By SpringfieldMoms.org

Saving money is a priority for every family these days. Thanks to Springfield Moms Advisory Board member Courtney Westlake for her helpful article on diaper savings!

Whether you have one baby, multiples or both an infant and toddler not yet potty trained, diapers are a big part of your daily life…and monthly budget.

If you’re one of the fortunate ones, you will receive enough diapers as gifts to last a month or two after baby is born. And then when you realize that your diaper supply is dwindling and you need to make the diaper purchase yourself, reality sets in…diapers are expensive!

Expensive, that is, only if you pay full price at retail stores. With my son, Connor, nearing the age of two, we’ve bought our fair share of diapers and discovered some of the ways to include these in our budget without making a huge dent.

First and most important, figure out the price per diaper. Many diaper brands are packaged with different numbers of diapers and different package sizes. Always figure the price of one diaper to decide if you are getting the best deal. Personally, my target single diaper price is 16 cents or less, which equals about $5 for a size 4 jumbo pack of Pampers.

Use coupons coupled with store deals. CVS, Walgreens and Target are your best bets if you want to get packages of diapers in store for cheap. CVS and Walgreens often give buyers store credit back with certain purchases. For example, if you are signed up for the CVS Extra Care Bucks program (which is completely free), they might be selling a big pack of Pampers diapers for $19.99 – a standard price – but also offering $4 Extra Care Bucks (ECB) back. Use a Pampers manufacturer’s coupon (from the Proctor and Gamble inserts once a month in the Sunday newspaper) to lower your cost even more. You can then “roll” those ECB for future purchases, making your out-of-pocket costs at CVS much less.  Target, much the same way, will sometimes offer a $5 or $10 gift card with the purchase of select diaper packages (usually two big packs or three jumbo packs.) Use manufacturer’s coupons toward each of the packages that you purchase to further lower your overall cost. If you’re like me, getting a Target gift card is like getting cash back with how much I shop there!

Try generic brands. Unless your child is sensitive to certain brands, many generic brands are very good options if you don’t feel like you have time to clip coupons and do a little comparison-shopping. My personal favorite is the Target brand, which you can snag for about $6 for a jumbo package of 31. In comparison, a jumbo pack of Pampers bought at Target will run you $9.99 at full price.

Each baby is different and you may have to try several different brands to find the one that works best for your child.

And last, but certainly not least…my best secret to getting low prices on brand-named diapers is to order online through Amazon Moms!

Amazon changed the game of diaper buying when it introduced its Amazon Moms program. Once you join – for free – you can get 15% off diapers and wipes purchased through Amazon…but even better, if you use the Subscribe and Save option, you will receive 30% off your order!

Another great perk is that by signing up for an Amazon Moms account, you will receive three months of Amazon Prime for free, allowing you free two-day shipping on your orders through Amazon. With each qualifying purchase of at least $25, you will extend your Amazon Prime account by one month. So if you buy diapers and wipes frequently enough, you’ll receive those orders within two days…shipped for free!

Don’t forget to keep your eyes out for a coupon to use – occasionally Amazon releases its own online coupons that you can virtually clip to save even more on your purchase.

Using the Subscribe and Save option when ordering diapers online, you have to select delivery options of one, two, three or six months. Unfortunately, you can’t lock in a really good price on a diaper package, and prices can change often. I usually choose the six-month option and then cancel my subscription (easily done through the Your Account tab) once the order has shipped. That way, I can keep my eyes out for another good price on the various brands instead of paying higher prices the next time around if the price increases.

The last great thing about using Amazon Moms, in addition to the low prices and free, fast delivery, is that you can buy economy size packs (we’re talking 192 Pampers diapers in size 4) that will last you much longer that stocking up on a 31-count jumbo pack here and there – saving you not only money but time as well.

With your newly-learned the tricks to the diaper-buying game, hopefully you can take some of that saved money and treat yourself to a cute pair of shoes…or let’s be real, you’ll probably just end up buying more cute baby stuff!
 

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