Scenario for 6/5-11 sale

[sal987]

(Decided it might be best to move this off the weekly ad thread.)

Thanks in advance to any CVS saving wizards here who can tell me if the following scenario will work, or who might have a better plan to get this stuff lower oop.
I'm starting with zero ECBs left by the way, so clean slate here:

Transaction 1:
Colgate Multipack Manual tbs 2-4 pk;, Regular, Total, or Advanced Whitening paste Twin pk 11.6-12.8 total. $3 ecb, limit 2.
No idea what any of these actually cost. I am going to try for whatever is closest to $3 per and hit the limit. If 2 of these things cost more than $6 total, that will change my bottom line oop, but for this scenario's sake, I'll assume/hope/pray. Got no qs for this one.

So... $6.00 oop, give or take.
Earn $6 ECBs ($3 x2)
+ $1 ECB I should get for 4th green tag scan
= $7 Total ECBs earned: (will use $6ecb in transaction #5 & $1ecb in transaction #2)


Transaction 2:
.99 Exedrin 8ct (on the gamble I'll find these) - $1 ECB from #1 = free
Earn .99 ECB (will use in transaction #3)


Transaction 3:
.99 Exedrin 8ct - .99 ECB from #2 = free
Earn .99 ECB (will use in transaction #4)


Transaction 4:
2.79 Colgate 360º Surround toothbrush 1ct. x2 = 5.58
2.99 Ban
= 8.57 - 2x .75 tb qs (1.50 total) - .75 Ban q = 6.32 - .99 ECB from #3 = 5.33 oop
Earn $6 total ECBs: $4 tbs & $2 Ban (will use these in transaction #5)


Transaction 5:
13.00 Coke - four 12-pks - $6 ECB left from #1 + $4 & $2 ECBs from #4 ($12 total ECBs) = 1.00 oop
Earn $3 ECB


Transaction 6:
$5.00 (2/$5 Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner)
.99 Bar of Dove (3.15 to 4.25 oz bar)
.99 Bar of Dove
= 6.98 - $3 ECB from #5 = 3.98 - 2x $1 Garnier qs - .50 CVS q (wyb 2 Dove bars 3oz. or more) = $1.48 oop


OOPs:
$6.00 (maybe a little more?)
5.33
1.00
1.48
------
$13.81 total oop (maybe more depending on price of the cheapest colgate multipacks I can find)

Would this fly? Does the math work? Is there any scenario that would get my oop even lower? I also have, I think, come up with an alternate scenario, in the event the Exedrin deal is a bust, that amounts to $13.80 oop (again, depending). But I won't bore everyone with that one. I am really trying to get the hang of this. It seems so easy for a lot of you here! I have read through seedlady's outstanding (not to mention highly entertaining) CVS train thread twice now. I think a bit more sunk in the second time around, but not sure I'm quite "there" yet, y'know?

Again, TIA!

[rumrunnergirl]

.

[sal987]

Thanks, rumrunnergirl! I'll make sure to scan my card when I go in and see what happens.

[SariniLynn]

It looks just fine to me! You're using all of your ECBs and never "wasting" more than a penny, so (short of finding additional coupons or moneymakers) your out-of-pocket cannot get any lower than the $13.80 scenario you found.

Just one comment: In transaction #1, you mention earning $1 for your bag tag. Then you do 5 more transactions, but never mention earning another $1 ECB. Are you planning to do all of these on the same day? You might consider hitting separate stores (which triggers additional scans for some people and not others) or spreading your transactions across the rest of the week, to maximize your bag tag rewards. (Although if you don't get multiple scans for separate stores, you still won't earn another reward this week, as there are only four days left counting today - but you can at least make sure you're set up for next week!)

[sal987]

It looks just fine to me! You're using all of your ECBs and never "wasting" more than a penny, so (short of finding additional coupons or moneymakers) your out-of-pocket cannot get any lower than the $13.80 scenario you found.

Just one comment: In transaction #1, you mention earning $1 for your bag tag. Then you do 5 more transactions, but never mention earning another $1 ECB. Are you planning to do all of these on the same day? You might consider hitting separate stores (which triggers additional scans for some people and not others) or spreading your transactions across the rest of the week, to maximize your bag tag rewards. (Although if you don't get multiple scans for separate stores, you still won't earn another reward this week, as there are only four days left counting today - but you can at least make sure you're set up for next week!)

