Vitamin alternatives?

I checked the vitalady site and found that her DS vites add up to about 1,200-1,500 a year. Are there any comparable brands that aren't as expensive.

Sure there are.  I use Puritan and I buy at their buy 2 get 3 free sale.  BUT I am at the point where I pretty much know my body, my DS, and I am an expert at managing that DS.  And I have studied more than just a little chemistry, physiology, and nutrition.

JMHO but Vitalady is a great option for those who are just starting out and don't know much about vites.  She takes the guesswork out of it for you.  We are all different and chances are your malabsorbtion won't be the same as mine.  Even if you start out on the Vitalady plan you will have to tweak it to meet your specific needs eventually anyway.

I have an entire double kitchen cabinet full of vites.

You will find some of the stuff you really need at vitalady's, but you can also buy stuff like multivits anywhere. I get mine at CostCo. CostCo also has calcium citrate (make sure you get the citrate and not calcium carbonate, which they also have, and make sure you take 2 at a time to get in a full 500 mg dose). I get zinc at local drug stores, whatever is on sale, and my zinc level has actually been high, so no need for anything speial there either.

So get the "dry" D, A, and K from Vitalady - it's very hard to find them elsewhere - but save money where you can.

Larra

I would follow the Vitalady list of vitamins so you have a rough idea of what vitamins you need every day.  Then go shopping. 

Costco is great if you have a membership/access.  I shop there first and stock up on the basics.

Try Luckyvitamin.com web site.  They have good prices on many quality vits.  Cheaper than the prices in my area.

Try Vitacost.com also.

Vitalady sells the dry A, D, E, K vitamins that I've always bought from her.  You can find these vits anywhere, but they are usually in an oil gel capsol and you are not going to absorb much of it.  So look for dry ADEK vitamins only.  (Many people say you don't need vit E when you start out either.)

Check out the cost of what you find (and the miligrams per pill) verses the Vitalady pills.  It may be cheaper to buy D3 at your local drug store, but they will be at most 2,000IU.  Vitaladay sells D3-5 and they are 5,000IU per pill.  That is 2.5 drug store pills to equal 1 Vitalady pill - so drug store pill should be 2.5 cheaper than Vitalady.  They usually aren't.  You get better at finding deals as time goes on. 

Read up on vitamins at your local library and the internet.  If you gather your own vitamins, then you should know what kinds are readily absorbed, and which kinds are just trash and a waste of money.  That's part of what you are paying for with Vitalady - convenience and knowledge. 

I would suggest starting out on Vitalady's plan, then find the vites you need from a different source or sources at a lower price.  That's what I did.  It not only gives you what you need when you're first out, it helps you to learn about DS vitamin requirements, and how your own body works with them.

We all need the same stuff in a general sense, but everyone is different, and so, have slighlty varying needs when it comes to vitamins.  You'll probably be tweaking different supplements for the rest of your life - that's just how bodies are!

Look everywhere you can think of for good vitamin prices.  My two favorite places are Lucky Vitamin and eBay...yes I said eBay! There are several on there who have great prices for Dry D!