Jul 22, 2008

More on persistent frugality

A couple of months ago, I was running out of my moisturizer and wondered how persistent people generally are about getting the last of something out of a container. To control my rosacea, I use the moisturizer my dermatologist recommended, DML Forte. It isn't overly expensive, especially when compared with department store brands, but it's not cheap either - the best price I've seen is $11.49 at Drugstore.com. The real problem with it is that it's hard to get since most drugstores don't carry it and I have to go to the pharmacy at the medical building (although I'll keep getting it from Drugstore.com if I can get free shipping). This all explains why I was determined to get every bit of moisturizer out of the very hard plastic tube that it comes in.

Andrea offered the brilliant idea of cutting the tube open. It's so obvious and yet never would have occurred to me. A couple of days ago, nothing was coming out so I snipped the tube in half. And I'm still using what's left. I apply the moisturizer twice a day, so there were more than four applications left in the tube! We're still talking pennies worth of savings, of course, but since I use this moisturizer every day, year in and year out, those savings will add up. I open a new tube every two months, so if I get three or four days' worth of applications by cutting the tube, I will have saved myself a quarter tube or almost $3 every year. (Did I get that math right?) And that up over the years, and it's a real savings for minimal effort. Thanks so much for helping me get that remaining moisturizer, Andrea!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've always did that with my toothpaste before I started getting paid to take toothpaste home!!

Clean ClutterFree Simple said...

It's a real saver with pump bottles especially. I just did that with my huge bottle of Jergens. Cut it open last week and still using up what's left, that would have just been garbage.

Isn't it neat how the little things can add up?

Chief Family Officer said...

@Briana - Yeah, I have to admit, I'm a little less diligent about squeezing the very last of the toothpaste out now. ;)

@CCS - Interesting idea. I'm going to email your for details!