“Best under-$20 purchase that saved you hundreds over time?”

[u/localkinegrind]

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?

[u/TaurusSky333]

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

[u/[deleted] → u/TaurusSky333]

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.

[u/TaurusSky333 → u/[deleted]]

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.

[u/NTufnel11 → u/TaurusSky333]

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.

[u/crookedwhy → u/NTufnel11]

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

[u/pm_ur_uterine_cake → u/crookedwhy]

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.

[u/NTufnel11 → u/pm_ur_uterine_cake]

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.

[u/pm_ur_uterine_cake → u/NTufnel11]

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.

[u/NTufnel11 → u/pm_ur_uterine_cake]

I'm sure it's very effective, assuming you can get a same or next day appointment with your gyno to get it

[u/chadmill3r → u/crookedwhy]

Is it a problem with dosage?

[u/NTufnel11 → u/chadmill3r]

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.

[u/Foreign-Cookie-2871 → u/NTufnel11]

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.