DIYish: Cheapo Medical Kit

So when I went to college, I very quickly realized it was smart to have a medical kit nearby. Perhaps my friends were just a bunch of hoodlums, but regardless, time and time again that kit came in handy. I've been slowly building it up with cheap and sometimes free medicines, bandages, etc. So here's a DIY (sort of?) medical kit.

I used a Legend of Zelda lunchbox because it makes me feel like the Hero of Time. And Band-Aids.

disclaimer: it should be obvious but i'll say it anyways, pay attention to expiration dates on medicine.

So from the top left, that's Ibuprofen, Align (for digestion), Prilosec, vapo rub, Tums, cough drops, antacid tablets, alcohol (for cleaning wounds), Breathe Right strips, adhesive tape, Band-aides, elastic bandage, gauze pads, Biofreeze, Theraflu, Gluten Relief pills, more gauze, Clariten, antibiotic ointment, and a forehead reader thermometer.

Now the great thing is that I got a few of these for free. The Align, Prilosec, Gluten Relief, and Breathe Right strips were all samples I signed up for online. (And I have multiples of each!) And using samples is a great way to fill up a medical kit. I don't get heartburn, but chances are someone around me at some point in time will. Well I don't need a whole pack of Prilosec, but a few samples just in case someone needs one? Hell yeah that's a good idea. 

A lot of the other items in here I got rather cheaply as well. Now there are some things that you shouldn't buy at the dollar store, things like pens always run dry, and batteries never last, but there are other things that it's great for. The gauze pads, elastic bandage, and band-aides for example are pretty hard to mess up, so it's safe to buy those there.

Anyways, I hope this gave you some ideas for a medical kit of your own. They're good to have around, just in case. And I'm actually expecting another sample to arrive in the mail soon, they're 3M doggy bandages, just in case any furry friends hurt themselves.

Foxy Frugality: Samples

Samples are fucking awesome. My boyfriend thinks it's funny that I'm always getting free samples in the mail, but let me tell you that it is completely worth the teasing. I only started sampling hardcore about five months ago, but it's kind of been awesome. It's like I get presents everyday in the mail :D And no, it's not just a bunch of crap, there's some quality things in there. Don't believe me? Let me just list a few things I've gotten off the top of my head...

• 1 year subscription to Popular Photography, Martha Stewart Weddings, Wine Spectator, and Brides. (and no I'm not engaged but when I am I'll be prepared. :] )
• (speaking of engagements) A nifty ring sizing chart, little plastic punch outs to determine what size all your fingers are. How handy!
• Tons of tea bags, k-cups, and other coffee samples.
• Some very nice personalized labels.
• 500 business cards. (say whaaat?)
• Medicines and medical supplies. (that you can view here!)
• Herbs and seasonings for cooking.
• Granola bars. Yum.
• Shampoo and conditioner. SO MUCH SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER. I actually had enough samples to make an entire bottle of each.
• Pads and tampons, lots of them.
• Child locks for cabinets and doors.
• Oh and duh, all sorts of perfumes and cologne.

And it's real easy. There are plenty of websites solely dedicated to free samples, but you definitely want the one that updates most frequently. Some of them require you to create an account with them, but I'm way too lazy so I never use those. My favorite is Hunt 4 Freebies  but Freeflys is okay too. Be sure to create an alternate email address to use on them though, sometimes the websites will spam you with offers for other things after you've signed up for your samples.

Happy sampling!