This is a guest post by Jeremy Waller of Personal Finance Whiz.

6 weeks ago my wife and I welcomed two wonderful baby boys into the world. They are absolutely perfect, but very taxing mentally, physically and financially. Before they were born I adjusted our budget to account for the extra baby expenses, but little did I realize what it takes to keep 2 little ones changed and fed.

Each week we go through 126 diapers, 112 bottles and 42 outfits. It doesn’t take long for that to add up. Even with free samples and everything we grabbed from the hospital, our first month we spent nearly $250 on diapers and formula.

I don’t expect it to get any better going forward as it won’t be long before we’re going to be looking at bigger clothes, toys and who knows what else.

With everything we have to buy, just a few dollars in savings here and there can really add up over time. Here are some of the tips I’ve picked up to help save money on baby supplies.

How to Save Money on Diapers

If you’re breast feeding, diapers will be your biggest expense with a new baby. Diapers aren’t cheap. A really great way to save on diapers is to buy them on Amazon through their subscribe and save program.

The way this program works is that you select any items that you use regularly, pick a delivery schedule and then Amazon will ship those items to you automatically.

Savings usually range from $5 to $10 per box of diapers. You can also save a few dollars on things like wipes, baby wash and lotions.

Another option, if you’re feeling adventurous is to try cloth diapering. This is actually what my wife and I are doing. I wasn’t sold on the idea at first. But after trying them out it’s actually not that bad. It will also save us more than $2,000 over the next 2 years.

How to Save Money on Formula

If you aren’t breast feeding, formula will be your biggest baby expense. Right now, we go through 2 cans of formula per week. At first, we were using one of the name brand formulas that cost about $22 per can.

We were looking at spending $175 per month on formula – ouch!

At their 2 week follow-up visit I asked our pediatrician about using one of the store-branded formulas. He said that nutritionally they are equal. It’s a “Coke and Pepsi” issue. The only reason the name brands charge more is because they’re name brands. There isn’t anything special in them that other formulas don’t have.

The store-brand formula we ended up going with was $6 less per can. Using it, we are saving about $50 per month.

How to Save Money on Baby Food

If your baby is old enough to eat solid food there is one way that you can save a ton of money. That not-so-secret secret is to make it yourself! I know that seems like such a simple tip, but it really can save you a lot of money.

Most canned baby food retails for around $0.28 per ounce. You can make the exact same thing yourself for about $0.05 per ounce. For a baby that eats 8oz of baby food per day, that savings can add up to over $300 over a 6 month period.

Yes making it yourself is more work, but it’s really not all that hard. All you have to do it drop steamed veggies into a food processor, chop it to a pulp and you have homemade baby food.

How to Save Money on Baby Clothes and Gear

Babies come with a lot of stuff. There are clothes, a swing, bouncy seat, stroller, diaper bag, pack and play and a dozen other things. I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that it can cost you thousands of dollars to buy everything you will use in the first 6 months of their life. On top of all this they grow so fast that a lot of these things barely get used.

Because of all this, consignment sales are very popular for baby items. In our area there is a huge sale that happens twice a year. Most items are barely used (some were never used at all and are still in the box or have tags on them) and are sold at a discount of 50%-75%. Depending on what you need, you can save hundreds of dollars at these sales.

There are many additional expenses that come with having a baby. Fortunately, it isn’t hard to find ways to save money on even the biggest expenses. It just takes a little planning.

Jeremy Waller is a personal finance blogger that lives in Oklahoma with his wife and twin baby boys. To get more money saving tips and other ideas to get your finances in check visit his blog, Personal Finance Whiz at www.personalfinancewhiz.com.