Products that save you money, but work all the same

When I was told I was expecting twins I was giddy. Then a few months later, as I started buying things for them, it hit me like a ton of bricks how expensive this was going to be. One new baby is bad enough. But two! Or more?! I have come to find a few products that I trust, even though they are half the price of “name” brands.

One of the biggest expenses is diapers. In the first few months we went through 16-20 diapers a day. That is over 100 diapers a week. Over 400 a month! If you are buying “name” brand at that amount you would be spending roughly $150 a month on diapers (unless you are able to score some major coupons). Not me. I used Parents Choice diapers from Wal-Mart. I had previously used them with my other children, so I knew they worked. At $14 a box, I would spend less than $100 a month on diapers. Now I spend $28, which is roughly the cost of one box of the “name” brand. And wipes from Parents Choice brand are $2 for a pack of 80 wipes or $5 for a 3 pack (240 wipes). For your name brand wipes, you would spend the $5 on one pack! The Parents Choice diapers and wipes work as well as the “name” brand, so save yourself some moolah and head to Wally-world to buy your diaper needs there.

Another big expense is formula. Unless you solely breastfeed, you are looking at spending $4000 the first year on formula for your twins if you use “name brand”. Even more if you have to use Alimentum or any other specialty formula. But what many people tend to forget when they are new parents and are in the I-want-the-best-of-everything-for-my-child mode is that infant formula is one of those things that has a set of guidelines put out by the FDA to ensure that no matter what brand you buy, you are getting the same basic ingredients. Some add extra stuff, but what your baby needs from the formula is the same in ALL formulas sold in the US. So save some money here, and once again I will recommend Parent’s Choice brand. It is cheaper by around $10 a can. Which saves you $1400 a year. I would even recommend GoodStart for babies with acid reflux issues (mine had it, and we used GoodStart until they were about 4 or 5 months old). I also saved by breastfeeding along with formula feeding. I just couldn’t do solely breastfeeding because I wasn’t that comfortable whipping it out in public or sitting in a yucky bathroom stall trying to balance them both.

Other items that you can save money on:
*Toys-you don’t really have to buy two of everything. Only having one will teach the concept of sharing. Unless of course it is a super special toy that one is very attached too, then buy two.
Sippy Cups-Go to the Dollar Store, and purchase you a few cups for a $1 a piece. You get cute cups that last, for 1/5th the price of the other brands!
*Clothes- I fell into the category that dressed my identical twins identically. So as you can imagine all the money I saved everywhere else went to clothing. Buying two of each of everything. I have now figured out that my boys are two very different individuals. And even though I love seeing them all dressed up alike, I now buy only one of items I like. Occasionally I will come across something that I just have to see both of them in, and buy two of it, but mainly they get their brothers hand me downs and a few new pieces. Let the relatives and friends buy the matching outfits and save your money for other items!