I'm Jane's Brother And I'm Here To Help: Don't Waste Money On These Medicines! Plus Cheaper Cleaners

And here's all “BPA free” really means.

This week, I want to emphasize the fact that if a product has the same ingredients as another product, the two products are the same. My 20-year-old son recently insisted on Nyquil rather than the generic version, as if the logo gives it magical properties. I am against paying twice as much for the same thing, but he felt so strongly about it that he was willing to pay for it.

My son's lack of understanding is common, and drug companies capitalize on this. A long time ago, I worked at Johnson and Johnson and learned they made over 100 different medications from four ingredients: Acetaminophen (Tylenol), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), and dextromethorphan (a common cough suppressant). They created variations in all the possible combinations of these ingredients and then made them in numerous pill types and shapes, liquid forms, and flavors. Then they repeated this under a few different brand names. This way, when you go to the drugstore, you are faced with a plethora of different choices, that aren't different at all. It's all about shelf space. When you face that huge selection in the store, you are more likely to choose a product made by Johnson and Johnson than other brands with fewer choices.

My solution is to