Back when we were new parents, my wife and I wouldn’t have survived without diapers and wipes. Without those items, our household would have quickly devolved into a stinky pile of… never mind. But, yeah, wipes diapers and wipes are essential to the hygiene and cleanliness of everyone in our home. And I’m pretty sure the same applies for most households.
Modern diapers and wipes are amazing inventions for busy parents. But sadly, diapers and wipes are pretty costly. They might not be expensive as one-time purchases… but diapers and wipes are usually used-up sooner rather than later. As a result, the expenses quickly pile up.
Diapers and wipes used to take up so much room in our monthly budget that I just had to find a way to save up on these items. I don’t mind paying a bit more for food or clothing or medicine. But diapers? Yeah, no. So after a bit of research (and no small amount of frustration), I found some great ways to save money on diapers. Want to know how to save money on diapers and wipes? Read on to learn how!
Switch up the brands you use
I know, I know. We all have our preferred brands. And we all have our reasons why we think “our” brand is better than the other. I think advertising is partly to blame for creating this sort of unnecessary brand-loyalty. But like I just said, it’s totally unnecessary. Brands within the same “tier” are largely the same, no matter how much they’d like to say they have some Super Secret Ingredient or claim to be made out of Ultra High-Tech Materials. And sometimes we’re stuck with more expensive brands because we just like it.
Since these brands aren’t always worth it, you can save money on diapers and wipes by switching up the brands. You’ll be surprised by how good the cheaper brands are. And how knows? By using brands you wouldn’t normally use, you might find a legitimately amazing brand!
Hoard!
It’s no secret that you can get stuff for cheaper if you buy in bulk. I know it isn’t always a good idea to buy in bulk when the said item is perishable or has a set shelf life. Luckily, diapers and wipes aren’t part of those products. Diapers and wipes generally have a long shelf life (although make sure your wipes don’t dry-out – keep them, as well as your diaper stash, in a cool area of your house) meaning you can stockpile them and not worry about them going bad in the near future.
And besides, it’s always a good idea to have a ready stockpile of diapers and wipes when “disaster” strikes. We once ran out of diapers just when my son decided to make that night’s dinner felt (and smelt) by all of us. I had to drive 10 miles in the snow just to get to the nearest grocery. So yeah, it’s always a good idea to have extras ready.
Diaper bundles are usually readily available at groceries and big box stores. They may be more expensive than individual packs, of course. But the cost per piece of diapers will more than makeup for the initial outlay.
Notice package sizes (and the corresponding prices of the packages)
Not all packages are priced the same. But just because something is cheaper doesn’t mean you’ll be getting better value. For example, a pack of diapers may sell for less, but it might have only several diapers. A more expensive package will have more diapers, of course. And when you add it up, the price of each diaper will be actually lower with the more expensive pack. The logic is similar to my earlier suggestion to buy in bulk.
To do this effectively, find the price of each individual diaper. How to do that is simple (this isn’t some super-complicated math problem): Divide the selling price of the pack by the number of individual diapers (or even wipes, for that matter). That’s the price of each individual diaper. Knowing this will help you buy the pack that legit gives you the best value.
Put on the diapers on your baby properly
This one is a no-brainer for experienced carers, but new parents will want to hear about this. One of the best ways to maximize your diapers is to put them on correctly. If something oozes out of the bottom or sides, that means you’ve put it on wrong. And that also means you need to throw the diaper away immediately, even if it hasn’t reached its maximum capacity just yet.
So putting on diapers on your baby properly isn’t just good hygiene (and responsible parenting), it also saves you a lot of money by avoiding diaper “misfires.”
Smaller diaper sizes offer more value (usually)
Here’s something I noticed while buying diapers: the packs with the smaller sizes usually end up costing cheaper per piece than ones with larger sizes. The reason is surprisingly simple: the smaller the diaper, the more pieces can be fit into a package (most packs of the same brand have the same sizes). Getting packs of smaller-sized diapers is a great way to save on diapers.
But of course, you should always get the appropriately-sized diapers for your babies. But just the same, try to get the smaller size, when possible. The savings you get will be a boon when the time comes that they need to move up a size.
Use Coupons and Avoid Buying Full-Price
There are lots of bargains to be had out there. And yes, a lot of those bargains are for diapers and wipes. To find those bargains, you could camp out at stores and hope to be the first to spot sales, or you could buy dozens of newspapers and hope they contain the relevant coupons… none of these methods are efficient at all. Avoid camping out in the hunt for coupons and diapers.
