I love saving money at the drugstore on beauty finds, bath and body items,vitamins and supplements, nail supplies, and even fun little surprises that you don’t expect. Let’s face it: if you’re not careful, the drugstore can be an easy way to spend a lot of money fast. Some items are overpriced, there are tons of impulsive buys everywhere you look, and the food section alone, is filled with tempting ways to make you spend money fast. Believe it or not, there are some easy ways to save money at the drugstore that anyone can use. I hope you’ll use these that I’ve loved using for years, and be sure to share any tips you might have for me!
Before you ever even leave your house to go to the store, one of the best tips for saving money at the drugstore is to clip any coupons you can find online at home. Print them out, take them with you, and check your circulars for coupons. There are always tons of coupons for drugstores in the weekly newspaper circular ads, so check those first! These coupons can save you up to 50% or more most of the time, and it’s simply silly not to do this before you go.
When you first arrive to the store, grab the sales flyer if you haven’t checked the website at home yet, or the sales flyer in the newspaper. See what’s on sale compared to what you need, and what you have coupons for. This is how you cross combine deals to save the most money fast.
Most drugstores offer common spices at a much lower price than supermarkets. I like drugstore black pepper, cinnamon, Italian seasoning and chili powder. Many of these run as low as 50 cents depending on the store you shop at.
Most all drugstores rotate the brands of supplements they put on sale each week. Start buying which ones are on sale compared to which ones you use,and keep up with the trend of which brands are rotated most often and when. Most all drugstores go by a six week rotation, and some go by a 4 or 5 week rotation of brands.
If you don’t have a drugstore rewards card already, get one! They’re free and can save you money, earn you reward points and even send you free coupons in the mail, without you having to clip anything.
While you can find some really great makeup deals at drugstores, most are overpriced unless you have a coupon, or combine that coupon with a store deal. I avoid buying most of my makeup at the drugstore, unless there is a really good price. I prefer to buy mine online through drugstore.com, sephora.com, ulta.com, or buying at super centers like Wal Mart.
Those fuzzy socks, fun t-shirts, cute sunglasses and array of magazines are all located right as you’re getting ready to leave and they are there for a reason! These are made to make you spend just a little bit ( or a lot ) more money before you leave the store, increasing store sales. Stores put these items as people are leaving, so they’ll be sure to see them, and buy them out of impulse on the way out the door. Avoid them and save your money! They’ll most likely just take up excess space in your house and reduce the funds in your bank account.
Do you shop at drugstores? If so, what’s your best tip for saving money while you’re there?