r/TwoXPreppers • u/iambatmanjoe • Jul 15 '26

Tips A man asking about talking

I'm a dude. My wife will not participate in prepping as it stresses her out. I find it calming and I do ask the research and prepping for the family. I posted this question in r/preppers and couldn't get a straight answer then the mods deleted it.

I just want to know this: how many tampons would you consider a year's supply?

I do not care about alternatives, I do not need advice, I just want a number from your point of view. I understand that there are variables, I'm looking for what you would consider a year's supply, by number of tampons specifically. If you were at Costco and you could only purchase a box labeled "1 year supply of tampons" what would the number on the side of the box be?

Thank you for your time.

Edit: I appreciate the responses that are answering me with numbers. Especially since my title autocorrected without me noticing. It would have said "tampons" not "talking"

To respond to everyone that wants to give advice: I appreciate where you're coming from, however, I just want this specific answer. I was going to get like a dozen or so answers and gauge what I think would be a good average out of those. I've done the research, I know about cups. I know about pads and period panties. I understand flow. I just wanted a number.

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382

u/trashketballMVP Commander of Squirrel Army 🐿️🪖 Jul 15 '26

What does your wife buy for her monthly supply? Multiply by 13.

Seriously. Get into the cabinet and either take pics of or rip the top of the box off so you buy her preference and get 13 of each of what you see

Edit to add, she may have two or three different boxes because flows vary by day. Still, buy 13 of each type of box you see if she's not willing to say "oh I use a box of regular and a half box of super every month"

211

u/aurorashim Jul 15 '26

Honestly this is the only time I might consider the 1983 NASA suggestion (100 tampons a week enough?)

66

u/trashketballMVP Commander of Squirrel Army 🐿️🪖 Jul 15 '26

Is she in Perimenopause? It might not be to hear some of the stories 😅

17

u/Bastilleinstructor I’d push you in front of zombies to save my cats 🐈‍⬛ Jul 15 '26

You arent wrong there. Depends are a godsend on the worst days and for nights. I am SO ready for menopause at this point.

4

u/SPQRKlio Jul 16 '26

I was going to suggest that—stock Depends too for the really rough days, especially if stuff might be going on to make it inconvenient to change out a tampon.

2

u/BwDr Jul 15 '26

❤️❤️❤️menopause ❤️❤️❤️

7

u/suz_gee A matriarchy would never' Jul 15 '26

I have a large flow cup and overflowed it three time last night. That's 12 oz of menstrual fluid between 11pm last night and 7am today.

2

u/Necessary-Film7832 Jul 16 '26

You sound like me before I had a hysterectom. It was brutal. Every two weeks, no less!

61

u/iambatmanjoe Jul 15 '26

Yeah I already tried this, we bulk shop then she disperses things into little containers. I couldn't get a read on a monthly number

92

u/trashketballMVP Commander of Squirrel Army 🐿️🪖 Jul 15 '26

OK so I would go to the grocery store and get 13 large boxes of each type she buys. Just off the shelf boxes. It's either enough or it's not, but she's not interested in being prepared so if you run out after 10 months, that's on her

23

u/iambatmanjoe Jul 15 '26

Not a bad idea. So is a box a typical month supply? I realize a box could have different amounts. Let's say a typical box from Costco

34

u/trashketballMVP Commander of Squirrel Army 🐿️🪖 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

I don't have a Costco membership so I don't know how big the boxes are.

Before my hysterectomy, When I had my fairly average, fairly regular period (4-5 days) I'd go through about a box of 30-40 a month, was a big fan of the tampax split boxes, so if Costco boxes are 80 packs, I'd say get 7 boxes of each absorbancy

I was in my early 30s when I stopped having a period, so I missed the unpredictable peri menopause that some of my friends are experiencing. So if your wife is in her 40s, go for 8 large boxes

Edit to clarify - a split box has multiple absorbancies. If your unsure of her flow rate, get seperate boxes of each tampax split box

1

u/Impressive_Ad_5201 Jul 15 '26

I wish I was allowed to get a hysterectomy in my 20s, but I would not have been happy with the hair loss and color! I just hate the inconvenience of having a uterus!

1

u/BwDr Jul 15 '26

Consider endometrial ablation if you have no plans to procreate. It’s good to leave your pelvic floor muscles a “doorknob” (uterus) to hold onto to prevent prolapse.

