Your doctor sends you home from the hospital with formula for your new, tiny, delicate baby. Who are you to second guess this recommendation? This formula is obviously chosen for your baby for a reason. You are not a doctor so you take the formula and you continue to buy it. Alot of it at around $25 per can.
What you don't know is that formula makers like Similac and Enfamil give the hospitals formula for free. So they pass it on to their patients, for free. But when you get home it is no longer free; it is expensive.
But it doesn't have to be. While Breast is best and free, formula doesn't have to be expensive. Many national grocery stores and department stores make their own brands that meet FDA regulations and match (ingredient for ingredient) the top brands like Similac and Enfamil. These brands are often HALF the price of the top brands. I have read hundreds of reviews on these store brands with nothing but praise. Some of the parents even claim that one store brand formula caused less gas for their child, another stated that her child preferred the store brand, and yet another parent preferred the store brand because it was easier to mix up and had less clumps.
As long as you stay true to the type of formula recommended by your Dr (such as gentle, soy, etc) you can save money by straying from the national brands and purchasing store brands. However, make sure your Dr. is aware of the brands you give to your child at each well child visit. My daughter has enjoyed Parents Choice (Walmart) and Up & Up (Target) but Walgreens, Kroger and Babies R Us all offer store brands that meet FDA Requirements including organic. Make sure and keep your Dr in the loop when changing formulas but remember you spend the most time with your baby and you know what is best.
To date I have received free samples of formula from Similac, Enfamil, Good Start and Parents Choice. You can register on their websites for coupons and free samples. The coupons are great even if you do not use them yourself. There is a big coupon market on ebay.