Baby Food for Thought

Well, we've come to a point in my sons life that baby food is pretty much as much of a staple as formula. We are having fun finding out what he does (and doesn't) like.

I purchased myself a Baby Bullet from Canadian Tire many months ago. It was on sale for $49.99 and I thought it might be fun to try it out. I do not own a blender myself (I'm not too sure as to why... hmm), which in essence is what a Baby Bullet is. Just a smaller version that is always on the Puree mode.

So far, we've tried out Avocados, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Spaghetti squash, Peas, Pears, Apples, Beets, Bananas, Zucchini, and Apricots. Big B's favorite of them all by far is Avocados. It is his kryptonite. He whines/cries when you can't get them in his mouth quick enough. lol

Baby food is so easy to make and store. It is a cheaper option to jarred baby food. And, I am by no means a 'hippy', but I do like knowing what is in my child's food. Although I'm sure most are genetically engineered or have had pesticides on them; I know that once I get them, they have been handled safely, washed, cooked and made into suitable baby food to my standards.

Here is a great website with recipe ideas and nutritional breakdowns: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/
I suppose it is a bit more of an investment than running out and buying jars of baby food, but I truly believe it pays off.

My investment:

A Baby Bullet kit - $49.99
30 x Baby Food Cups 2 pack from my local Dollarama @ $1.00 each - $30.00 I love these cups! They are cheap (so if you loose one somewhere - oh well!). They wash in the dishwasher great, they freeze great, they don't leak, currently are the perfect serving size and they have 4 different animals to pick from - Hippos, Monkeys, Tiger and Pigs)
4 Brand New Ice Cube Trays @ $1.00 each
My Time - big batches usually take me just under 2 hours to make
Freezer Space - we have a total of 3 freezers, so making room in the fridge one is not such a big deal - but it may be for others.

Here is the cost of one of my big batches:

Qty 2 - Avocado mesh bags (5 Avocados each) - $3.00 each = $6.00
Bulk Fresh Green Beans (0.595 kg) = $2.60
Qty 3 Bartlett Pears (0.655 kg) = $2.42
Qty 1 Spaghetti Squash (1.070 kg) = $3.02
Qty 1 Sweet Potato (0.810 kg) = $1.75
Qty 4 Zucchini (1.070 kg) = $3.49

= $19.28

And this is what all of that makes....


I keep one of each flavour out and keep in the fridge - the rest go in the freezer. Fresh baby food lasts in the fridge for 3 days and frozen for 30. The ice cube trays of food get wrapped in Saran wrap and once they are frozen, I break them out of the tray and put them in a Ziploc Freezer bag. The containers stay on the door of my freezer door and are easy access.



This batch in particular made 45 servings - each ice cube is half a serving.
The total cost of fresh product was $19.28. $19.28/45 servings = $0.43 a serving.

Heniz jarred baby food runs around $0.60-$0.75 a jar. So there is some savings - but with the other investments and my time - it's close to equal. But I know how it is prepared.

Just like my blog about Formula - it's all your choice and you'll do what you feel is best for your baby. I get great satisfaction in making these batches for my son and will keep on doing it :)

Formula for Thought

*All prices used in this Blog come from the Walmart.ca website with the exception of the Kirkland brand which comes from Costco current as of today, at my local store*

Let me start of by saying that all formulas in Canada and the States have to meet minimum guidelines for nutrition and content. Canada has one of the highest standards and quality control on formula in the world. If you can buy it at a store, there is no reason why you should not feel safe feeding it to your child. Assuming you're not having to feed specialty blends like Soy or a Sensitive mix, all formulas are more or less the same.

There are three big names in infant formula. Enfamil, Similac and Nestle Good Start. All are costly, all have many different variations - but for this blog, I'm going to compare like ones to each other.


Enfamil A+
Enfamil recently changed their packaging, and consumer dollar wise, to the worse. They offer a tub that you initially buy and then buy refill bags for these tubs (a 2 pk). They state it is better for the environment (less waste - and probably cheaper for them as well) but it leaves the consumer paying a lot because a lot seems to be offered... The initial cost of a tub is $24.93. You get 663g of formula for that price. The refill packs are sold in a box of 2 and are 496g each (992g total) for the price of $39.97.

The break down goes as follows:
Initial purchase $24.93 / 663g = $0.03876 / g
Refills $39.97 / 992g = $0.04029 / g

If I were an Enfamil parent - I'd be buying the 'first' tub again, again, and again.


Similac Advanced Omega 3 & 6
Similac offers the above in 728g cans for the price of $24.96 each.

