Flu season is here, so I stopped at the drugstore yesterday for cold medicine, toothpaste, and a few basics — and I honestly did a double take at the register. The cold medicine was about $12 and the toothpaste was $9, and that was before the rest of the basket added up.
Has anyone else noticed drugstore prices climbing even faster than groceries lately? What do you do to save on this stuff — switch to store brands, use coupons, or just stock up at Costco?
Store brands are the easiest win here. Generic cold medicine usually has the exact same active ingredient as the name brand, so it's worth comparing the label on the back, not the box on the front. Pharmacy apps often have weekly digital coupons too, and toothpaste is one of those things that's much cheaper in multipacks or at warehouse stores.
Another thing that helps: buy cold medicine for the specific symptoms you actually have. The multi-symptom boxes cost more and often include stuff you don't need. Pharmacists will happily point you to the plain single-ingredient generic, which is usually the cheapest option on the shelf.
Yes, same shock here — I grabbed cold medicine and toothpaste last week and it was over $20 before I'd even picked up anything else. I've switched to store brands for most of it too, and I check the pharmacy app for coupons before I go. Stocking up at Costco when there's a sale has helped a lot for toothpaste and vitamins.