Spend less even when you have more mouths to feed

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Homemade baby food in the freezer

When you suddenly add multiple children into your family, you assume that your spending will skyrocket. If you’re paying for clothes, daycare, and hundreds of other necessities, it can get overwhelming and your budget can really suffer. If you’re looking for a few ways to ease the pain and spend a little less, there are several things you can do.

Look at price-per-unit

When you’re feeding several people, going through tissues like crazy, and using a ridiculous number of diapers, it’s important to look at the price-per-unit of the items you’re purchasing. While quality is important, many things are more expensive for no real reason (like name brand medications, for example) and the price is the only key difference. Every tag at the store should include a price-per-unit so you can compare 16 ounces of Similac formula to 22 ounces of the store brand and see which one’s cheaper (the store brand is usually, but not always).

Buying in bulk often lowers the price-per-unit, so look at all the different quantities in the store to find the best price. It could also be a good idea to begin shopping at warehouse clubs like Costco, but make sure that your savings are more than the membership costs you and don’t just renew out of habit if it’s not worth it.

Avoid individually-packaged products

Products that are wrapped as singles are almost always more expensive, they are often less healthy options that people only buy for convenience, and they are also worse for the environment due to the extra trash. The portion size might also be a problem, causing you to only use half a package and waste the rest. Instead, buy larger products and separate it yourself into the size that is right for your family using mason jars or other storage methods. It’s better for the environment and can save you quite a bit in the long run.

Make your own

Whenever possible, make your own items for your kids. Learn how to sew baby clothes, use cloth diapers, boil and blend baby food, and anything else you can. It can definitely be difficult to find the time, especially as the parent of twins, triplets, or even more, but if you’re really serious about cutting your spending, homemade is definitely the way to go.

At the very least, making your own baby food is cheaper and can often be healthier (less preservatives and you avoid superheating the food, which leaches out vitamins). Look online for tips and tricks that make it a pretty simple process so it doesn’t take up too much of your time. It may be a little daunting, but you’ll be feeding your babies better food, you’ll know everything in it, and it’ll even save you money. It doesn’t get much better than that.

While raising multiple children can be extremely difficult and very expensive, there are several little things you can do to help make it less of a burden on your wallet. Finding time might seem difficult or even impossible, but if you’re willing to try and commit to saving money, you’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish.

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