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Feb 2, 2011

A Very Long Post about Diapers (Janssen)

You know those horrendous baby calculators where they estimate that you'll probably need to sell your corneas in order to afford the first year of having a baby? I hate those. Mainly because seeing the $10,000 for the first year about gave me heart attack.

Also, because it estimates $72 per month for diapers. I cannot say for certain because my records are, sadly, not this good, but I would venture to say I have not $72 PERIOD on diapers. And my baby is six months old. Besides this, I have a good 350 diapers in her room right now in her current size, plus an additional 600 diapers in the next size up. (And, no, I don't change her diaper only twice a day or something horrifying like that).

I am firmly convinced  that diapers do not have to cost you a fortune. Last spring, Merrick compared the cost of diapers at different stores and said that the cheapest diapers were to be found at Costco or Sam's Club. And that's true if you just want to buy a box of diapers and be done with it. Those diapers were priced at $0.14 per diaper (and that's for the newborn size, which is generally the least expensive).

I try to spend less than $0.10 per diaper and I really am happy if I can get them for more like $0.05 or less.

This is totally possible if you follow deals at drugstores and stock up when there are killer sales. I keep an eye out and have some friends who alert me when they find good deals and so I've been able to do quite well.

Let tell you about one such good deal that you can probably do right now (I got 228 Pampers Size 2 diapers for around $7 - I paid less than $0.03 per diaper).

Amazon sells diapers for around the same price as big box store (around twenty to thirty cents per diaper, depending on the size and brand). But if you sign up for Amazon Mom, you get 15% off. Then when you choose your diapers, sign up for "Subscribe and Save" (the option is on the right, just below the regular "Add to my Cart" button) and you get another 15% off. Now you're talking more like fourteen to twenty cents per diaper.

And then, here's where you can really rack up your savings. Right now, many parenting magazines (Parents, Parenting, American Baby) have coupon inserts for either $10 off any Amazon Mom order or 20% off any diaper order (and this is 20% off the full list price, not your discounted price). Best of all, you can combine them, so I used both a $10 off coupon and a 20% off one. And Amazon had a bonus coupon for Pampers last week that brought my price down even more.

Plus it all ships for free. One of my friends bought Pampers Newborn Diapers yesterday for $10, making hers about five cents a diaper. Another pregnant friend of mine (expecting twins!) ordered Huggies Diapers for around eight cents apiece. 

As if my mega-cheap diapers weren't enough, every time you order something through Amazon Mom and do Subscribe and Save, you get a month of free Amazon Prime (which means all Amazon products ship for free with no minimum purchase).

My box of diapers arrived today at my front door. It was a glorious moment.

Check your pediatrician's office or your own stack of magazines for these coupons. Or ask a friend (I got my 20% off coupon two days before it expired from a friend who wasn't going to use it).

And then bask in the cheapness of the diapers (and don't forget to cancel your diaper subscription before the next batch ships, if you're so inclined - although even without a coupon, many of the diapers are only about $0.12 each. Not bad).

9 comments:

Maria said...

Thanks for sharing all your saving secrets on diapers. What a big difference!

Stacy said...

Oh Janssen, as always I am in awe at your money saving ways. I keep telling myself that I need to be more like you. It's a slow process though.

I usually get the Walmart brand of diapers because I thought I was getting a deal and they don't smell (can't stand diapers that are scented). Huggies is the only other brand that also doesn't smell but I never thought that I could get them for cheaper than the Walmart brand but MY OH MY, did I just get them A LOT cheaper than the Walmart brand. I'll probably never pay full price for diapers again!

Also, I discovered that if I really wanted to get the Walmart ones I don't actually have to go to the store since they have free shipping on stuff like that.

The more I learn from you guys the more I don't want to pay full price for ANYTHING.

Cheers.

Janice Richardson said...

I love Amazon...and the deals can get even better with Swagbucks!

That said, have you considered cloth diapers? We use Econobum (mostly) and the kit is about 50 dollars, and will last from newborn through potty training.

I still buy disposable for night times and trips, but the savings of cloth adds up, especially as we use the same diapers for more and more kids...well, we'll see how many we actually end up having! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm due with our first in May, so this post is a huge relief. And you're right - those cost-of-baby calculators are really terrifying.

The Liddells said...

This is really good to know because we are going to start buying diapers now as we find good deals. Thanks for the tip!

Megan said...

This sounds awesome and I'd really like to cash in. However, I don't subscribe to any parenting magazines, and I only go to the pediatrician twice a year. I've checked out the Amazon Mom and looked into diaper prices. Without a coupon, the best I can do is $0.14/diaper. Do you personally subscribe to the magazines? If so, how many coupons do you get in a year? It'd be interesting to know before I invest in a magazine subscription.

Melissa said...

I do Amazon mom, did you realize you get a free YEAR of Amazon prime if you subscribe to have diapers delivered to you each month (or some other mommy product like lotion, wipes, medicine, vitamins, etc)? The only catch is that you have to spend 25 dollars or more on the product every month. I buy 25 dollars of diapers (for two babies) each month which lasts me the whole month and I get free prime which I use ALLL the time for free shipping on school supplies etc. If you use prime, or you buy stuff on Amazon (we buy everything on Amazon BECAUSE we have prime so it saves us lots) then it is a great deal! And 25 dollars for diapers for two babies--can't beat that!

SeelyFamily said...

This post made me giddy all over again thinking about the great deal I scored thanks to you! :)

Nikki said...

I have Amazon mom, and I use subscribe and save, and I have a 20% off coupon and a $10 off coupon. I would LOVE to use them both....but it won't let me. HOW DO I DO IT? When I click to have them send me another shipment, it does just that - creates another order and sends the shipment. It never gives me an option to enter my coupons anywhere. Am I just being dumb?