The break down goes as follows:
1 can @ $24.96 / 728g = $0.03428 /g

Price wise, a better choice than Enfamil.


Nestle Good Start
Nestle offers cans that are 640 g for the price of $28.97 each.

The break down goes as follows:
1 can @ $28.97 / 640g = $0.04526

Nestle proves to be the most expensive out of the 'Big Three'.

Before my son was born, I signed up to the Big 3. They all have programs that they send new moms a package. They all contain samples, coupons and in Nestle's case - they sent me a bottle and backpack. They all want your business as it'll obviously be a big one to them in the next year or so to come. And they're willing to invest the product and postage in you to secure their spot.

I had planned on Breastfeeding. But, it turned out that wasn't going to be in the cards for me, unfortunately. The hospital offered me Enfamil A+ bottles to feed while there. Once we got home, I switched him to Nestle Good Start. Bad idea. He was gassy, fussy and not a happy baby at all. After doing some research on the net, I thought that I would try the Kirkland Omega brand sold at Costco. And what a great choice for us that was!


Kirkland Omega
This formula is sold in huge 1.46kg (1460 g) cans that sell for $21.99 regular price. Every few months they go on sale for $18.99 a can. Compositionally, Kirkland Omega is identical to Similac Advance. There is no difference.

Here is the breakdown:
1 1460 g can @ $21.99 = 0.01506 /g
1 1460 g can @ $18.99 = 0.01300 /g

My son, who will be 6 months old in less than a week, goes through 4.5 cans a month.

1460 x 4.5 = 6570 grams

Here is a price comparison of all the brands and what it'd cost me.

Enfamil (single tub - the cheaper option) - 6570 x $0.03876 = $254.65
Similac - 6570 x $0.03428 = $225.22
Nestle Good Start - 6570 x $0.04526 = $297.36
Kirkland Omega, regular price - 6570 x $0.01506 = $98.94

On average, I'm saving $160.14 per month.
Here are some pros and cons to the Kirkland brand:

Pros:
- The Price
- I personally have a high trust in Kirkland Products. If I don't like something, I can take it back there, no questions asked.
- My son has thrived on this product.
- They also have a liquid form of this formula for people that either want to try it out or want the convience of a pre mixed product.
- If you were to try this product out and your baby didn't agree with it, you could return the unused portion of the can to Costco and get a full refund. Try doing that at Walmart...
- It is made in North America. Not all off brand formulas are. To me, this is very important.

Cons:
- Unlike the Big 3, there are no coupons for the formula. I am obligated to buy it at the price they are asking. However, although I know there is money to be saved using coupons, I do know that finding $160 worth and being able to apply them all to the formula would be a job in itself - if it were an option.
- If you run out, you are tied to one stores hours. There is no late night going out to Walmart to grab another can. Because of this, I am diligent in keeping at least 2 cans on hand at all times.
- For some people, they do not like the fact that you'll need or need to know someone with a Costco membership. For my family, it is more than worth it. For others, it may not be.

In the end, it is your personal choice as to how and what you feed your child. You're the parent now - you get to call the shots. If you're more comfortable with a name brand, then go for it. But, if you're like me and have no problem seeing that for the most part all formulas are the same and were willing to try and other options while still feeling like you're providing the best possible for your child - great.

There is no right or wrong in this situation. This is merely a comparison in prices. I am happy with my choice for my son. If I thought for an instant that feeding another brand would be better for him, I'd shell out that extra $160 a month in a heartbeat. But I am good where I am at.

Formula for thought!

No Frills - 58% Savings on Groceries? I'll take that.

Many years ago, my best friend and her husband used to drive to Vegreville (45 minutes away) to go to their No Frills store to catch a Dollar Days sale. At that time, it was the closest to Edmonton. Her husband recently got a company vehicle, so gas wasn't a cost to us. The amount of money that we saved on groceries was amazing. I was living on my own in an apartment, so any type of money savings was a welcome change. I remember on one trip in particular, I get 10 boxes of fabric sheets, cans of soup, garbage bags, lunch items (frozen dinners), juice etc. My cart, for me and myself alone, was LOADED and I walked out of there paying just under $100. Besides fresh, I didn't buy groceries for literally, months.

They ended up building a No Frills in Fort Saskatchewan and that was a closer drive. About 7 months ago, they opened a No Frills in Edmonton. Right on the way to my Moms, actually. It is a drive for me - about 20-30 minutes of city driving. I hadn't stopped there before because of it being that far away - that is until I saw the flyer for their Dollar Days this past week!

