I admit BABIES ARE EXPENSIVE. But that just doesn’t mean that the arrival of a baby should turn your family budget upside down!
I am not joking. You must have noticed how currency notes just vanish into thin air after the arrival of your little hero or heroine 🙂
There is no doubt that our munchkins are our first priority and we strive to provide the best of everything we can for them.
In this run to provide the best, knowingly or unknowingly we spend more than what is actually required. At last we end up with limited amount of money to meet our other priorities.
With a little planning and preparation you can easily minimize your expenses without compromising on your baby’s basic needs.
In this article I am providing some basic budgeting tips or money saving tips that you can follow to maintain that financial balance post baby.
Cut Your Unnecessary Baby Expenses with These 13 Money Saving Tips:
If you are a parent, knowing how to budget is a definite must.
Being first time parents, at first it was difficult for us too to reduce the expenses on the baby. But from experience, we have learned a lot about raising a baby on a budget.
Below are 13 simple-yet-effective money saving tips to raise a baby on a budget.
#1. No luxury hospital rooms for delivery:
This is one of the money saving tips which can be imbibed right from the parents to be stage.
Now-a-days most of the hospitals have rooms with all facilities from TV, AC, Wi-Fi, fridge and all those gadgets.
Just don’t book such rooms. It is just an extra expense with no use.
You are anyways not going to watch TV serials when you are struggling with your labor pain. Trust me, most of the time you will be in a labor room.
#2. Breastfeed your baby:
As long as possible breastfeed your baby.
Breastfeeding is not only healthy for you and your baby; it is also healthy for your wallet.
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#3. Spend less on baby clothes and shoes:
Babies grow very fast.
Before you can imagine, your adorable baby will outgrow those branded pricey jumpsuit you just bought her.
Resist the urge to splurge on baby clothes and shoes. Always buy cheap, but quality clothes for your baby.
Babies don’t require shoes until they are really walking. Spending lot of money on foot wares is just a waste.
#4. Make baby food at home:
Making baby food at home is cheaper and healthier than buying expensive artificially preserved baby foods.
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#5. Buy minimum at the start:
If you aren’t sure which products will work best for your baby (especially with formula, bottles, pacifiers, even diapers), buy the minimum to start with. Stock up once you know your baby’s preferences.
For example, if you are buying diapers, first go for a sample pack or just one small pack. If your baby is comfortable wearing that particular brand diapers, then you can stock up on the same.
#6. Buy only what you need:
When you have a baby it is natural to have that urge to buy whatever you see at a baby shop.
Before you buy that baby gear, first think wisely whether it is actually needed for your baby or not. Lots of first-time parents complain about winding up with tons of unused gear and goods.
For instance, if you rarely go for long distance drives with your baby and you prefer putting your baby on your lap while travelling, you actually don’t have to buy a car seat for your baby.
#7. Look for convertible baby gears:
Buy toys and other baby gears that can be converted to new forms according to your baby’s age and needs.
A crib that converts into a toddler bed will definitely save you some cash over the years. A stroller that can serve as a car seat as well can be an added advantage.
#8. Don’t buy fancy baby products:
A cradle with recorded lullabies, light and sound system and a baby monitor sounds good. But do you actually need to spend on such a product?
What if after you buy this high-end cradle, your baby finds it more comfortable sleeping with you?
What if he just doesn’t like all those sound and music?
Never go for fancy baby products. Buy products that meet the basic needs.
#9. Buy age appropriate toys and gears:
Your baby is ready to crawl and at that time you buy a brand new play gym for your baby.
Do you expect your curious little crawler to lie down and play under that play gym? Definitely he will be crawling all around the house.
From the above example, I think you got what I meant by ‘buying age appropriate toys and gears’.
#10. Search for sales and offers:
You can always find offers and sales on diapers, cloths and toys.
Don’t wait to think for a second time when you can get an offer. Just grab it 🙂
#11. Buy or borrow second hand baby gears:
If you can it is wise to buy/borrow baby gears like bathtub, high chair, stroller etc.
There will be always a close friend or a relative who have dumped those precious baby gears in the garage just because their children are now too old to use baby products.
Always make sure that secondhand products you buy/borrow are usable and in good condition.
#12. Use older child’s baby gears or save for your future babies:
If you are planning for future babies, it is always good to save baby gears, clothes and toys of your first baby for your future babies to come.
#13. Get a piggy bank for your baby:
Get a piggy bank exclusively for your baby. Toss in your loose change or slide in a fixed amount of money now and then.
Let the money build up and you can use it later; may be buy a good birthday present for your baby, donate for charity on baby’s birthday or even something more important.
Hope these money saving tips will help you to maintain a financial balance even with a highly demanding priceless little bundle of joy – your baby 🙂
Share with me in comments what’s your best money saving tips post baby that you have adopted in your life.
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18 Comments
Excellent tips Anu, couldn’t agree more. Imagine splurging on an outfit for a child who will outgrow it by the time you reach home from the shop.
Good and useful tips. Can use reusable diapers. Instead of disposable diapers which is good in terms of child’s health when washed properly. approximately rs 5 per diaper if u change 5 diapers per say means 750 per month .you can use it for something else.it’s just my view.
Excellent tips that help you save money with babies.
🙂
Very useful tips, Using older baby gear or using second hand baby gear is eco friendly too. Yet to get a piggy bank for my baby, will do it asap
using second hand products is really eco friendly…
Very practical tips! I think as new parents, we tend to get emotional and go overboard with spending! It’s all guilt and pressure, frankly speaking!
You said it correct roshni…I was also too much emotional when buying baby products…especially those cute baby cloths…but not anymore….now I have learned to buy only what is absolute necessity….
Indeed a good read .. Very effective tips.. Just to add try using olx or quickr for second hand products.. Some of them are rarely used
happy to know that so many parents are already following effective ways to save money….
using olx or quicker for getting baby gears :-)… a good tip saumya…thank you..
Anu, Its good!! even I used to get second hand product from precared for my baby. There are many product which we can use only for some days or months. Even u can sell that in precared.
Rameetha,
Precared is indeed a good option……thanks for mentioning about precared…. now I am planning to sell some of the baby gears…
hi anu,
too good….Inexpensive tips to all parents of Expensive babies……….but we parents always don’t like getting second hand baby gears for our babies 😉
Jayalekshmy,
At first I was also not so interested in using second hand products…but then I did borrow a few items for my son from my nephew who is 1 and 1/2 years older than my son … My sister-in-law and I often exchange baby dresses…many new dresses especially those which we get as gifts will be out of size for our kids…so we exchange them according to size.. 🙂
WOW….thats something good idea anu to use things of our closed ones.rithvik also use my niece’s toys ,sweaters etc whenever we go to India….. its good that u have ur nephew and sister in law nearby…..
Ya dear its good to use things of our close ones…btw me and my sis in law meets only once or twice in year… But we leave our ‘exchange goods’ with mother-in -law so that we can collect them when we go to india…
Did u finish reading ps i love u?.. Hw is the book?
Anu, Excellent write-up and very good tips for parents. Everybody should read and implement these. Thank you very much deariee!!!
thanks anjana…