What are some great tips when having a baby to save tons of money before and after baby gets here?

Question

i will be working full time plus over time until baby gets here and we will be saving everything but what are some great ways to save money before and after especially after--i am planning on breastfeeding fyi

thanks

God bless

Answer 1

The only really tip I have is go on to all websites like huggies pampers luvs, even the formula you are planning on using after you breastfeed, ANYTHING that makes baby stuff and sign up, they send you TONS of coupons for all kinds of things.

Craigs list is a great place to buy baby stuff, and dont be hestiate by used baby stuff like baby clothes. I would wait to buy everything after the baby shower too, some people tend to over buy items  also.

Good luck and Congrats!

The people who make the baby 411 book also make baby bargins, I dont know if it is worth the money but it gives you tips on how to save also.

Answer 2

since you are not going to work try to put all of your paycheck up and not use it for awhile to see if that will work for you. Buy stuff used or on Ebay. All the baby really needs is a car seat, diapers, a place to sleep and something to wear you can buy onesies people will give you a ton of cute outfits, we use cloth diapers if you get something like fuzzi bunz they are pretty conveinent and better for the environment so that way I dontfeel as bad about driving my Suburban, breastfeed and co-sleep so its pretty inexpensive, make your own baby food when the baby is older and if you are going to use disposable diapers start buying now about a pack a week and you can use diapers.com to save on those.

If you are pregnant now CONGRATS

Answer 3

Are you planning on working after baby is born?  If not, now would be a great time to start pretending.  Put your money away from working - don't touch it.  Cut back by eating out less, buying cheaper foods, shopping less, and conserving gas (like not running to town for milk).

After the baby comes - go with cheap diapers.  Don't buy every toy and outfit out there.  Babies grow fast and get bored easily.  Emma's favorite toys are homemade.

Answer 4

Since you plan to breast feed, do not buy anything remotely having to do with bottle feeding...no "just in case" formula, bottles, pacifiers, sterilizers etc.

Think about using cloth diapers. All in ones or pocket diapers are just as easy as disposables to put on and off and so much easier to clean than I imagined. One up front cost and you will never have to buy a pack of Pampers. You can even use cloth wipes.

Co-sleeping saves you from having to buy a crib, and it really helps foster the breast feeding relationship. It is also really nice waking up to your baby next to you and keeps you from having to go far in the middle of the night for a feeding.

Consignment stores, thrift stores and yard sales are great places to get new or almost new baby clothing and items at a huge discount. My husband and I can certainly afford to buy new clothes but I love getting my son gently used items this way because he grows out of them so fast.

Consider wearing your baby as opposed to purchasing (and lugging around) a big bulky stroller. A good quality carrier can range in price from $20-$50 while a new stroller averages $100-$400.

You can spend a fortune on toys, but your baby will still want to play with you hair, your cell phone, your water bottle....etc. You will always be the greatest toy for your baby. Don't bother with too many (or any) Fisher Price creations. You will be surprised at how quickly your baby will lose interest.

Finally, make sure you have a good health insurance policy. You will spend your life in doctors offices your baby's first year. Make sure you have a low deductable and co-payment or you will lose your shirt paying for all those well baby check ups.

Congrats!

Answer 5

Use disposable diapers.  Kushies at Walmart.com were the least expensive I could find.

Off-brand everything!  The wipes, disposable diapers and even night time lotion can be bought in an off-brand package costing half the price.

Toys and things can be purchased at second hand stores in most small to large size cities.

Except for formula and diapers, babies really don't cost a whole lot in my opinion.  When they get older, the toys get more expensive.  You can make toys from every day objects like homemade playdough.  Here is a link with them:

http://hubpages.com/hub/HomemadeToys_Per...

Answer 6

craigslist.com is the gr8est since davis was born 6 weeks ago we have saved $2000 on stuff and i know if we added up every kid and baby thing we have had to have saved like 10000 so check that out  

Answer 7

get hand me down clothes form friends and family

Answer 8

Breastfeed.

Use cloth diapers.  If you buy one of the simpler kinds, like prefolds in 2 sizes with Dappi's vinyl covers, then you'll save money over disposable in the end.  And you'll be able to use them again with another baby.  See more in my answer about cloth diapers here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

If using disposable (either entirely or at night or when out or whatever), then just buy Walmart's off brand.  Buy off brand with most stuff.

