please do not post links to cvs coupons, as per cvs enforcement
I too have tried several different ways of organizing my coupons and have a very similar method as you. I only like to take the coupons I need because the binder had become cumbersome to me. I did pick up a couple of pointers from your post though!! I like alphabetizing them the way you do - I think it will be much easier than my method. I also had not thought about compiling all like pages of the inserts together - LOVE that and will definitely do it. Thanks so much for the great info on your site!!
renee, this looks like the same one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/
product...ASIN=B00063E2EG
however, i warn against it if you will be moving it around much! the corners have snaps that tend to open up if you pull on the end of the box. mine just sits under my desk so its okay.
Hello Erica, I really liked the storage box that u use to file all your coupons but I couldn't find one just like that. If you could, please let me know where you got it, how much was it and the name of the storage box. TIA!
i love ur blog
cathy - extrabucks state "excludes prescriptions, alcohol, gift cards, lottery, money orders, postage stamps, pre-paid cards & tobacco products."
they certainly don't say newspapers are excluded. i think your store is making up rules.
I rcvd via email a $5 off $40 (never seen that one before), as well as $3 off Huggies box diapers and $2 off of Kotex.
Just received a $4/$20 in-store couopn from email this morning! Valid thru 2/1. Also $2 off printable on any Kotex Pad, Liner or Tempon & B1G1 Free Extra Gum Single Pack Product!
Hi! Thanks for your great coupon filing tips!
Just one thing, you mentioned how you like to pay for newspapers using ecbs. I tried this and my local cvs wouldn't accepts ecbs for newspapers. Does this vary by store?
stephanie, you might want to check this out:
Expired Coupons Help Military Families
http://couponing.about.com/cs/
ab...taryexpcoup.htm
Hi Erica and to all my fellow CVSers!!! I am so hooked on CVSing... I LOVE IT! It seems everywhere I go, I want to share my excitement, and most of the time, I just get stared at like I'm some kind of wierdo!... oh well, I'm the wierdo with lots of free stuff!!!
Anyway, I am still pretty new to this, been doing it for only 2 months. So here I am trying to get a question answered...
I am going thru alot of my coupon inserts some from November and December... alot of them have expired or will be expiring within the next 10 days. It feels wierd having to toss all of these coupons away, since I believe $1 coupon is the same as $1 in your pocket (worth of product, that is)... So what to do? Any advice on giving up all these unused Qs?
Also, I hate to hold on to coupons I know I probably will never use (certain products I know will never be free after qs or ecbs) or products like gourmet foods, etc... Instead of waiting for the exp. date, what do you suggest I do with them?
In addition (I guess I had more than just 1 question...), are there any coupons that based on your experience, will never go on sale at CVS or Rite Aid? Like hair colors, etc... I am not very brand loyal, and I really only want to do this to get stuff for free or nearly free... so is there a guideline that you know of that can help me know what coupons to hold on to and which ones not to even bother about?
I really LOVE LOVE LOVE your site, as well as the Rite Aid site. You are doing a great job.
Thanks!
A couple of newbie questions...
1. Yesterday, I went to a CVS store and upon check out, I gave my GC first before handing out the ECBs. The cashier said that she couldn't take the ECBs anymore once I used the GC first. Is this true? I ended up still having the ECBs I wanted to use in the first place before they expire.
2. Today, I went to another CVS store to use the ECBs I failed to use yesterday. I used a couple of Nature's Bounty $2 off internet coupons for the vitamin's weekly B1G1 deal. The cashier told me that next time, I can only use one internet coupon per transaction. I asked if she meant one internet coupon per purchase of one brand but she said it's one internet coupon per the whole transaction! She let me use as many internet coupons today but next time, she said I can only use one. Has this happen to anyone else? BTW, I'm from OH.
