Save cash by saying goodbye to traditional period products
If you are a woman, or a husband/baby daddy of one, you cringe at how much you spend on feminine products. Between tampons, liners and pads, the costs add up. I estimated that I spend $125 a year on menstrual products. And then I discovered reusable menstrual cups and realized my days of staring at drugstore shelves of colorful boxes while frantically doing math equations on my fingers were over.
How to save $600 on feminine products
One year ago, I said goodbye forever to panty liners and tampons, started using The DivaCup, and never looked back. I can say without reservation that the choice to give up conventional period products has been one of my smarter decisions.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the idea of a menstrual cup, here are the basics: It is a small, flexible, reusable cup made of silicone or latex that is worn internally to collect menstrual flow.
Here’s where the savings part of the conversation starts. No more body talk. Pinky swear.
A cup costs between $20 and $40 and can be purchased online or at your local health foods store. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the cup yearly, but the average time consumers actually do this is every five years. Let’s take a look at the numbers based on one year. (There are many different brands and types to choose from, but for the purposes of this post, we will refer to the one I am familiar with, the DivaCup.)
My yearly costs for the DivaCup:
1 DivaCup, $29.99 Natural Grocers
Total: $29.99 / year
My yearly costs for traditional feminine products:
120 ct Tampax Regular Tampons, $29.75 Costco = $.25/ea
4 tampons a day for 8 days = 32 * $.25 = $8.00 / mo
$8 x 12 mos
Total: $96 / year
49 ct CareFree Panty Liners $3.99 CVS = $.08/ea
3 liners a day for 10 days = $2.40 / mo
$2.40 x 12 mos
Total: $28.80 / year
Total of traditional products / year: $124.80
Did you get all that? I am saving $94.80 a year with the DivaCup. And if I wear that same cup for the averaged five years, I will save $594!
Feel free to plug in your own numbers to see how much tampons and pads cost per year in your house. Then get to saving money during that time of the month!
What monthly costs have you eliminated from your budget? How?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
My friend & I were just talking about the DivaCup. I started using mine back in December & love it. I have taken road trips, gone to music festivals, traveled, and gone camping with mine & it makes life much easier (plus the cost benefits).
I’ve become such a fan that I asked my friend is she used it & she said she has since college (she’s in her mid-20s now). I then asked how often she’s had to replace hers, and she said she hasn’t yet. So, the point is, if you take good care of it, then it can last even longer than a year & thus continue saving a lot of money!
I’m so glad you commented, @HRA! I’ve been spreading the good news all over the land – thanks for joining me! And you are right – they last forever, it seems!
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