If you are doing the CVS ECB thing, one of the hardest concepts for newbies to grasp can be the concept of coming home with stuff you don’t need. But once you get it, you get it, and it’s fun. The two main reasons for getting stuff you don’t need are 1.) extending the life of your ECBs and 2.) increasing the amount of your ECBs. I’ll explain more specifically.
1.) ECBs only have a month-long expiration date on them. Let’s say within a certain month, nothing comes along that you need or are interested in. You then have two choices–spend them on something that is not generating ECBs, thus getting a product you want, but your ECBs are gone and you have to start over. Or, find something that is an ECB deal you can break even on–getting back the same amount you put into it, and then you have gotten new ECBs good for a whole month. This is the situation of course, where you may come home with products you do not need, as I have done many times in the past. I may already have a good 2-years’ supply of toothpaste in my stockpile, but I may get 5 more tubes just to roll over my ECBs.
2.) Increasing your ECB amount: Very few ECB deals are break-even or free deals or moneymaking deals. Take for instance, this week’s Kimberly Clark deal. It’s buy $25 worth of product, get $10 ecb. That’s a $15 difference–and $15 is very hard to make up with coupons. So I first purchased the Nivea Men’s body wash and the L’oreal. Those two products were break-even deals before coupons, so after coupons I was able to increase my ECBs.
L’oreal-cost 11.99. giving 11.99 ECB, had a $3 coupon; paid with $9 ecb and coupon
Nivea-cost 4.99, giving 4.99 ECB, had a $2 coupon; paid with $3 ecb and coupon
By buying those 2 items first, I was able to increase my ECB amount by $5. I didn’t need nor want either item, but I needed the extra $5 ECB to get diapers in the Kimberly Clark deal, and I really did want the diapers.
I then turned around and did the Kimberly Clark deal, but even with coupons, I spent $28 ecb and only got back $10, a loss of $18 ECB. Diapers were $15/pack, I had two $1 coupons.
So now I will spend the next several weeks keeping my eye out for moneymaking deals in an effort to build them back up. I am down to $10 on my card and $12 on my husband’s card. It’s all a game, but I think it’s fun.
Oh, and what do I do with all the stuff I don’t need? Donate! I’ll post a list of places where I donate in another post later this week.
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