2013 Buy Prices = Health and Beauty items

Last year in February, I ran a four-week series that looked at my "buy prices" for various items. This month, I'll be doing the same thing - with my updated buy prices for 2013.

Please don't forget that these are my buy prices - they are specific to my location and situation. We live in the Midwest in rural Wisconsin. Aldi is 30 minutes away and Target is an hour! I don't regularly play the "drugstore game" because Walgreens is not conveniently located. I eat 100% gluten free; it's currently my husband (not GF) and me, but we are adding a baby to the family next month (Feb. 2013). We do focus on eating "whole foods" and consume very little in the way of processed foods (i.e., we cook and bake mostly from scratch).

All that to say: My buy prices are constantly evolving and changing. Do I ever purchase an item when it's more than my buy price? Occasionally. But I certainly do my best to stock up when the price is low, so I am not forced to pay more for something when we need it.

This week, we'll take a look at my buy prices for meat, produce, dairy and frozen grocery items. Feel free to comment and let us know how your buy prices compare to mine! {For comparison on how prices have changed in the past twelve months, take a look back at my 2012 prices.}

Eye care products

• Contact solution - $2 for 12 oz. bottle.
• Contact rewetting drops - $3 per 0.5 oz. bottle.
• Allergy drops - $3 per 0.5 oz. bottle of antihistamine drops.

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 - $2 per liter (name brand).
• Floss - free-$0.50.
• Floss picks - $0.01-$0.02 per pick.

Medications

• Allergy medicines
• Cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) - $0.06 per pill.
• Diphenhydramine (generic Benadryl) - $0.04 per pill.
• Chlorpheniramine (generic Chlor-Trimeton) - $0.03 per pill.
• Multivitamins
• Men's or women's regular - $0.03 per pill.
• Prenatal (with DHA included) - $0.15 per pill.
• Other vitamins - $0.02 per pill (Vitamin C, calcium, etc.)
• Fish oil - $0.05 per pill.
• Pain relievers
• Acetaminophen - $0.02 per pill (Aldi).
• Ibuprofen - $0.02 per pill (Aldi).
• Antacids (chewable) - $0.09 per tablet (name-brand Ultra-strength Tums).
• Bismuth (generic Pepto)
• Liquid bismuth - $3 per 16 oz.
• Chewable bismuth tabs - $0.09 per tab.
• 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 - I recently read some great reviews of Aldi's facial care products, so I will be trying those this year as I need more. I tend to use facial care products very sparingly, so I don't go through them very quickly!

• Cleanser - $2-$4 per bottle.
• Moisturizer - $3 -$4 per bottle.
• Foundation - $2-$4 per bottle.
• 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.
• Pads
• Regular pads - $0.08 per pad.
• Overnight pads - $0.11 per pad.

Hair care products

• Dandruff shampoo - $0.28 per 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 or by watching for freebies online. 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 - $1.25-$1.50 per can (name brand).
• Women's shaving gel - $1.25-$1.50 per can (name brand).

Travel-size items
As a general rule, I do not purchase travel-size items. However, my guest bathroom stays fully stocked with numerous travel-size and sample-size items, both for our guests and us (when we travel). A majority of these items are obtained by requesting them online when they are available (I post those offers here on the blog whenever I see them!).

In addition, you can often get free or very inexpensive travel-size items by using coupons - just be sure to watch for size exclusions.

My Observations

• Eye drops certainly went up in price over the past year. For me, those are items that I need, no matter what!
• The price of mouthwash also increased over the course of 2012. I always purchase name-brand mouthwash, but thankfully can usually find deals on Listerine (normally at Walgreens).
• One nice thing this year is that I have found cetirizine allergy medicine to be significantly cheaper on Amazon!
• Chewable antacid tablets are costing us more because we buy only name-brand Tums and we buy the Ultra Strength version.
• Body, hair and facial care products did not change much in price this year - the deals still seem to be about the same for those categories.