This post is sponsored by CVS, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
Hot Girl Summer, Euro Summer, Mob Wife Summer—I love the bit, but personally, I am not having any of those this year. I’m having a Practical Girl Summer (PGS, if you will). The gist? Not optimizing every aspect of my life—just coasting and coping. Carrying dry shampoo, reapplying sunscreen, treating blisters before they ruin my day, and finding ways to stay cool without melting into the pavement. Maybe it’s not glamorous, but it is effective.
This summer, I’m not trying to become the kind of person who wakes up at sunrise for beach walks or packs a perfectly curated vacation capsule wardrobe. I’m trying to remember my sunscreen, avoid getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and keep snacks in my bag at all times. That’s Practical Girl Summer.
And luckily, I found 24 affordable summer essentials at CVS that are basically the official sponsors of PGS. Here are the practical picks that’ll make your summer easier and keep your bank account intact:
Every summer I buy one bottle of sunscreen with the best intentions and then somehow never have it with me when I need it. This year I’m embracing a multi-sunscreen strategy: one for my beach bag, one for my purse, one for my car, and one that lives permanently by my front door. That’s my entire philosophy these days. Whether you’re heading to the beach, walking around a city all day, or sitting outside during happy hour, having multiple sunscreen formats makes it infinitely easier to stay protected.
FSA eligible + $10 ExtraBucks on Banana Boat & Hawaiian Tropic
Nobody glamorizes this part of summer, but honestly? This is where Practical Girl Summer really shines. Because while everyone is posting sunset photos, someone is secretly dealing with mosquito bites, sweaty commutes, blistered feet, and the realization that outdoor events are somehow always hotter than expected.
I never remember how much water I need until I spend one Saturday at a farmer’s market and suddenly have a headache by noon. This summer I’ve accepted that staying hydrated requires a little infrastructure—aka a giant water bottle, electrolyte packets, and enough ice to keep everything cold.
Nothing exposes a lack of planning faster than being stuck in traffic, at the beach, or running errands with no snack in sight. These are the things I keep around specifically to prevent a completely avoidable hanger situation.
I’d personally rather spend my summer budget on patio cocktails and weekend plans than constantly restocking the practical stuff. That’s why CVS ExtraBucks are worth paying attention to: if you’re already grabbing sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, and hydration essentials, you can earn rewards on purchases you’d be making anyway and put those savings toward your next CVS run.
As the Assistant Editor of Branded Content, McKenna assists the sales team with the content creation process by updating stories, sourcing images and graphics, pitching and contributing stories of her own, and more. Some of her favorite topics to write about are entertainment, culture, and lifestyle
This post is sponsored by CVS, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
