Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by how much your family spends at the grocery store?
Would you love to save 70%, 80%, or even 90% on toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper products and more?
Could weekly savings on basic household staples give your family additional freedom in your finances?
I promise, you can save at the drug stores with these simple tips.
Shopping at the drug stores is an incredible way to drastically reduce your shopping budget, but it takes a little time to learn the ins and outs of shopping using coupons at the drug stores. To help make it easier for you to pinch those pennies at the drug stores,  I've compiled dozens of tips that I'll share over the course of the next three weeks, which will help you learn exactly how to save, every time you shop at CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.
I started using coupons at the drug stores back in 2006 when a good friend told me how much she was saving at the drug stores. My kids were younger then, so I stocked up on diapers, baby wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and just about everything else in the store by using coupons matched up with the stores sales ads and any additional offers. The first year that I shopped at CVS alone I saved over $1,500 ~ clearly I was hooked!
Over the years the deals have changed a bit and penny pinching with coupons isn't quite as easy as it once was, however I promise you can save if you're willing to put in a little effort. Saving at the drug stores does take some work and determination, but if you're willing to put in some time initially to learn your favorite drug store's policies, I guarantee you'll see changes in your family's shopping budget.
To get started, I recommend choosing one store to focus on and learn everything you can about how to shop strategically at that one store. (I typically choose one that's closest to my home especially if it's well-stocked, as many of the same items go on sale at each of the drug stores throughout the course of a month or two.)  Once you've mastered shopping at that store, you may want to tackle learning to shop a second drug store, but keep it manageable so that you're not overwhelmed. (This will help you stick with it, and since so many deals rotate you won't miss out on many savings!)
QUICK TIP:  The very best savings of the year at CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens typically happens on Thanksgiving Day (not Black Friday like most other retailers.) To really save big, learn to pinch your pennies at the drug stores throughout the year, so you'll be ready to easily save when the big day comes around!
{Today's CVS trip: Spent $9.64 after coupons, ECBs & rebates for everything above}
Stop back tomorrow night as we'll delve into the basics of CVS shopping, and in the meantime you can prepare for the CVS portion of the series by reading through this week's CVS deals. If you have friends who could benefit from saving on diapers, toiletries, paper products and more, I'd love for you to invite them to join us too!
What questions do you have about shopping the drug stores? Leave a comment, and I'll be sure to tackle your questions throughout the series – I promise you can do this!
Sherry says
I am just starting to shop at the Drug Stores and I’m having trouble getting them to take some of my coupons. For instance the Tena pads this week at CVS the register wouldn’t take the 5$ off 1 Tena pad coupon because it was over the price of $4.19. The cashier told me I had to get the $7.20 pads to use the coupon.
Katie Bigaouette says
I find drug stores have some of the highest prices I can't wait to see how there deals work out! Love finding places to get good deals
Laurie says
I think if you shop the drug stores without coupons and sales, they’re definitely high Katie! BUT, if you’re willing to do a little work, you can score some great deals there. (Just have to be so careful, because you can definitely spend too much on items that aren’t on sale there!)
Jennifer B. says
I personally find CVS to be the easiest drug store to learn about, so I’m glad to see you are starting with them. For me, I think Walgreens is next, and then Riteaid is last. I wonder if you plan to introduce them in that same order as well?
Laurie says
My plan is to go alphabetically Jennifer, but I’m checking the ads to make sure the best week to share that store is also when the store has good sales so I can actually show how the deals work out! I like CVS too, but goodness I think Rite Aid is this little hidden gem that we may all be missing. Definitely easiest for me to start at CVS though, because that’s the one I know best!
Jennifer says
I shop at both Rite Aid and CVS and I love them both, but since I get my prescriptions filled at Rite Aid I always have enough points to get 20% and you can use coupons on top of that. The CVS near me is right across the street from Rite Aid so, fortunately, it’s pretty easy for me to shop both.