Raising twins is an expensive adventure. Food, diapers, supplies and clothes cost way more than Charles and I had planned on when we got pregnant. This has forced us to tighten our belts and learn how to get the items we need for less.
Food is by far the biggest expense. I have learned that I save money by not shopping in the center aisles of the grocery store. There are a few items I still venture into the depths of the store for, but mostly I stick to the outer perimeter. It may seem counter productive, however, when you eat healthy foods low in carbs, your body doesn't feel so hungry. Our diet contains mostly produce and meat. We spent about $350 a month on food before we had our daughters, and now we spend about $200. We have also stopped going out to eat as much. We are foodies so this was a hard thing for us.
I have also become the queen of clearance shopping. I have to really really need a product to buy it at full price. I don't use coupons very often because most of them are for things that I would not normally buy, therefor save me no money.
When I go clothes shopping I never go out looking for one thing in particular. I peruse the clearance racks and see if there is anything that I need. While I was still pregnant a fellow mother of twins gave me the best advice; she said, if it is something you will need and it's clearanced, buy it. This is my mantra. Today I bought two pairs of fleece pajamas for my daughters for $7.00. They are size 5T, so it will be a few years til they can wear them, but I have ample storage space. I saved a little over 50% on these pajamas. I purchased Charles a pair of jeans a few weeks ago that were clearanced for $10.86, however, I had a $10 off coupon and a 20% friends and family coupon so the jeans ended up costing $0.84. The deals are out there if you spend the time to look for them.
