How much money does breastfeeding save you?

[IHeartLockhart]

I'm terrible at months and getting myself in a pickle trying to add it up.

If I exclusively breastfed for say, 6 months how much money do you think I would save as opposed to formula feeding?

Shed loads! You'd save even more if you use reusable nappies.

Well, lets say a big tub of formula is about £10. You go through one every few days so £20 or £30 a week.

Times that by 4 (average 4 weeks in a month) and you're at £80 to £120 a month.

Times that by 6 months and the minimum it would cost you is £480.

Plus the faff of making, buying bottles, sterilising them, losing them, buying replacements...

I must have saved at least £260 (£10 tub of formula x 26 weeks) and that's a minimum as she still feeds now at 9 months so I'm still saving. No bottles to buy, no steriliser, no bottle warmers or any of that kind of thing. I don't even have to buy breast pads and I still have the same tube of lansinoh that I bought when dd was born. If breast feeding works out and you and your baby are happy then it's so much easier. (I ff my ds from 3 months so I remember the expense and the faff)

Oh looks like I underestimated how much formula they have. Ds is nearly 5 now so I've forgotten!

Also depends what you buy to breastfeed, pads,cream, pump, bottles, storage bags and for me at least loads of extra food and easy snacks.

Formula depends on the baby but around £500 to £700 plus bottles and steriliser/sterilizing tablets.

I'm lucky in that I stopped buying breast pads months ago and I've never expressed so didn't have that expense either. I'm just too lazy plus can't express a drop of milk

Depends how leaky you are! I've spent a small fortune on breast pads the last few months. The cheap ones (and reusable) don't cut it for me and my deluge in the early months. I have to use Lansinoh, which are £5 per box and usually lasts me 2-3 wks. You also need to factor in the extra money spent on chocolate

All the savings in the world.couldnt have got me to carry on Bfing. I hated it. I dreaded every single feed.

I spent on ffing -

£20 on a microwave steriliser (no tablets needed and already had and used the microwave)- dod two dcs
£10 for six bottles (twice as bought new bottles for dc2)
£9 per tin for baby milk - three tins every two weeks for the first six.months and one tin a week for the second set of six.months so £540 per dc. Im due dc2 so have yet to spend this part!

Two dcs - total £1120. Split over the 24 months I formula fed for - £47 per month.

Oh, and got through two tubes of Lansinoh cream, plus nipple shields. Breast pump was SH though, so only cost me £15. Breast feeding is a lot cheaper in the long run though, once the crazy early days are over.

You'd save a lot! If formula feeding, you'd have to buy formula, bottles, teet for different stages, steriliser, thermal packs to keep bottles warm when you are out & about. You'd also need to be prepared with enough made bottles before leaving the house.
You need to make up batches of bottles & reheat at night for night feeds.

When breastfeeding, you need very little. Breastfeeding bras, breast pads, loose fitting tops & muslin cloths. It also delays your periods so no need for tampons/pads until they start again (I would still use protection unless you are ttc). You might need a breastpump, bottles etc if you're planning on expressing. I wouldn't buy pump etc until after your baby is 6 weeks old so you build up your supply & establish a breastfeeding routine.

I didn't buy much specifically to breastfeed, and exclusively fed till 20 months. So I think I saved a lot on formula and later milk.

I borrowed a hand pump, and some bottles, but didn't express for long. I didn't do it very often so didn't buy a steriliser - I just boiled the bottles in a pan before I used them.
I spent probably about £100 on nursing bras over 2 years. Plus things like a new sports bra, I guess if I'd ff my boobs would have back to their usual size quicker?
I never finished my tube of lanisoh and only used breast pads for the first few months - reusable ones were £10 I think, plus a couple of packs of disposables.
Breastfeeding made me thirsty and sleepy but I don't think I ate any more than usual. When I meet up with mums I never really notice a difference in how much the bf and the ff mums eat, do people really think there is a big difference? I had more food and snacks in the first week or two I guess but I think that was more to do with a long exhausting labour and birth!!
I breastfed in my normal clothes, I didn't buy anything specific.

So for me it was much cheaper.

Good point on savings with delayed period return. Mine came back at a year.

I fed DC1 for 18mths so, apart from a couple of ready made cartons in case it went wrong, I never bought formula for her.
BUT:
4 x bfing bras
4 x bfing tops
various vests & cardigans
one of those bfing covers (was a present)
lansinoh
bfing pads
those breast ice things
nippers shields
milk catcher things
electric breast pump
hand breast pump
bf milk storage bags
steriliser
fennel tea
mounds of chocolate & flapjack

Luckily I also bf DC2!

Other cost savers were period not returning for a year each time & DC1 only pooing once a week (normal for a ebf baby)

If you can bf till 6 months I highly encourage you to carry on till a year - the first 6 months are so much harder than the second! And then you could move straight to cows milk which is lots cheaper than formula, and never have to faff around with bottles.

I found months 0-3 hard work and tiring, 3-6 ok but not exactly a joy, 6-9 a weird period of transition where you have to feed them real food AND bf them before they start really having much food … then 9 months onwards it was an absolute breeze and more of a bonus to our lives than anything restrictive or difficult. I did night shifts, went out with mates, drank and ate whatever I wanted, was back in my normal clothes (and normal pre-preg bras, didn't bother with nursing bras much after 10 months) by then, went on (short) holidays with my boyfriend leaving baby with grandparents, and my milk supply and my baby just adapted around it all. It was good for my health and hers and though I didn't lose weight quickly I found it very easy to maintain and was still losing after a year and I'm sure that was the breastfeeding. It's not like that in the early days at all and I think people who stop earlier find it hard to understand that it doesn't have to be restrictive when you do it longer term, though obviously babies vary.

Sorry if that's a bit off topic, but I always think it's such a shame that women work so hard at the early, difficult, tiring bit, and don't get to enjoy the easy bit with loads of benefits!

I suppose it does depend on the extras you buy then. I've only bought tops that can be used for breastfeeding but not specifically bf tops so I can use them afterwards. 1 cheap pump and 1 bottle.
I manage ok with the cheap breast pads as well so over all I think I've saved quite a lot. Would be interesting to have an approximate figure, I might have to sit down and try work it out properly!

I'm only 10 weeks in to breastfeeding and haven't spent much. I did buy 2 boxes of breast pads while pregnant which I've not used as I don't leak between feeds, and 2 tubes of lansinoh which I've not needed.
Damn you leaky boobed, nipple cracked friend who recommended those!
And I've bought a hand pump with bottle, and some storage bottles for about £15.
I actually don't think I could afford to formula feed I don't know where I'd get the extra money from.

Oh, nursing bras! I've spent about £60 on those.
However rather than buying nursing tops I get the really stretchy vests from primark for £3 each and I wear them under everything. So maybe £20 or so on those.

More like £10 a week on formula, not £20.

Also you need to factor in the extra food you eat.

Savings of breast feeding are exaggerated IMO

I ate a load of junk food and sweets while BF and ended up with 4 fillings .

Do ff mums not eat cake on maternity leave? I find this hard to believe! My ff mates do! I thought it was far more to do with the lifestyle change than the actual calorie requirements...

You don't need many more calories to bf do you? Like 200 a day or something? (an extra slice of toast?) And slightly bigger meals doesn't cost any more really, a bigger portion of pasta or whatever. I just got thirsty...