When you get that registry gun in your hand, it’s hard to put it down! You get so caught up in the excitement that you don’t really think about what you’re putting on the list. Some of the items don’t need to be bought a baby store at all. The same goes even if you’re not registering and you’re purchasing the items yourself. There are certain things that if you want the best deal, there are better places to buy them at.

1. A diaper pail. They sell these everywhere! Home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s or a store like Bed Bath & Beyond sell them as well. Currently, on the Babies R Us website, the cheapest garbage pail I found was this one, for $44.99*. It is made specifically for diapers to lock in the scent so it doesn’t stink up your nursery. But guess what? Bed Bath & Beyond sells the same one on their website, for only $34.99*, plus you can use a 20% off coupon!

2. Clothes. While Babies R Us has some very cute clothes, I have found that they do not always have the best prices. I get the best deals at Macy’s and Kohl’s. They almost always have sales plus you can use coupons at both places. Also, the Children’s Place I have found has the best options for jeans because their jeans have the adjustable waistbands so you get way more use out of a pair of jeans. For more tips on how to save money on kids clothes, check out my blog, How To Save Money On Baby/Toddler Clothes.

3. Diapers! Do not get caught up in buying diapers from a baby store. They are much cheaper and often go on sale at a grocery store, or better yet, buy them at a club store. Just to put it into perspective for you, the Babies R Us website has Huggies Little Movers in size 3, 156 count for $42.99*, and Costco’s website has the Huggies Little Movers Plus (which just means they are more absorbent) Size 3, 198 count for $42.99*, which is clearly a better deal. For more tips on saving money on diapers visit my blog, How To Save Money On Diapers.

4. Toiletries like baby shampoo, baby powder, baby toothpaste, a baby toothbrush, ect. I could give you the price comparison on these, but I’m sure you by now you can imagine how much of a better deal you can get by buying these items at a grocery store.

5. Formula and other baby food. This gets tricky. I did not buy formula since Joey was breastfed, however, I have a lot of friends who formula fed and they said that sometimes they got better deals at the grocery store, sometimes at the club stores, and sometimes the baby stores are cheaper. I have also noticed that Babies R Us has a lot of coupons for formula in their coupon books they send out. So make sure you do a price comparison before you buy formula. As for the baby food, I have found that you will get the best deal at the grocery store or a club store.

Now you might still be thinking that you want to put these items on your registry just to have items to fill it up, but once the items are all bought, people will simply buy you gift cards to the baby stores instead. And trust me, they come in handy for birthdays and holidays when you want to buy toys.

*These were the prices at the time I wrote this blog post.