A Glossary of Terms for Saving Money at CVS, Walgreens and Anywhere

The CVS Extra Care program, Walgreens Register Rewards and coupon shopping in general is like any other specialized system, it has specific terminology. If you are unfamiliar with the terminology and abbreviations, it can be very confusing. Here, I have listed and defined the majority of the terms that you will see used in conjunction with the Extra Care program and with coupons and savings programs in general. It is necessary to understand the advice someone is giving you and the deals they are sharing before you can take advantage of them! I will be writing a two part series on the basics of CVS shopping and how to save money using the Extra Care program. These terms will be useful to you as you learn the ins and outs of saving money at CVS.

These are basic terms and abbreviations that are used on many forums and discussion groups when the members are talking about CVS, Walgreens and coupons in general. The basic terms should be used in the same way across the board. Every group will, of course, have their own specific terminology as well. But, if you know what all of these terms and abbreviations mean, you should be able to understand any discussion regarding saving money at CVS, Walgreens or any store.

ECB - Extra Care Bucks - CVS "money" printed on receipts to be used like cash in the store.

OOP - Out of Pocket - actual cash paid after all discounts and coupons.

Peelie - Peelable coupon located on packages

BOGO: Buy One Get One FREE!

B1G1: Also means Buy one get one free.

2/$5: This means 2 items for $5 (of course there could be other numbers like 3/$10 means 3 items for $10).

$1/2: This means $1 off of 2 items, in other words you must buy 2 items and then the coupon will work (of course it could be different numbers like $2/1 means $2 off 1 item).

wyb: when you buy. For example: Free wyb 2 loaves of bread.

Catalina: thin paper coupon that prints out from a separate machine (like at grocery stores) at the register when you check out.

Blinkie: Coupon that prints from a little machine in the store aisles. Usually has a blinking light on it!

MIR: Mail in Rebate

SS: Smart Source (coupon insert in the newspaper)

P&G: Proctor and Gamble (another coupon insert in the newspaper-once monthly)

RP: Red Plum (coupon insert in the newspaper)

V: Valassis (coupon insert in the newspaper)

exp: expires (usually followed by the date of expiration - like on coupons)

Qs: Coupons

CRT: Cash Register Tape

FAC: Free After Coupon

FAR: Free After Rebate

Double Coupon:When a store gives double credit for a coupon. Some stores have specific days or specific limits on these. Example: If you buy an item and have a .75 coupon and the store doubles coupons up to $1, then you would save $1 instead of just .75.

ESC:Easy Saver Coupon (Walgreens). These are coupons found in the monthly savings booklets for Walgreens. They are store coupons so can be used with manufacturers coupons.

ESR: Easy Saver Rebate (Walgreens)

GC: Gift Card

Hangtag: A coupon or tag hanging on an item such as wine or shampoo. Usually has a coupon for savings on that item.

IVC: Instant Value Coupon (Walgreens). These are store coupons and can be used with manufacturers coupons.

Man q: Manufacturers Coupons

MC: Manufacturers Coupons

OOS: Out Of Stock

Overage: The amount of credit you have after buying an item and using coupons that value more than the total of the item. For example, if you buy a bar of soap for $1.50 and have a manufacturers coupon for $1 and a store coupon for $1 then you would have an overage of .50. Overage can sometimes be used with rebates as well. Say you had the same scenario as above and also had a mail in rebate for $1. Your overage would then be $1.50.

Roll: When you use discounts such as Catalinas or ECBs to go towards another purchase. Example: You buy shampoo and get a $2 ECB. You then use that ECB to purchase some razors that produce another $3 ECB.

RR: Register Rewards (Walgreens Catalina)

Seven-day coupon: Coupons in the weekly flyer for Walgreens. Good only that week.

SCR: Single Check Rebate (Rite Aids reward program)

Stack: When you use a variety of different rebates and coupons on one item. For example, you could use a store coupon and then stack it with a manufacturers coupon and then stack that with a mail in rebate. This gets you the most savings.

Super double coupon: When a store has a specific day that they raise the limits on their coupon doubling.

Tearpad: A pad of coupons or rebates that is usually located on the shelf next to the items.

TMF: Try Me Free. Usually a mail in rebate for the entire purchase price of the item from the manufacturer.

YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary. This means that the details of the deal may work differently for you at your specific store.