without spending outside our grocery budget. Thats not to brag on our good deeds, but otherwise, I would not have had the money to support these organizations, as I am on a salary with a cash grocery budget.
It was a little time-consuming in the beginning, but now, I can be in and out of CVS in ten minutes. The benefits to me are that I save money, and no waiting in lines at Walmart, and usually very friendly clerks.
Also, I’ve just been thru several months of morning sickness, and it was a real blessing to just draw from my stockpile of food and shampoo.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I don’t do CVS as we live in a VERY small apartment and we have no storage space. Saving money this way is great and all, but it does me no good (I am careful at other stores when I need something). I have a friend who’s so consumed by this kind of thing, she’s overwhelmed her husband and house with useless products. I realize you have to do it w/in limits, but I know ours right now. But if someone can do it, kudos to them!
December 17th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I tried it but found that I was buying things I didn’t normally buy and actually ended spending more.
I was too caught up in the idea of it being “such a good deal.” I ended up donating the things I got and didn’t use and called it quits.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
A previous commenter ssid she doesn’t purchase the types of things CVS sells. Do people really never buy shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine products, razors, OTC medicines etc? I can think of alternatives for some of these items- cloth menstrual pads instead of disposable ones, baing soda instead of toothpaste…but do people use homemade toothbrushes? Is there an alternative to dental floss?
December 18th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I WISH there were deals like this in Canada. ARG! No Aldi’s, no CVS…
December 18th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
I generally do CVS weekly. I almost never spend over $1.00 and get a bunch of health & beauty products. Some of it I might not need but it allows me to roll over the ECB for another week for more free items.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
While I’ve never heard of anyone these days making homemade toothbrushes and I can’t think of any good alternatives to dental floss, it’s probably not worth doing the whole CVS thing just for these two items. You can get toothbrushes and floss for very cheap in generic brands.
December 22nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Well, my answer is yes and no. I do use coupons and try to get ECBs. However, I only buy products that we actually need and use. So, I don’t do that whole business of buying all the stuff that generates lots of ECBs, then turn them around to buy more stuff with ECBs… I don’t need to shop that way, I don’t want to buy a bunch of useless (to me) products, and I don’t want to take the time and bother to do all that.
So, while I do use ECBs when I get them, I don’t rabidly look for deals and spend only $1 or so when I go in there.
December 26th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Being Canadian, we don’t have cvs/Walgreens. I try to go most of my shopping at Giant Tiger with some Foodland, Dollarama and as a last resort Shoppers Drug Mart. Walmart is only an option if I have to go into the next town. I don’t bother with coupons because I try to stay away from name brands.
December 26th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Being Canadian, we don’t have cvs/Walgreens. I try to go most of my shopping at Giant Tiger with some Foodland, Dollarama and as a last resort Shoppers Drug Mart. Walmart is only an option if I have to go into the next town. I don’t bother with coupons because I try to stay away from name brands.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:06 am
The products for the best deals are almost always out of stock at the CVS stores in my area.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:26 am
I love CVS! After finding the great deals there, I don’t pay for toiletries anymore. I often post about them on my blog, cheapiecheapie.blogspot.com.
I still can’t believe how much money it has saved my family. We generally only buy items that we need.
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