Gentlemen, if you’re at all squeamish, stop reading now! Please come back on Monday.
Today’s Frugal Friday post is all about that special, delicate time of the month when women would like to eat their weight in chocolate and cheese, rip the head off anyone who irritates them, wear nothing but yoga pants and sloppy t-shirts, and permanently affix their heinies to the couch with a good movie while their family moves out for a week.
Ah, yes. Menstruation. Such a pleasant, charming experience.
(I found one of the best things about being pregnant to be NOT having to endure my cycle every month! It was almost enough to make me turn into Michelle Duggar. Twenty years and only – maybe – twenty periods to deal with? Sign me up, hon!)
It’s also an expensive experience to endure. After pricing out several different brands and types of tampons and pads, I figure the average woman will spend about $7.50 per month to keep herself…tidy…during her cycle.
That’s $90 a year! Over ten years, that’s $900!
Do you know how many boxes of quinoa flakes I could buy for $900? Heck, I could buy a whole cow with that kind of moolah!
Besides, that’s an awful lot of nasty trash to pile up. Pounds and pounds of bio-waste thrown in a landfill somewhere.
All together now: EW.
Fortunately, there’s a totally awesome, easy, healthy and frugal solution to this problem!
Menstrual Cups.
Now, I first heard about these in a magazine article years ago, long before I had kids. At the time, I was sort of grossed out by the idea. I mean, ew!
Yeah. My “ew” days are past me now. I’m a mother. Further, I’m a mother of BOYS. Even further? I’m a mother to FPIES/MSPI boys. If I can handle childbirth, vomit, and digging through poopy diapers regularly, well, a menstrual cup is absolutely a non-issue, amiright?
So last year before Zac was born I decided I wanted to go eco-friendly and uber-frugal and buy myself a menstrual cup. I figured it was worth a shot.
The only one I’d ever heard of was the Diva Cup, so imagine my surprise walking through my health food co-op one day when I saw the Keeper and the Moon Cup (both made by The Keeper.)
Why order something online and pay shipping when I could support my local co-op and try it out right away? (And the difference between the two is simple: the Keeper is made of latex rubber and the Moon Cup is made of medical-grade silicone.)
So I bough the Moon Cup right then…and still had to wait many, many moons before I could use it. (Get it? Moons? Well, I think it’s funny!)
Anyway, the sad, unfortunate day did finally come where I had need of my fancy Moon Cup. I wish I could say it was instantly easy and perfect, but there is a bit of a learning curve at first. Thanks to age and experience, the learning curve is very short! Within a day, I was THRILLED with the decision!
As the months passed, I became even more enamored of my choice.
- No more wadded up toilet paper used as a last ditch “uh-oh” fix.
- No more running out of tampons in the middle of the night, necessitating an emergency run to the store (see? Even saves you gas!).
- No more worrying about Toxic Shock Syndrome.
And the money savings was lovely!
I pay attention to when “that time” is approaching, and just stick my little Moon Cup in its’ cute little carrying bag and throw it in my purse. Then, no matter where I am, I’m all ready to go.
As long as you keep it clean, you won’t have to buy any feminine hygiene products for a DECADE.
THAT is AWESOME!
Now, there are several different brands on the market. I found a very thorough review of the different options available here. You’ll have to select the one you think is the right choice for you, but I want to throw my 2 cents in and give a resounding shout out to the Moon Cup or the Keeper.
Why?
Well, it’s the one I use, so of course I like it. There are several excellent qualities about it, though!
For one thing, it’s the only menstrual cup on the market that is made in America. For my non-U.S. readers, this won’t make a difference, but for my fellow Americans, I know lots of us try to buy American Made Goods. This qualifies. The others don’t.
They’re also very eco-conscious; the review I linked to believes this a bad thing, as she says her Keeper and Moon Cup were delivered in “unattractive, unprofessional packaging”. The Keeper website clearly states the reason behind their unorthodox packaging: less packaging to toss away means less waste in a landfill…which is the entire purpose behind their product!
So I find their bare-bones shipping packaging to be fully in line with their company mission, and that’s very refreshing to me.
In fact, I’m such a fan of their product that when I was reading their website in preparation for writing this post I noticed they have an affiliate program and signed up right away! I had no idea this program was available when I decided to write about the Moon Cup for Frugal Fridays, but I think of it as a happy coincidence.
So if you decide to try a menstrual cup, and want to give the Keeper or the Moon Cup a try, please do me a favor and purchase it through the link on my blog!
I’m very sure you’ll be happy with switching to a Moon Cup!
Hope this helps!
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Have you used a menstrual cup before? How did you like it?
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