Cutting my spend on "monthly" matters

[Charlottenette]

Just been doing my end of year receipt sorting and wondering where the money goes and I have worked out that I spent nearly £200 on tampons, pads, panty liners and intimate wipes in 2016. OMG!! I have long and heavy periods and use Tampax brand with liners and pads and then have a bad habit of using 3 or 4 Always Daylies plus disposal bags every day between them. I'm planning to go to supermarket own brands in 2017 and cut down on my liner habits. Any advice on best cheap brands/shops that work as well as Tampax and are supermarket baby wipes OK for down there?

£200?

I probably spend £15 a year tops. One or two packs of own brand towels a month.

Toilet tissue is not effective - would you spill blood on your hand and wipe with dry tissue or damp tissue to remove blood?

It's not at all comparable though ivy?

I use my hands for food prep and eating. They touch numerous surfaces throughout my home. My hands need to be scrupulously clean.

Even then, I'd clean blood from my hands with soap and hot water, no other products required.

You would clean your hands with soap and water to get the blood off

This is why the bidet is far better, but otherwise use damp tissue rather than dry tissue

Dry tissue is pretty hopeless at cleaning up blood properly, great if you have nothing else but not ideal

I assumed intimate wipes were for application on intimate parts.
Maybe hands are intimate parts now. What do I know.

I have found supermarket and Boots own brand tampons to be exactly the same as Tampax and their pads the same as Always with the advantage of not being scented.
Wipes are expensive and a disaster for your water pipes never mind the environment. If you really feel the need why not just put fresh knickers on during the day?

I use Tesco basic panty liners, which are 22p for 30. They aren't brilliant, but if you are changing them 3-4 times a day, they should be fine.

I use Tesco basic panty liners, which are 22p for 30. They aren't brilliant, but if you are changing them 3-4 times a day, they should be fine.

I use Tesco basic liners, and their thick pads (15p?) about the house. I use their ultra ones when out and about. If I'm having a heavy month I use Tescos own super ultra and then a basic thick one on the top.... ultra ones just don't cut it! Tescos tampons £1 work as good as Lillets to me:

I had cause to buy some co-op pads recently and they seemed fine.

I use liners every day. I hate having discharge on my underwear.

Isn't that what pants are for?

Sanitary products are are costly expense in my house as there is me and two teenage daughters to provide for. I use Wilkos panty liners every day and night as I feel more comfortable with them. I do not have much of a period now as I have the Mirena coil fitted to stop the ridiculously heavy and painful periods I had for years. So I only need the tampons for about three days a month. These are also Wilkos and they are about 60p for a box and 50p for 20 liners. Daughters also use Wilkos products. One likes the tampons and the other prefers the nightime pads that are about 80p a pack. I just go into wilkos each month and buy loads of packs of what we all need. The cost still adds up even buying the cheap products. Both of my girls also have very heavy painful periods and the products from wilkos have always worked really well.

I can recommend the Mirena coil and suggest that you see your GP to help with your periods because they sound quite bad.

Isn't that what pants are for? doesn't really matter. I prefer a liner. Some people wear no pants. So what? Personal choice.

Manufacturers must love some of these pantyliner weAring, Femfresh , gullible customers

My value nappy bags approx 15p for 200.

Buy

I buy bodyform from home and bargain for 89p a pack. The first coupe of night I also have to wear a Tena pull up type pant as I am so heavy.

I was literally thinking about this earlier and I don't get how people spend so much !!

I have extremely heavy periods however it lasts for about 3 days like this then light bleeding for about another two . I cannot get on with tampons since Dc so I wear pads . Let's say 2 packs per period ( but there will be some left over ) bought from Bnm etc style discount shop for a pound a pack . That's at worst ... What 25 quid a year .

Christ I'm not gullible because I wear panty liners it's a choice I make. You know a conscious decision? I'm not drawn in by the pretty pink packets and the adverts on TV. It's just my preference. Every single day people buy and use things they don't need. That's ok. It certainly doesn't indicate that a person is gullible.

kilmuir Gullible? How so?

I am not at all gullible because I use panty liners. It is entirely personal choice and they are availble for women to buy or not. I do not buy them because they are advertised or because they are packaged attractively. I buy a basic brand because it helps me to feel fresher and cleaner when I am wearing them.

It is your choice whether or not to buy them, it also appears to be your choice to be judgmental and think that people with opinions that differ to yours are beneath you in some way.

yabu for using bags and wipes.
roll tampons/pads into loo roll and dispose.
yanbu for looking at cheaper alternatives.
and yadnbu for going to gp regarding heavy periods.

Kilmuir, people are built differently. I assure you I could not manage without liners of some kind, which is why I use washable ones. Underwear alone is not sufficient.

I use washable pads, and I have a mooncup but have had more days of disliking it than liking it.

Washable pads for me are great, and whilst the initial investment might be a bit high depending on where you buy I've not bought anything new for a couple of years now and they are all still in great shape, looking pretty much new. Important tip if you do try them, rinse in cold water first (rinse cycle on washing machines works great).

I invested a quite a bit of money in period underwear called Thinx. I don't have a heavy period but I can use in conjunction with a tampon if needed. It's a US company and I imagine expensive to ship here (had a family member bring them over to me), but I'm sure there must be a similar alternative. I really like them but would also consider reusable pads. Reusable is better for you and the environment.