CVS Haul

I spent most of today running errands, one of my favorites being a CVS run. I'll cut to the chase and tell you what I got, and also how I could have done better:

-Coke Zero (2), on sale for 3/$10 (though I didn't know that because there was no price marked; we just like it and I know that between the long days and the early mornings, I'll be needing it!)= $6.67

-Crest ProHealth Toothpaste, 3.99 but I had a free coupon from a deal awhile back, so=
$0

-Colgate Total (2), $2.99 apiece - $1.50 CVS coupon x 2 - $1 manufacturer coupon x 2=
$0.98

-Soy Joy Bars (7), which I love, on sale 4/$4 with $4 Extra Care Buck (like a CVS gift certificate, with certain restrictions), -$1/4 printable coupon. So potentially free, plus what's known in the coupon world as "overage"! But here's where I went wrong: I thought I had grabbed 8, but I only had 7--so it wouldn't take my second $1 off coupon, and I only ended up with $4 ECB at the end instead of $8. By the time I realized my mistake it was too late, but it was still a pretty sweet deal. I tried to go back and buy one more, but the cashier didn't scan my ExtraCare card that time and so it didn't register with my account. I then asked her if she could void the sale and do it over again, but she said she really couldn't. I think if I were still to buy one more before Saturday, I should get the other $4 ECB.
$6.00

Nature's Bounty Herbals/Vitamins: I had planned to take advantage of the Buy One/Get One Free, plus $3 ECB deal that we snagged earlier in the week, but unfortunately they were out. So instead I got a raincheck and also took advantage of the fact that all CVS brand products are buy one, get one 50% off this week...so I subbed in the CVS brand for the Nature's Bounty. 180 capsules were $17.49, and the second was $8.74, so I got 360 capsules for=
$26.23

So far the total=$39.88, which is not that great. But, because CVS totals up and THEN takes coupons/discounts, my total was actually about $50. So I was able to use almost all of these coupons to knock it down by another $20. (If you want to know and understand all things CVS, including how to most strategically combine the deals and where to get printable coupons, Moneysaving Mom needs to become your new best friend.) I then used $3.50 and $6.00 Extra Care Bucks to drop the total down to about $13.00. Add in the $4 ECB (which should have been $8, but I'm trying not to get greedy) and I paid out about $9 for $50 worth of stuff. Even with a couple of substitutions and blunders, it was still pretty satisfying--especially when I first went up to check out and the clerk looked at me and said, "It's not going to take all those coupons." I said nicely "Is it OK if we try?" So we did, and at the end she just stared at me and said "You saved over $50." Yep, I know.

One thing to be aware of, though, is that there are some stores that won't allow you to stack the CVS $x/x coupons on top of each other, and there are Internet rumblings that this might be becoming nationwide. So far, I've been very lucky!