• Posts Tagged ‘cheap’

    Cheap Sex, the Married Edition

    by  • January 7, 2009 • Tagged:   • Comments

    Two years ago I wrote a post called Cheap Sex where I talked about how I took advantage of store promotions to fill my birth control prescription and save money. Now we’re married, thinking about kids, and I figure it’s time for a cheap sex update!

    We’re in the process of switching to a new method of fertility control called the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). Note, this is NOT the same as the much-maligned “rhythm method” which fails because it does not account for ongoing variations in a woman’s fertility cycle. The FAM method is the ultimate in cheap sex. All you need is to learn the method from a book, video, or class, and purchase a thermometer. Basically, a woman measures and charts several physical indicators (including waking temperature and cervical fluid) and uses the chart to determine when she is fertile. When she is not fertile, it is safe to have unprotected sex. It’s simple, effective, and CHEAP!

    Of course, this method isn’t for everyone. It requires some knowledge and responsibility to chart effectively, and does not protect against STD’s. It works best for women in a monogamous committed relationship, like me!

    The benefits of this method include increased awareness of my body, and my charts can help me have more meaningful discussions with my doctors in the future. The charts can reveal hidden health issues, help a doctor schedule tests and procedures at the proper time, and correctly identify the date of conception. As we’re cutting costs and planning for children, this method is a great way for us to keep on having cheap sex.

    If you are interested and want to learn more, I highly recommend the book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler.

    Wearing Disposable Contact Lenses Too Long: Cheap or Frugal?

    by  • October 17, 2007 • Tagged: , ,  • Comments

    contacts.jpg
    photo: .imelda

    I have been nearsighted at least since I was in the third grade; thus I’ve had glasses at the early age of 9 years old. That pretty much disqualified me from becoming one of the cool kids. Then again, so did directly sitting in front of the television to watch all of those episodes of Tom and Jerry.

    When I hit junior high and had an accompanying hormonal response to girls, I desperately wanted contacts. After an appropriate amount of badgering and promising I was responsible enough to take care of them, my parents eventually relented and let me have my first pair of contacts. Back then, contact lenses were to be treated like gold, as disposables were unheard of. I don’t know how much my parents paid for my first pair of contacts, but they made me take care of those like a newborn child.

    Since then, I’ve gone though various phases alternating between glasses and contact lenses. Currently I’m in a contact lens phase. Over a year ago, I bought a one-year supply of 2-week disposable contacts. Today, In our bathroom closet I have about half of the order still remaining. You don’t need to do the math to figure out that I’ve been wearing my contact lenses past the recommended two-week period. At this rate, the remaining contacts will last until about another year from now.

    I’m fully aware of elevated risks of eye infection by wearing contact lenses too long. I always take them out at night and soak them in solution. My crime is that I wear them for a little over a month before disposing of them. Half of me does this because I’m lazy; the other half does it so that I can make my contacts last longer, thus putting off getting another eye exam, contact lens fitting, and a new supply of contacts.

    Am I being cheap or am I being frugal?

    For disposable contact lens wearers: do you follow the manufacturer’s schedule of disposal, or do you wear yours past that date? Is it to save money or for another reason?