Comments on: Frugal Homemaker Plus Gets a Little Personal

By: Dawn

Dawn — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:03:31 +0000

I stumbled onto this coversation by accident, and I have to say I am impressed. Over the years, I have heard of the Keeper, but like many others thought it was gross! I think periods are gross! But, that is beside the point.

I am 44 and have 4 children. I am a 3-5 day period girl, and I tend to have 3 super heavy days, and then nearly nothing. I use 14-28 pads a month!

I love the idea of something that is less wasteful, and more comfortable. For sometime now I have thought that I might actually be allergic to something in the pads. After reading your blog, I am seriously considering changing methods, and trying out the Keeper!

Thanks for being honest, and real, and sharing your experiences!

By: Frugal.Homemaker.Plus

Frugal.Homemaker.Plus — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:23:14 +0000

Jenny,

I’ll share! When I used disposables, I used at least a box per cycle, sometimes a box and a half. I have very heavy periods.

I’m 28 and have no children either. It’s amazing how difference each woman’s body can be!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:50:14 +0000

Wow, the numbers on disposables used seem really high to me. 40 pads per cycle (original article) and 18 tampons per cycle (Julies’s comment)!!!!

I use disposables, and at most use 7 pads per cycle, but more often 4-5. I ocassionally use tampons as well, and use maybe 3 of them and 3 pads. I don’t use pads on my last couple of really light days though. It might sound gross, but all I do is fold up about 5 sqares of TP and place it in my underwear. It just sort of sits there between me and my underwear and I rarely have any leaks with it, and don’t think I have ever had it fall out or move. I just drop it in the toilet when I go the bathroom.

Anyone else that uses disposables want to comment on their usage?

In case anyone wonders, I’m 28 and have no children yet. Maybe that makes a difference, do they get heavier after kids?

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:32:57 +0000

I don’t think 48 years of menstruation on average is accurate. 40 years is closer to the norm.

By: kimc

kimc — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:10:37 +0000

This option may not be for everyone, but as the mother of 9 children may I mention that I probably have had less than 20 periods in my 17 years of marriage? But I would certainly consider a keeper if I weren’t always pregnant and/or breastfeeding.

By: Julia Schopick

Julia Schopick — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:24:26 +0000

What a terrific blog this is!

And it’s really wonderful to see this posting about REUSABLE menstrual products –- and especially about The Keeper.

You’re absolutely right that, in the long run, reusable menstrual products provide a terrific savings -– AND that they also provide a great savings for the environment, as well.

I hope you’ll want to take a look at a REAL pictorial representation of the actual amount of WASTE disposable menstrual products create, on Keeper.com’s new Comparison Photo Page, at http://www.keeper.com/photographs.html .

Here, you will see — IN REAL PICTURES — the amount of waste caused by ONE WOMAN’S tampon use in one month, one year, ten years, and forty years. (We based our photos on 18 tampons used per month, and calculated that most women menstruate for approximately 40 years.)

I think you’ll be shocked, as will visitors to your blog, to see how much WASTE is created by using (and disposing of) tampons. And I also think you’ll agree with me that the 4 photos on our Comparison Photo Page are worth AT LEAST A THOUSAND WORDS!

By the way, did you know that The Keeper has been on the market since 1987?

Julia Schopick
The Keeper, Inc.
http://www.Keeper.com

By: Maura

Maura — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:53:53 +0000

I’ve had a Keeper for a long time now ( over 10 years! ) and it is truly a great product. Peronally, I have to sleep with a pad because I can get leakage at night while using the Keeper – so YMMV as to leaking – but it has saved me so much money, I really don’t care.

However…

Be aware that if you have to use a public multistall restroom at work – a cup might be good for evening and weekend use only. You have to be able to take it out and rinse it. I personally don’t want to be rinsing my cup in front of my co-workers!

The Keeper is definitely a good investment.

By: cj

cj — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:50:09 +0000

I just want to clarify for latex allergy people: the Keeper is made from latex rubber, the Mooncup is the same company’s newer version made of medical-grade silicone, and the Diva cup is another silicone cup made by a different company. I believe there is a different Moon cup (the original) that is made by a different company in the UK- not sure what it’s made of. Aside from the latex allergy concern, you can boil the silicone ones whereas you have to soak the latex Keeper in some sort of cleaner (like vinegar) to clean it. (I actually never do this- I just wash mine in the sink more thoroughly at the end of, and again right before, each cycle.)

I have been using cups since I was 17, almost five years now, and I absolutely love it. There was one time when my luggage was stolen and my Keeper was in there, and I ordered a Diva cup when I got home but it wasn’t delivered by my next period. I had to use plastic pads for that round. I thought it was horribly uncomfortable, I hated throwing so much stuff away, and…it was just all-around icky.

I used the reusable pads in conjunction with a cup for a while, and thought they were much more comfortable than plastic pads, but I don’t like to do laundry very often and have to go to the laundromat to do it, so this has never been a terribly convenient option for me.

I am that person who will talk about my cup at length to anybody who will listen!

By: Left Right Out

Left Right Out — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:11:38 +0000

I use a Mooncup as it’s silicon and I can boil it between uses. I have noticed that I need to be very careful to wipe the outside completely dry before reinserting or I’m prone to infections.

I love it — my periods are very heavy and when I’ve had to use super tampons I’ve always been “aware” of them and at times, quite uncomfortable. With the mooncup, after I insert it I do a couple of squats to adjust everything, then I totally forget I have my period.

By: Melody

Melody — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:41:15 +0000

I just got the Diva. I’ve used Instead in the past, with decent results, but have been wanting something reusable for a while. The concept is great.

I’ve also used cloth pads for years. I made up a bunch when I didn’t have any extra money to buy disposables, and haven’t gone back. I like them so much I even sewed up some longer ones for the postpartum period.

Reusable feminine products – what a concept. I love them!