Myself and two friends headed there on Saturday.
Here is the break down of my bill:

* 13 blocks of Armstrong/Saputo cheese (Mozza, Marble and Medium Cheddar) - 300g $2.00 each (Reg. $3.97)
Had 4 coupons for $0.75 off - Total cost: $23.00 - Savings of $28.61
* 6 large bags of Unico Pasta - $1.00 each (Reg. $2.97)
Total cost: $6.00 Savings of $11.82
* 6 2L of Coke Products - $1.00 each (plus deposit/enviro of $0.31 each) - (Reg $1.97)
Total cost: $7.86 Savings of $5.82
* 6 bags of NN Frozen Veggies (4 corn, 2 peas) - $1.00 each (Reg. $2.97)
Total Cost: $6.00 Savings of $11.82
* 2 bags of Cookies (Oreo and Fudgeo) - $2.00 each (Reg. $3.97)
Total Cost: $4.00 Savings of $3.94
* 3 boxes of Perogies - $2.00 each (Reg. $3.97)
Total Cost: $6.00 Savings of $5.91
* 12 boxes of Finish Powerball Dishwasher Detergent - $2.00 each (Reg. $3.97)
Had 12 $1.00 coupons - Total Cost: $12.00 Savings of $35.64
* 1 4L jug of Milk - no sale - $4.57
Total Cost: $4.97
* 12 Jars of Catelli Garden Select Pasta Sauce - $1.00 each (Reg. $2.97)
Total Cost: $12.00 Savings of $23.64
* 1 bag of Chibatta Breadsticks - $1.00 (Reg. 2.97)
Total Cost: $1.00 Savings of $0.97
* 1 bag of Old Mill Bagels - $2.00 (Reg. $2.97)
Total Cost: $2.00 Savings of $0.97
* 3 packages of Bacon - $1.00 each (Reg. $2.97)
Total Cost: $3.00 Savings of $5.91
* 1 Sirloin Tip Roast - $15.25
Total Cost: $15.25 I'm not too sure what the exact savings on this is, but normally, this size of roast would be $8-12 more)
* 1 Blueberry Clamshell - $2.00 (Reg. $3.97)
Total Cost: $2.00 Savings of $1.97
* 4 Pampers Wipes - $2.00 (Reg. $3.97)
Had 4 $0.50 coupons - Total Cost: $6.00 Savings of $9.88
* 1 Huggies Wipes - $2.00 (Reg. $3.97)
Had 1 $0.75 coupon - Total Cost: $1.25 Savings of $2.72

Total Cost w/ GST: $112.33
Total Savings w/ Coupons: $157.62
Total Savings Ratio of 58%

The only product they were out of that I wanted more of was the Huggies wipes. I have 19 more coupons to get the tubs for $1.25 each. I hope to be go back there later this week. Ironically, it is cheaper to buy the tubs rather than the refills this way. A box of 8 refills runs for around $16 - so about $2.00 a refill package. And when you can only apply a $0.50 or $0.75 coupon to a big box as opposed to a smaller container - the savings isn't all that great.

I hope they bring a No Frills closer to my door! Even though this was obviously worth the gas! The new fridge and freezer are nicely stocked.

And my need for more shelving downstairs becoming more and more of a reality.... :)

Purina One Smartblends

Meet Wyatt, The Wonder Dog. He's our 4 year old black lab that I truly think he thinks he is part goat. He loves eating fabric - baby wash cloths are his favorite. I 'find' them out in the yard... Anyways - for as much of a goat this dog is, he is very sensitive to certain types of dog food. Through trail and error we found that Chicken and Chicken byproducts are the products that bring this dog to have a puke fest all over the carpet or explosive diahrea. Lovely. When I was going through numerous different foods to try and find that one for him, I tried a bag of Purina One Smartblends Lamb and Rice. Problem solved! His coat became glossy again, he gained back some weight (he lost an unhealthy amount during his puke/crap fests), he kept his food down and seemed happy. Apparently, unknown to me at the time, this was a new line from Purina. I was just starting to coupon around this time and found that there were a ton of coupons out there for it. Then when I discovered the art of stacking, I was thrilled!

Most of the time, it is better to buy larger bags to get the best value for your money. But not always - as in this case.

The coupons that were floating around for this line of food were/are as follows:
$2.50 off exp 12/31/11
$2.50 off exp June 2012
$4.00 off exp 1/31/12
$5.00 off - various expiry dates (these came from Save.ca, so it depended on when you ordered them)
All of these coupons have different UPCs and there are no restrictive language that would make them not stackable at either London Drugs or Save on Foods.

