Secrets of a Diapering Ninja (AKA how to save a lot of money on diapers)

Last week I did something I've never done before. I took some advice online about how to maximize some rebates to get diapers for a ridiculous bargain price. The blog I was reading specifically talked about a particular deal on Luv's (disposable) diapers but I was able to adapt it in order to buy the cloth diapers we want and I came away feeling like a bargain hunting ninja!

I am a diaper bargain ninja!

How I got brand new BumGenius pocket diapers for less than $8 each

Here's how the math works:

I went to Diapers.com and put three BumGenius 3.0 Pocket diapers for $17.95 each in my cart (total: $53.85)

I had a referral code, so I got $10 off my order (plus was able to hook someone else up with a $5 credit for using their code). I also got free shipping for spending more than $49 pre-credit. (new total: $43.85)

Because I went to diapers.com via ebates.com (and as a new user, set up a brand new account with ebates), I will get a $5 new account sign up bonus plus a 1% rebate ($0.54) in May (new total: $38.31)

As a first time customer of diaper.com, I was offered a free subscription to a magazine called Parenting the Early Years. If you read the fine print at the bottom, though, you see that you can elect to get a $14.97 rebate in lieu of the subscription. I decided to get the rebate (new total: $23.34...although I lose $0.44 on a stamp to send it in, so $23.78)

So, in the end, once the rebates come back, we will have spent $23.78 on three brand new, top-of-the-line cloth diapers, which comes out to $7.93 per diaper. You can't even buy this kind of diaper second hand for that cheap!

What's that? You want to know if you can get diapers for super cheap, too? Well, you can! And not just cloth...you can get about $50 in disposable diapers for about half off if you follow these instructions below:

Step-By-Step Directions for How to Get Wicked Cheap Diapers

Step 1: Go to www.ebates.com and sign up for a new account. After you sign up for your account, make sure you go to your profile and enter your mailing address so they know where to send your rebate check on May 15. Let them know that carissamarie [at] gmail [dot] com sent you. (this is how you will get $5 plus a percentage back on the cost of the diapers)

Step 2: Still on the ebates.com site, use the search box at the top to look for "diapers." www.diapers.com should be the first result on the list. Click the button to go to diapers.com. It is important that you link to diapers.com through ebates.com in order to get a rebate on your purchase. DON'T just type "diapers.com" into your address bar or click the links on my blog.

Step 3: When you get to diapers.com, find your favorite kind of diaper and add $50 or more in diapers to your cart. Click the check out button at the top of the page. It will have you create a new diapers.com account before bringing you to the check out page.

Step 4 if you are buying disposable diapers: Once on the checkout page, enter the referral code "CARISSAB" to get a $10 credit (diapers.com will also hook me up with a credit when you use my code...so thanks in advance). Your order should also qualify for free shipping (which, let me tell you...it's FAST! I got my diapers the very next day after I ordered them with the free shipping...try to beat that, Amazon.com!).

Step 4a if you are buying cloth diapers: If you are buying cloth diapers, you unfortunately have an extra step due to a glitch in the checkout system that doesn't currently recognize cloth diapers as diapers. Once on the checkout page, enter the referral code "CARISSAB". It will probably tell you that you need to put $49 worth of diapers in your cart in order to qualify for that code. If this is what happens, go to step 4b below. If it works, please leave a comment and let me know they've fixed this glitch!

Step 4b if you are buying cloth diapers: In a new window or tab, open your e-mail account (be sure to use the same one you gave to diapers.com when you set up your diapers.com account) and compose a message to customerservice@diapers.com. Say something about like this:

I was referred to your website and told I could use a referral code (CARISSAB) to get $10 off my first purchase of diapers. Your checkout system isn't recognizing the cloth diapers I am trying to purchase as diapers. Please fix this glitch or let me know how you can get around it.Sincerely, (your name)

This worked great for me. Someone wrote me back, apologized and gave me a $10 account credit so I could go back and pick up at step 5 below. When someone else tried this step, though, they got an e-mail from diapers.com telling them that the code only works on disposables (duh...that's why I'm writing to you). I did find out, though, that two different customer service people addressed our e-mails, so it seems to depend on who is answering e-mail that day. I'm sad I can't guarantee that it will work, but it is worth trying.

If things go well and they give you a $10 credit, go back to ebates.com, log in. Get to diapers.com via e-bates. Log in to diapers.com and go to check out.

Step 5 (everyone): Finish the check out process. Once you pay and you get to your order confirmation/receipt page, print out a copy of that page. Then, if it doesn't pop up automatically (or if your pop up blocker is on) go to this page, print it, fill it out and mail it with your receipt to:

Parenting Early Years Magazine Liason

Palm Coast Data

PO Box 420235

Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235

Attn: Diapers.com

Step 6: Wait for your rebate checks to arrive (about mid-May if you order the last week of March/First week of April).

In the end, you will have paid about $40 out of pocket for $50 of diapers, however you will be getting two rebate checks: one for $14.97 and one for (about) $5.50...reducing your total cost to about $20 for $50 in diapers! Unbeatable!

Please leave me a comment and let me know if you decided to take advantage of this deal or if you find any hiccups in my directions.

Happy diaper shopping!