CVS revisited: $5 Charity Challenge

All of my CVS transactions this week were over $5, but it does not have to be that way. I just did it to fit the amount of ECBs that I had on hand and to also simplify things - CVS certainly wouldn't like me too much if I sat up there doing 8 different transactions! Well, I'm going to break down my three transactions so that you will spend no more than $5 OOP total - this is part of my participation in the $5 Charity Challenge hosted by Alyssa at Keeping the Kingdom First, and also to help out any CVS newbies out there.

Transaction #1
Buy 2 Colgate MaxFresh ($2.99 each): $5.98
Buy 1 Colgate Toothbrush: $0.99
Subtotal: $6.97
Use 2 $1/1 Colgate Maxfresh coupon (-$2.00)
Use 1 $1/1 Colgate toothbrush coupon (-$1.00)
Grand Total: $3.97
OOP expense: $3.97
ECBs returned: $4.00 (Colgate)

Transaction #2
Buy 1 Bic Soleil Razor: $5.99
Buy 1 Bic Soleil cartridge 4ct: $5.99
Subtotal: $11.98
Use $2/1 Bic printable (-$2.00)
Use $5/1 Soleil coupon (-$5.00) - $5 off refill when you buy 1 Razor from commissary coupon handout
Grand Total: $4.98 (use $4 Colgate ECB)
OOP expense: $0.98 (Current OOP total: $4.95)
ECBs returned: $8.00 (Soleil)

Stop here if you want to stick to spending $5 OOP. It's not a bad place to stop, considering you have $18.95 worth of merchandise for $4.95, and $8.00 in ECB left over for the next time. BUT, if you want to take the plunge and cross over to the dark side, the next transaction will push you over $5...by a grand total of $0.91.

Transaction #3
Buy 2 Always Infinity ($4.98 each): $9.96
Subtotal: $9.96
Use $1/1 Always Infinity coupon (-$1.00) - from Always Infinity sample
Grand Total: $8.96 (use $8.00 Soleil ECB)
OOP expense: $0.96 (Current OOP total: $5.91)
ECBs returned: $9.96 (Always)

So, did you take the plunge? It's well worth it, because for an extra $0.91 you can get $9.96 worth of products and $9.96 left over for next time.

See? Crossing over to the dark side is good.