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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Works for Me Wednesday: Making the Most of CVS CRT Coupons

I have this love-hate relationship with my CVS CRT (Cash Register Tape) coupons. You know the ones.... They print at the bottom of your CVS receipts, making the receipts as long as both of your arms.

I love them! They NEVER expire now. They can be stacked with manufacturer's coupons from the newspaper or Internet, making it legal double-dipping. In fact, I'm planning to earn $3 at CVS this week if I can find a store that has the Sense & Sprays. If I buy 2 Sense & Sprays for $5 each, I get back $3 in ECBs. I have 2 $4 off coupons from Sunday's paper, and I have 2 $1 off CRT coupons for any Glade product. Yep, that's $10 off, making them totally free. And I get back $3 in ECBs. So, I'll probably pay $.70 for tax and get back $3.00. I like that kind of math. And that's why I love CRT coupons!

But I hate them! Did I mention that they NEVER expire now. That means that the envelope full of CRT coupons just keeps growing and growing and growing. I've almost outgrown the letter-sized envelope that I keep them in. What in the world am I going to do with more of them!?!?

But I can't throw them away. Oh, I sort through them and get rid of ones that I know I'll never use. (Although I'm pretty sure I tossed Poise CRTs, not realizing that they would be moneymakers this week.) I had to come up with a way to organize them so that I could truly make the most of them. Here's what I came up with.

I'm using one of those $1 photo brag books/recipe card books that you can pick up at the dollar store or Joann Fabrics. The one I have holds 32 pictures/cards.



I have turned this into a filing system for my CRT coupons from CVS. I am dedicating each page to a specific category of CRTs. For example, the first two pages are dedicated to air fresheners and food items.


I'm going to evaluate my CVS shopping list each week and try to pair CRTs with the items I'm purchasing. I'm hoping that this will help me save even more at CVS. I'm sure that I'm going to end up with more CRTs than this little album can hold, but I'm going to give it a try for now. Hopefully I'll be using the CRTs, saving money, and keeping the book at a manageable size.

It works for me!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, is this something new or is it just in your area? I was told a while back that CVS does not honor expireds. It would be awesome if they never expire!

Florida Couponer

Jennifer said...

FL Couponer - I was told this by two different CVS managers. I'm going to email corporate and get their official answer. I'll keep you posted!