Starting Solids the Cheap Way
It is good to start pricing out baby
food, if you are planning to purchase the store-bought
variety. Keep this information in your price book and try
and compare prices between different grocery stores. The
first thing I did was call around and ask the grocery stores
what their price was on their baby food. By calling, I found
Beech-Nut baby food to be the cheapest at our local
Save-A-Lot store. I understand that the selection there was
limited, but the price was a little bit cheaper than other
locations. I am willing to sacrifice on the selection, in
order to get the best deal for my baby. Save-A-Lot seemed
like the answer for us because they offered three jars for
ninety-nine cents. The nice thing too, that I found with
Save-A-Lot, was that they take coupons so I can bring in any
coupons that I want to on this brand of baby food.
Where to Score Coupons for Baby Food
Now where do you get coupons for your
baby food? Well, first you will want to sign up for each
individual company mailings that they offer. You will find a
great resource list, at the end of this article, for where
you can get coupons and freebies for your baby. After you
have signed up for these mailings, the next best bet for
coupons (besides your family & friends) is Ebay. Tons of
sellers offer coupons on Ebay and many package these up in
baby bundles for you which include coupons for a variety of
baby items you might need to purchase. By checking Ebay, I
found a seller who was offering twenty Beech-Nut baby food
coupons- $1 off 6 jars of any variety of Beech Nut Baby
Food. The total cost (including shipping of the coupons) was
$3.99. According to my calculations, this means…
120 Jars of Beech-Nut Baby Food (at
Save-A-Lot) $39.60
Coupons ($1 off 6 jars purchased from
Ebay) - $20.00
Total Cost for 120 Jars of Baby
Food
$19.60
Cost for
Coupons
$3.99
Cost Per Jar of Baby
Food
$0.20
Now according to my numbers- that is a
pretty good deal! Beech-Nut also offers a great program (http://beechnut.com/Special%20Offers/index.asp)
where you can receive more coupons by sending them your
proofs of purchase. 48 proofs of purchase from any Beech-Nut
product will give you four coupons for one dollar off of any
ten items. That means that after I make my purchase of 120
jars, I will get an additional eight dollars in coupons for
the next round of baby food (plus more proofs of purchase to
credit towards the next round of coupons). This goes to
show that when making the purchase for your baby food, make
sure to visit the website for the company and see if they
offer any specials during that month.
Homemade Versus Store-Bought Cost
Comparison
Now what is the cost per ounce for
homemade baby food versus the Beech-Nut variety that I ran
across? Well, there are 2.5 ounces of baby food in a
standard baby food jar. The cost per ounce is $0.08. The
estimated cost to make my own baby food is $0.04 per ounce
(give or take a penny depending on what food I am trying to
prepare). That means if I actually took the time to make the
baby food, I could shave fifty percent off of the cost of
baby food. That is a lot to save, but it also would require
time and effort on my part. My feeling about this is buy the
prepackaged baby food, but only buy the items that require
more cost to me or require more effort than they would be
worth to be made at home. For example, mashing a banana with
a fork is much cheaper and less time consuming than buying
the prepackaged baby food. More exotic and expensive fruits
& vegetables are more money for me (and many require a
little more preparation) then I might be willing to exert so
I will probably spend my money towards these items.
Additional Resources for Mailings
Here are some additional resources if
you are looking for baby food, formula, and diaper coupons.
It will definitely save your family money if you sign up for
with these companies and participate in their mailings. I
wish you much luck with your little ones and may your
child’s bowl runneth over with good deals!
Good Eats:
Beech-Nut bowl and coupon
Sign up for our monthly e-newsletters, and we'll send you
information tailored to your baby's age, helpful tips,
money-saving offers, plus this FREE bowl.
Growing Up Gerber Club
Become a member of Growing Up Gerber and get a personalized
Web site, newsletters, free samples and coupons.
Good Drinks:
Welcome Addition Club from Enfamil
Become a Similac Welcome
Addition Club member today! Membership is free and offers
you up to $450* in offers and savings. Register now with our
3-easy-steps and you can start enjoying your benefits right
away.
Bright Beginnings baby Formula
When you become a member of the Bright Beginnings Customer
Club, we will send you valuable Coupon Paks good for savings
on our already sensibly-priced formulas and nutritionals.
Nursery Water
Click Magnet Offer & Coupon Offer to receive this freebie
Dry Bottoms:
Pampers
This was my favorite club when we had our son. They had a
great site that explains how your child is growing & their
developments and sent me tons of diaper coupons. We are
cloth diapering this one so I didn’t sign up this time, but
if you are using disposable, this a great club!
Charmin Potty Training Kit
The potty training kit includes a storybook, poster,
stickers, roll ruler, photo magnet, & potty training
diploma. This is a really neat freebie and I highly
recommend this if you are potty training. Even if you are
not potty training, the stickers are great to keep little
hands busy during church service!
Pull Ups Success Guide
Fill out the form for a
free Pull Ups Success Guide (allow 6-8 weeks for delivery)
Good Reads:
Very Best Baby Magazine
Every free issue is tailored to your stage of pregnancy or
to your baby’s age and packed with lively articles on topics
of interest to moms-to-be and new moms. Plus, you’ll receive
valuable checks for savings on infant nutrition products!
American Baby
Get a free subscription to this great magazine! Every issue
is loaded with vital parenting information from the experts.
Preemie Magazine
Free one year subscription to parent’s of preemies
Miscellaneous Baby Goodies:
Orajel
In order to help us provide the best Orajel products we can,
please take a few minutes to complete the following survey.
Your time is appreciated and we will thank you by sending
you coupons for your favorite Orajel products. Please allow
4 weeks for processing.