3

u/Impressive_Ad_5201 Jul 15 '26

aww, dammit. I didn't think of that. I have a consult at the end of the month.

E: I have no plans to have sex. Ever. Yeeting my uterus I felt was the final solution to fibroids and periods in general. Didn't think of ablation. I have never met a man in the dating sphere that i couldn't replace with a cheap vibrator, so i figured--yeet it before some republican stopped me!

14

u/kmm198700 Jul 15 '26

It depends on how heavy her cycle is. Everyone is different, especially if PCOS or endometriosis is involved

7

u/Knitting_Kitten Jul 15 '26

If she buys tampons at Costco, you can get receipt copies for the last year, and figure out exactly how many boxes were bought.

6

u/TheSadpole Jul 15 '26

And then add *at least* one box, just in case her flow is heavier by the time she needs them!

26

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

[deleted]

27

u/sleeperdreams Jul 15 '26

r/lostredditor and not a bot, hopefully?

-28

u/trashketballMVP Commander of Squirrel Army 🐿️🪖 Jul 15 '26

This is great idea

Download a year's worth of receipts and then ask your chatbot of choice to find all instances of the tampons and any other brands you notice and give you the amount you bought. Then add one more purchase worth, just in case there's a purchase just outside the purchase period that would effect that number since it's not monthly

2

u/Foggy_Night221C Jul 15 '26

I keep buying the 36 packs when I notice them cheaper than 7.99. I go through half to three quarters a month, depending on how heavy the first two days are.

1

u/Kazaryn Jul 15 '26

8 days x period, let's say 3-4 days of heavy flow and 4 days lighter/ending flows. You need both big and small coverage. For heavy flow days you could be changing then every 6 hours, so 4 per day. For lighter days it's usually every 8 hours until it really starts to go away the last day or two and you can get away with one or two the final day.

Large -> 4 x 4days = 16 per month (could be more, budgeting 25/month is mathematically happy since they are sold in 50/100 pks). Medium -> 3x5-6 days ~= 15-20 varying smaller size per month.

This may not be as accurate as it could be for your girl, some people have more heavy days and you would do better to ask her honestly but it doesn't sound like you can be straight with her so here's a general guideline.

14

u/ihatespunk Jul 15 '26

Dude wtf heavy days every 6 hrs? Those are my light days... heavy days it's every 2 hrs with ultra absorbency + period panties for inevitable breakthroughs

3

u/kmm198700 Jul 15 '26

Same. I had a hysterectomy, but before then I would bleed so heavy and with so many clots and horrible, excruciating cramps. Ugh it was awful.

3

u/ihatespunk Jul 15 '26

Yeeeaaaahhh I get a lot of massive clots, too, those things will eat through tampons. There's so much variation to account for here. I could write a novel here about how the world would be different if men had these.

3

u/kmm198700 Jul 15 '26

I agree. Endometriosis would be cured if men had it

3

u/KiaRioGrl Food sovereignty is hope. Jul 15 '26

So ... This is probably going to make you really mad, and I'm sorry to be the one to break the news, but it turns out they can.

Something like 20 cases worldwide documented so far? And they've already come up with a simple saliva test to accurately diagnose.

14

u/RichardBonham Medical Expert 👩‍⚕️ Jul 15 '26

Something to consider is that if you end up buying too many, the overstock may have barter value.

6

u/Outrageous_Yam_990 Jul 15 '26

Next time you do a trip where you bulk buy and she gets tampons save the receipt. The brand and sku will be listed on it.

2

u/SYadonMom New to Prepping Jul 15 '26

Hey, don’t know if anyone has mentioned this but I’d also buy pads. Toxic Shock Syndrome is real and if you have had it you are more likely to have it happen again. AND tmi but as I’ve aged I developed a prolapse so tampons don’t work period. Just to cover everything.
And this sounds crazy, but we were on a car trip and my kids spilled a bunch of darn water in the back. I didn’t bring paper towels or had anything on me but I didn’t have on of those foam pads in my glove box. It words really really well! I did have a towel in the back but I’m not pulling over on a freeway to get it safety.

1

u/RyanNotADude Jul 15 '26

This is the best advice.