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01-24-2013 at 3:07 PM
mrsalishia...
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mrsalishiaaustin is not online. Last active: 05-27-2013, 12:53 PMNewbie

Baby Budget ??

Anyone altering there budget now, squirreling away money, or stocking up? I have read some info on budgeting after the baby gets here but I haven't found much info on what to do while you are pregnant. Any suggestions?

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01-24-2013 at 3:38 PM
AFwifelife
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DH and I sat down and made a rough estimate of how much we are planning to spend to get everything ready for the baby.  We looked at things online and priced out the basics and things we can't live without.  We are putting aside our extra money each paycheck and going to buy as sales pop up.  We are also planning to hit up garage sales for good deals.

With our insurance (Tricare) we won't have any OOP other than the extra charge for a private room but I would definitely add you OOP to your budget.  


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01-24-2013 at 3:39 PM
CelticWife
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I think it varies so much it is hard to say.

Some women I know have 3 baby showers and literally need nothing.

If you are taking the basics, you need a place for baby to sleep, a carseat, some clothes, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, receiving blankets, and bottles if baby will be ff. You can start out with just a few hundred dollars.

However, ftms especially think they need lots of stuff right away. Like target is in another country. They want finished nurseries, complete with matching bedding, decor, and glider. They buy an expensive stroller right away, bouncer, swing, video monitor, hooded towels, baby bathtub, fancy pacifiers with cases and wipes, wipe warmers, etc. You can drop over 1k in a baby store without even thinking.

I know because I did it. We spent a fortune on our first. I thought we needed these things, and half weren't used for quite a while. I recommend buying the basics, waiting until baby is here, and getting what you need.

I.e. I still love our wipe warmer. I admit it.

There is an awesome book out there called Baby Bargains. It has a pretty decent budget in there for various expence ranges.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to be over, it's about learning how to dance in the rain." -Unknown

DS: age 4

DD: age 2

Currently pregnant with our 3rd!

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01-24-2013 at 3:53 PM
leahaustin
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DH and I sat down before we started TTC and made budget for when the baby is born and during our pregnancy. I am also starting alittle nest egg so we can be alittle better than our budget, hopefully.

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01-24-2013 at 4:43 PM
1026pumpki...
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I agree with Baby Bargains- it breaks down the budget very well.  It also helps show where it might be worth it to invest a little more if you can, or where it makes sense to be more frugal.  I would also look at what the costs of daycare are if you are going to need some kind of childcare....for us, that blew all other costs out of the water.

We probably spent about $3,000 setting up the nursery, buying gear (car seat, stroller, etc.), and first year clothing.  Probably an additional $60ish per month on diapers and wipes, and $15,500 in our first year for daycare!!!!

 


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01-24-2013 at 4:44 PM
mrsalishia...
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mrsalishiaaustin is not online. Last active: 05-27-2013, 12:53 PMNewbie

CelticWife:
I think it varies so much it is hard to say. Some women I know have 3 baby showers and literally need nothing. If you are taking the basics, you need a place for baby to sleep, a carseat, some clothes, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, receiving blankets, and bottles if baby will be ff. You can start out with just a few hundred dollars. However, ftms especially think they need lots of stuff right away. Like target is in another country. They want finished nurseries, complete with matching bedding, decor, and glider. They buy an expensive stroller right away, bouncer, swing, video monitor, hooded towels, baby bathtub, fancy pacifiers with cases and wipes, wipe warmers, etc. You can drop over 1k in a baby store without even thinking. I know because I did it. We spent a fortune on our first. I thought we needed these things, and half weren't used for quite a while. I recommend buying the basics, waiting until baby is here, and getting what you need. I.e. I still love our wipe warmer. I admit it. There is an awesome book out there called Baby Bargains. It has a pretty decent budget in there for various expence ranges.

 

Thank you! This cracked me up and I will definitely check out the book! I assume we will get a ton off great things at the baby shower. This is the first grandchild on my husbands side and my Fathers first blood related grandchild. This baby is gonna sorta be a big deal Stick out tongue I want to use CD and breast feed (if I can) so that will cut down on initial costs too! I am thrifty so we should be fine. I worry because I make the $$ and I am only getting 3/4 of my salary during maternity leave...


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01-24-2013 at 5:27 PM
AFwifelife
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CelticWife:
Thank you! This cracked me up and I will definitely check out the book! I assume we will get a ton off great things at the baby shower. This is the first grandchild on my husbands side and my Fathers first blood related grandchild. This baby is gonna sorta be a big deal Stick out tongue I want to use CD and breast feed (if I can) so that will cut down on initial costs too! I am thrifty so we should be fine. I worry because I make the $$ and I am only getting 3/4 of my salary during maternity leave... 

CDing will not cut down on the initial cost but rather the long-term cost.  You can CD very cheaply with prefolds and covers.  If you are looking at pockets or AIO, that start up cost will be substantially more.  


