I had a headache today.

[Curmudgeoness]

So I took an aspirin, and that reminded me of a conversation I had with a coworker the other day. He had a headache, and grabbed two pain relievers (doesn't matter which brand). I told him that he should just try one first, to see if it would help before taking both of them. His response: One won't work. Why not? Has he ever tried? He had never tried it and did not know whether just one would work or not. This sounds like the shampoo labels that say "wash, rinse, and repeat"---and how many of us repeat? Or need to?

I have only taken one pain reliever when needed for years, and if I need another one in about a half hour, I take that second one. The second one is needed rarely. What this means to the frugal is that you can cut the cost by one half if you find that one pill works. This is more important as the price of your chosen pain reliever increases....but still, a penny saved blah blah blah.

[canoeist52]

1. Yeah every bit helps.

I've been doing that for years. The trick for me is buying a small enough bottle so the date doesn't expire before I use them up. If I take expired pills, one usually isn't enough -sigh...can't win! Now that the migraines are pretty much gone, and the kids buy their own pain remedies, I don't need the economical large size anymore.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. That's another thing......

those expiration dates are more like suggestions. It does depend on the medication, but I usually use aspirin, and it lasts YEARS after the expiration date. When I feel that I need another pain killer, I still use one of the expired ones before taking another if needed. I know several people who throw away all medications as soon as they expire, and I just gasp. I have some things, like mercurochrome, that have been expired for ten years or more---and it still works. I am sure that there are some drugs that do not last much longer than that expiration date, but I have not found one yet.

[IrishAyes]

3. Be careful about aspirin, though.

If it gets too old, the chemical composition can alter to the point of being poisonous.

I only discovered this group recently but look forward to learning even more frugal ways. Not wasting is being kind to Mother Earth. It also increases our chances of living a long and healthy life. If I'd ever had the money to drink and smoke and do all sorts of other things, I'd have croaked years ago. It isn't that I don't like spending $; I LOVE it. But I hate wasting a penny. The more I avoid wasting, the more I can spend on useful, needed durable goods. Before retirement I couldn't keep a garden because sometimes I worked 2 jobs. If I only had one job, I was busy looking for a second. But now I can grow a good many of my own fruits and veggies, especially important since GMOs have arrived. I gave up my big van years ago because of the expense of maintaining it, and now I want an ELF so bad it hurts. Seems like it's always something.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Where did you hear that old aspirin is poisonous?

That just is not true. First of all, aspirin is good for years and years, and you will know when it is not as effective when it smells like vinegar....but even then, it will not hurt you. The active ingredient is acetylsalicylic acid, and when the vinegar smell occurs, it is because it has broken down to salicylic acid and acetic acid (which is vinegar) and is not harmful. Not unless vinegar is harmful to you. There have been study upon study about expiration dates, and how drugs are effective and safe after that date. There are very few that are not safe, like tetracycline. You can always check the internet or your pharmacist to be sure if it is dangerous.

I am glad that you found this group. Welcome. We don't have nearly enough posting, but the ones that are here are great. I know all about the desire to save money that can be wasted if we shop wrong. And let's face it, most of us need to shop sometimes. Lucky for me there are thrift shops!

[IrishAyes]

7. Well, there was a successful wrongful death lawsuit

Years ago, when a babysitter gave a child an old aspirin. But come to think of it, the child's age might've come into play, and it's entirely possible I don't remember every little detail now. Also entirely possible I'm completely wrong, which happens every millenia or so. Always happy to find out when that happens, though, so I can correct course and return to my normal state of (perceived) perfection.

[Squinch]

4. It's also better for you. Ibuprophen, while fabulous, is tough on your liver.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. This is why I usually just use aspirin.

I am lucky though. I rarely need a pain killer.

[RebelOne]

8. I cannot not take aspirin, as it totally messes up my stomach.

I get pains that feel like knives in my stomach. The same with any prescription pain killers. The only pain killer I can take is Ibuprofen. I have no ill effects from it except if I take it on an empty stomach.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. That is too bad

since aspirin is so cheap. But we do what we have to do. My comment was more about cutting the amount of any pain killer that we take. If you take only one Ibuprofen instead of the two suggested on the label, there is a good chance that it will help unless the problem is severe. Using one instead of two would cut the cost in half, as long as you don't have to take a second one.

[RebelOne]

10. Usually I take two because one does not do the trick.

I would only take one, but I found if I took two, the pain was gone for much longer. And Ibuprofen is almost as cheap as aspirin. I buy them at my local Kroger for about $1 a bottle for 50 pills.