8 Ways to Save Money on a New Baby
Welcome back!
Well, mostly welcome back to me. It turns out, after you have a baby and go back to work, you don't have much time to blog.
Thanks to a New Year and a new planner, I hope to get back on track here. Bear with me, though- it's not like I have ever been a working mom before 5 months ago.
Now, on to why you clicked on this post!
Having a baby can get expensive. Especially the first baby. After all, how many of us have a crib and a bunch of bottles just laying around? Fortunately, there are tons of ways to avoid using up your life's savings.
Here are my top 8 tips for saving money on a new baby:
1. Don't find out the Gender
We called Danger Lil' Acorn or Baby Dacy for the entirety of pregnancy because we chose to keep gender a surprise. Fun fact: I didn't wear my glasses/ contacts for delivery, and Jake was quite emotional when he met Danger, so I didn't find out he was a boy for a good 2 minutes (read: eternity). Because we didn't know that he was a boy, we were never tempted to get anything that wasn't gender-neutral. This cuts out A LOT. For it being the 21st Century, baby things are still pretty gender specific.
Even more than us, though, other people were not able to get us cute gender-specific items, especially clothes. In the words of a baby shower attendee: "When you don't tell us the gender, you get really boring baby shower gifts!" This, of course, is a blessing if you are looking to save money. Instead of pink tutus or football onsies, guests bring things like bottles, diapers, and baby gear. The more practical the baby shower, the fewer necessary items you need to buy when baby comes.
Another big pro to getting gender neutral items is passing them along to little siblings. I think navy blue is adorable on little girls, and I'm all for dispelling gender stereotypes, but it would get exhausting explaining to ever passer-by that my "handsome little gentleman" is, in fact, a girl. White, gray, tan, and turquoise items have not only saved us money with the first baby, they will be saving us money for any more to come!
2. Breastfeed
Other than bottles (thanks, boring shower gifts!) and pump supplies (thanks, Obamacare!), breastfeeding can be extremely low-cost, even for working moms. In fact, if you aren't working, and don't go out much, you wouldn't even need the bottles and breast pump. To feed Danger for the first 6 months, I probably spent close to $60. This was for size 2 bottle nipples, different sized pump shields, an extra pump cord to leave at work, and a manual pump for the mornings before work. Everything else was free/gifted/MADE BY MY OWN BODY.
That's right, ladies. If you are able to breastfeed, you can produce enough nutrition to completely sustain a baby for at least 6 months (Danger has moved on to eating solid foods for lunch and dinner). All you need to do is keep a healthy diet and drink plenty of water!
If I were to buy formula, I would probably get the Honest Company Formula Bundle. It's organic, comes with DHA vitamins to supplement, and includes a discount for being a member. It would have set me back $120 per month. That's at least $720 just for the first 6 months. Danger was/is a hungry boy, so I'm guessing he would have needed more than the standard amount. I'm guessing formula-feeding would have cost me close to $1,500 if I went that route.
I'm going to take that $60 in supplies over the cost of formula for a year, thank you.
Of course, if you are unable to breastfeed for the multitude of reasons, this tip won't work for you! Exclusively pumping, though it can be exhausting, would still be an effective money saver, if you can. If you can't breastfeed or pump, the other 7 tips can still help you save some cash!
3. Accept Hand-me-downs
Baby clothes can be cute. Baby clothes can be trendy. Baby clothes can be expensive.
Danger is lucky to have a buddy only 3 1/2 months older than him. In the mild climate of California (where the weather really only varies by 30 degrees throughout most of the year), seasonal items are't strictly necessary for most of a wardrobe. We have been extremely lucky to get big bags of hand-me-down clothes every so often- and they always come right as Danger is growing out of clothes! We have already passed on a good amount of clothes to others with younger boys, because it turns out babies really don't need that many outfits. Hand-me-downs have saved us a lot of money on new wardrobes for our ever-growing boy.
I'm assuming this growing doesn't stop any time soon, so we will still be accepting hand-me-downs as they come our way. Though we pass along many items, we also keep a good amount. Baby #2, whenever they come along, will be heavily dressed in hand-me-downs as well!
In addition to clothes, we are borrowing a good amount of items from a good friend of mine. Everything from an infant carseat (always check that it's not expired or recalled), sound machine, and nursing cover has saved me from having to buy those things! Many baby items are used for a small period of time, and they are in such good condition. The above items were gathering dust and creating clutter, so my friend was more than willing to lend them to Danger until he outgrows them. Hand-me-downs rock!
4. Check out Thrift Stores
A Goodwill opened up about 10 minutes away from us (and on my way home from work) about the time Danger decided to make an appearance in my uterus. After our baby showers, when we realized we only had 2 pairs of pants for the little guy, we were able to stop in and get him a handful of pairs for $0.50-$1.00 each. I'm talking BabyGap and Carters- and couple pairs we grabbed still had the original tags on them! This was a great deal, and we will definitely be going back for Danger's clothes in the future.
5. Talk to Moms to find out what you don't need
There are tons of baby items on the market. As a brand-new mom, it was difficult to know which items were must-haves, which were nice-to-haves, and which were not super important. Talking to other moms (who are similar to you) is a great way to avoid unnecessary items.
