As I’ve mentioned before, my 6 month old triplets haven’t been exclusively breastfed since they were a few weeks old. I’m a lactivist at heart, but a realist since I know that each family has to make it’s own choices based on very individual circumstances. I am, however, always on the hunt for the best price for organic infant formula, and I imagine I’m not the only one!

Here are the best practices I’ve found for saving on this incredibly expensive product, that you can use whether you are full time formula feeding or supplementing just occasionally:

• Know your price per ounce (PPO). If you don’t know how much you pay on a regular basis, you can’t really tell if you are getting a deal when you are talking about multiples of 25.7 or 12.9 ounce containers. Because I am an absolute dork, I devised my own spreadsheet:

By calculating your everyday best price (in this case, I was basing it off of the Diapers.com price for a case (4-25.7 ounce cans of Earth’s Best, highlighted in purple) divided by the total number of ounces, you determine the price to beat (again in this case, $1.05/ounce).

• Use your online resources wisely. Armed with your everyday best price, look for anything that will help you cut that cost. Visit Baby Cheapskate for the weekly diaper and formula specials updates. Bid on lots of formula or checks/coupons on eBay. Trade formula checks you won’t use for brands that you will on craigslist.

This is where knowing your PPO is essential. It doesn’t make sense to bid up a lot of formula beyond the price you could get it in the store (and don’t forget to add shipping!). With my spreadsheet, you can plug in different prices to determine what your maximum bid on a lot should be. If $1.05 is your standard, you can determine what PPO you’re willing to pay. You might then bid up to $1.00 PPO, and if you get outbid at that point, you know it’s just not worth it.

• Love your manufacturer. Get on Similac’s mailing list for formula checks. Email Baby’s Only and tell them how much you love their product. I have gotten the most, and the highest value, coupons from contacting companies directly. Give it a shot, you have nothing to lose!

• Ask your retailer. I am currently paying less than $90/case for Earth’s Best formula (about $0.85 PPO!), before coupons (of which I have many, from contacting Earth’s Best, buying them for pennies on the dollar on eBay, and by being at the right place at the right time for a pile of store coupons). How am I getting organic formula for the price of conventional? Whole Foods special orders for me by the case! If you talk to your store’s grocery buyer, they might be able to help you out. At Whole Foods, it’s standard practice, and you get a 10% case discount to boot.

Want the spreadsheet? Shoot me an email and I’ll send it to you. (It’s a Google Doc, so no software necessary.)

Want to get started swapping formula checks to save money on your own? I have a small pile of Enfamil checks (4 x $5, nothing earth shattering!) that will go to a random commenter. Of course, you could use them for yourself, or, preferably, as currency for a trade for Similac checks to buy Similac Organic. Comments will be open until 9PM central Friday (Oct 3) and then I’ll use the random number generator to pick a winner!