When I first started couponing I would meet up at a 24 hr pharmacy with a coupon buddy. We did this late, after the kids went to bed because I could leave them with my husband.
Couponing at drug stores or your 24 hour pharmacy is a whole other ball of wax! That’s because they offer rewards, which you can then use strategically to spend even less and get lots of things for FREE!
These days your typical drugstore will stock everything from holiday decorations to printer ink.
One of the best parts of the drugstores is their low prices on some items you may need.
Oftentimes I am asked if there are certain items that should be purchased at drugstores. And I’ll be honest, some items are always going to be a better buy at the drugstore than anywhere else.
So let’s take a look at these drug store must haves because saving money is important.
And, the best part about these best drug store products is that you can save on them all year long!
Plus, these drug store deals you can get at all the drug stores, not just one.
Let’s take a little walk together through the aisles of our local CVS and chat about the things you should always buy at your local 24 hour pharmacy drug stores.
Baking Products
At your local 24 hour pharmacy, you can regularly find some of the best prices on items such as sugar, chocolate chips, boxed mixes, spices, cooking oils and more.
This is especially obvious when they advertise their items around the holidays. But you can regularly pick up those baking items for the best prices around!
Make sure you pay attention and watch for in-ad coupons to make these prices unbeatable.
I use baking soda in almost every load of laundry because it helps remove the sweaty sports smell, but it can get expensive to purchase at the grocery store (and it’s even more expensive at Walmart). Plus, it takes a while to wait for the lowest sale price to cycle back around. So you’ll regularly see me buying 6 boxes of it at the drugstore! It’s one of my drug store must haves!
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Candy And Gum
Check the weekly 24 hour pharmacy drugstore ads, and you’ll find a ton of great rock bottom prices on gum, candy bars, and even full bags of candy.
Have you ever looked at the expiration date on a bag of candy? It is super long! That means you can stock up when it’s at that lowest price and not worry that it’ll be expired before you use it, it’ll definitely be fine!
These also make great “filler” items (items that further help you utilize your rewards) as well, so you be on the lookout!
My family loves these drug store deals especially for movie night at home. Buying 6 candy bars for a free movie at home sure does beat 6 movie tickets to the theater!
Cold Medicine
Cold medicine can get expensive, but you can find great sales at your local 24 hour pharmacy drug store.
Stack a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon to save 50% or more on your medicine purchases.
This is one of those products that I usually forget to stock up on when I see it at the lowest price, so I rest easier knowing I can regularly get a deal on cold medicines at the drugstores.
Dental Hygiene
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, flosser thingys and mouthwash are all great buys at the the 24 hour pharmacy drug store. You’ll regularly find freebies and even money makers (when you get paid to shop) at drugstores!
My strategy is to shop at the drugstores for these products every couple weeks in order to build an overflowing stockpile and then I won’t shop there for 6 months or longer because we have plenty to use ourselves as well as giving them away to bless others.
Especially when you notice that these items don’t really expire (whereas candy DOES have an expiration date…it’s just a nice long one).
Combine a great sale, coupon, and loyalty rewards to easily score some freebies on dental hygiene items. These are one of the best drug store deals you can get!
Diapers And Wipes
You won’t find a better deal on diapers and baby wipes than at your local 24 hour pharmacy drug store!
These items are on sale nearly every week, and when combined with great sales, coupons, and rewards you can save 60% or more on diapers (even name brand ones).
Of course, every so often you should be able to find a comparable sale at Target or your local grocery store, but not nearly as consistently as you’ll see at the drug store.
The key is to make sure you know what you should pay per diaper. Lucky for you my accounting brain had a great time dissecting all the sizes and prices so you know exactly what to pay!
Gift Cards
One of my best strategies for stretching our money is to use discounted gift cards to pay for things we are already buying.
However, when you purchase discounted gift cards they typically take 24 hours or longer for you to receive them. That means you can’t use it for a birthday gift as you are on your way to the party (you’ve never done THAT right?!!).
If you need a gift card in a hurry. The best place to buy gift cards is at your local drugstore. You’ll notice that they offer rewards to use at the drugstore when you buy the gift cards there.
For example, you can get a $25 CVS reward when you buy $100 in Old Navy Gift Cards. That’s 25% off! If you have a teen (like me) then you can get four $25 gift cards to give to friends during the year and still get the $25 bonus for you!
You’ll regularly see promos for Kohl’s, Old Navy, Visa Gift Cards, and even Starbucks gift cards!
The very best promotions happen around the holidays (especially Christmas) and sporadically throughout the year. These are the best drug store products you can find!
Hair Dye
You can regularly find great deals on hair dye at the 24 hour pharmacy drug stores! You should never pay more than $3 per box, which seems like a crazy good price if you normally shop at Walmart.
At drugstores, there are regular deals and usually, loyalty reward offers on name brand hair dyes. Combine the sales and reward offers along with coupons and you’ll score an exceptional deal to get rid of those grey sparkles!
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Laundry Detergent
Drugstores have fantastic deals on laundry detergent nearly every single week!
You can find deals on some name brand detergents such as Tide, Xtra, and Gain at your local 24 hour pharmacy!
Many times the sale is just to get you in the store, so they don’t even require cutting coupons to make for the best deal.
Obviously, if you combine these sales prices with coupons you’ll get the most significant savings.
Men’s Hygiene
Every couple weeks you’ll find great deals on men’s hygiene products at your local 24 hour pharmacy!
Shaving gel, razors, deodorant and aftershave lotions are regularly on sale at the lowest prices available anywhere.
You can find a ton of store coupons in the weekly ad, and when you stack them with a manufacturer coupon you can get even better savings!
Makeup
Drugstores have entire aisles dedicated to just makeup!
There are tons of coupons out there for mascara, foundation, and eyeshadows. Combine these with the great sale prices and score fantastic deals on all your makeup needs.
I’ll tell you, the best part about this is that you get to try the newest products for a fraction of what everyone else is paying elsewhere! How fun is that?
Milk
Grocery store prices on Milk will almost always be higher than at the drugstore.
You have to watch though because you have to buy it when it’s on sale (usually 3 days out of the week). The regular price is higher than what you will find at the grocery store.
However, when there is a sale on milk it’s always super cheap! I’ve even seen gas station owners buy the milk at drugstores and then put it for sale immediately at their gas station for a profit (this is frowned upon, but I want you to realize just how cheap it is!).
Sometimes they will even have reward promos, further reducing the price so you can grab your milk for so much less!
Paper Products
Be on the lookout for great deals on toilet paper or paper towels at the drugstore.
There are almost always loyalty reward promotions, and when stacked with coupons, you can get your paper products for a great price.
Did you know there’s an easy way to figure out the best price for toilet paper when you are standing in front of a zillion brands? You’ll never wonder if you are getting a good price, ever again!
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Stay Away From These Items
Now that we’ve shared some things you should buy at drug stores or your 24 hour pharmacy, here are a few items you should stay away from:
- Books or Magazines
- Cleaners
- Food
- Gift wrap
- Greeting cards (unless you can stack a coupon & reward deal)
- Office supplies
- Party supplies
- Snacks
- Trash bags
- Vitamins
- Water filters
Drugstores can be a great way to get the items you need for a lot less!
When you stack coupons with sale offers or store promotions, you can get many of the things on this list for FREE or up to 80% off!
I hope you’ve learned all the drug store must haves because saving money is important.
And, the best part about these best drug store products is that you can save on them all year long!
Plus, these drug store deals you can get at all the drug stores, not just one.
YOUR TURN: What items are you surprised to see that they are cheaper at the 24 hour pharmacy drugstore? Let me know in the comments below!
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