Diaper Data

 

Hey mamas!  I hope your holidays were lovely, and that things are settling back to a blissful normal at your house.  We are getting back home just in time to leave again, but I thought I'd pop in and offer my customary gift of unsolicited advice. 

Perhaps this is an odd post to ring in the new year, though I suspect that now is a better time than ever to talk about saving money and reducing stress.  Wait, is there ever a bad time for all that?  S and I have been exchanging texts this morning, chatting about where the best diaper deal is to be had.  (I swear, our conversations are usually much less beige.)  I thought I'd share a little diaper number crunching to help you find the best bang for your baby buck.

Disclaimer:  We don't live out of town, per se, but we do live about an hour's drive from the nearest discount store.  That means that even if there's a great in-store deal, I have to factor in the cost of driving two hours to get said deal.  I prefer to shop online and have diapers delivered. 

Diapers deals, online or otherwise, depend on which brand and size you use; I'll use our current pick (Pampers Swaddlers, size 3) to compare a few options. 

• Amazon.com: $44.83 for 174, or $.26/diaper.  Free shipping through the Subscribe and Save feature, and they will ship diapers automatically according to your needs.  This is awesome for the clueless and forgetful (don't worry, you're in good company).
• Diapers.com: $49.99 for 174, or $.29/diaper.  Shipping on a box this size is free, but spend less than $49 and you'll have to cough up another $4.99.
• Sam's Club: $39.98 for 164, or $.26/diaper. They'll ship online orders for free, BUT you have to factor in the cost of membership (we're not in the club.)  Also, these particular diapers were out of stock when I checked the price; that would really chap my ass.
• Target:  $47.19 for 174, or $.27/diaper. Target offers free shipping, but only if you spend $50.  Ha!  Like that's hard.
• WalMart: $37.94 for 144, or $.26/diaper.  Free shipping on orders over $45. 

Amazon is the way to go, in my book.  The Subscribe and Save feature freaked me out at first because I was worried about mystery charges and unintended purchases, but all for naught.  Amazon emails me a week before they ship an order so I have a chance to change things before the order is final.  Signing up for Amazon Mom gets you 3 months of free Amazon Prime membership, which means a bunch of deals and free two-day shipping on everything.  (Have mercy.  I went a little crazy.  But in my defense, I would have had to drive an hour to do new baby shopping, with a new baby.) 

This morning when I updated Lamb's diaper size (those buns just keep growing!) it occurred to me that I could have been subscribing and saving on plenty more than diapers.  Prenatal vitamins, for example, or baby food, or whatever else we use regularly that I forget to buy until it's gone and it's a crisis.  Helluva learning curve, motherhood.  I'll get on it.

Mamas, how are you saving on baby business?

PS:  I didn't mean for this post to become an advert for Amazon, but while we're at it...  This organic variety pack is cheaper than even WalMart:

 

24 jars once a month would be perfect for stage 2 eaters if you were supplementing homemade baby food at home.  I'm still on the hunt for a good toddler snack variety box; I'll keep you posted.

 

Image from: funcheaprorfree.com