let’s talk about Dr. Bronner’s Magic all-One Castile Soap,
Peppermint, to be exact.

I love it!
I would drink it if my digestive track allowed me to.
That tingly pepperminty sensation, the sweet minty aroma, the invigorating lather that leaves me squeeky clean.

For some, it is recommended to use lotion afterwards, unless you have oily skin, and if you do like I do, ah it’s fantastic!
Just enough oil-wicking to calm down skin, but not over-drying like other oily skin soaps. You may notice it is All-One Soap, and taking a look at the short novel on the label, you get the idea of how extensive the use of this product is. For babies! For cleaning! for Laundry! for Shampoo! For brushing your teeth!
Yes, it can do all that and—- it’s biodegradable, vegan, and fantastically stricken with a hippie vibe.

It is a bit pricey per bottle, though, and for that reason, I treat it as a rare commodity. It is from this 32 ounce bottle I take 2 drops from to wash my face with. Three months later, I am counting the last few drops, diluting them with water to get every minty drop out. I am afraid I only have one or two more minty shower experiences, and it will be gone.
When it’s gone, it’s gone, and my morning shower is dull, un-tingly, and not filled with minty vibrance. So how do we find a better price? 32 ounce bottle on the official Dr. Bronner’s website goes for $14.99. yipes! (keep in mind, it does last a while, as it is quite potent (DILUTE! DILUTE!), but still- yipes!)
A full gallon costs $52.49. for soap. (a bit too much for a one-time purchase for an unemployed gal in this economy)

I have seen this stuff at 2 places mostly- Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Both under $10 for the 32 ounce size, the cheapest being at Whole Foods. Amazing- huh. It’s the only time I go to Whole Foods and check out not feeling like I was just overcharged for a bunch of over-hyped organic food.
Eight dollars and some change. What a deal! a little over half the online price, and I have yet to hear of a better price.
I read about filling stations where you can take your empty bottle and refill it, saving money and plastic from the landfills. I have yet to find a place that will do that. I would be there in a heartbeat, with my empty bottles, refilling and telling the masses about this fantastic soap, the economically feasible refill options, and the environmental statement it makes.

Just emailed the company to see if refill stations are just a tall tale from the local hippies.

UPDATE: well it seems like its been ages since I bought Dr Bronner’s at Whole Foods. They used to have it cheap, but now it’s 11 something. I did not get it there, BUT when I was at Trader Joe’s I saw it for 8.99 for the 32 ounce bottle. Ladies and Gentlemen, the cheapest price around.

and Dr. Bronner’s company emailed me back saying they are not in charge of who has a filling station in their store. Some vendors buy the big 5 gallon containers to use for refilling, but there is no way to find out. She then suggested I buy a 5 gallon jug to refill my own and save money. Technically that would save me money… but just a 1 gallon jug is $52.49. The 5 gallon would be over $200 bucks…

Did I mention I am unemployed? And food tends to be a priority (silly, silly food).

**cough cough cough**

It’s that time of year my friends, and I’m not talking about mistletoe and Jack Frost nipping at your nose.
I’m talking about NyQuil, boxes of tissues, the taste of menthol cough drops, and that wad of snot in the back of my sinuses that won’t budge. 

Yes, it’s that time of the year.

I’ve had allergies for the last few months, and have gotten by with a bit of allergy medication here and there (generic, of course). But when the sniffles became a full-fledged nasty cold, I had to go find some stronger ammunition. In comes NyQuil and it’s drowsy little friend DayQuil, or rather, their generic counterparts from CVS. Saved me $1.50 each! The NyQuil was even on sale, and still way more expensive. And in my delirious “non-drowsy” Generic-Dayquil stupor, that $3 seems like a fortune.

(or enough for a box of tissues and a bag of generic menthol cough drops. SCORE!)

So why do we have generics and brand name drugs, and why do they have a price difference? Let’s see what our friends at the FDA say about generic medication:

When a brand-name drug’s patent protection expires, generic versions of the drug can be approved for sale. The generic version works like the brand-name drug in dosage, strength, performance and use, and must meet the same quality and safety standards. All generic drugs must be reviewed and approved by FDA.

Interesting. So they are the same thing, but cheaper.

…but wait a minute… they kinda look and taste different…

Generic drugs look different because certain inactive ingredients, such as colors and flavorings, may be different. These ingredients do not affect the performance, safety or effectiveness of the generic drug. They look different because trademark laws in the U.S. do not allow a generic drug to look exactly like other drugs already on the market.

And who makes these generics? Some guy in a shack with bottles of chemicals and a big bathtub to mix them in?

FDA won’t permit drugs to be made in substandard facilities. FDA conducts about 3,500 inspections a year to ensure standards are met. Generic firms have facilities comparable to those of brand-name firms. In fact, brand-name firms are linked to an estimated 50 percent of generic drug production. They frequently make copies of their own or other brand-name drugs but sell them without the brand name.

Ah. So we have nothing to worry about, except for where to spend our saved dollars.

Now everyone go take some generic vitamin C and drink lots of water.

I need a haircut!

That could cost nearly $100 for some, but for me, $8.88 (plus tip).

Now realize, this is no fancy salon, but Great Clips, one of many family haircut chains, and a decent one at that.  Fantastic Sam’s is pretty good too, but I usually walk out of there sans twenty bucks or more, and well, right now that’s not gonna fly. We’re not gonna get into my experience with Supercuts.  Let’s just say they have a satisfaction guarantee, and I got my money back, which I then spent at Fantastic Sam’s shaping up my mangled ‘do. 

Great Clips usually runs at $12.99 for adults, and coupons are found aplenty. Looks like earlier in the year there was a $5.99 haircut deal, but for now, $8.88 will have to do (plus tip- don’t forget the tip).

The $8.88 haircut at Great Clips is via this coupon for the San Diego region. You can do a google search for Great Clips coupons in your area, though this coupon has no specific city mentioned on it (and besides the unfortunate spelling error, it’s so easy to just print and go!). 

Gosh, seems like just yesterday we were getting messy hands clipping coupons from the sunday paper. The internets sure make it easy to save a few dollars.

Stay tuned for a Great Clips followup. (hopefully I won’t be crying and wearing hats for the next month or so)