Having two toddler boys we go through tons of food. Sometimes it seems like I go grocery shopping and within a day tons of items are already gone. Toddler snacks are one of those items..mainly crunchies, puffs, and yogurt bites. They will eat their entire dinner and then want a snack and the entire package will be gone. Going through so many toddler snacks I see myself turning to store brands because they are normally the cheaper option. It is actually one of the categories where I regularly buy store brands. You save a great deal of money no coupons required!
You have probably seen many of these store brands in stores already. Here are the brands I received:
- Up and Up at Target
- Parent's Choice at Walmart
- Cottontails at Giant
- Comforts for Baby at Kroger
- Meijer Baby at Meijer
I was actually surprised to learn that they are all made by the same company, Perrigo Nutrionals. Here is some fun information about them:
About Perrigo Nutritionals
· Many moms are not aware that they can save up to 50 percent on infant formula by choosing a store brand over a national brand
· Store Brand Formula is nutritionally comparable to the national brands, yet are typically up to half the price, and can save you about $600 a year
· Perrigo Nutritionals is the largest supplier of Store Brand Infant Formula and nutrition products in the world and one of only four companies recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for meeting the strict FDA requirements for safety, nutrition and quality for infant formula-manufacturing in the United States
· Same standards and expertise used to develop infant formula applied to toddler foods
· Toddler foods are appropriately developed for variety of stages of growth and motor skills with quality, nutritional ingredients to create foundation of good nutrition
Even though I am already a fan of store brands it makes me feel more confident purchasing store brands knowing they are all made by the same company. When I went to the grocery store this week I compared what I would have spent on toddler food and snacks had I bought national brands instead of store brands and my savings was around $16 for a weeks worth of toddler snacks. In a year that is over $800 in savings for me. So what do my boys think of the brands we tried?
No complaints at all as these boys chowed down! I actually had to hide everything from them so I could take a pic before they ate it all. My older son Chris reached for the Comforts Baby strawberry flavored puffs. My younger one, Nick, grabbed the Comforts Baby berry flavored yogurt bites.
While the boys were chowing down I glanced through this awesome book I received with everything. If you know me I don't read anything aside from children's books but I was hooked! The book is called, "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode," by Crystal Paine. If you are reading my blog then you just might of heard of her as she hosts the popular blog MoneySavingMom.com. I pretty much can't stop reading it. I love all of her ideas a lot of which I already do. I try to keep life simple so there is less stress and her book focuses on a lot of ways to do just that. Here are just a few of her money saving tips!
Crystal Paine’s 5 Money Saving Tips for Families
Create a Budget
A budget gives you parameters and purpose, it gives you boundaries, and it gives you freedom to live creatively within those boundaries.
Shop With Cash
When you shop with a credit card (or even a debit card, for that matter!) you can have your budget in your head and you can do the best to stick with it when you check out, but it’s so much easier to go just a little bit over here and there when you’re swiping!
A budget gives you parameters and purpose, it gives you boundaries, and it gives you freedom to live creatively within those boundaries.
Shop With Cash
When you shop with a credit card (or even a debit card, for that matter!) you can have your budget in your head and you can do the best to stick with it when you check out, but it’s so much easier to go just a little bit over here and there when you’re swiping!
Plan a Menu
When you have a plan in place for what you’re supposed to be eating each meal and you’ve already purchased the ingredients for those recipes, it’s a lot harder to justify chucking the plan for takeout.
Use Coupons
Coupons are a great way to save a lot of money on your grocery bill, but they can be hard to keep up with. Clipping, sorting, and organizing coupons takes time — so enter a coupon database! You’ll have access to printable and other coupons currently available and it’s one of the most effective and efficient ways to save money on groceries.
When you have a plan in place for what you’re supposed to be eating each meal and you’ve already purchased the ingredients for those recipes, it’s a lot harder to justify chucking the plan for takeout.
Use Coupons
Coupons are a great way to save a lot of money on your grocery bill, but they can be hard to keep up with. Clipping, sorting, and organizing coupons takes time — so enter a coupon database! You’ll have access to printable and other coupons currently available and it’s one of the most effective and efficient ways to save money on groceries.
Buy Store Brands
One way to save a great deal of money on your grocery budget is to learn to like and use a variety of brands. The sooner you can get over being a brand-snob, the more your pocketbook will thank you.
For example, while I breast fed my children, moms who choose to formula feed can save up to 50 percent by switching to store brand formula, which meets the same FDA quality standards as expensive name brands. There are also coupons available at a website - StoreBrandFormula.com. This one simple change can save moms about $600 a year.
One way to save a great deal of money on your grocery budget is to learn to like and use a variety of brands. The sooner you can get over being a brand-snob, the more your pocketbook will thank you.
For example, while I breast fed my children, moms who choose to formula feed can save up to 50 percent by switching to store brand formula, which meets the same FDA quality standards as expensive name brands. There are also coupons available at a website - StoreBrandFormula.com. This one simple change can save moms about $600 a year.
I also have the wonderful opportunity to awesome a package filled with all the goodies I received above to one of my readers. Just enter in the Rafflecopter below! And remember don't forget the store brands :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
