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).
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
- 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)
Warehouse clubs (to my knowledge, membership is not required to use club pharmacies)
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
-
Recommend this
on Facebook -
Report an error
-
Subscribe to our
Weekly Digest
Alison Brown
Check out more of Alison’s stellar cost-cutting tricks and tips over at Richmond Bargains or follow her on Twitter. Your wallet is sure to thank you.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
Be advised that not all hospitals will fill all prescriptions. The outpatient pharmacies at VCU Medical Center will only fill prescriptions written by MCV doctors, or by doctors participating in the Virginia Coordinated Care program (a sort of discount program for patients in financial need). They also do not accept all insurances.
Henrico Doctors’ Hospital contracts out its pharmacy, so it doesn’t seem to have restrictions. I don’t know about St. Mary’s; Richmond Community sends its patients to MCV (and they are turned away because MCV can’t fill for Bon Secours doctors).
I am a pharmacist and totally understand the high cost of prescription drugs. I have seen people try to stretch their medications (taking it every other day or half of a dose) to save money and in reality they are harming themselves.
I am going to get on my soapbox and say that playing the giftcard and $4 prescription game can be very dangerous. If you take numerous medications and have them all filled at different pharmacies you need to let each pharmacy and pharmacist know what medications you are taking. Otherwise you are risking a dangerous interaction. This is extremely important if you are getting prescriptions from different physicians (such as your family doctor and a specialist).
I am also going to say that although yes it is less expensive and with some plans and sometimes it is mandated mail order is not always your best option. Prescription medications need to be stored at room temperature (some under refrigeration). That is why you shouldn’t keep medications in your bathroom. Can you imagine how hot your medication is getting inthe back of the mail carrier’s vehicle in the summer?
If you talk to your pharmacist they can be a wealth of information about less expensive options for the medications you are taking. I would also suggest that if you are taking a medication that is only available as a name brand to check out the manufacturer websites. They have lots of coupons and offers to help reduce your out-of-pocket cost that can even be combined with most private insurance plans.