Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Why Pay for Vitamins/Prescriptions? Make some Money Instead!

OK...let's start out by first saying, this little money saving and making idea is geared for the women out there. Although, it will still be helpful to anyone in regards to if they are on a needed prescription or if they get sick ( or their children ). And, it is also focused on those with health insurance plans that have a low copay for their prescriptions. Although, if you still need to buy prescriptions anyway, and you are buying for a local pharmacy irregardless, then this is still something that will save you money ( although you might not earn money )!

Number one, as women, we should all be taking vitamins. At least, that is the word on the street! And, when pregnant and nursing ( as I am now ), I never miss a day!! I absolutely know I do not get all the vitamins and minerals my body needs as a mother of three. I am too often running errands, driving my mini-van bus while taking the kids from practice to school or falling exhausted on to the couch at the end of the day. I just don't have time to ensure I am eating ALL the things my body needs in a given day. Thus, the wonderful multi-vitamin.

I was buying it from the grocery store every month. I varied on brands, but I was spending a decent amount in my own vitamins. My doctor said the over the counter prenatal vitamins were fine, and I didn't need him to write me a prescription. So, I thought this was great. Until I figured out that it was costing me more!

First of all, my copay to get prescription prenatal vitamins is only $5.00. This is about what I was paying with coupons for over the counter vitamins. But, then I realized I constantly have $20 to $30 coupons to get my prescriptions filled at my local pharmacies. These ads and coupons are EVERYWHERE!! So, when I went for my monthly pregnancy checkup last year, I asked for a prescription of my vitamins instead.

My doctor immediately wrote me a prescription for the next year. I would be pregnant for 8 more months of that and then nursing. Perfect! Just make sure you have then write it out for a months supply with refills. Some doctors will write it for 3 months at a time...request they don't do this. So, one month, I go to my local Kroger and fill my vitamin order. I make $15! Because most coupons are for new or transferred, I then send it to CVS the next month for their $30 coupon. I make $25 after my copay. Then, the next month...back to Kroger! I made $240 last year, plus got free prenatal vitamins by transferring back and forth! And, don't worry if you are not pregnant or nursing, you should still be taking vitamins if you are a women. I still request prenatal vitamins irregardless, because we never know if I may conceive again. And, they say it is very important to have that extra folic acid before you become pregnant.

Now, you might ask where do I constantly get these coupons. Well, many of my Kroger ones come in the mail ( check with your local grocery chain ). But, I also get them online. CVS coupons can be printed online most of the time. Just do a search for the most recent coupon. ( I will post as I get new ones, going forward ). Right now, I just used a hard copy Kroger coupon, so I don't have the most recent online CVS coupon. Walgreens and other pharmacies also have coupons you can find. And, if all else fails...go to ebay. You can buy them from sellers there. You will lose some of your profit, but not much. It is still worth it, if you can't find the coupons anywhere else.

Also, it is very helpful to have at least a couple of these on hand at all times. You just never know when you will need a prescription filled when you are sick, your kid is sick or your significant other. You may make more ( at least save on filling your needed prescription

6 comments:

Heidi said...

That is a GREAT idea. We have well water, so my daughters have to take flouride...its about $2/month...but its always a moneymaker as I do the same thing. Only problem is, I only have 3 pharmacies to choose from. Prenatals will give me a whole 'nother way to earn! Thank you for your post!

Unknown said...

I have a question regarding this....it might be dumb. :-) How does one "transfer" a prescription? Do you call Walgreens and tell them to call CVS to transfer it? Isn't that a little weird? I would like to start this, but I don't know how.
Thanks!

Carrie @ Moneysavingmethods.com said...

Stacy,

That is a great question...I guess I never explained that.

All you do is keep your bottle from your current prescription...it has all your information on it.

Then, take your empty bottle to the new pharmacy you are going to use and hand them the bottle and say you would like to transfer your prescription.

They then call the old pharmacy and do all the work and just tell you when you come back and pick up your refill.

Basically, the bottle acts just like the slip of paper the doctor gives you with you prescription on it.

I always hand them my coupon when I come back to pay...they don't usually want the coupon before that.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for the help. I really appreciate it! I'm taking pre-natal vitamins so this will help a LOT!

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if this would work with other prescriptions? I spend about $70.00 a month on prescriptions. I've seen 'incentives' at different pharmacies for signing up. I'm going to have to pay attention to see if I could get some of my co-pays free by transferring back and forth. Any ideas?

Also, how many times can you leave and go back to a pharmacy and still receive their incentives?

Carrie @ Moneysavingmethods.com said...

Georgene,

Click on my Prescription button in the left side menu bar and read about the details.

There is no limit...you can go back and forth over and over. And, this works with any prescription. I used to be on blood pressure medicine and I would transfer it back and forth.

You do need to make sure each pharmacist knows ALL medicine you are taking. This is the disadvantage of doing this...if you are on multiple medicines, the pharmacy you use really should know all prescriptions you are taking.

 
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