Saving on OTC Meds at CostCo

I've reached the point at which most of the money saving tricks offered by the Internet are things we already do. These days when I find a way to save extra money, I get a little excited. This week it was over-the-counter medicines. You know, like ibuprofen, allergy meds, etc.

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It's full on allergy season here and we're both kind of miserable. My allergist suggested allergy shots, while highly effective, are hella expensive. In lieu of that, he said Flo-Nase might also work. The problem is, at Target (even with a coupon), a two-pack of Flo-Nase, which would last us one month, costs $44. Even if we're just buying it for allergy seasons, that could be a 6-month expense of $264. (Math: $44 x 6 mo.s = $264.)

While at CostCo this week, I checked to see what their prices were and while the name brand (Flo-Nase) was a bit cheaper than what I could find at Target, their Kirkland brand (Aller-Flo) cost WAY less.

Yes, we could use the Neti Pot to reduce allergies, and have in the past, but sometimes it's just not convenient to heat up distilled water to the right temp and pour it up your nose and let it drain over a sink. "Hi Jan, don't mind me, just clearing out the nasal passages before the big meeting... whoa! look at the volume of that mucus! I feel lighter already!"

Instead, we opted for the generic version at a cost of $17 (on sale) for a pack of 5. The exact same ingredients and the exact same dosage, at a cost of $3.40 a unit rather than $22 a unit. And the 6 month cost? $41 vs. $264—a savings of $223 over 6 months.

So yeah, I'm stoked—especially since I just found out our insurance is going up $100 a month starting next month.

As a side note, Fluticasone (generic Flo-Nase), when not on sale, runs about $23 at CostCo and $22 via Amazon Prime.

Price Comparisons

Product	Unit Measure	Target	Amazon	CostCo
Flo-Nase	varies	$43 / 2 pack $22 / unit	$49.67 / 3 pack $16.56 / unit	$50 / 3 pack $16.67 / unit
Fluticasone	5 pack	na	$21.90 $4.38 / unit	$16.99-$22.99 $3.40-$4.60 / unit
Generic Benadryl	600 ct	$8.89 / 300ct or $17.78 / 600 ct $0.03 / pill	$8.78 $0.014 / pill	$4.49 $0.007 / pill
Ibuprofen	1,000 ct	$15 $0.015 / pill	$11.68 $0.011 / pill	$8.79 $0.009 / pill
Breathe Right Nasal Strips	varies	$12.99 / 30 ct $0.43 / strip	$10.73 / 30 ct $0.36 / strip	$10.99 / 44 ct $0.25 / strip
Vitamin D3, 2,000 IU	varies	$12.49 / 500 ct $0.03 / pill	$18.49 / 400 ct $0.05 / pill	$10.43 / 600 ct $0.02 / pill
Vitamin B Complex	varies	$9 / 300 ct $0.03 / pill	$17.38 / 500 ct $0.034 / pill	$16.99 / 500 ct $0.034 / pill