I relied heavily on the online community of moms to help me out with this one, but there were a couple new moms in my social group that I was also able to touch base with. I ended up skipping out on most toys, a walker, a bumbo seat, a changing table (thanks, old desk in my parents' storage unit!), specialized (holiday/ event) clothes, fancy bedding, and nursery decorations- to name a few.
That being said, I skipped out on a few things I ended up buying anyways- namely: a swing and a baby monitor. I probably would have saved myself the trouble of shopping with a newborn if I had gotten those int he first place. You need a swing if you want to shower. Or eat. Or pee.
6. Put away money for the hospital bill
We had no idea how much it would cost to have a baby in the hospital, and had no idea if I or baby would need special care, so we put every extra penny into an accessible savings account throughout the pregnancy. Luckily we were both healthy, and I didn't use any delivery drugs.
Our hospital called a couple of days after we got home and offered a 20% discount if we paid in full by the end of the week. We paid that day! Not only was it less expensive than we expected/ planned, but we got 20% off just for paying right away and avoided any interest of owing money! Reign in those pregnancy cravings and put some cash away.
7. Request a Creative Baby Shower
Some people say it's tacky to make requests of a baby shower. I say casually show your mom a fun Pinterest ideas while she is planning your shower!
We were lucky to have come creative shower themes. My mom requested guests bring a book with a note instead of a card to start Danger's library. He has quite the library!
My brothers also helped plan a Beer and Diaper party for the Jake, which was at the same time as my baby shower. Couples came, the men with a case of diapers and a case of beer, and they each went to their respective parties. (The guys stole snacks from our party, and some fun-loving ladies stole some drinks from the guys.) The diaper stockpile from the guys and another shower (thrown by some high schoolers we volunteered for) has lasted us to this day.
I'm not kidding- Danger is almost 9 months old and I haven't bought diapers. Diapers are expensive. Throw a Diaper Party!
8. Research Registry Perks
Target, Babies R Us, Amazon, and Buy Buy Baby all have some great registry perks. Babies R Us specifically gave us cash back and coupons for every dollar spent on our registry- from us or others! I haven't looked into every registry and its perks, but I would consider it worth it to rely heavily on one registry. Free money is free money, and we were able to put it all towards a fantastic recliner/ rocking chair!
There you have it!
Having a baby isn't nearly as expensive as everyone says if you find ways to save money.
Hopefully you will hear form me again before Danger is a teen!
Have you used any of these tips? Do you have any other tips for saving money on a new baby? Let me know in the comments below!
Well, mostly welcome back to me. It turns out, after you have a baby and go back to work, you don't have much time to blog.
Thanks to a New Year and a new planner, I hope to get back on track here. Bear with me, though- it's not like I have ever been a working mom before 5 months ago.
Now, on to why you clicked on this post!
Having a baby can get expensive. Especially the first baby. After all, how many of us have a crib and a bunch of bottles just laying around? Fortunately, there are tons of ways to avoid using up your life's savings.
Here are my top 8 tips for saving money on a new baby:
1. Don't find out the Gender
We called Danger Lil' Acorn or Baby Dacy for the entirety of pregnancy because we chose to keep gender a surprise. Fun fact: I didn't wear my glasses/ contacts for delivery, and Jake was quite emotional when he met Danger, so I didn't find out he was a boy for a good 2 minutes (read: eternity). Because we didn't know that he was a boy, we were never tempted to get anything that wasn't gender-neutral. This cuts out A LOT. For it being the 21st Century, baby things are still pretty gender specific.
Even more than us, though, other people were not able to get us cute gender-specific items, especially clothes. In the words of a baby shower attendee: "When you don't tell us the gender, you get really boring baby shower gifts!" This, of course, is a blessing if you are looking to save money. Instead of pink tutus or football onsies, guests bring things like bottles, diapers, and baby gear. The more practical the baby shower, the fewer necessary items you need to buy when baby comes.
Another big pro to getting gender neutral items is passing them along to little siblings. I think navy blue is adorable on little girls, and I'm all for dispelling gender stereotypes, but it would get exhausting explaining to ever passer-by that my "handsome little gentleman" is, in fact, a girl. White, gray, tan, and turquoise items have not only saved us money with the first baby, they will be saving us money for any more to come!
2. Breastfeed
Other than bottles (thanks, boring shower gifts!) and pump supplies (thanks, Obamacare!), breastfeeding can be extremely low-cost, even for working moms. In fact, if you aren't working, and don't go out much, you wouldn't even need the bottles and breast pump. To feed Danger for the first 6 months, I probably spent close to $60. This was for size 2 bottle nipples, different sized pump shields, an extra pump cord to leave at work, and a manual pump for the mornings before work. Everything else was free/gifted/MADE BY MY OWN BODY.
That's right, ladies. If you are able to breastfeed, you can produce enough nutrition to completely sustain a baby for at least 6 months (Danger has moved on to eating solid foods for lunch and dinner). All you need to do is keep a healthy diet and drink plenty of water!