I live in Las Vegas and it seems lately that all the coupons are taken OUT of the Sunday paper other than the home delivered papers and its so annoying because I have to search and search online for the coupons that I want. I even emailed proctor & gamble asking if they could just mail me their coupons since I can't seem to ever get any (sometimes I'm lucky and will get a smart source insert) and they said no - buttholes. So I guess I'm stuck searching and searching online :-(
There were no early editions in OH, but in TX, there are double-pack early editions. A normal Sunday paper is $2 ( I can't believe how cheap they are in NY!), but a double pack will have 2 for $3. So, yes, I would say this is regional. Dollar stores usually carry Sunday papers for $1, so if you buy several editions, this might be the way to go.
Are those early edition papers available in all cvs or walgeen's stores? Or just in certain states / cities? Thanks.
Thanks! Wow...thats a cool way to organize. I wish I would have taken the picture of my coupon notebook. I divide the coupons up by sections, i.e. body, cleaning supplies, medicine, ect...then I stick the coupons into those baseball card holder sleeves so I can easily see the expiration dates...hehe...
the coupons that were available online coupons are expired now. 
i just wanted to let u know, I searched for 3/15.00 couponfor cvs in magazine and that page was removed. Can u help? thanks
I am in Florda, and I bought 5 boxes of Flavor Ice for $3.75 and got the extra bucks. I am pretty sure the extra buck sticker on the box said expires 12/31, but I can't check because I donated them.
Thanks Anonymous for the 3 off 15 coupon and thank you Erica for explaining so well how exactly to get to it and print it out!
Karin in Orlando
Some places have the coupons as well in the Monday papers. That what I buy 3 sundays at $2.00 is $6.00 but Monday papers here are .50cents more coupons for your money :D
I love this site! I have been on here for awhile now. I am a CVS junkie. I have a big mini-file that I use for my coupons. I label them and sort. I staple the mutiple coupons together, that way I don't have to dig in the section for a duplicate. I also look at each stores sales online and check out what coupons I have for the sale items at home. I then put those coupons in little envelopes and label which store. So when I get their I have the flyer and I already have my coupons sorted. If the item is all out or I don't want it, I just take it out of the envelope and it gets re-filed later. Her method is good too but I need to have my coupons on me when I go out. I get a lot of clearance stuff for free... I have two little kids so "coming back later" isn't an option...
wow so cool, i never wouldbe thought of doing this! mines just in a big clump and i hate to dig through them! but i ll def use your technique now!! 
I have tried several different times to get this link to work. I can not find a drop down to change the date, e-edition, or anything else. I even tried to search for it in the search engine. I did register and am using explorer. Please help!
I cut all the coupons out of the inserts and then sort them by expiration date in a coupon box, that way the ones about to expire soon are at the front and I can flip through those every week to see if there are some good ones to use up. I would say this takes me maybe 30-60 minutes to do every Sunday morning.
hi - can anyone email the pdf of the 3 off 15 coupon? my pdf is not printing clearly no matter what I do!
Thanks!
Just used the $3/$15 coupon tonight without any problems. Scanned beautifully. I am convinced that it has to do with my printer. When I print them at home, they always beep and don't scan. When I print them at work on the laser printer (don't tell anyone), they scan beautifully. Has anyone else had that problem?
Like I said I did not want to complain to the manager at this store because they never fuss about any coupon or adjusting down ECB. They even took that "Revlon coupon" that always beeps with out a fuss as well as printables in B&W when my printer ran out of color ink.
I don't want them to flag me as "that coupon guy," and then watch my every move as I shop. So I just let it go. I should have just bought one to try it out first.
Like I said these things are huge and the kids really like them, but I would have just stuck to 1 box had I known that they were not printing in my area.
Seems strange because this was the first time a "hidden deal" did not work for me.
When you print the coupon off the pdf, make your window in Adobe just as large as the coupon is tall. When you go to print it, click on "current view" and it will print just that slice of the page with the coupon and what is to the right of it.
Saves you ink over printing the entire page...
Thank you thank you! I tried it earlier and didn't have any luck, but I went back and read your instructions again and it worked! Just in time for the first week of October ECBs.
