I’ve had a number of people asking about shops at both CVS and Walgreens recently, so I thought I would begin to share some shop suggestions with you! These suggestions should be tailored to fit what works best for your family and your financial situation, so make sure that they work for you before heading out! That being said, here is what I would do based on the best deals this week (assuming you have no ECB or RR to start with):
CVS
Transaction #1
Buy 1 Crest Pro-Health 1-liter or Whitening Rinse 16 oz $4.99
Use $1 Crest ProHealth Rinse coupon
Pay $3.99 plus tax, Get $4 ECB
Final Price: $.01 Moneymaker
Transaction #2
Buy 1 Crest Pro-Health 1-liter or Whitening Rinse 16 oz $4.99
Buy 1 Mars Chocolate Candy Bar (choose your favorite!) $.75
Buy 1 Arizona Iced Tea $.69
Buy 3 Arm & Hammer Liquid Detergent B1G2 for $7.49
Use 3 $1 Arm & Hammer Ultra Power Single-Use or Liquid Detergent from 5/18 SS
Use $1 Crest ProHealth Rinse coupon
Use $4 ECB from last transaction
Pay $5.92 plus tax, Get $4 ECB from Crest, $.75 ECB from Mars and $.25 or $.50 Arizona Iced Tea from Checkout 51
Final Price: As low as $4.67
(Not everyone received the $2 Speed Stick Gear coupon from the Red Instant Coupon Machine, so I didn’t include that in this idea. If you DID get it, be sure to pick up that freebie as well!)
Walgreens
Transaction #1
Buy 1 Colgate Optic White Mouthwash 8 oz Rinse $3.49
Use $1 Colgate Mouthwash or Mouth Rinse from 5/11 SS
Pay $2.49 plus tax, Get $2.50 RR from Colgate
Final Price: $.01 Moneymaker
Transaction #2
Tricalm Anti-Itch Steroid-Free Hydrogel $7 (this is your filler so you can use the RR from last transaction)
Buy 4 Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 2/$6
Use 4 $2 Garnier from 5/4 SS
Use $2.50 RR from last transaction
Pay $8.50 plus tax, Get $7 RR from Tricalm and 2,000 points from Garnier
Final Price: $2
Transaction #3
Buy 1 Colgate Optic White Mouthwash 8 oz $3.49
Buy 2 Windex Touch-Up 2/$7
Buy 2 Dial Foaming Hand Soap B1G1 for $2.69
Buy 1 Walgreens Hydrogen Peroxide 16 oz $.33 w/in-ad coupon (this is your filler so you can use the RR from last transaction)
Use $1 Colgate from 5/11 SS
Use B1G1 Windex Touch-Up from 5/11 SS (not all areas got this coupon)
Use $1/2 Dial from 5/11 RP
Use $7 RR from previous transaction
Pay $1.01 plus tax, Get $2.50 RR from Colgate, $2 RR from Windex, $1 Windex from Checkout 51 and possibly $1 RR wyb 2 from Windex Touch-Up (we’ll know whether this works or not when I try it in the morning!)
Final Price: As low as $1.51
After shopping at both stores, you’ll walk away spending $21.91 out of pocket and you’ll have $4.75 ECB, $5.50 in RR and 2,000 points left over. That’s only $9.66 for everything! If you have any RR or ECB to start with, feel free to change these deals to what will work best for you! These are just a jumping point. Happy shopping!

Alli is a Chicago based wife and mother of two children. She has turned money-saving into a game and enjoys searching out the best deals to help you save money! Alli shares her insight, tips and up-to-the-minute deals for local and national retailers and brands. Her hope is that you will play the game and learn to save money at the same time!