5 Ways to Save on Similac

Formula-feeding is an expensive endeavor. In our case, it was also necessary. We had to supplement from the time the girls were in the hospital, and a month later, the girls were on a steady diet of Similac for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. My girls are good eaters, too! Similac is not the cheapest option out there, but it causes distress to a baby's stomach to switch back and forth trying different types of formula, so I wanted to stick with it. Eventually I learned some tricks to help me save my money for things that are more fun.

1. Salvage. I always found it difficult to know for sure how much my newborns were going to eat. Whenever they didn't finish a bottle, we saved the leftover formula for next time. You do have to be careful with this! Formula cannot sit out at room temperature for as long as breast milk can. You can leave it out for 1-2 hours max. So make sure, when your baby is finished with a bottle, you refridgerate very quickly. We kept ours in a storage bottle. Even in the fridge, though, you cannot store it for more than 24 hours. So label it with a date! If in doubt, throw it out!

2. Sign up and save! You can join StrongMoms at Similac.com and they will send you coupons for as often as you are on the website reading their articles. That's free and easy to do, even if i'm just sitting with the website up while Avery pounds on the keyboard. That is the way to get the best coupons--$5 checks off every tub of formula. For those times when I need a little extra, I can call Similac and talk to a representative to request some new coupons. They only send $2-3 off. But that's still something!

3. Check for low prices and deals. Seems obvious. But it's really easy when you have a little one just to get what  you need where you happen to be. It's worth the extra trip to Sam's or Target instead of just picking some formula up at Hen House. That can mean as much as a $10 difference. I've also noticed that some deals you don't hear about unless you are price checking with other stores. Target is almost always running a special where you can buy two value size tubs of formula and get a $10 gift card. I put it toward my next formula purchase. With that and my Similac StrongMom's coupons, I always have $10 off every value-sized tub of formula. And that's off the Target price, not the CVS or Hen House price!

4. Level up! Similac has a "Stage 2" formula for babies 6+ months. It has more calories per ounce but costs the same. My babies had no trouble adjusting, but they don't eat as much of the Stage 2 formula. Switching to that, they ate 4 ounces at a time instead of 6-8.

5. Start on Solids. Of course, talk to your doctor. I started feeding my girls pureed foods at 4 months. This was in line with what my doctor told me to do. Amber was eating as much as we would allow and always wanted more, so that seemed to be best for her. Once they started getting some actual food in their systems, they ate less formula. Of course you need to do what is best for your baby. But once you make the switch, you can make baby food much cheaper than the cost of formula!

How do you save money on formula? Please comment below and help the rest of us penny-pinching moms!