Bailey, I am in the same predicament as you. I feel like I have to take all my coupons to the store just in case of the unexpected clearance or sale items I might find. But, I do like Erica's system. It makes it much easier to find specific coupons. And keeps everything nice and neat.
new here~~~~
many thanks for the cvs coupon how to link
worked great thank you anonymous!
Printed the 3/15 Q, and it worked great for me today! Thanks again!
had no luck with the cvs $3/$15
this is incredibly helpful -- thanks so much
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS COUPON! Love, love, love it!Thanks to the anon tipster who found this!
Here's hoping I get one of those $45 prescription Qs!
Thank you Er1ca for making our live so much sweeter by having this website and posting all this incredibly valuable information! We love you for it!
Thank you! This buys me another week of $$$/$$$ at CVS as the 9/30/08 Richmond Parents $2/10 expires in a week and I haven't been able to get my hands on any of the new ones from the latest edition of Richmond Parents. You are a lifesaver!
Thank you so much! Great find! Love the new coupon!
ana, i posted it already on the main page, enjoy!
You found a CVS coupon online? Can you share?
anonymous - thanks so much for mentioning this. it was not in my paper... but even better, i found it online!!!!!!
Thank you for the info on getting the early edition, how many papers you get, and how you organize it. I'm going to put this advice to good use!
Erica, I would like to give back for all of the information and coupons I have gotten over the past few months that I would never have found on my own. In the Sunday 9/21/08 Newsday, Suffolk, LIlife SM edition page g8 there was a CVS save $3 off $15 coupon which expires 10/05.
my ecbs did not print for the flavor ice but when I pointed it out and asked the manager he said it should not matter if they are on clearance or not and gave me a gift card for $25. I could have kissed him 
so it never hurts to ask
Erica, How do you find out if the paper has coupons within it(like you mentioned in section A)? I have to admit I never look through the paper I just toss it.
I've been couponing for most of my life and have used just about every system to organize my coupons. I came up with something similiar to Erica's. I can say from experience that it is the best one yet! I label my files differently. Instead of putting the dates, I just put the month and have a file for each week of inserts. The P&G inserts go in the first file that has the tab for the month. I also do the binder method with the plastic baseball card sheets for my loose coupons. I have one binder just for the drug stores and two others that are categorized by type. In the drug store one, I have it sectioned by CVS, Walgreen's and RiteAid. I have a separate binder like that so I can get my coupons organized for the sales.
This method is so awesome. I'm so tired of going through a million circulars every week.
Re: Ambi, I found them in three DC stores but none in Northern Virginia. I usually hate going to the DC stores because in my neighborhood they never put up the sale signs. On the flip side, that means the deals are more likely to be there when I get there! I got the revitalift at a DC store yesterday after going to three Virginia stores where they were sold out.
Thank you so much. Your method is so much easier than the Youtube video I saw the other day. I have been to about 15 CVS stores and not 1 Ambi bar. I was begining to think it was an Urban Legand that they even existed. I did get the ECB's on the Flavor Ice this weekend. Bought 3 boxes and gave 2 away to the kids down the block, they were so heavy. Good deeds and ECB's that works for me.
I've thought of going this way with the coupon organizing, but my problem is those items you find in store that weren't advertised on sale or clearance that you didn't know about. I hate coming across like a clearance item & knowing I've got about 10 coupons at home for it, just not on me.
I'm really trying to cut down on my frequent trips to save on gas, so I do really try to plan ahead my shops. But those unexpected items are the ones that stop me from becoming nice & organized like this!
Karin-Call 1800shopcvs and explain that the ecb did not print and they will credit your acct. and the ecb will print in 2 days,, I am in Fl. and that is what a CVS told me to do and they said they would print on Wednesday,, it's worth a try.
Ohhh.. Are you guys talking about the Revitalift serum ? Gosh, CVS can get tricky at times.. They didn't out up the sign for it being a deal this week printing out ECB's of the same amount you pay, but I already knew thanks to this site :] No one picked up ANY of the serums, I was in shock, but I felt lucky. I wanted to put up a sign myself to show everyone else the deal LOL.
