Reader Jaime left me the following question in the comments section of a post:
Mercedes, since you have a growing family (and new baby), what do you consider “buy it” prices for diapers?
Jaime I believe that there are a couple of scenarios to consider before establishing your own buy it price for diapers:
1) You do not have a stockpile of diapers and need the diapers ASAP. When you have not built up a stockpile of diapers and are in need of diapers right now, your price to pay for diapers is a bit higher. Angie at Baby Cheapskate who has been tracking diaper prices for a few years has determined her price to buy for diapers size 3 at $0.22 per diaper. This is just a standard pricing she has established to be able to make comparisons among pack sizes. This price roughly translate into paying a bit over $7 per pack. I believe that’s a fair price to pay IF you do not have a diaper stockpile and need diapers ASAP.
2) You would like to start building a stockpile and have time to build one, as in you are currently pregnant and have months until you need the diapers. In this case you have the time to build up your stockpile and can work the diaper sales to your advantage. In this case I think that paying a price of between $4-$5 per jumbo pack of diaper to build your stockpile is a pretty good deal. Do these sales come around often? yes, they do. For example, right now you can get Pampers diapers for around this price at Rite Aid. Next week you will be able to get Huggies at this price at Walgreens and some grocery stores have been running catalina promotions on Pampers products as well (Spend $20 get a $5 catalina back). You just need to keep an eye for these sales and that’s why I am here for you.
A couple of things to remember about getting a good diaper bargain:
1) The first thing to know is that brand loyalty goes out the window. You buy the best deal available at the moment. If you must remain brand loyal then also be willing to pay a bit more sometimes or rock every diaper deal for the brand of your preference. This brings me to the next point.
2) When the bargain deal is available you need to take advantage of it. That means that you will probably have to have the resources to buy more than a couple of packs. But at a bargain price you may spend on two packs what you would normally spend on one. You need to have on hand more than one like manufacturer diaper coupon. In this case turn to Coupon Clipping services to get multiples of the coupons you need.
I have been buying diapers at rock bottom prices for three years now. What I am sharing is what I have experienced in that time period. I am also sharing my experience in tracking the sales and sharing them on this blog. But ultimately you need to determine what your rock bottom price is with the variables that apply to your particular case.
So, those are my thoughts on buy it diaper prices. How and where have you found you get the best diaper deals?
