RVA Deals

Sick of paying out the nose (that’s a nice visual) for prescriptions? Check out some tips for saving on your meds (and see the best deals on meat, produce, and household products around town this week).

May 26, 2010; 12:00 PM • by Alison Brown

One of my favorite money-saving tips is to shop around for prescriptions. Particularly for those who don’t have insurance, who take drugs not covered by insurance, or who have expensive “brand-name” medications, finding the lowest-priced pharmacy can mean huge savings.

In general, pharmacies with drive-thrus cost more, and drugstores like CVS or Walgreens are usually the highest priced of all. While the drive-thru can be a life-saving convenience when dealing with a screaming sick child, less-urgent and more frequent (“maintenance”) prescriptions are good candidates for filling elsewhere.

Some pharmacies to check for lower prices:

• Hospitals

Warehouse clubs (to my knowledge, membership is not required to use club pharmacies)

• Walmart
• Mail-order through insurance
• Canada (This is a somewhat gray area in US Law; this Consumer Reports article has more information on how to do it)

The Virginia Drug Card is another option to investigate, even for those with insurance.

And finally, take advantage of coupons and promotions for filling a new or transferred prescription. For instance, the recent MARTIN’S coupon mailer contained coupons for a $25 gift card for filling a prescription. And Kroger debuted a new promotion this week: Receive 1000 fuel points, equivalent to $1 off per gallon at Kroger Fuel centers, for transferring a prescription to a Kroger pharmacy. The offer expires June 12.

Meat Top Pick

Oscar Mayer weiners or turkey franks $1 at Kroger. Print “$1 off 2” coupon or use from 5/16 SmartSource

Veggie Top Pick

Sweet corn $.20 ea at MARTIN’S

Fruit Top Pick

Peaches $1.68/lb at Kroger

Dairy Top Pick

Selected varieties of Parkay and Fleischmann’s 8-16 oz margarine $1 at Kroger

Staples Top Pick

20 oz French’s mustard $1.49 at Kroger, $1.50 at MARTIN’S. Print $.50 coupon or use $.50 coupon from 5/9 SmartSource to get it for $.49

Snacks & Sweets Top Pick

Nabisco snack crackers $1.88 at Kroger. Combine with $1 off 2 coupon from 5/16 SmartSource

Beverage Top Pick

Minute Maid Fruit drinks 64-oz $1 at Kroger and MARTIN’S (must buy 3 for $3 at MARTIN’S)

Household Top Pick

Excedrin 24-ct $.99 at Kroger after $1 coupon on package

Find more deals by accessing the stores’ weekly ads online:

• Prices valid 5/23-5/29: Kroger, Ukrop’s, Target, Walgreen’s, CVS, MARTIN’S
• Prices valid 5/26-6/1: Tom Leonard’s, Whole Foods, Fresh Market

Monthly ads online:

• Prices good for all of May: Ellwood Thompson’s, Good Foods Grocery

May 26, 2010 12:00 PM 2