Tips for a cheaper baby
Most everyone has either faced the dilemma or has survived the dilemma of paying for a new addition to the family. For my wife and I, the dilemma began exactly 40 weeks ago. For those uninitiated to the schedule of babies, that means we’re due today. Any hour now, our little bundle of joy will come into this world and the expense sheet will surely get longer. Over the last nine months, we’ve tried everything we can to cut the initial cost of having a child. I’d like to share a few of the bits and pieces of advice that we’ve come up with.
- Shop early and often - We began buying all the necessities at about 3 months. Spreading the cost of the first month’s worth of diapers, ointments, wipes, etc over 6 months instead of the first month has helped offset the initial cost.
- Two words: Garage Sale - Newborn babies generally grow out of their clothes at a rate of a new size every three or less months. This continues up until they turn 25. (well, maybe not that long.) What that means is that most baby clothes that you will find at a garage, yard, or rummage sale are very nearly new. Let’s face it, besides the random mess, babies don’t do all that much that will stain, rip, tear, or otherwise make clothes unwearable. One onesie set at your local baby store can reach a pricetag of nearly $10. The same onesie, lightly worn, can be had at the local garage sales for $0.50.
- Clearance - Because we began shopping early for all the necessities we were able to buy much of the more expensive items (think furniture) on clearance. As the old models roll out, the price drops and real bargains can be had. My sister-in-law managed to find a $140 stroller/car seat combo for under $40 at Target. We found a high chair for a bargain the same way. Clearance items are most often just the old model. They are just as good and safe as the new model, brand new, and much cheaper than the new stuff.
- Generic - Now days, the generic items that you buy at Wal-Mart or Target are just as good as the name brand stuff. Maybe they don’t smell as pretty or have the fancy packaging, but when it comes to the ingredients and effectiveness, they are the same. Take a peek at the the generic stuff the next time you’re in the store. Same stuff, half the price.
- Coupons - We began early and signed up for many of the manufacturer’s website newsletters. Along with that came several “samples” of formula and more coupons for formula, diapers, baby soap, and everything else you could think of. It may not amount to a whole lot, but if it saves enough for another pack of diapers or a movie for two, it’s well worth it.
We saved quite a bit just by taking these small measures. We all begin planning for the baby the second that we find out it’s on the way. We begin researching college savings and day cares. Taken a bit further, that research can reveal quite a few money saving tips to help out with the expense of raising a child.
How did you save money when you found out you were expecting? My wife and I would like to know all the tips you have!
Technorati Tags: frugal, frugality, cheaper baby, baby, babies, pregnant, pregnancy, expecting, saving, save, stroller, car seat, target, wal-mart
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Molly said,
Wrote on June 20, 2006 @ 3:13 pm
Congratulations on your impending arrival!
One tip I WISH I had had before the baby got here: don’t get rid of the hand-me-downs until the baby is too old for them. When I was pregnant people kept bringing over boxes of stuff, and at one point, heavily influenced by pregnancy hormones, I went through it all in about 15 minutes (muttering something ungrateful along the lines of “Why would anyone want this trash?”) and took four boxes to the Goodwill. Of course, now that the baby is getting old enough to use certain items (like little sunsuits that weren’t very attractive, but would have been great for the hot weather we had last week) I wish I still had them.
On a related note, for expensive items like swings and Exersaucers, see if you can borrow one from a friend, at least long enough to see if your baby likes it. Some babies don’t like those things, and you’ll kick yourself for spending nearly $200 on them. We’re currently borrowing an Exersaucer from a neighbor who’s been storing it in the attic until her sister has kids; even if the sister gets pregnant tomorrow, our baby will have outgrown it by the time she needs it. So… more attic space for our neighbor, and we get to find out for free that our baby isn’t the world’s biggest Exersaucer fan.
Oh, and another thing: be sure to find out from the start whether anyone wants their hand-me-downs back. One of our friends told us–AFTER my hormone-induced pitching spree–that she might want some things back. Oops. Fortunately, she changed her mind.
Good luck with your new baby!! It’s soooo much fun!!
claire said,
Wrote on June 20, 2006 @ 4:53 pm
Don’t forget hand-me-downs! Call that friend or brother whose kids are two or three. They probably have all kids of stuff they’d love to get out of their basement. We had to buy very little when our son was born because we got such great hand-me-downs. And now that our son is getting older we’ve been able to pass our stuff along to other new parents.
Congratulations, I can’t wait to hear how you progress as a frugal parent.
Jenn said,
Wrote on June 20, 2006 @ 11:12 pm
Uh, I know this one is obvious, but they say you can save over $2000 if you breastfeed your baby instead of using formula (I know this is not possible for everyone)
Stephanie said,
Wrote on June 21, 2006 @ 7:15 am
Hope baby has arrived and everyone is doing well. Is this your first? It is a grand adventure! Breastfeeding is also what I was going to mention. We have also used cloth diapers on three out of four of our kids. If you are not familiar with cloth today, there are no pins anymore and it really is not that much more work. Earthbaby.com is a good site to start looking if you are interested.
And for the future, save money by making your own baby food.
Nicole said,
Wrote on June 22, 2006 @ 8:53 am
I’m due Christmas Day and we’re saving tons of money! I don’t plan on buying any clothing, furniture, or other accessories. Talk about saving a bundle…of course, I’m reusing everything from baby #1, born in 2004. But honestly, the more kids you have, the less expensive they become!