The 16kg bags are usually priced between $35-42 each.
The 2.7kg bags are usually priced between $13.99-11.99

With stacking, you can't exceed the price of the product, so your stacks have to come at or below the price of the item. London Drugs only carries the 2.7kg bags and while Save on Foods carries the 16kg, they are generally one of the more expensive places to buy it from. The whole goal of couponing is to get the item for the lowest possible price through the combination of both coupons and sale prices. And when I did the math, it did not make sense to go after the 16 kg bags. Here's why:

Lets say that all the above coupons were still valid for argument sake. I could stack $14 towards a 16 kg bag that is priced at $41.99.
$41.99 - $14.00 = $27.99
$27.99 divided by 16 = $1.75 / kg

Now, seeing that the $14 would exceed the value of the 2.7 kg product, I have to remove one of the $2.50 coupons out of the equation, leaving me $11.50 to stack.
$13.99 - $11.50 = $2.49
$2.49 divided by 2.7 = $0.92 / kg

So I'm paying $0.83 / kg more for the larger bag. Smaller is better in this case.

Save On Foods recently had a sale of the food for $11.99 for the 2.7 kg bag. I went in on the 15% off Tuesday and got a raincheck because their shelves were cleared of the product.

Through vigerous trading on Smart Canucks, I managed to secure all the coupons I needed for my stacks. I had plently of the $2.50 ones, someone gave me a bunch of the $4.00 ones (I ran out of the ones I found this summer) and I traded hard for the $5.00 ones from save.ca They are harder to get because they are one per household - if they were ordered during the ordering period. All in all, I managed to get 18 of the $5.00 coupons. So I was able to stack 18 bags of Dog Food for $11.99 plus 15% off!

Here's the math:
18 x $11.99 = $215.82
18 x $11.50 = $207.00
$215.82 - $207.00 = $8.82
$8.82 - $1.32 (15% off) = $7.50

So, I paid $7.50 for 18 bags of Dog Food! 48.6 kgs of food for $7.50 equals to be $0.15 a kilogram! How awesome is that? Of course, I had to pay the GST on the full price of the food - so my GST portion equaled to $10.79 for a grand total of $18.29. So, a little over a $1 a bag.

So, Wyatt... how about leaving Big B's sleepers, wash cloths and my socks be? You're good to go for a few months!

How can you not smile...

at this Little Man?? He's the best little shopping partner I could ever ask for :)

New Years Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hope that it is treating you right so far! I'm not the type of person that makes resolutions because all I end up doing is breaking them and then feel depressed about it. But I will, however, try my best to keep up on a spreadsheet I've created to keep track of my savings / spending. The above image is a screen shot of my proto type. Click on it to see it clearer - it is a jumbled mess as you're seeing it right now!

It's a lot of work inputting all the totals, but because of the way I do my shopping lists, it's more of a data entry process than a mathematical challenge. Coupons obviously, are not the only things that save us money. Weekly sales do. And weekly sales in conjunction with the right coupons are what really saves us money. So this spreadsheet not only keeps track of the coupons involved, but the sale prices too. I included in 3 NYE purchases I made (using up the last of my 12/31/11 expires!) and ended up with some wicked deals too.

Walmart was a great stop and I'd say that 70% of my cart was all grocery products! I got great deals on Campbell's soups, Bagel Bites, Glade & Airwick Airfreshners, Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer (I <3 that stuff!), and some cereal. I got a ton of fresh produce and some Maple Leaf meat that was on clearance as well.