If I were to buy formula, I would probably get the Honest Company Formula Bundle. It's organic, comes with DHA vitamins to supplement, and includes a discount for being a member. It would have set me back $120 per month. That's at least $720 just for the first 6 months. Danger was/is a hungry boy, so I'm guessing he would have needed more than the standard amount. I'm guessing formula-feeding would have cost me close to $1,500 if I went that route.
I'm going to take that $60 in supplies over the cost of formula for a year, thank you.
Of course, if you are unable to breastfeed for the multitude of reasons, this tip won't work for you! Exclusively pumping, though it can be exhausting, would still be an effective money saver, if you can. If you can't breastfeed or pump, the other 7 tips can still help you save some cash!
3. Accept Hand-me-downs
Baby clothes can be cute. Baby clothes can be trendy. Baby clothes can be expensive.
Danger is lucky to have a buddy only 3 1/2 months older than him. In the mild climate of California (where the weather really only varies by 30 degrees throughout most of the year), seasonal items are't strictly necessary for most of a wardrobe. We have been extremely lucky to get big bags of hand-me-down clothes every so often- and they always come right as Danger is growing out of clothes! We have already passed on a good amount of clothes to others with younger boys, because it turns out babies really don't need that many outfits. Hand-me-downs have saved us a lot of money on new wardrobes for our ever-growing boy.
I'm assuming this growing doesn't stop any time soon, so we will still be accepting hand-me-downs as they come our way. Though we pass along many items, we also keep a good amount. Baby #2, whenever they come along, will be heavily dressed in hand-me-downs as well!
In addition to clothes, we are borrowing a good amount of items from a good friend of mine. Everything from an infant carseat (always check that it's not expired or recalled), sound machine, and nursing cover has saved me from having to buy those things! Many baby items are used for a small period of time, and they are in such good condition. The above items were gathering dust and creating clutter, so my friend was more than willing to lend them to Danger until he outgrows them. Hand-me-downs rock!
4. Check out Thrift Stores
A Goodwill opened up about 10 minutes away from us (and on my way home from work) about the time Danger decided to make an appearance in my uterus. After our baby showers, when we realized we only had 2 pairs of pants for the little guy, we were able to stop in and get him a handful of pairs for $0.50-$1.00 each. I'm talking BabyGap and Carters- and couple pairs we grabbed still had the original tags on them! This was a great deal, and we will definitely be going back for Danger's clothes in the future.
5. Talk to Moms to find out what you don't need
There are tons of baby items on the market. As a brand-new mom, it was difficult to know which items were must-haves, which were nice-to-haves, and which were not super important. Talking to other moms (who are similar to you) is a great way to avoid unnecessary items.
I relied heavily on the online community of moms to help me out with this one, but there were a couple new moms in my social group that I was also able to touch base with. I ended up skipping out on most toys, a walker, a bumbo seat, a changing table (thanks, old desk in my parents' storage unit!), specialized (holiday/ event) clothes, fancy bedding, and nursery decorations- to name a few.
That being said, I skipped out on a few things I ended up buying anyways- namely: a swing and a baby monitor. I probably would have saved myself the trouble of shopping with a newborn if I had gotten those int he first place. You need a swing if you want to shower. Or eat. Or pee.
6. Put away money for the hospital bill
We had no idea how much it would cost to have a baby in the hospital, and had no idea if I or baby would need special care, so we put every extra penny into an accessible savings account throughout the pregnancy. Luckily we were both healthy, and I didn't use any delivery drugs.
Our hospital called a couple of days after we got home and offered a 20% discount if we paid in full by the end of the week. We paid that day! Not only was it less expensive than we expected/ planned, but we got 20% off just for paying right away and avoided any interest of owing money! Reign in those pregnancy cravings and put some cash away.
7. Request a Creative Baby Shower
Some people say it's tacky to make requests of a baby shower. I say casually show your mom a fun Pinterest ideas while she is planning your shower!
We were lucky to have come creative shower themes. My mom requested guests bring a book with a note instead of a card to start Danger's library. He has quite the library!
My brothers also helped plan a Beer and Diaper party for the Jake, which was at the same time as my baby shower. Couples came, the men with a case of diapers and a case of beer, and they each went to their respective parties. (The guys stole snacks from our party, and some fun-loving ladies stole some drinks from the guys.) The diaper stockpile from the guys and another shower (thrown by some high schoolers we volunteered for) has lasted us to this day.
I'm not kidding- Danger is almost 9 months old and I haven't bought diapers. Diapers are expensive. Throw a Diaper Party!
8. Research Registry Perks
Target, Babies R Us, Amazon, and Buy Buy Baby all have some great registry perks. Babies R Us specifically gave us cash back and coupons for every dollar spent on our registry- from us or others! I haven't looked into every registry and its perks, but I would consider it worth it to rely heavily on one registry. Free money is free money, and we were able to put it all towards a fantastic recliner/ rocking chair!
There you have it!
Having a baby isn't nearly as expensive as everyone says if you find ways to save money.
Hopefully you will hear form me again before Danger is a teen!
Have you used any of these tips? Do you have any other tips for saving money on a new baby? Let me know in the comments below!
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