Vital Savings on Vitamins

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but a daily multivitamin can go a long way, too. Do you want to stay fit and frugal? Here are a few ways you can do so without wiping out your wallet.

A 200-count bottle of Centrum is priced at $13.00, or $6.50 for 100 tablets. While this won't break the bank, you can do better. Walmart stocks Equate Complete Multivitamins, which cost $7.68 for 200 tablets, or $3.84 for 100. To save even more cash, you can go to Costco and buy Kirkland's Signature Daily Multi, which is priced at $3.10 for 100 tablets. That's less than half of the cost of Centrum!

Now, when it comes to special vitamins, you could be looking at higher prices. Centrum's Prenatal line costs $52 for a 100-day supply. In addition to that, they don't go down easily, and often make women feel ill. Luckily, there's a fun alternative -- children's vitamins.

Flintstones vitamins actually offer similar supplement levels, and they taste great. Pregnant women need extra iron and folic acid, so add that to your kids' vitamins and you'll only be spending $10 for 100 tablets. That's a savings of $42.

So, when it comes to maintaining your health, don't just reach for the big brands. Shop around your local stores and see which offers the most value for your buck.