Shoppers Drug Mart was another great find! My side of the family hasn't met up to exchange Christmas gifts yet, so I was able to finish off 4 of my cousins kids gifts with a Leap Frog learning pad for less than $15 each. AND! I bought more diapers for cheap... why would I need more diapers after the Unicorn Diaper find? Because these ones were the Nighttime diapers. I'd previously been using the Huggies nighttime diapers because they are lower priced and in conjunction with the $1-2 dollar off coupons I'd find - it was more feasible to go the Huggies route. With Big B recently going up a diaper size, I did not have any of his new size on hand. Well, I think it's safe to say that I have his night time diaper needs covered until he is out of them. I bought 13 packages of Pampers nighttime diapers that were originally $15.99 each, on sale for $9.88 with a $5 off coupon (and no, I was not using the $5 WUB2 - I traded for a stash of $5 coupons from a lady who got them right from the manufacture). There are far less diapers in these packs than regular ones. Size 4's have 27. Size 5's have 23 and Size 6's have only 20. They are a 'luxury' diaper as per say, so you're going to end up paying more for it. Big B seems to pee the most at night, so it is well worth it for me to have these and save my time and money on laundry costs. When I entered in the Gifts to Grow code from the inside of one of these packs, I was shocked to see that they are worth 47 points each - which is quite high in comparison to normal diapers in my opinion. To top it all off - it was a 20X the Points event! I had just over $10 worth of points on my card when I walked into the store. When I walked out, my receipt is telling me I'm 4000 points away from the $85 level and currently have $60 worth of redeemable points right now! I haven't ever really used my SDM Optimum card until as of late and am finally understanding why people rave about how great of a rewards program it is!! My goal is to save all my points until Christmas time next year (or the last Mega Redemption event before Christmas) and get some great gifts for those on my list!

So - what are your New Years Resolutions? I hope that this year is a great one for you and your family!

Zellers - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging and couponing in general for the Christmas season. It was quite a busy one as it s Big B's first Christmas and my boyfriend was able to get Christmas off this year and was home for 18 days straight. I managed to get some more dog food for my big lug of a lab for near free courtesy of stacking at London Drugs. I got some good food deals - near free frozen pizza, cheap pop and juices. But we have such a well stocked pantry and freezer the only time I really ran to the grocery store was for fresh items and we all know that coupons for those things are few and far between.

As for Boxing Day sales - we didn't bother going out shopping that day at all. I'm sure there were some really good deals out there but there isn't much that we need in all reality.

Yesterday night while cruising my favorite forum I came across a popular thread that had stories of people getting Kitchen Aid mix masters for a ridiculously low price - under $100! I wanted in on that for sure. I've always wanted one and since moving out from home and from the one my mom has, I've always thought how nice it'd be to have one. My best friend gave and her Hamilton Beach one when she got a new Kitchen Aid and it is great but starting to putter out.

Zellers, of all places, had a Boxing Week promotion running on their Facebook page. Buy any item for 50% off. They even stated on the coupon that this deal COULD be used on sale items. Zellers had their Kitchen Aid mixer on sale for $189.99 (reg. $299.99). With the 50% off coupon, that would make the mixer around $95. Excitedly, I found the coupon online and printed it out. I planned to get my boyfriend to get a second on for a friend of mine. All is good.

The next morning I log into the same forum to see that Zellers has put out a retraction. They will only honor the coupon on NON sale items. WTH. This coupon has been being used since Boxing Day, so why, now over half way through the promotion, are they nixing it? I phoned the number on the Zellers website and spoke to some women. She stated that they were loosing too much money from this sale and that is why eh are removing the 'can be used with sale item' clause. I basically, and politely, told them that is not my problem. How fair is it that less than 24 hrs ago someone got a get deal from your store and now I won't be able to when we were all under the assumption that this coupon was good until December 31st? She took my name and asked me what location I was planning on going to. She said she would phone the store and speak to the manager there and I would be able to use my coupon on a non sale item as long as I went to the customer service desk.

So, off the three of us went. I found my mixer. They only had one, so the boyfriend grabbed a piece of luggage that was $300 marked down to $60 and off to the customer service desk we went. I got to the counter and explained what I had been told. The girl called her manager who said she did not receive a call and then went to go check her email to say they didn't email her anything either. Mmmm. I showed her my cell phone with the time I called the customer service number. She then called her District Manager who ok'd one transaction for my family. We ended up buying the luggage because we can really use it. And buying the mixer at 50% saved us $95, vr the $30 on the luggage.

The Good - I stood my ground and got my mixer!

The Bad - The way this store operates. I worked there when I was 19 a few nights a week on top of my job at a law firm. It is a horrible place to work. It is a horrible place to shop. It is always dirty, messy and has zero consistency.

The Ugly - because this coupon was offered on a social networking site and because there are numerous forums out there, people have taken this very personally. Facebook, Smart Canucks and now the local news are all calling Zellers on this shady business practice as they should. They are claiming that it was a misprint, yet they honored it for 3 whole business days before 'realizing' their error. C'mon. Zeddy, the Club Zed bear must be rolling in his grave from the amount of negative bad press HBC is getting over this. It will take another deal of a lifetime to get me to darken their doorstep again. The stores of abusive behavior towards customers trying to use this coupon today are mind boggling. I feel sorry for the poor, under paid cashiers working in this chaos. *shudder*

Happy baking I come!