7 Ways to save Money on Vitamins and Health Supplements ...

First and foremost, the most important of all ways to save money on vitamins and supplements is to stop buying them in stores. Forget the sales going on, or promotional coupons. I would almost promise all of you that you can get higher quality supplements online, at nearly half the cost of what you’ll pay in stores. Shipping is fast, most of the time it’s free, and many times, better sourced. There are also websites that give first time customers special discounts, or you can even sign up for newsletters and get rewards points, special coupons, or notifications of special deals, saving you more money. Many items are organic, and compared to what you pay in stores, they’re a steal of a deal. In my experience, the best websites to buy from with fast shipping, free shipping, or cheap standard shipping that sell quality supplements are: iherb.com, vitacostrewards.com, swansonvitamins.com, and amazon.com.

When buying online, I always consider the generic brands. MOST of the time, they aren’t as good as the name brand, but it is worth taking a look at. Most online companies, especially Vitacost and Swanson Vitamins, offer really high quality generic vitamins that are well-sourced, and free of common allergens, just like name brands are. To see how generic vitamin supplements stack up, all you have to do is read the ingredient list, and the nutrition panel. If it’s the same as name brands, buy it and see if you like it. Most of the time, I can’t tell one bit of a difference.

You know those vitamin and supplement catalogs you get in the mail that literally have hundreds of products in them, telling you what you should buy and why you need it? Guess what? You really don’t, so don’t fall prey to thinking you need everything under the sun to be healthy. Most of the time, you can get what you need through a good multivitamin and maybe some additional vitamins and supplements like magnesium, zinc, fish oil, Vitamin D, and a B vitamin, just to name a few. Aside from that, you truly don’t need a bunch of pills to swallow each day unless you have serious health concerns or are not eating a healthy,well-balanced diet.

Another thing I like to do when buying vitamins and supplements online is to watch for deals to see if I can save additional money through weekly sales. If you pay close attention, you’ll see that the websites I named run deals on a certain day each week, so I always try to wait for that day, so I don’t miss out on a coupon. Also, just to give you a little head’s up, many times, if you browse a website a certain amount of times, and are registered with them, but don’t buy anything and leave the website, you’ll get a coupon in a couple of days in your inbox. Companies track browsing for registered users and want you to buy things, so as an incentive to do so, you could get a coupon in your inbox after many times of doing this. It sounds sneaky, but is a great trick to work, though it won’t work every single time.

Whatever you do, when buying supplements online, be sure to sign up for the company’s newsletter. I know you hate getting more emails than you already do, but if you just go through guest checkout, you’re missing out on huge benefits for saving money. By registering with the company, and signing up for their newsletter, you get such great deals at incredible costs you wouldn’t otherwise receive.

Another option is to buy items in bulk, more likely through Amazon, or through Vitacost, which many times has Buy One, Get One Half Off sales. Swanson Vitamins and iHerb also do this. Buying in bulk won’t save you a ton of money, but if you know you regularly use a certain product, it’s worth trying out.

Another tip is never to buy just from one website. I order from all of them, because certain ones carry brands that others don’t, and sometimes, I can save more money on a certain brand on one website, but save more money on a different product elsewhere. I will say that the companies I like the most are the fastest for shipping, have the best customer service, and offer the best prices. Combining all those factors keeps me buying my vitamins and supplements through these sources, rather than elsewhere.

Vitamins and supplements can be a part of any budget and any lifestyle if you purchase with awareness and intelligence. Never impulse buy on vitamins and supplements whatever you do. Do you buy vitamins and supplements, and if so, how do you save money?

Sources: iherb.com, vitacostrewards.com, swansonvitamins.com, amazon.com.