Don't start solids until at least 6 months, and when you do, make your own baby food.  It's really easy.  I've done it with all four of my children, and it saves a ton of money.

Don't buy a crib.  Just get a used pack 'n play.  Baby can sleep in it, and you can use it as a playpen.

Don't buy a changing table.  I've never had one.  Just use a changing pad on your bed or the floor.  Keep diaper stuff under the bed or in a dresser drawer.

Get clothes second hand, either from family/friends or from Goodwill or from garage sales or in lots on ebay or from Freecycle or craigslist (both online sites).

Keep toys to a minimum.  For the first year, you really don't need any toys other than a single stuffed animal, a couple teething rings, and a cloth book or two.  Even those are optional.  Baby will be satisfied playing with measuring spoons and other non-real toys.  If you want to get a few more, fine.  But, baby's don't NEED that many toys.

Answer 9

I wish we had put aside a set amount of money every month/week but we didn't..we plan on doing it next time. Also..we bought a box of refillable wipes and a box of diapers (different size every time) out of every pay check (mine checks were weekly, my husbands were every two weeks) so that we'd be stocked up...my son is almost a year old and we just finished off the last of our stocked up wipes and still have 2 boxes of size 4 diapers we haven't used (since he's still in size 3), but it's been nice to have all those stocked up for so many months.

Answer 10

Buy all of your baby items from garage sales (but check for safety issues and recalls before you use it) try craigslist or kijiji.

Also, wait until after your baby shower to buy things- people just go nuts at those things... and there might be a lot of things you can exchange for store credit and sizes you'll need later.

Don't buy a lot of newborn sized outfits, baby will grow so fast that you'll be glad you have extras in the 0-3 month size. We got alot of our baby clothes from hand me downs and thrift stores... washed twice, you'd never know- and baby is going to slop on them anyhow!

Oh- and don't fall for gimmicky stuff either... like crib bumpers and too many toys. Crib bumpers are aparently dangerous even- and they were always really expensive when we saw them in the store!

We're trying cloth diapering. It was a bigger investment at first, but now we don't have to worry about where the money for the next pack of diapers is going to come from.

Good luck!! :D

Answer 11

Buy used when you can. Like baby furniture/items and clothing. They grow SO quickly. Also save what you collect with this baby incase you have another baby after this one. Also use coupons when you can and some store brands are just as good as the name brands when it comes to food and things like that.  

Answer 12

some tips on saving money that I have done:

1- Don't eat out. Eating out is a waste of money. Bring your lunch to work also. My husband was spending $10/day on lunch everyday- now he spends about that much per week now that he brings lunch to work.

2- Look for sales at the grocery store. Buy generic brands.

3- Use Coupons. Sign up for the newsletters at Pampers/huggies and you will get coupons. Also, babies r us always has coupons. definitely take advantage of any coupons!!

4- I now buy Target brand wipes. I used to only use pampers but tried target and found them to be wonderful. They are cheaper and save me money. You may want to try Luvs or other cheaper diapers if you wish, I usually buy pampers with coupons but sometimes get luvs.

5- Have a baby shower! make sure a friend or family member is throwing you one because you will get lots of things you need for your baby as gifts!

6- When going to the grocery store, look at the weekly circular and find things on sale. Write out a list and stick to the list only so that you dont buy things you dont even need. Also eat before going shopping so you dont give into temptation! you should also do a price comparison and find a cheaper grocery store to make sure your getting the best deals.

7- For clothes, you can get great hand me downs or you can look for sales! Old Navy has AWESOME sales!! I stock up on clothes that go on sale there even in bigger sizes for my son to have when he grows into them! You can get shirts for $.97 sometimes!! I buy 2T sometimes even though he is in 12-18M just for him to have when he is that size if its cute and a good deal!

8- Breastfeeding will save you a ton of money! Try to stick to it as long as you can. If you do switch to formula or substitute, you can get $5.00 off coupon/checks in the mail from similac and enfamil which will help you save.

