Making Do: Budgeting and Couponing
As both part of food work and their work to make do each month, caregivers fastidiously budget for their household. Participants research how to get the best deals, maximize store points, and search for coupons to save money.
“When it gets tight I feel anxious. I also feel pressure to double down on my strategic shopping / couponing and making more inexpensive recipes.”
—Abbie*, Canada
60% used coupons, formula checks, and/or store points systems to get formula/solid infant foods because there was little money.
Depending on how we’re individually feeling (tired, have work to do, how daughter is doing, etc), my husband and I and our daughter sometimes do the shopping together (moreso to let her and him have somewhere to walk around together while I get the items from our list), sometimes I do the shopping on my own, and less often my husband does the shopping on his own with a list and instructions for coupons from me. I do the meal planning and coupon research and my husband isn’t involved much with that, even when we were both working and didn’t have our child yet, he’s never seemed to care to do that work unless soda deals/coupons are involved (caffeine is his “substance” of preference), partly because he hates thinking about money even to save it but I was raised with and have a much more vigilant mindset.
—Ariel, United States
Francesca, Canada
While we were always able to afford the formula we needed, it was not easy, and we were constantly juggling expenses to make it work. We would also switch formulas based on what was available and what we could find coupons for.
— Survey Participant
Winona*, Canada
We are able to afford the high price of formula but we had family members sign up for Similac coupons and samples to help reduce the strain on our budget.
— Survey Participant
