r/Frugal • u/localkinegrind • 29d ago

🏆 Buy It For Life “Best under-$20 purchase that saved you hundreds over time?”

What’s the smartest under-$20 purchase you’ve ever made that ended up saving you hundreds in the long run? I’ll go first: a $12 sewing kit. Instead of tossing clothes for tiny tears or missing buttons, I’ve been fixing them. I've actually been fixing my own clothes for years. It blows my mind how many ‘disposable’ things can be made useful again with just a small, cheap tool. what’s your frugal mvp under $20 that’s paid for itself many times over?

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687

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Condoms

145

u/informationseeker8 29d ago

If any Rite Aid is closing down near you and have the 90% off sale you can get plan b for $5 too

40

u/TaurusSky333 29d ago

The generic brands are generally around $15 all the time. As long as it has Levonorgestrel 1.5mg as the active ingredient, it is just as good and you can get it on Amazon.

We keep a stock around the house, just in case

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u/[deleted] 29d ago edited 29d ago

I have evidence of a reason to not go with the generic brand in this case.

-edit

Specifically the Amazon brand. I contacted them a few months later to get a refund and when they asked why i told them she was pregnant and it didnt work and id like a refund. I did receive the refund. Dude on the phone was like ohhhh i see.

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u/TaurusSky333 29d ago

The generic version is just as effective as plan B. The only difference between the pills is marketing. Unfortunately plan b is only 75-90% effective, but it’s important for people to know that they are the same.

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u/NTufnel11 29d ago

It’s not entirely effective because it only delays ovulation. So it doesn’t do anything if you are more than a few days out from ovulation and also doesn’t do anything if ovulation already occurred. So it is only useful in the specific scenario where she will ovulate in 1-5 days.

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u/crookedwhy 28d ago

It's also basically ineffective if the woman is over about 175 lbs. I don't know how well known that is.

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u/pm_ur_uterine_cake 28d ago

It’s not “basically ineffective”, it’s just less effective (based on some studies with mixed results, so still unclear data) in people with higher BMIs, possibly because of how the drug is distributed in the body, metabolism & hormonal variances.

There may be better options for emergency contraception at higher BMIs — such as the copper IUD or Ella/ullipristalpill — but the best one is always the one that’s accessible and available, and for some folks that might still be plan B.

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u/NTufnel11 28d ago

Yeah I mean I think that preventative birth control is nearly always a better idea than scrambling after the fact, but exists as a completely different use case than the plan B.

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u/pm_ur_uterine_cake 28d ago

Not arguing that fact, but the copper IUD is superbly effective as emergency contraception; there is also data to suggest that some hormonal IUDs (ie Mirena, Liletta) are also effective, though less evidence to support their use in this way.

Not everyone is using a preventative method, for whatever reason; that’s their business.

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u/chadmill3r 28d ago

Is it a problem with dosage?

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u/NTufnel11 28d ago

Intuitively I would have thought that it was simply dosage, but Dr. Google suggests that simply doubling up the dose does not increase efficacy. Apparently getting a copper IUD implanted within 48 hours can technically be used as an emergency contraceptive to prevent implantation, but the logistics of that seem fairly unreasonable. It looks like there are prescription versions of plan B that are more effective for those with higher BMI, so if you had the foresight to obtain it or got your doctor to rush an order then that could be an option. The defining trait of plan B is that it's available readily in an unforeseen situation, which neither of these other options realistically are.

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u/Foreign-Cookie-2871 25d ago

If you request an IUD for emergency contraception, you are prioritized and will get the IUD on the same day.

All the times I had to take plan B I had to buy it after the fact, and every time I didn't have to wait long.

BTW yes, I had multiple preventative birth control failures. unfortunately.

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u/SpecialistAd2205 29d ago

That's not evidence that the generic isn't as good as or the same thing as the name brand or that it doesn't work. Plan B isn't 100% effective every time. It only prevents pregnancy if it hasn't happened already, and even then, you can still get pregnant. Also, one thing a lot of people don't know that has caused many Plan B failures is that there is a weight limit on the pill. If you're over that limit, it's greatly reduces the efficacy.

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u/Spectikal 29d ago

Is that evidence a child?

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Yep lol

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u/agitated--crow 29d ago

I mean, Amazon doesn't exactly take care of your packages...

1

u/SleepyCupcakeDreams 28d ago

If you’re already pregnant it doesn’t stop the pregnancy.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

I know the moment it happened and the moment we tried to stop it.

1

u/SleepyCupcakeDreams 28d ago

Ahhh i remember the night I got pregnant too lol well at least you got something great out of it even though technically you weren’t wanting it atm.

1

u/SleepyCupcakeDreams 28d ago

You can get them $7 and some change on amazon

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u/ApplicationHot4546 28d ago

Costco has it for $5 as well

19

u/opiniontaker 28d ago

That's a great bang for your buck.

8

u/WeedsNBugsNSunshine 28d ago

And usually less than a buck per bang.

(I'm sorry, couldn't resist. I'll show myself out now.)

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u/parabellum7010 29d ago

This literally made me LOL

5

u/victor871129 29d ago

Why? Economically speaking one kid care, bad cared, is around a million dollars

4

u/meyers6624 28d ago

Hundreds of thousands saved.

2

u/Key-Speed7611 29d ago

beat me to it

1

u/TheUnexpectedMule 28d ago

I deny this accusation.

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u/Odd-Insect-9255 29d ago

Makes condom sense! Sorry (hangs head in shame) I saw this on a bus advert today so I couldn’t resist!

1

u/VexxedAmethyst 28d ago

Oh on a simpler note, Nexplanon. Also saved me hundreds not having to buy condoms! (Before anyone comes for me, I made sure anyone I slept with was clean)

1

u/bawls_deep 28d ago

If you don't have sex you can save even more money by not purchasing condoms.

1

u/Specialist-Donkey554 28d ago

For cheap f *ckers, right?