9- Dont give into every "New" gimmick for babies. I bought some things that my son didn't even use and some things that I maybe used twice! Baby items are expensive and its not worth it to buy all kinds of things if the baby isnt even going to use it! Things that you dont think are necessary, chances are they arent. This includes toys! I bought so many expensive learning toys that i thought would be great for my son, but his favorite toy ended up being a water bottle!!

10- be diligent about turning off lights when you arent in the room and TVs/computer screens. it will help your electric bill and is better for the environment!

11- When your out shopping for whatever, pick the item up and in order to add it to your cart or to take it to the checkout, stop for a few seconds and ask yourself why you’re buying it and whether you actually need it or not. If you can’t find a good answer, put the item back. This keeps me from making impulse buys!

12- If your comfortable with your neighbors, swap babysitting with them. Try to find another set of parents or two that you trust, and swap nights of babysitting with them. That way, you’ll get occasional evenings free without the cost of a babysitter! Which averages around $10/hr!!!



These are just some tips I have used and hope I helped!! Congrats on the pregnancy and good luck!!!

Answer 13

You have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T. What kind of cutbacks can you make? For example: I drink bottled water. Now at $1 a bottle on something that covers over 65% of our planet is not smart. So I bought one of those water filters that s***w into your faucet. I have bottles that I refil over and over again. I take them to work. Do you have a lot of small appliances around that house that are always on? I cut my electronic bill almost in half by unplugging all the clock radios and night lights. I also bought some of those florescent bulbs that look a lot like a regular bulb. These things use 80% less electricity than regular bulbs. You would be surprised, but these small things add up. I know I was spending money on the water filter and energy efficient bulbs but these things will pay for themselves in a month providing they pertain to you. If you really need the money right away start cutting back on your food costs. Romain noodles cost a dime and they taste just as good as campbells chicken noodle that costs $130 a can. Ok no chicken in romain noodles, but you are probably just missing about 4 tiny pieces of chicken. Put a brick inside your toilet 'chamber'. You will use a little lesser water each time you flush..Before you know it you will be ahead. Wanna be creative? Find yourself leaving lights on? Buy a motion sensor switch, the lights will turn on when you enter the room and will turn off (by a set amount of time) when you leave the room. I have one, they cost $15 at HomeDepot. Need new windshield wipers for your car? Who says you have to buy 2? You only need the new one on the drivers side, leave the old wiper on the passenger side.  So remember you have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T! Yours truly seahorsehawrey.

Answer 14

Don't bother with a baby bath. There loads of hastle and it's not like your gonna be leaving the baby inattended in the big bath anyway. Don't buy any outfits for the baby, just get onesies for when it's born, people will buy you nice outfits once the baby comes. Don't buy baby towels, your smaller towels will do fine. Don't bother with a diaper genie, we had one with my son and it was a nuisance.

Good Luck

Answer 15

You have gotten a lot of good advice.

I did not use breast pads. I bought  panty liners and used them. They have an adhesive, so the stay in place, and are much cheaper than breast pads. They work just as well too.

Answer 16

1. accept any clothes that people give you for the baby.

2. baby shower

3. start stocking up on diapers (I only used 2 packs of newborn diapers and 2 packs of size 1 diapers) My baby is 2 1/2 months old and is using size 1/2 and will soon be up to size 2 so you might want to buy the huge boxes of those two sizes now (or wait to see if you get them at a baby shower - those were some of my gifts).

4. Breastfeeding is a great idea! You will not have to buy any formula at all, and if you do plan to supplement, all you need to do is buy the smallest can of formula (which is about $9-12) once a month (that's just in case you open the can because after a month you have to throw away an opened can of formula)

Answer 17

Go on ebay and buy bundles of baby clothes. You can get some really nice new/barely used clothes on there.

I bought a bundle for £5.00 (thats about $10.00) the clothes were gorgeous. One bundle was enough for her whole summer wardrobe.

Answer 18

Don't over buy baby stuff.  Changing table-never used it.  Baby clothes-hardly wore so many outfits.  If you plan on co-sleeping you can forgo the crib for now.  Buy the bare minimum, a few outfits, diapers, wipes, waterproof pads and a sling.  Buy a convertible car seat since they won't fit in the infant seat for more than 6-9 months.