Frugal sickie tips

[jdp]

So, having spent the weekend with the flu I thought I'd start a thread on tips for any others out there dealing with minor illness and still cringing at the cost of over the counter remedies. This is of course AFTER doing all you could for "prevention" (I swear there was no preventing this if I want to work, shop in public lol).

Some things I do instead of spending $ on OTC things that may or may not help:

*use my hot rice bag (bought at local craft fair for $5) - mist with some nice smelling water, microwave and hug.
*enjoy some teas stronger than I'd usually drink - when my taste buds are buried in blech I like to take that chance to eat/drink things stronger than I usually would - like straight oranges, yum.
*cold lavendar sachet thing for the eyes after in the freezer for a few minutes.
*break out the eucalyptus/menthol spray oil - not sure about frugal but if you compared $ to # of uses probably but I received as a door prize at a wellness fair - and use it to spritz pillows, into the shower steam...
*little treat of honey in the tea for sore throat.

[lucille]

Herbal tea with honey. Hot toddies for head colds. Orange juice and hot steamy showers. Maybe some Tylenol. About the only cold remedies we buy any more are sudafed if someone his stubbornly stuffed up or mucinex if someone has really bad congestion. Both are available in store brands for much less than the brand ones.

[jkuo13]

I'm a fan of using a neti pot. Mostly I use it for preventing getting sick, but it still helps relieve sinus congestion, clear out mucus (and clean out the system) for faster recovery, and eases any post-nasal drip symptoms that may arise from being sick. Lots of soups help me get sustenance while putting down liquids.

We usually go wild with an alcohol and tea trea oil solution in a spray bottle when we get sick in our household. Both the alchohol and tea tree oil have antiseptic properties, so we spritz everything when someone is sick. Our apartment is so small that there's no way to avoid getting germs all over the place, so diligent disinfecting is usually in order.

[Megan]

I also love my neti pot. It's really been a lifesaver during this dry weather.

[anitra]

Herbal tea, honey, citrus fruit/juice, and extra Vitamin C. I've found that green tea with honey and a splash of OJ or lemon juice works really well sometimes. There's also a line of teas called "Traditional Medicinals" that I've been using for years for sore throats ("Throat Coat" and "Herba Tussin") and congestion ("Gypsy Cold Care" and "Breathe Easy"). They cost a bit more than other teas, but much cheaper than cold medicine, and they work well.

For upset stomachs, we use mint tea, ginger ale, ginger tea, and salty crackers/pretzels.

[khorrell]

Can you please tell more about the alcohol and tea tree oil solution? Do you just spray it as a disinfectant? Thanks!

[jkuo13]

Originally Posted by khorrell

Can you please tell more about the alcohol and tea tree oil solution? Do you just spray it as a disinfectant? Thanks!

I just use regular rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol from the store, usually the 70% stuff because it's cheaper. I then dilute it with some water. The exact ratios are not that important. Anywhere from 50:50 alcohol to water and 67:33 is usually what I do since that will get me somewhere in the 30-50% alcohol concentration. It's still plenty high of a concentration for killing microbes while making the solution last longer.

Tea tree oil is a very effective antiseptic, antibiotic substance. AFAIK, it used to be more commonly used until the rise of antiobiotics and other synthetic chemicals. Anyhow, just a few drops of tea tree oil in the above alcohol solution ups its sterilizing properties and makes it smell pleasant (imo).

Just spray the solution to disinfect like you would with any other disinfecting spray. I feel it's cheaper and nicer smelling than any store bought solution.

[layla17]

I've always used the old remedy of boiling a little Vicks (generic brand) vapoRub in a pot of water and standing over it with a towel over me head while breathing in the vapors. This will help rid you of any cold.

[NaturallyCheap]

The most frugal is just to fast. Stop eating and just drink lots of water and sleep alot!

[jkuo13]

Originally Posted by CheapKunt

The most frugal is just to fast. Stop eating and just drink lots of water and sleep alot!

Umm... I don't know if fasting is the best solution. If you're not hungry, you shouldn't eat while you're sick. But if you've got any sort of appetite, you should still be putting down some sustenance in the form of simple, healthy foods (fruit, oatmeal, soup, etc.). Not feeding yourself while you're sick is a way to make yourself even more miserable and slow down your recovery. You need at least SOME energy and nutrients to recover.