If you are formula feeding, or even breastfeeding and planning on supplementing with formula as well, formula is going to be one of the biggest expenses that you encounter as a parent. Finding ways to save any sort of money when purchasing formula is crucial when living on a budget.

Here are a few ways that you can save and lessen the burden of purchasing formula every month. We use a lot of these methods and using them can end up saving you hundreds of dollars when buying formula.

Sign up for Reward Programs

One of the easiest and most well-known ways to save on baby formula is to sign up for rewards programs through the formula manufacturers. You can easily sign up for rewards through Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber to instantly receive rewards.

These programs boast coupons that usually amount to around $400 in savings on formula. Some of them provide free samples (although they are harder to come by after the formula shortage). And some programs, like Enfamil, include ways to earn cash back rewards when you purchase their products and refer friends to their program.

Choose Powdered Formula Over Ready-To-Feed

Powdered formula is always much cheaper to purchase than ready-to-feed liquid formula. The ready-to-feed formula is very convenient, especially when you are on the go, but you should always stick to purchasing baby formula in powdered form to get the most savings.

If you do like the convenience of ready-to-feed formula when you are out and about, consider purchasing a Munchkin Formula Dispenser. You can have 3 bottles of formula measured and ready to go. Then, you just dump in the bottle and shake when you are ready to feed. They are super cheap, and we use our all the time!

Buy Store Brand Instead of Name Brand

Many big name stores carry their own brands of products these days, and baby formula is not left out. You can find all of the major box stores have their own brand of baby formula, and this is a great way to save!

The formula from these brands are no different than the name brands. They are all made in very similar ways. Just make sure that your baby can tolerate the type of formula. Each type of formula is made just a little bit differently, and some do not sit well with a baby's digestive system.

Here are some top store brand formulas that are available:

• Target - Up & Up
• Walmart - Parent's Choice
• Costco - Kirkland
• BJ's - Wellsley Farms

Buy in Bulk

Buying in bulk for many products usually ends up in a good amount of savings overall. Buying formula in bulk is a great option to help you save money over time.

Your baby is going to eat A LOT. Which means that the formula isn't going to go to waste. Plus, formula lasts a very long time. So, even if you end up not using some for your current child, you can save it for the next one potentially! Or, you can donate any extra to someone else that is in need and help them save a little bit of money!

You can easily purchase bulk amounts of formula on Amazon. This also pairs great with our next tip. Which is...

Use Amazon Subscribe & Save

Amazon Subscribe & Save is a relatively new feature introduced by the e-commerce giant. For specific products that you need to purchase frequently, you can sign up to have them automatically shipped to you every so often without having to re-order them. With this option, you can end up saving up to 15% on every shipment that you get.

There are many formula options that are eligible for Amazon Subscribe & Save. Which means a lot of options for you to save on your formula purchases. There is no easier way to instantly save on formula.

Make sure to check out bulk formula options on Amazon Subscribe & Save to maximize your savings potential.

Get Baby Registry Rewards

There are many great places to register for baby items. A lot of these places offer welcome boxes and other benefits when you sign up for a baby registry through their site. Included in these welcome boxes are often coupons for formula. An easy way to get discounts on something you are going to be doing anyway.

Make sure to take full advantage of these offers wherever you can too. There is no limit to places where you can register. So, why not register on every site that you are able to. Then, you can get a welcome box and reap the rewards from every site!

Here are some popular places to start your baby registry:

• Amazon
• Target
• Walmart
• BabyList

Shop Through Cash Back Sites

Cash back sites are another one of the easiest ways to save money on all of your purchases. You shop for your items from major retailers through the cash back site, and then after you make your purchase you receive a percentage of the purchase price back. No fees or tricks. Just shop and save.

A lot of these cash back sites also have apps and browser extensions that automatically find deals and savings for you while you are shopping on retailer websites. If you try and purchase your formula through one of these sites. You can get money right back into your pocket for all of your formula purchases.

Here are some popular options for cash back sites:

• Rakuten
• Ibotta
• BeFrugal

Check for Local Facebook Groups

You can find Facebook groups for just about anything these days. There is a good chance that you will be able to find a Facebook group that consists of local parents looking to give away some of their free and leftover stuff from their kids that they aren't using anymore.

You can take advantage of these groups, by joining them and frequently browsing through them to see if anyone is giving away some of their leftover formula that they aren't going to use. The catch here though is that there are going to be a lot of other people asking for the same thing. So, you may not always get what you are looking for. But in the spirit of trying to save money, you might as well give it a shot!

Take all Freebies from the Hospital and Doctor

Finally, this is one that every new parent knows or figures out very quickly! Take everything and anything that you can from the hospital when they give it to you. If the nurse asks if you need any more formula, you make sure to say yes so that you can add a few extra to your stash to take home!

Final Thoughts

Formula will be one of the biggest expenses you encounter as a parent, but you can find a way to lessen the burden a little bit without too much effort on your part. Implement as many of these tips as you can to maximize your saving potential!

How did we do? Are there any ways that you save on formula that we missed? Let us know in the comment section below. We always love to hear your thoughts and opinions. We hope that you enjoyed the list. As always, we hope that you found this helpful on your journey of being a Paycheck 2 Paycheck Parent!