Twins..... How to manage and save when the NOW WHAT moment hits.

Today was my kids’ first soccer game.  5 on 5 with 8 kids on each team.  They are in a "non-competitive" league, but they don't play like it.  I was very proud they did great.  

This got me thinking about my kids and all the ways I've tried to beat the system.  First of kids are expensive and twins doubly so.  Especially if you are blessed with one girl and one boy.  

Let’s talk about pre-birth.  For a lot of us it is a conscious decision to have a kid it usually isn't to have two at the same time. Some of us are just blessed I guess :).  You really should be saving up for the unexpected once you decided to have kids.  Things we did to get ready 

• Look over insurance to see if you needed to up your coverage (we did)
• Look at Costco for all natural wipes buy them once they are on sale.  You can never have enough.
• Start looking for cribs just to get an idea on prices
• Pay attention which friends just had kids and ask for hand me downs.
• Subscribe to Amazon's mom membership 20% off.
• start those Prenatal pills

Pregnancy is a whole new experience for everyone.  It is rough on the mom to be and stressful on the father to be.  It goes without says, but you will need to pamper your wife and give her what she needs and what the baby needs.

This is the most important time to buy what you need. Once the little ones come you won’t have time to stock up.  When we were pregnant Baby's R U was our go to and now Bye Bye Baby seems like the same. 

The main expenses are strollers, car seats, and diapers.  

• Diapers we went with reusable. We used bum genius and Charlie Banana. I would recommend getting liners; it makes cleanup easier Bummis Bio-Soft Liner.  Using cloth/reusable diapers saves thousands.  We bought 8 diapers and 20 inserts.  We didn't start cloth right. Our twins were both a month early and were too small to fit the diapers.  Plus then they are first both they poop almost constantly and we couldn't wash them that fast.  We bought more cloth so be able to have enough clean which we cleaned the dirty ones.  For disposable diapers you will need roughly ~3000 diapers per kids at’s $0.15 per diaper that's $900 the first year.  Reusable diapers are about $20 each and you get 12; 6 each per kid that's $240 plus $60 worth of liners $300.  You do have cost for washing, but you get the idea. 
• First of you don't have to trade in that sedan for an SUV.  We went 5 years before we finally moved on to an SUV.  Things to know about car seats.  First unless you know the person don't buy used. Second go to a place and try them in both cars before you buy. A car seat may fit great in your wife's car, but not yours. This is debatable, but we got the rear facing only car seats and not that car seat that could do anything.  We didn't this because of the safely rating and all the extra features.  
• You will need to buy two car seats and 4 bases for each car.  Believe me you will put them in your car and just leave them.  
• Twin hack: I did this tongue and cheek, but it worked.  I asked for a twins discount and they gave me another 25% off. 
• Once your kids graduate to new seats and bases are no longer an option, just buy 4 seats it will make your life so much easier.  
• Strollers wise you will need two types of strollers eventually.  The light quick one and the tough one.
• Don't get anything fancy and go get a Bob yet.  Get a Snap-N-Go.  This is just a frame where your car seats just buckle in.  It is light and small.  The Snap-N-Go is great and has the babies in a line.  This is essential for grocery shopping and going down any aisle. 
• Once the kids get a little bigger (8 weeks +) and you start go to the zoo get yourself a Bob Duallie stroller.  Look at buying a last year model or buy used.  These are rugged strollers they will last many uses.  
• The last stroller you will need is the umbrella strollers. These are cheap and often you get them for free when you guy enough at a baby store.  They are for travel or very crowded places like Disney.  

Things to consider is getting a subscription to consumer reports.  This really helps making decisions on what to buy.

• Cloths and toy look at consignment stores for great deals.  
• Try to find parents a few months ahead to get hand me down for cloths and toys.
• Don't buy bottles or pacifies until you find which ones your kids likes
• A seam bottle clean will make your life so much easier
• Get 4 boppy pillows.  They will make one person able to feed both kids at the same time. And you don't want to be search for them when you need them.

Kids are not cheap, but you can be smart.  Good luck.