Archive for the ‘Maternity Leave’ Category

Dollar Store Home Pregnancy Tests-Do They Work?

Posted: November 29, 2012 in Frugal Living, Maternity Leave
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Dollar Store Home Pregnancy Test

A Home Pregnancy Test (HPT) is not a topic I ever thought I would be Blogging about but here I am doing it and I’m sure you are already saying what in the world has Mr. CBB gotten himself into. It seems as you age babies tend to come up in conversation alot, especially if you don’t have kids and are married. We would love to have a child so naturally this is something we should learn about anyhow right? No I’m not talking about how to make a baby I’m talking about how to find out if you hit the target, if you know what I mean. I’m not complaining, heck I don’t know many men who struggle with the thought of having to get it on almost every day with their wives or significant other to successfully get pregnant. News of being pregnant is and should be one of the happiest moments in a couples lives.

Here’s Where This Story Began….

While Mrs. CBB’s friend Jill was over at our house the other day the “Baby” topic came up so naturally this was the topic of the conversation in the kitchen. ( I am not part of this conversation) Jill went on to say that she was 7 weeks pregnant with her first child. We were thrilled that Jack and Jill were going to have their first child after 6 months of trying and testing but the story gets even funnier. She says, yes Jack and I were at the Dollar Store last week and we picked up a home pregnancy test as I missed AF (apparently that means Aunt Flow) so we wanted to do a test. Sure enough the test showed we were pregnant after the first try this time. They are simply over the moon and we are happy they will be expecting their first bundle of joy.

At this point I kind of did a head spin as I was writing a Blog post and not really interested in menstruation and pregnancy chit-chat. I kind of threw myself into the hoopla right after I heard the words “Dollar Store“. Being the frugal guy that I am I said, “wait a minute you mean to tell me you can get a home pregnancy test at the Dollar store”? Crikey, what did I just say, open mouth insert foot, now I’m in for it. (Thinking to self.. learn your lesson mate don’t get involved when women are talking girl talk.) Why would you get a home pregnancy test at the Dollar store, are they even accurate? Why would you put the results of being pregnant or not in the hands of a Dollar store test? Then again us guys put not having a baby into the Dollar Stores hands when we head in to buy condoms for a buck. I remember thinking if I ever needed something to always check the dollar store first. Like the time I spent $6 on mini paint rollers at Home Depot only to find out they sell them at Dollarama for a buck. I never thought women would head to the Dollar Store to find out if they were pregnant.

Anyhow, Jill went on to say how expensive a HPT is at the pharmacy and that most women will try the Dollar Store brands first with accurate results. She says that plenty of her friends have gotten positive results with the $1.25 HPT and never even stepped foot into a pharmacy. That and she said it was far too expensive to keep testing at the prices they wanted at the pharmacy.

Now that I felt part of this woman to woman conversation and said my piece I decided to leave it be and step back. Secretly though, the nosey bugger that I am I decided to investigate because I just found it too interesting that women would leave the fate of a positive or negative test to a dollar store HPT.

So, off to the Dollar Store I went, wandering around as if I really needed to buy something. I did, I had to pick up a Birthday card for my sister so that made me feel better that I just wasn’t buying something for nothing. While sleuthing around I saw it… the Pro Care One Step Pregnancy Test which is Health Canada Licensed! It was a whopping $1.25 for 1 test and it states:

  • Easy to Use
  • Use Any Time
  • Positive Result as soon as 1 minute
  • Over 99% accuracy

Shocking, not really, I already knew I would see it but I had to read it to believe it. The back of the box says that the first urine in the morning is highly recommended. Through research I learned that is because morning urine has the higher counts of HCG which is human chorionic gonadotropin present which is a reliable marker of pregnancy. This can also be found in the blood so a blood test from your doctor can also determine if you are pregnant. I also noticed they had a Pro Care Ovulation predictor also for a $1.25 which also states it’s 99% accuracy. This is like a one stop shop for all your pregnancy needs. Why would anyone want to pay top dollar for name brand tests??

I know most women may read this and go, ah ha we know this Mr. CBB and that’s ok, I don’t, many men don’t but should understand all of this. Getting pregnant is not just up to the woman. I would never just “set it and forget it” with Mrs.CBB. I want to know what’s going on and the process involved as it’s an emotional time for both partners. I also learned that the sensitivity of the test may vary from test to test and potentially affecting the cost. This Dollar Store test has a sensitivity of 25mIu/ml which apparently means that the product will detect the HCG in a certain level concentration of urine. A lower sensitivity allows women to test for pregnancy sooner than later.  So if you are sitting around tearing your hair out you might have to spend the big bucks on a Clear Blue Easy or First Response and let me tell you, they are NOT cheap. You can pick up First Reponse on-line at well.ca for $21.99 for 2 tests which has a sensitivity of 6.5 mIU/ml meaning you might be able to detect pregnancy sooner.