I just bought 2 of the Flavor-Ice 48 packs this weekend and I got 5 ECBs back on both. It was on a 50% off shelf so I picked it up and took it to the price checker scan thing and it rang up at $3.75. I bought one and then came back inside and bought the other one after I saw that the ECBs did print. My coworkers were nearly giddy when I offered them all huge freezer pops today for an afternoon treat!
Love this site and love your coupon organization technique, I'm setting up a file for Sunday's coupons right now! Thanks for everything, you Rock!!
This is great. For some reason I never thought to put the inserts back together after stapling. I just went and cut and then had too many to deal with... like right now on my poor dinig room table!
Erica, thanks so much for sharing! Your system is awesome!
mike - yesterday my store had 5 or so on the shelf. didn't really expect them to have it today... they had one left! and 2 bars of ambi! maybe i should have played lotto today...
from what i've been reading online, the flavor-ice ecb's are printing for some and not for others. i don't know why that would be... but you could fill a warehouse with what i don't know.
I got a coupon in the mail that says "Get up to $45 when you transfer/ fill a new prescription" at CVS/pharmacy.
Says you get a $25 gift card when you pick up the new transfered prescription.....then if you keep the prescription at CVS/pharmacy a $10 extra buck coupon will print on you receipt the first time you use your card in November and then again in December.
That is a total of $45 after gift card and extra bucks!
Nice deal but I don't have any prescriptions to fill. Maybee I can pass the coupon on the my mother or will it beep "not for card.", when she tries to redeem it?
The coupon appears to have a unique barcode printed on it.(the barcode is actually poor quality) So manybee it is one of those coupons that can only be used once and thats it once it is scanned it is cancelled. I don't know if it card specific. I'll have to just pass it on to her to find out
How did this Erica chick go today 9/22 the second day of the 2 day sale and she actually found the Loreal Revitalift. I ran it 4 stores on the way to the mall yeasterday (wife drove and pulled up and I ran in and there were none anywhere!)
She must work at CVS or know someone who does. Lucky her
She gets such great deals I envy her. Is this her full time job?!????
Love this site!
WARNING. I THINK CVS READS THESE POSTS. DO NOT BUY THE FLAVOR ICE POP AND EXPECT EXTRA BUCKS.
THEY FINALLY WENT ON CLEARANCE IN FL FOR 3.75 SO I BOUGHT 2
NO EXTRA BUCKS PRINTED AT ALL!!!
AND IT WAS THE SPECIALLY MARKED PACKAGES
LUCKILLY I JUST BOUGHT 2 SO I JUST LEFT AND DID NOT SAY ANYTHING. I DID GET BACKS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE. I DID NOT WANT TO STAND OUT AT THIS PARTICUALR STORE WHICH IS VERY COUPON FRIENDLY AND THEY DONT FUSS AT ALL SO I JUST LEFT AND FIGURE IT ALL EVENS OUT AT THE END. THEY ARE STILL A GOOD DEAL FOR 3.75 BECAUSE THEY ARE SO BIG AND THE KID LIKE 'EM
BUT IF YOU BUT THEM AS A MONEYMAKER BEWARE.
I THINK CVS CAUGHT ON FROM THIS SIGHT AND DELETED THE ECB PRINTING SINCE IT IS MORE THAN THE PRICE OF THE ITEM!
Where the hack do they keep the AMBI bars???
Can't seem to find them and I have like 50 CVS's with in 15 miles of my zip code. I am looking for a part time for X-mas!!!
This is wonderful information. Thanks for sharing.
erica... you rock.
thats so great. our coupons in our area aren't that much and i hate it!
THANK YOU Erica so much for posting this. I have been waddling hopelessly in a sea of coupons trying to keep up with clipping them. Not only that, but I had been wondering about "early Sunday" editions. Now I will check that out!
If you were wondering, this kind of info is so very useful to padawans like us.
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