When I found out we were pregnant again I panicked a little wondering how in the world we were going to afford a new baby. We had just gotten rid of everything baby and would have to start all over again. Clothes, food, furniture, doctors appointments, the list never ends.
I came up with a list of some of the things we did to save a little money while still getting the things we needed for the baby.
Buy clothes secondhand. Babies don't wear things very long. You can buy used clothing from garage sales, consignment stores, and off of Craigslist. We didn't know the gender of our baby so we stuck with gender neutral colors so that we would be able to have a wardrobe set up for baby when we brought it home. This saved us from having to go out and buy new once we knew if it was a boy or girl.
The same goes for bedding, blankets, baby towels and washcloths. All of which I had gotten at garage sales.
Breastfeed if you can. Not only is it healthy and a wonderful bonding experience it saves money, lots of money. Have you seen the price of formula?
Breast Pumps. These can be pricey. I have seen them priced as high as $800. If you need one look at garage sales, Craigslist or see if you can borrow one from a friend. The pump itself can be shared. If you buy one used you can just replace the tubing and valves and sterilize the rest. I bought my Medela Pump in Style Advanced breast pump at a garage sale for $25. The lady had all sorts of replacement parts including valves. The only thing I replaced was the tubing which I found online for $3.59 plus shipping. Instead of buying through the Medela website I bought from Amazon saving an additional $10 or so.
Looking for baby furniture? Again look at garage sales, consignment stores, thrift stores or Craigslist. I bought an Eddie Bauer Bassinet for $10 and a Fisher Price Swing for $25 from a garage sale early this Summer. My changing table I bought for $35 off of Craigslist.
Sign up for freebies, samples and coupons. Huggies, Pampers and Similac are just a few sites you can go to and sign up to receive coupons and samples by mail.
Great ideas! We are adopting our first child soon and we don't know the gender either. I have been able to score most of my stuff at garage sales, consignment stores, outlet malls, and and in store clearance. I just can't see paying full price for some things. Plus I am going to be staying at home except 1-2 days a week so money will be an adjustment.
ReplyDeleteAre you cloth diapering? I made the initial investment and got 8 Bum Genius all in one and 7 Fuzzy Buns one size pocket diapers. The up front cost is a bit shocking, but I think it will be worth it. Since we are trying to be "green" and save money I think it was the right choice for us.
Formula is crazy, but breast feeding won't be an option for me. I am hoping I will be able to use Earth's Best Formula, so I ordered one container from diapers.com to try it out. Luckily I am constantly getting $3/1 coupons for it in the mail because it is $28.99 a container. Oh well, I can't in good conscience feed my baby a less quality formula while my husband and I eat our organic food. I won't do it.
BWT, the pictures of your little girl are ADORABLE. Congratulations.
how about: http://www.examiner.com/frugal-family-in-des-moines/swapping-for-clothes-and-other-non-media-products
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