SariniLynn, thanks! You make some great points and suggestions. Okay, so the thing is, there is a CVS maybe five or less minutes away depending on traffic. This week and next I don't have any reason to drive near any others in town and don't want to spend gas driving to them just for CVS-ing. I could spread transactions out at the one store over today and tomorrow since the .50 Dove coupon expires tomorrow, so I have to use it by then. I guess I could hold off one more day past that on buying the Garnier though, come to think of it.

[SariniLynn]

SariLynn, thanks! You make some great points and suggestions. Okay, so the thing is, there is a CVS maybe five or less minutes away depending on traffic. This week and next I don't have any reason to drive near any others in town and don't want to spend gas driving to them just for CVS-ing. I could spread transactions out at the one store over today and tomorrow since the .50 Dove coupon expires tomorrow, so I have to use it by then. I guess I could hold off one more day past that on buying the Garnier though, come to think of it.

Sounds like you have your plan!

[sal987]

Well having a plan and executing it are two different things. lol If I could keep track and think of more than one thing at a time, that would help. Turns out I'd lost my green tag (which I discovered before heading out my door); must've come off the bag I put it on (that'll teach me to put it on my largest shopping bag with the thick handles), and the store was out of them. Figures huh? Then I bought the Exedrin together instead of separate (don't think that made a big diff in the end; no Exedrin qs out the scanner thingie btw; only one I got that I'll use is another .50 q off 2 bars of Dove). The Colgate multis were higher than I'd hoped, so that tripped up my scenario a bit, AND I completely forgot to use the two $1 qs off the Garnier shampoo & conditioner. All that even though I had my plan all printed out and with me! My brain just can't focus on so much at once I guess. But hey I still saved a bunch, and it was kind of fun actually. I did end up getting everything in one trip and several transactions -- figured may as well since I didn't have a green tag to get scanned anyhow. (Went out to my car and back in each time, save for once I think, but never did two transaction back to back.)

I think the best part was paying a total of $2.01 oop for 4 12-packs of Coke, thanks to ECBs. It was a buck for the drinks, another buck + a penny for tax, which seems weird because -- to go a bit OT here for a sec -- earlier I bought a $3 item at Staples, paid for it with a $3 q, and wasn't charged a cent for tax. Again, no complaints. .50 per 12-pack is inSANE to me. I don't know if you could steal the stuff that cheap.

Hopefully I'll get better at this. :)

[SariniLynn]

Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. I remember when I first started, I would lay everything out in a spreadsheet - all the math, the prices, the coupons, everything. I'd arrange my transactions, moving lines around until I had my "best scenarios". Then print that out, take it to the store, and spend FOREVER standing in the aisles, comparing my spreadsheet to the store ad to the shelf tag... Then I would literally sit down in the floor with my coupon envelope and arrange everything, double-check everything... I was so slow and felt so flustered the whole time. And if one little thing didn't match up, or something wasn't in stock? Well, we'd better go on home because I'm going to have to replan the Whole Thing now!

These days, I barely make a list anymore - just jot down notes along the lines of "Zyrtec. 5-ct. $5.99 get $5.99" and take my little post-it into the store. Transaction math happens on the fly, based on the ECBs in my envelope, and I'm in and out in under a quarter hour. A stop or two on the way to work, and we're golden! ;)

You'll get there.

(Walgreens, on the other hand... I hate that place... I'm forever getting halfway to the counter and realizing I have too many coupons and can't use my stinking RRs!)

[sal987]

Thanks for the encouragement, SariniLynn!

[Peacan]

Im almost convinced it could get a tiny bit lower but it is almost midnight and my head hurts. I like to start off with the deals that give you the most EBC's back when combined with coupons to make the items free, then roll those EBC's on the next transactions. I purposefully shop for all those deals frist and get as much product as I can for those EBC's before I by the one item I actually go in for.

For instance, I got crest mouthwash paid for that, then rolled teh EBCS on the next crest mouthwash and got it free with Q's, then used the EBCs on that to get teh toothbrush with 3 EBCs back again and so on...it kept rolling with a total OOP of $3.15. I know it sucks doing 1 item at a time but I tend to find it the best way to reduce oop for me. I also have made 3 trips to CVS so far this week and it is only Wed!! I'll have my $1 back tomorrow if I go again - maximizing the entire trip this week.

I couldn't find the excedrin at all or any $2.79 toothpaste so that messed up some of my plan, but I did spot alternatives so went with those - after coming home to plan it hah...still, waiting that extra night got me the gbt scans the next day and so on....

Keep up the good work!! xx