For ladies only: The DivaCup
Posted
Mar 05 2009, 05:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
The average woman spends about $120 a year on feminine-hygiene products. (We bet the male readers who ignored the headline have now moved on to another page. Bye-bye.)
There's an alternative called the menstrual cup, available in brands like the DivaCup, The Keeper and Moon Cup. This device, hugely recommended by female bloggers, usually costs less than $30 -- we saw one online for about 17 bucks -- and eliminates the need to spend any more money on pads and tampons.
We'd been skeptical because it sounded too good to be true.
Feminine hygiene is not a product area that's been rife with innovation, despite the fact that more than half the population considers it essential. (We're old enough to remember when tampons first appeared in drugstores, and that was many, many years ago.) Does the cup work? The testimonials from credible people can't be overlooked.
"Fox" at Squawkfox called it "the most amazing, useful, wonderful girly product ever" in a post called "10 reasons the DivaCup can change your life." They include:
- Cost. Manufacturers recommend you replace the cup each year, but that's still a lot cheaper than those other products.
- Less garbage. Fox says, "I cringe to think how many pads are put into landfills each day."
- Health. The cups are made of medical-grade silicone that can't break down, and don't have the chemicals found in tampons. (The Keeper is made of latex.)
- Here's one for the guys: No more embarrassing trips to the drugstore. (And for the ladies, no leaks.)
The Closet Environmentalist also raved about the DivaCup. "It's I-can't-feel-it comfortable," she said. Well, as long as it's properly positioned, says The Accidental Environmentalist.
Aryn at Sound Money Matters also recently endorsed the cup. She said, "If you want to help the environment, your body and your wallet, consider buying one of these cups. It really will change your life."
Related reading:
A day in a (frugal) life
On a roll: Obsessing over TP
A clever dude's take on cutting waste and saving money
