Preparing for Your Big Arrival on a Small Budget
What comes with adding an extra member to the family? Other than a shit ton of responsibility and stress, it’s the fact that your bank account is about to be depleted. All the money you put into savings…gone! Goodbye pampering, hello ramen noodles.
Or so you thought!
Here’s how to save money without depleting the contents of your bank account. We all know that a baby can stress us out. We don’t need the idea of no cash flow adding to that stress. Am I right?
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Cord Cutting
Ok cable lovers, this might suck, but it’s a game changer. Jared and I had that lovely two-year contract for cable and internet for $100/month. Not bad right? However, we got dinged for $170/month as soon as that two-year contract was up. No warning whatsoever. No offer from the cable company for being excellent customers. Why is it the only good offers are for new customers? I get it, but what about loyal customers? For a few months we looked at various options to get that bill down. With a new baby in the house, we needed as much money as we could possibly get. We looked at Sling, Amazon Prime, and HULU. Obviously, we had to stick with the current provider for internet, since there is only one company that services my part of the world. However, when we looked at each streaming service to see what networks and shows they offered, we finally found our match. HULU Live TV!! It’s only $40/month and you get pretty much everything. When we looked at the bills, we ended up saving $50/month. It might not seem like much, but it adds up!
Second Hand/Gender Neutral Clothes
I was a little skeptical about this and I’m not sure why. Just the thought it it not being brand new made me a little weary. Buying or receiving second hand clothes just made them feel dirty for some reason. When we had Aiden, all of my skepticism flew out the window…thank goodness! Jared and I didn’t have to buy many clothes for Aiden in the beginning. He was born in the summer, so he had onesies galore! Then Fall came. Now Winter is creeping around the corner for us GA folk. And along with changing seasons came the need to buy certain clothing. Y’all, once I looked at how much a pair of corduroy pants and a sweater cost, I about passed out. Baby clothes are about the same price as adult clothing! It’s ridiculous. Then it hit me, I realized we could save money when buying or receiving second hand clothing items.
Another way we were able to save money was to buy as much gender-neutral clothes as possible. Even if it’s only onesies that are gender neutral, so what? It still helps to save money, so you don’t have to buy a completely new wardrobe for your next child.
Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Big Gifts
I come from a family that doesn’t have extra income to buy unnecessary things. So, I felt bad asking for big ticket items, especially with Christmas around the corner. That’s when it dawned on Jared and me. We asked for gifts that we knew we wanted but couldn’t really dish out money for since they were not a part of our budget. We wanted two items (Beaba Babycook and Infant Optics video monitor) that are $150-$175 each. So, we asked our family members to go in for those two gifts instead of getting each of us a lot of small gifts that we won’t even use. Jared and I are practical people when it comes to gift giving. So, we would rather have something we use constantly than having a ton of gifts that just sit in a cabinet somewhere. I was so worried that my family would see the price tag and flee. Thankfully, we have a family that understands where we were coming from. Once I told my Mum what Jared and I wanted, she immediately offered to go in for the Beaba Babycook, so I can start making my own baby food for Aiden. She thought it was a smart decision to out forth money for a really good baby food maker, so we can save money in the long run. So, don’t be afraid to ask for big gifts!
Making Baby Food
This saves so much money!! For Christmas, Jared and I received a Beaba Babycook which is a really good baby food maker. This has changed our world in regard to saving money. Aiden really loves eating fruit. So much so, that veggies are a real struggle. So, we have to mix foods a lot in order to get him eating veggies. That means, I have to buy more baby food. And baby food might not seem like a lot of money, but we spend about $40+ for baby food. That adds up. When we received the Beaba, I found out that one apple at the grocery store was about 4oz of baby food. Holy smokes!! You can buy a bushel of apples for about $5 at our local grocery store and get days’ worth of food. Just think…twice as much food for half the cost!! Another huge benefit is there are no preservatives whatsoever. Just all-natural fruits and veggies that I can mix however I want one. You may have to dish out a decent amount of money for a good baby food maker, but it was well worth it when you realize how much money you save in the long run.
Cut Out the Unnecessary
When I first found out that we were expecting, I wanted to buy everything I could possibly get my hands on. Thankfully I have a husband that brought me back down to earth and started creating a budget of how much we could spend per month on baby related items. That put everything into perspective for me. I quickly realized what was needed rather than what I wanted. Of course, I still wanted certain items, but I learned to out those on the baby registry. And if I didn’t receive them, we have to ask ourselves if it’s really worth purchasing. Is it a game changer? That’s how I learned to cut back on unnecessary items rather than buying everything I could out my hands on.
Meal Planning
Jared and I like meal planning for two reasons.
1) Helps me remember what to cook each night.
2) It cuts down on our grocery budget by only purchasing items at the grocery store that we need for the following week. This way, we won’t purchase food that will just sit in the fridge or pantry and we forget about it. I hate cleaning the fridge and pantry only to find food that went to waste.
Breastfeed/Pump if Possible
I was very successful in my ability to breastfeed and we plan on having multiple children, so we invested in purchasing a breast pump. I received my breast pump through my insurance for free. So, make sure you check with your insurance to make sure you can get one too. If you cannot get a breast pump through your insurance, it’s ok. There are some cheaper ones out there, but I would go for a more expensive pump since you will use it multiple times a day for months. Some pumps are around $300, but they’re good investments. Just consider the cost of formula for six months (which is about $100/month) and then consider that the breastmilk has more nutritional value for your baby and helps him fight off illnesses thanks to the natural antibodies (meaning fewer doctor visits) and it’s clear that breast milk saves a lot of money.
