How to get best discounts/prices on needed items? Help plz :)

2ndGeneration

 So....now that my due date is only 3 months away (!!!!) I figure I should start getting serious about pricing out needed items. For backround, I'm 43, having my 6th baby, my other kiddos are ages 21-10 so the baby gear is long gone! And the last time I bought the big-ticket items was 18 years ago-long before online shopping and stuff like that. In those days you just went to the store and hoped for a sale hahaha.

 Anyhow, I realize taht now there are many shopping options. And seems like ways to get discounts and coupons. Anyone have a brief primer of the best ways? Im open to brick and mortar shopping and online as well. My main big purchase I think will be the Chicco Nuevo stroller and carseat system. $279 at BRU (only place I priced it so far). Eventually a crib but those seem to be cheap enough at Ikea and walmart?

 How about diapers? What is a diaper 'subscription'??

 I'm not a dinosaur, really : )   I'm open to learning!

hiketheworld

Ikea has very cheap furniture if you have one of their stores nearby.

You can sign up to receive emails from stores like babies r us and all the clothing stores- you will receive coupons and notifications about sales.

Amazon.com often has better prices on a lot of things and in many states you don't pay sales tax. If spend enough you also get free shipping.

Maelara

Before ordering anything online I always do a coupon code search in google first to get a discount code. Sometimes you can find some pretty awesome ones! Toys r us is having a sale right now and Graco carseats and travel systems have a $25 rebate. I got my stroller off of kijiji which is Canada's Craig's list. It was used, yes but us great shape and I saved a lot. Normally the stroller is $320 and I got it for $125. That was a huge savings. If you are in the USA, you can get registry completion coupons at target, toys r us and amazon. If you put your due date as sooner than it is, youll get that coupon sooner. You can put your Chicco travel system on your registry and get a discount that way Amazon is also a great place to get great discounts. Ikea has cribs for great prices but the cribs don't convert to toddler beds and twin beds. I got one of those with my first and it's worth the extra money.

Maelara

Oh! I should add, do NOT buy a carseat second hand. You don't know if it has been in an accident.

2ndGeneration

Maelara said:

Oh! I should add, do NOT buy a carseat second hand. You don't know if it has been in an accident.

  Agree!!! That is one thing I always bought new. And these days with all the recalled cribs around, I'm getting that new also. I actually have a crib-it's 21 years old and  dropside, but held up well. HOWEVER, 21 yo DS acted like it is a deathtrap and insists I not use it! LOL. He convinced Dh about it, and one of the wheels has broken off...new cribs aren't that expensive anyhow so I agreed : )

 That's good to know about BBB and BBB coupons, I get those in the mail all the time! I wonder if it works online, no buy buys around here.

 I will signup for BRU emails.

 I do plan to get some stuff secondhand-I got an awesome pnp already and a friend lent a swing. I hope to find some stuff like the plastic baby tub and bouncy seat at our townwide tag sale next month!

erinwithtwins

Target has an insane deal on diapers right now where you get $20 in gift cards if you buy two boxes. If you order online and pick up in store you get another $10 off.

Also look at registry completion discounts and rewards. I was really surprised by the right start. I attended an event there so they gave me 15% off my purchase then they emailed me a $10 off coupon. Then she told me to put everything on a registry before I bought it so I'd get a gift card back worth 10% off my purchase. I ended up getting my cribs and changing table there for significantly less than amazon.

Not sure what state you are in but several states are doing a tax free weekend next weekend. I live in CA so we don't get that and do pay tax at amazon.

FirstBabyDoyle

Craigslist. I've saved a ton of money using it.

SarahHeck

Totally look for coupon codes first before buying anything. I also look online at amazon, babies r us, Walmart, target.com before I buy anything at Target because they price match and I like the convenience of getting everything in one place.

SarahHeck

Also, check out OfferUp and craigslist for gently used stuff.

aries21

Def do amazon mom - sign up.

HollyNewling

Amazon is great for a lot of things. IKEA has really nice cribs and furniture. My in laws are taking us there to get the babies nursery furniture and the crib I want is only $120 and it's nice. Also target always has a new baby sale every week. Just got babies swing for $160 and got his portable rocker sleeper that was $75 for free! I'm using it instead of a bassinet. Diapers are good priced at target and walmart.

CariLS8

Diapers.com is what we plan on using for diapers. Buying in bulk seems like the best way to go. Plus, for the first 3 months after signing up you get a discount on sizes N-3. Also, craigslist really is a good idea if you go with your gut when buying. We got a brand new in the box Quinny Buzz Xtra stroller (orig. price $600) for $300. You can sign up on Pampers.com and get coupons too for diapers and wipes.

Edit: look at Costco too

jess123456

I scored a great condition Ergo for $40 on a Facebook group for moms. I also recently started using Craigslist (got a $60 bouncer for $15 that is machine washable). Look up Facebook online yard sales for your area. You can tell them what you are looking for and others can make offers or just see what others are selling. For clothes don't even bother buying retail. I got $1 clothing items from a November 2013 mom on a Facebook mom group. There are usually some fall consignment sales put on by groups like mothers of twins too. Sign up for the emails for the big retailers so you can get coupons.

Amazon has been great for furniture. You can always find an item you like and then Google it to price shop. Amazon Prime is awesome for free shipping so that saves a ton too.

abbyful

Cloth diapers save big money. They aren't the fold & pin kind anymore, they go on just like a disposable diaper (fastened with either velcro or snaps). I've been doing cloth diapers for ~2 years now, love them! They work better than disposables, don't have the stink when they are wet, and you don't have to worry about running out and making special trips to the store.

2ndGeneration

abbyful said:

Cloth diapers save big money. They aren't the fold & pin kind anymore, they go on just like a disposable diaper (fastened with either velcro or snaps). I've been doing cloth diapers for ~2 years now, love them! They work better than disposables, don't have the stink when they are wet, and you don't have to worry about running out and making special trips to the store.

I actually did try them with kid #4-I was SAHM at that time and thought I'd save there. Poor dh just could.not.accept. the whole thing! He just wasn't down with that. He finally said, please I'd rather buy disposables and cut somewhere else. I liked them but decided I wasn't going to go to war over it. But he is NEVER allowed to ever complain about buying diapers-he never has : )