Coupons

Being the father of twins and being the one that looks at the checkbook on a daily basis, the added expense of twins took a toll on us financially. But we have taken some steps to help us save money each week:

1) Coupons – We actually subscribed to two weekend only newspapers for our area. The cost of these two papers were $60 for the year for the two papers. In the first month, between the two newspapers, we were able to use enough coupons to pay for the entire year. Our average weekly savings is about $35 a week at the grocery store.
2) Discount sites – We signed up for Living Social, Groupon, and local coupon websites and they too have been helpful. Whether purchasing oil changes, gift cards to consignment shops, etc, every little helps.
3) Loyalty Programs – For somethings we are not brand loyal, but then for somethings ,we are. One thing that we did was to immediately signup for Gerber and Pampers Rewards programs. We get coupons on a regular basis, which help with our weekly purchases of formula and diapers.
4) Friends, Family, Co-Workers – All of the above help us by bringing us coupons on a weekly basis. I’m not a fan of it takes a village philosophy, but with twins, it takes those closest to you to help.

We on average spend $50 a week on formula and another $10 – $20 on solid food for the twins, so every little bit helps.