Oh, how stupid!

[Mrs Redboots]

Because I'm not on insulin, I have to self-fund any blood glucose monitoring I wish to do. I was thinking of abandoning it after I've used up the 50 strips that came with the monitor, but I do find it useful - I may well drop to less often than daily, and not at all when I'm away from home, though. So I went to investigate replacement strips - only to find that it is far, far cheaper to buy a whole new kit, which comes with 50 strips.... Rather like it is sometimes cheaper to buy a new printer than to buy new ink cartridges for one's current one!

 

[Rachox]

Can I ask which monitor this is? There are more economical (and less wasteful) ways to carry on with your testing. The Tee 2 monitor for instance is £14.99 with ten strips, then 50 test strips is £10.60. Links to the meter and strips then strips alone below:

TEE2+ Blood Glucose Meter – Spirit Healthcare

Reliable and easy-to-use The TEE2+ blood glucose meter provides all the necessary basic functions for blood glucose testing. Key features: Large screen Results in 5 seconds Stores 1,000 readings Small blood sample requirements SmartLog compatible Bluetooth functionality Auto coding Accuracy to...

shop.spirit-health.co.uk

TEE2 Test Strips – Spirit Healthcare

Easy blood glucose testing TEE2 blood glucose test strips are designed for use with TEE2 and TEE2+ meters ONLY. Note: Do not use with any other blood glucose meter model. Key features: Suitable for anyone who needs to test their blood glucose East and accurate testing, no coding required Quick...

shop.spirit-health.co.uk

 

[Mrs Redboots]

I can't remember what I've just ordered, but it was <£10 with 50 strips. Replacement strips are £17.00 or more... My current monitor (can't remember the exact name of the brand off-hand) wants >£20 for replacement strips.

 

[Antje77]

I've used up the 50 strips that came with the monitor, but I do find it useful - I may well drop to less often than daily

If you have to choose when to test, I think it's much more informative to do a day of testing once a week (before and after typical meals, maybe on waking and before bed, or around unusual activity) than to test once every day.
The once a day test tells you nothing about the impact of your meals, and that's the one variable you can change if needed.

The teststrips for different meters are very different in price, it's worth buying a meter that will take relatively cheap teststrips.