Instead, you can find coupons for diapers and wipes online. Check out the so-called “couponing” sites like Ibotta, Coupons.com, and Checkout 51 for all your coupon needs. And the cool thing about these sites is that they offer bargains for other household needs as well!
Modern diapers and wipes are amazing inventions for busy parents. But sadly, diapers and wipes are pretty costly. They might not be expensive as one-time purchases… but diapers and wipes are usually used-up sooner rather than later. As a result, the expenses quickly pile up.
Diapers and wipes used to take up so much room in our monthly budget that I just had to find a way to save up on these items. I don’t mind paying a bit more for food or clothing or medicine. But diapers? Yeah, no. So after a bit of research (and no small amount of frustration), I found some great ways to save money on diapers. Want to know how to save money on diapers and wipes? Read on to learn how!
Switch up the brands you use
I know, I know. We all have our preferred brands. And we all have our reasons why we think “our” brand is better than the other. I think advertising is partly to blame for creating this sort of unnecessary brand-loyalty. But like I just said, it’s totally unnecessary. Brands within the same “tier” are largely the same, no matter how much they’d like to say they have some Super Secret Ingredient or claim to be made out of Ultra High-Tech Materials. And sometimes we’re stuck with more expensive brands because we just like it.
Since these brands aren’t always worth it, you can save money on diapers and wipes by switching up the brands. You’ll be surprised by how good the cheaper brands are. And how knows? By using brands you wouldn’t normally use, you might find a legitimately amazing brand!
Hoard!
It’s no secret that you can get stuff for cheaper if you buy in bulk. I know it isn’t always a good idea to buy in bulk when the said item is perishable or has a set shelf life. Luckily, diapers and wipes aren’t part of those products. Diapers and wipes generally have a long shelf life (although make sure your wipes don’t dry-out – keep them, as well as your diaper stash, in a cool area of your house) meaning you can stockpile them and not worry about them going bad in the near future.
And besides, it’s always a good idea to have a ready stockpile of diapers and wipes when “disaster” strikes. We once ran out of diapers just when my son decided to make that night’s dinner felt (and smelt) by all of us. I had to drive 10 miles in the snow just to get to the nearest grocery. So yeah, it’s always a good idea to have extras ready.
Diaper bundles are usually readily available at groceries and big box stores. They may be more expensive than individual packs, of course. But the cost per piece of diapers will more than makeup for the initial outlay.
Notice package sizes (and the corresponding prices of the packages)
Not all packages are priced the same. But just because something is cheaper doesn’t mean you’ll be getting better value. For example, a pack of diapers may sell for less, but it might have only several diapers. A more expensive package will have more diapers, of course. And when you add it up, the price of each diaper will be actually lower with the more expensive pack. The logic is similar to my earlier suggestion to buy in bulk.
To do this effectively, find the price of each individual diaper. How to do that is simple (this isn’t some super-complicated math problem): Divide the selling price of the pack by the number of individual diapers (or even wipes, for that matter). That’s the price of each individual diaper. Knowing this will help you buy the pack that legit gives you the best value.
Put on the diapers on your baby properly
This one is a no-brainer for experienced carers, but new parents will want to hear about this. One of the best ways to maximize your diapers is to put them on correctly. If something oozes out of the bottom or sides, that means you’ve put it on wrong. And that also means you need to throw the diaper away immediately, even if it hasn’t reached its maximum capacity just yet.
So putting on diapers on your baby properly isn’t just good hygiene (and responsible parenting), it also saves you a lot of money by avoiding diaper “misfires.”
Smaller diaper sizes offer more value (usually)
Here’s something I noticed while buying diapers: the packs with the smaller sizes usually end up costing cheaper per piece than ones with larger sizes. The reason is surprisingly simple: the smaller the diaper, the more pieces can be fit into a package (most packs of the same brand have the same sizes). Getting packs of smaller-sized diapers is a great way to save on diapers.
But of course, you should always get the appropriately-sized diapers for your babies. But just the same, try to get the smaller size, when possible. The savings you get will be a boon when the time comes that they need to move up a size.
Use Coupons and Avoid Buying Full-Price
There are lots of bargains to be had out there. And yes, a lot of those bargains are for diapers and wipes. To find those bargains, you could camp out at stores and hope to be the first to spot sales, or you could buy dozens of newspapers and hope they contain the relevant coupons… none of these methods are efficient at all. Avoid camping out in the hunt for coupons and diapers.
Instead, you can find coupons for diapers and wipes online. Check out the so-called “couponing” sites like Ibotta, Coupons.com, and Checkout 51 for all your coupon needs. And the cool thing about these sites is that they offer bargains for other household needs as well!
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