I'm always very interested in the cost of living in other countries.
One of my favourite things to do when we travel is go to a normal shop (not the touristy places) and look at the prices of normal things - milk, bread, cereal, etc.
I have a weird friend who is exactly like me so when we come back to South Africa from any other place, we talk money while D and his wife look at us like we're crazy :)
Maybe it's because we're both in financial services???
He loves to hear how a supper that would have cost about R300 total in South Africa cost about R850 in Dublin, Ireland (still the most expensive place I've been - worse than London).
And how I paid R120 for a pizza that would have cost R40 in South Africa.
Fun topics of conversation like that.
So let's play along.... but with baby formula!
Connor is on Lactogen. I buy a 1.8 kg tin (the biggest they have) which my online converter tells me is about 4 pounds. That costs R142 (this formula is the cheapest just by coincidence - yayyy Connor, saving his mother money) which is about US$ 19.
Kendra is on Novalac Anti-Colic (don't think she needs the special one anymore but am too scared to move her to anything else in case she stops eating properly again). This one is only sold in 400g (14 oz) tins and costs R58 (US$ 7.5).
Now that we're on solids, we go through 2 huge tins for C every month and about 6 - 7 tins for K. Of course we also have to buy expensive baby cereal but that's another story altogether.
So, what does formula cost where you live?
P.S. Ask away if you want to know prices of anything else here in South Africa...
P.P.S. Promise I'll post about Christmas soon - I am sick again!
I bought a 12.5 oz can of Similac formula (a more expensive brand) for about $14. Then the pediatrician told me to not worry about what brand we use and to just buy the cheapest one. I found a 25 oz can for the same price in the store generic brand. Your 1.8 kg = 63 oz for only $19. which means you are getting a FAR BETTER deal than I am!!!
ReplyDeleteFormula? What's that? :) I have no idea, I guess I should look into that. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI've kind of been living in oblivion, because I don't really pay much attention to how much things cost.
Yea, I've got some reality to face. :)
Feel better.
We paid $375 a month for soy formula for the boys when they were newborns! We tried generic but the boys did not do well with it.
ReplyDeleteOur soy formula is the biggest size of Similac from the warehouse club, which has the best price. It's $28 and it lasts us 5 days. I just did the math and that's $168 per month.
ReplyDeleteSo I am SUPER HAPPY I pump like a mad woman!!! We use Enfamil Premium to supplement BM so 6 of their 14-16 ounces is formula. Just yesterday I ran to a big bulk goods store a bought a huge canister of powder that is 36.5 oz. for $31.27. It came with a bonus pack of 12 single serve powder packs free(9.6 additional oz.) and each pack makes a 4 oz. bottle! PLUS I registered online and receive coupons for $5 off! So in total I paid roughly $26 for formula that will last just over 2 weeks! In a regular store you can only get the 25.7 oz canister of powder for roughly $25 dollars.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine paying for formula and disposable diapers, I'm waaaay to cheap!
We use Enfamil, but luckily the girls do just fine with the generic brand from Costco (a store that sells in bulk). It comes in a 2-pack of 25.7 oz cans...so that's about 51 oz. for $20. If I'm doing the math correctly, Connor's formula is still a little cheaper! I stack coupons and formula checks to get a few cans of the branded Enfamil every once in awhile to carry in the diaper bag-usually I get them for free!
ReplyDeleteI'm not doing a whole lot of cooking now (that will likely change soon), so I'm curious about how much you pay to eat out in SA. What's the price of, say, a combo meal at McDonald's or other fast-food restaurant? Here, you'd pay around $6.00. It is fun to hear about the differences between our counries!
PJ, it's okay, really. I knew ZIP and I seriously mean it (it was that twin romance thing I spoke about previously) before the babies came. I'd priced ONE can of formula because it was on the hospital's "bring this with you" list and that's it.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be fine - already you are WAAAAAAYYYYY ahead of me.
Deanna, hmmm, I'm not a fan of fast food... but I do go through for the occasional scoop of soft-serve ice-cream. A burger, chips and cooldrink is about R28 - R30 here, which is about $4. Our food is VERY good here and VERY cheap. When we've travelled that's the one consistent thing. We pay a lot for toiletries because I always come home with bags of things but food is super cheap.
Next we're talking nappies (diapers) :)
ReplyDelete