We went to Sam’s yesterday. We like to shop there for most of our large dry good needs because where else can you get two huge gigamongous jars of peanut butter that will last four or five months for just 5 dollars? Over in the Frugal blog, the ladies there are chalk full of great advice on how to get more bang for your buck, but when it comes to your baby – bulk buying can protect you financially, emotionally and physically.
Your Baby Needs
When my first nephew was born several years ago, we were living in another state. I came down a couple of weeks after he was born so I could take my sister-in-law out shopping. We went to Sam’s because I had a membership there and we picked up a lot of the supplies she needed. At the time, the purchases were limited by what they carried – for example – she used Pampers and they only had Huggies brand diapers – but we did what we could.
Not only did we lay in formula supplies (the baby was having a very difficult time with breast milk and she was even having a more difficult time with breastfeeding) and because his stomach was so sensitive – they were using a brand called Nutramigen – it’s pretty expensive – unless you buy it in bulk. We picked up diaper wipes (let me tell you – you can never have too many of those). Since she was using the bottles with the little baggies, we laid in a huge supply of those along with extra onesies (in varying sizes for as he got older) and blankets.
Mom Needs Stuff Too
We didn’t stop there. I picked up any number of dry goods from easy to prepare soups to peanut butter and jelly to frozen dinners that just needed an hour in the oven (like lasagna). Buying in bulk and preferably preparing ahead of time before the baby comes – can save you a lot of headaches and decisions for after baby is born.
My mother planned to spend the first two weeks after my daughter was born with me in order to help me out with meals and the house and the shopping. The idea is that it lets mom recover and gives you lots of time to spend with your new infant without the worries of the rest for a bit. She was unable to come due to a bad ear infection. Thankfully, my husband did the same for me that I’d done for my sister-in-law. Buying in bulk can put enough on hand in the house that you aren’t wrestling with whether to take your newborn out because you need food.
The buying in bulk doesn’t stop after the baby comes – as you go forward, you will discover what supplies you use in large quantities – even if it takes two or three months to use them and that’s never a bad plan to buy in bulk. If you worry that you won’t be able to use it all, some items are storable without any problem to them – such as diapers and sealed wipe containers – you can store those or give them to a friend who is expecting a baby – after all – they are going to need supplies too.
Have you bought baby supplies in bulk?