Erin Kelly

So you want to have sex—but you also want to be “safe” about it…without spending hundreds of dollars on birth control OR asking your parents for help.

Sound impossible?

Although there may not be free condom distributors out on the street or birth control pill prescriptions growing on trees, there ARE ways you can get free and inexpensive birth control—you just have to know where to find it.

Whether you’re looking to use condoms or start taking an oral birth control contraceptive (ie., The Pill) your local Planned Parenthood (www.plannedparenthood.org) should have both options for free or at a very inexpensive cost. At a Planned Parenthood health center, visitors have the chance to speak with a staff member to discuss different birth control options, which gives you the chance to find the best birth control option for yourself. What works for you might not work for your best friend.

Yeah, it might be kind of awkward to go to a Planned Parenthood and talk to a random stranger about your sex life, but it sure as hell is worth it in the long run! Also, remember these people are professionals. They talk to teens EVERY day to help them prevent teen pregnancy and STDs.

So grab your boyfriend, girlfriend, f@&# buddy, friend—or even your parents if they’re cool with it!—for moral support and head over ASAP. You’ll be happy you did.

If you attend a college or university, Planned Parenthood is not your only option. You may be able to get birth control right on campus! Usually, your university health services center will help you obtain a birth control prescription for free, and from my experience, there is typically a bowl full of free condoms for students to pick from.

Okay, so those students in the waiting room might see you grab a handful of condoms—but will they really judge you? Whether parents like it or not, many high school and college students are having sex—so your peers should understand.

While there may be a monthly co-pay to get your oral contraceptive subscription filled, if you use a generic brand of birth control, this weekly fee is usually inexpensive (from $5 to $10). If you think about it in terms of either paying for birth control every week or paying to support a child, this weekly fee seems like a MUCH better alternative.