2012 Buy Prices = Health and Beauty items

Three weeks ago, I shared my buy prices for meat, product, dairy and frozen items. Two weeks ago, I shared my prices for pantry items, snack foods and beverages. Last week, we looked at my target prices for various household items, including cleaning products, food storage, paper products and pet items. This week, in the fourth and final segment of this series, I will share my buy prices for health and beauty product.

Don't forget...

Please remember that these are my buy prices - not yours! Our prices may be similar on some items and vastly different on other items. I live in a very rural area - for higher quality, better stores, I drive 30 minutes. It's over an hour to Target!

I keep a mental list of my buy prices and can look back at my Super Savings Saturday posts to find prices for items. I encourage you to pay attention to the sales and the prices you regularly pay for products in your area to find your buy prices.

When I find an item on sale that meets my buy price (or is lower), I buy extra - however many my budget will allow. Knowing my buy prices also means that I know at which stores I generally buy certain items. I do occasionally pay more than my buy price for item depending on the circumstances, but I try not to do that unless I really have to. It's all about what fits in the budget in a given month!

My health and beauty products stockpile

We often see fantastic deals on health and beauty products at the drugstores. By "rolling" the rewards (Register Rewards, ECB's, and +Ups), you can get necessary products at huge discounts. Our monthly grocery budget also includes all household and health & beauty items, but I find that I do not spend much on household items or health and beauty products. I don't "play the drugstore game" much where we live now, but it's still possible to get great deals even rolling the rewards only occasionally. I also "buy ahead" whenever possible and keep a nice-sized stockpile on hand for most of these items.

For comparison on how prices have changed in the past twelve months, take a look back at my 2011 prices.

Eye care products

• Contact solution - $2.50 for 12 oz. bottle.
• Contact rewetting drops - $1.50 per 0.5 oz. bottle.
• Allergy drops - $1 for antihistamine drops (0.5 oz. bottle)

Oral care products

• Toothpaste - $0.07-$0.10 per oz. for basic Colgate or Crest; $0.25 per oz. for Crest with Scope.
• Manual toothbrush - $0.50 per toothbrush.
• Rechargeable toothbrush "heads" - $7 per head (Oral B).
• Mouthwash - $1.50 per liter.

Medications

• Cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) - $0.10 per pill.
• Diphenhydramine (generic Benadryl) - $0.03 per pill.
• Multivitamins
• Men's or women's regular - $0.03-$0.04 per pill.
• Prenatal (with DHA included) - $0.15 per pill.
• Other vitamins - $0.02 per pill (Vitamin C, calcium, etc.)
• Fish oil - $0.04 per pill.
• Acetaminophen - $0.02-$0.04 per pill.
• Ibuprofen - $0.02-$0.04 per pill.
• Antacids (chewable) - $0.02-$0.04 per tablet.
• Liquid bismuth - $3 for 12 oz.
• Chewable bismuth tabs - $2.75 for 30 tabs.
• Saline nasal spray - $2 per 1.5 oz. bottle.

Body wash and lotion

• Women's body wash - under $1 for 18 oz. bottle.
• Men's body wash - under $1 for 18 oz. bottle.
• Regular body lotion - $2-$3 for 12-18 oz.
• Hand cream - This is something I usually try to purchase through Amazon with gift cards or with my PayPal account (which is funded by survey money). It can be $10-$15 per tub for good quality hand cream.

Deodorant/Antiperspirant

• Men's - $1.50 per tube.
• Women's - $1.25 per tube.

Facial care products

• Cleanser - $2-$4 per bottle.
• Moisturizer - $3 -$4 per bottle.
• Foundation - $2-$4 per bottle.
• I don't wear any other make-up products anymore.
• Cotton swabs - less than a penny per swab.

Feminine care products

• Tampons - $0.10-$0.12 per tampon.
• Pantiliners - $0.02-$0.04 per liner.
• Sorry, I don't have prices for pads.

Hair care products

• Dandruff shampoo - $3-$4 for 14 oz.
• Regular shampoo - $0.05 per oz.
• Regular conditioner - $0.05 per oz.
• Styling products - under $1.

Shaving products - I frequently obtain more razorblades (both men's and women's) by playing the drugstore game. I usually buy a full razor, instead of a package of cartridges, since the razor is far cheaper (usually with a Register Reward or ECB deal).

• Men's razor - $2 per razor.
• Women's razor - $2 per razor.
• Men's razorblade cartridges - $2 per cartridge.
• Women's razorblade cartridges - $1.50-$2 per cartridge.
• Men's shaving gel - under $1 per can (name brand).
• Women's shaving gel - under $1 per can (name brand).

*A note on travel-size items: The best way to obtain travel size items is to sign up for the free samples that are offered frequently online. I post offers for these kinds of items at least once a week! I keep a basket in our guest bathroom filled with travel-size items - our guests use those items and we pick from there when we travel as well.

Another way to obtain travel-sized items is to use coupons on the travel-size items when the coupon has no size exclusions. I post those offers frequently, too. Honestly, you should almost never have to purchase any travel-sized items!