Raising Baby on a budget
When it comes to Baby, it can be tough to discern between needs and wants. You might feel like you just NEED the $800 wi-fi enabled stroller, when in reality a $50 stroller would work just as well.
It’s only natural to want the top-of-the-line food, diaper, crib, etc. for her, but most of us simply can’t afford Armani diapers. Thankfully, raising baby on a budget is totally possible. she won’t miss her caviar-flavored baby mush too dearly.
Diapers
You’ve heard everybody say it by now, but for the sake of reiteration, you’re going to need a lot of diapers. A lot. You can save money on these soon-to-be soiled staples of babyness by purchasing them through online retailers instead of buying at the store, or by buying store-brand diapers instead of the more pricey brands.
Making and buying your own cloth diapers may also be cost-effective, depending on your washing utilities and artistic skills.
Baby food
Baby food is tough to skimp on - you want baby to be as healthy as possible, after all! Buying in bulk is always a good option for cutting price, but an even better idea is homemade baby food. All you need to do is wash, chop, microwave, blend and finally freeze fresh fruits and vegetables to make budget- and baby-friendly food.
Just make sure that the nutritional content of your homemade food matches that of store-bought baby foods.
Childcare
Putting Baby in daycare can often cost more than a paycheck, so traditional daycare options might not be best for you.
Try asking a parent, sibling, or friend to watch Baby, or seeing if you and your partner can shuffle work schedules so one of you leaves for work a little late, and the other leaves work a little early, to cut down on hours you need to pay for childcare.
There may also be government programs available in your area that help parents pay for daycare, so it’s worth figuring out whether or not you qualify.
Clothes
Some parents spend a ton of money on their baby’s clothes - clothes that they’ll just grow out of in a few weeks. Although it can be nice to have a highly fashionable baby, believe us, she doesn’t care, and has no reservations about wearing hand-me-downs.
Try asking your friends, siblings, and anybody else if they might have any old baby clothes that would be cute for your little bundle of adorable.
The bottom line
Some parents might stress about their baby having top-of-the-line gear, or all-black everything, but remember - babies don’t know anything! Baby would be just as tantalized by an old shoe as she would with a $14,000 mobile - that’s just the way babies are.
You don’t want to give up in terms of quality, but there are totally ways to make your buck go further.