Mrs.CBB and I were shocked when we saw the prices at the pharmacy and understand now why women would flock to the dollar store. If you are one of those women who really want to know but don’t want to fork out the big $$$ the dollar store seems to be the way to go. Nothing wrong with loading up as long as you keep an eye on the expiry dates. In the pharmacy prices would range from $18.99 for 1 test up to around $74 for 20 tests (see you can even buy these in bulk ladies). Problem would be what do you do with the other 19 tests if the first test is accurate? Money wasted?

In all honesty I really didn’t find much in my investigation other than cost, sensitivity and accuracy claims. I picked up a home pregnancy test and an ovulation test at the Dollar Store to bring home and show Mrs.CBB. I won’t lie she had a chuckle and found it funny I ventured out on my own but she was not surprised. I guess it’s time to get it on!

So my question is, would you spend $1.25 to find out you’re pregnant or pay for the more expensive well-known brands? Are the Dollar store home pregnancy tests as accurate as they claim? Did you use a Dollar Store Home Pregnancy Test and were the results accurate?

Share your comments  and best of luck if you are looking to conceive!

Mr.CBB

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What Products To Stockpile For Maternity Leave

Posted: October 24, 2012 in Maternity Leave
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Huggies Diapers Size 1

Deciding what products to stockpile for your maternity leave, and how much, is no easy task! It’s no secret that when you transition to maternity leave you will take a big hit to your regular monthly income. What can make it even harder is that the adorable bundle of joy you just brought into the world additionally has a not so cute impact on your bank account!

So, how do you cope? Plan ahead! They say hindsight is 20/20, and I fully believe it! This list is based on my own personal experience of what I wish I had stockpiled for our munchkin’s arrival, and what I will be stockpiling when munchkin #2 comes along! The best items to stockpile are the ones that will help counteract the new expenses being introduced to your monthly budget while you still have a regular income, and simply to help you still live life with as little adjustment as possible!

Products To Stockpile For Maternity Leave

Stockpiling Diapers–If you are planning on using disposable diapers, try to have at least your first 3 months already on hand by the time baby arrives. If you plan far enough ahead, you are given the luxury of waiting for clearance sales and coupons to combine with them to get your diapers at rock bottom prices. A good rule of thumb is to try and aim for $0.08-$0.10 per diaper or less. This will go up as the diapers increase in size as there will be fewer units per pack.

When calculating how many diapers you will need, keep in mind that for the first few months of your child’s life they will go through 10-12 diapers a day! So you can do the math depending on the size of diaper packs you purchase when you have enough for 3 months. If you have decided to go the cloth diaper route, make sure you have LOTS or your savings will go out the window in laundry expense!

Stockpiling Laundry Detergent–Since your laundry loads will likely triple in size and frequency, you will want to have lots of laundry detergent on hand at the lowest out-of-pocket price possible. If you wait for the right sale and collect coupons, you should be able to get your laundry detergent for $1.99 a jug or less.

Stockpiling Personal Care Items–Once your baby arrives, it will be very rare that you get a chance to treat yourself…or even think to! By stockpiling items like your favorite shampoo, body wash, etc., you don’t need to feel as though you are “going without”, and don’t need to spend money you don’t have to treat yourself!

Stockpiling Food–There are many foods that can be stockpiled and keep for long periods of time. But again, you don’t want to feel like you are sacrificing normal life by having to eat spaghetti every night, and want to make sure you are getting the nutrition you need if you are nursing! My best suggestion for stockpiling food for your maternity leave is to do enough freezer cooking to last 6-8 weeks, so you can eat good healthy homemade meals once baby arrives, and all you need to do is pop it in the oven! Check out 50 Freezer Meals in One Day for some tips and recipes I will be using later this month!

Stockpiling Fruits & Vegetables–Freezing sliced fruits and veggies is great for making quick smoothies! This will not only provide much-needed vitamins and nutrients to a nursing mom (and therefor baby!) but will give you the energy you need to get through your day on little sleep!

Stockpiling Paper Goods–Stockpiling necessities like toilet paper and paper towels is always a good idea! They wont expire, you know they will be needed, and they are items that will affect your routine if you run out unexpectantly!

I hope this preparation not only helps ease the financial stress a new addition can bring to your life, but also clears some of the mental stress of worrying about the “stuff”, so you can spend your time enjoying your new little bundle instead!

If you have any other suggestions of what products to stockpile for your maternity leave, please feel free to share so we can all learn from each other!

Save Big Live Better

Guest Post Bio: Save Big Live Better is a community of like minded Canadians who want to save money. Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to saving through stockpiling! To learn more about how to slash your grocery bill, check out Save Big Live Better for Canadian coupons, deals, freebies, and frugal living articles like this!

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