Would you consider buying a lifetime supply of tampons or pads?
Provided that you have a place to store them and the money to buy them in bulk ofc.
Benefits: they don't go bad, no issues with rising prices, shorter grocery trips with a smaller luggage, never running out, awesome 2 truths and a lie option
Cons: you might miss out on awesome technological innovations or have to waste the ones you bought, maybe the world improves and basic needs become free (low hopes tho :/), takes up a lot of space (i recommend those rail sorta thingies u can attach to ceilings and slide in big plastic boxes full of light weight stuff)
and yes, im taking sheldon cooper's suggestion; i would totally do this if i needed it
Would you consider buying a lifetime supply of tampons or pads?
byu/grundeh2006 inFrugal
Posted by grundeh2006
27 Comments
No, but I did switch to reusable pads and menstrual discs and cups. They are so much better that even if they cost just as much I would still use them. But they are cheaper, so double win.
No.
My needs have changed since I was a teenager and after pregnancy, and they will again as I get older. I use reusables but I do not again caught up on holding a lot of product without knowing it will always work.
While they won’t go bad they will deteriorate especially any adhesives. I buy 6 months worth at a time and keep them in small totes. Same with bar soap, shampoo, etc
Personally no. I already use period underwear and so far they’ve saved me on money and stress. I would also use a menstrual disc or cup if I wasn’t afraid of them. And both are less wasteful.
No, reusable options are better IMO.
They don’t go bad but the plastic packaging does begin to break down after a few years. I tried this, ended up with some of it being trash because they no longer felt sanitary.
If I had known how much better tampons were in the US before I moved to Europe, I would have considered it.
And when all of the manufacturers stopped making cardboard applicators and switched to plastic over the last 5+ years, I really wished I had stocked up.
But I move too often, and I used tampons less often and switched to cups and period pants when we started finding out how much chemical processing they use, so it probably would have been a waste.
> Provided that you have a place to store them and the money to buy them in bulk ofc.
And what kind of hypothetical fantasy is this? No way am I devoting storage space to a lifetime of pads and tampons. And if they aren’t properly stored, they can easily be ruined by moisture or pest which means you’ve more than lost any potential savings. Hoarding is rarely the frugal choice.
No, the materials break down over time. Especially over 30+ years.
No, reusable is the best option for frugality and depending on life changes like pregnancy, birth control, and early menopause, your needs to period products may not align with your need for space in your home.
Needs change. You’re not planning to menstruate forever are you?
No. This doesn’t account for changing needs or preferences over time. It is also hard to know what a life time supply would be. A person could have a hysterectomy at 30 or menstruate to age 60.
No, I have a disc and period panties, don’t need anything else.
No, my needs and preferences changed quite a bit quite quickly and then I had a hysterectomy and don’t need them at all anymore. I completely stand by period underwear and discs/cups though
consider this:
can you keep them safe from natural disasters eg. bug, mice and water?
do you actually safe enough to justify the space?
in what package are they? because plastic does degrade over time, would you still use them if the packaging was brittle or flaky ?
>they don’t go bad
Has absorption efficacy been tested for 10 or 20 or 30 year old tampons?
How would you know how many to get?
Lol my pads haven’t changed much since I was 13 getting closer to menopause age. What innovative technology are pads gonna have other than better options for organic?
How much are you going to pay to move them when you get your dream job halfway across the country?
storage has a cost – does this force you to buy more real estate than you need? also you don’t know when you’ll hit menopause, last 10 years of fertility can be very spotty in terms of period regularity. you don’t need it when you are pregnant, and you don’t need it for a period after given birth. you don’t know what birth control you’ll use your whole life right, some birth control methods get rid of the period.
idk when i’ll hit menopause but i didn’t need it for 2 pregnancies and for 1 year after each pregnancy. added up to 4 years. since hitting 40 – i’m not monthly.
For some reason the question made me think of Elaine’s contraceptive sponges on Seinfeld
Reusable pads that you can wash are the best
Absolutely not. Materials break down and the items become unusable. Also, my flow and needs have changed as I got older and I don’t reach for the same products as much anymore. This would not be a frugal thing to do for a lot of people.
Definitely not. I am also team reusable but even if I wasn’t, I have no idea what my future needs will be. I might end up on birth control that sharply reduces my periods, I might go through menopause early. I definitely have better uses for that storage space and money.
No. Through couponing one could easily accumulate a supply. I probably carry inventory enough to last for like 3-5 years. That is the max I want in my linen closet which is the only storage I have allocated. Any more takes up too much space and seems like too long of a time to just have it being there. And they don’t even take up that much space compared to items like tissues and toilet paper. A larger supply would drive me crazy. I actually like to see my stockpile of toiletries whittle down and then replenish with another good deal making my storage neat and easier to manage. And I am very happy to donate couponed supplies when I feel like I have too much stuff.
Nope. Buy menstrual underwear. I bought several packs of a 3 pack and thus I have about mmmm maybe 12-15 pairs in total and I have never gone back to pads since then. Plus I hand wash them to make sure they last longer or keep an eye out if Walmart ever drops them in price (sometimes they do if someone steals one from a 3 pack – thanks to whoever does that at times because then I’m getting a 2 pack for about $10ish or so). I only buy tampons if I’m on a trip and might be swimming.
I wouldn’t. They’re made to catch humidity, and can become moldy over time.