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01-24-2013 at 5:54 PM
mrsalishia...
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I am planning to register for prefolds! Plus, I am hoping to inherit newborn sizes from a coworker since her baby will be a year by the time I deliver. Big Smile

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01-24-2013 at 7:30 PM
Bruton8288
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We are expecting LO #2, my rule is if it's on clearance, buy it. We have gotten tommee tippie products from Target clearance as low as $2, we have also scored crib sheets for no more than $3 a pack. We limit our take outs, and make lot of home made meals,pack our lunches. I'm also a couponer, so we get free things also. ALWAYS cheack clearance for great stuff. You'll be surprise how many great deals you come across.

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01-24-2013 at 8:46 PM
katiebenes
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We're just starting to save, and it won't be much... but most of whatever tax return we get will be saved for OOP and the like. 

My Mom and Dad are going to essentially spoil the snot out of the kid (first Grandchild) so we're aiming for 2k + tax return saved 


Eat your food people. You are pregnant, not made of glass. ~PrimRoseMama
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01-24-2013 at 10:18 PM
mrscountry...
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My DH and I have no exact budget. With that said, we do not spend frivolously either. I am a big believer in buying things on clearance. My daughter has fallen into clothing sizes right on schedule so I have always been able to buy ahead for her. My son is very tall and I'm always unsure what size he will be in what season. So I'd just be careful when you buy clothes on clearance, making sure it could be used in the appropriate season. I switched to CD's 10mos ago and I love it! I made the switch when I couldn't see myself paying $34 for a pack of diapers. I would highly recommend checking out the CD board on here. I spent about $500 on everything I needed to CD 2under2, and I bought all brand new items. For this next baby the only things I need are NB CD's and I'm checking out ebay for that. It's okay to buy used CD's, I just chose not to. And what I love the most about it is sometimes with sposies and even cloth, it's hard to tell if they're wet if it's not a large pee. I'd hate to waste the money of throwing away the sposie but I don't want them to stay in it if it IS wet. I don't have that problem with cloth. If there's any doubt about it being wet I just change it and know that I'm not wasting money because I will use the diaper again. Okay, sorry about my rant of CD's but I just love them!

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01-25-2013 at 12:16 PM
msmarsh
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Best advice I got and wished I'd followed the first time around:

Don't buy ANYTHING (besides furniture) before your baby shower/s. I know it is hard to resist, but I was amazed at how much we received from family, friends, clients, strangers. People are literally crazy about babies and love an excuse to buy super tiny pieces of clothing.

That said, if you see some amazing clearance deals on the basics (size 2 and up diapers, bottles, etc.) that is a great time to buy.


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01-25-2013 at 2:32 PM
jessicaiva...
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I'd try and start saving now even if it's just $50 a week or every paycheck. Make sure you call your insurance company so you can get an estimate of how much you'll be spending for appointments, the actual birth and if your blood work etc will be covered. (I have a $1,000 to give birth).

 I'd also think about work and if you're going to be working/going back/ maternity leave- how much you need to save to cover your bills for those weeks you're not working.

And then the cost of the actual baby- if you're not having a shower- what esstentials you'll need. Formula, diapers.

 It never hurts to start saving as soon as you get that BFP...at least that's the way I look at it!

 
01-25-2013 at 4:02 PM
shara3333
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I really just estimated daycare, extra groceries, and car payments (for the new car I hope to get in March).... and added it to our monthly budget.   So DH and I are putting that much EXTRA into our joint account starting now, so we build a pretty good nest egg and are just used to having less "extra' money every month.    We will use that money for baby things we need and don't get at the shower.  

Our budget also includes a few hundred extra every single month for misc....which we often don't really use....so hopefully that will help cover anything that comes up.


BFP 11/5/12 EDD 7/19/13  BabyFruit Ticker 
01-25-2013 at 4:06 PM
shara3333
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msmarsh:

Best advice I got and wished I'd followed the first time around:

Don't buy ANYTHING (besides furniture) before your baby shower/s. I know it is hard to resist, but I was amazed at how much we received from family, friends, clients, strangers. People are literally crazy about babies and love an excuse to buy super tiny pieces of clothing.

That said, if you see some amazing clearance deals on the basics (size 2 and up diapers, bottles, etc.) that is a great time to buy.

 

Thanks for saying this!  I really am having trouble resisting the urge to buy....but I keep telling myself to wait until after the shower!   Thanks for reinforcing it!


BFP 11/5/12 EDD 7/19/13  BabyFruit Ticker 
01-25-2013 at 7:54 PM
lauriemel
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One of the things we started doing as soon as we got our BFP was putting a little money every week onto a target gift card.  It's our "diaper card."  I have heard from other moms that you might not want to stock up on a bunch of actual diapers (if you're doing disposables) because you never know what brands are going to fit your baby best.  This way, you have the money set aside just for diapers and you can decide what brand/size you need when you need them.  My goal is to have the first year's worth of diapers paid for before baby arrives.

Anniversary
Me=30 DH=31 TTC since 08/2011
DX: hypothyroidism (me) and low morphology (DH, natch)
10/2012: 50 mg Clomid + trigger + IUI#1 = BFN
11/2012: 50 mg Clomid + trigger + IUI#2 = BFN
12/2012: One last try before we move on to IVF = BFP!
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