Save It Baby!
As some of you know, I have a little problem… It’s hard to simplify it to a word or two but here I go… Obsessive compulsive shopping. That’s the best way to describe it. Before you get your panties in a wad let me be clear… It’s never for designer stuff.. except Toki Doki. My problem stems from my current interests. What ever is filling my life is constantly on my mind… and therefore anything that can be bought for that interest is a struggle for me to keep my purse closed. Examples: I already have a stash of football baby socks, football baby shoes, and a onesy of Maggie Simpson. Not too bad. But it could easily become the same problem as fabric has become… impulse buying.
Ferrah was nice enough to send me a link to an article about how to be cost conscious when it comes to baby. You can find the article HERE but below I have given a small review about it!
#1~ Resisting baby clothes. Failed already! Sherry, new mother and writer of the blog, understands how hard it is, and gave in some times herself. But what I didn’t know or realize is that loads of friends and family are gonna want to buy our baby-to-be cute outfits, not to mention hand me downs. Though, I can’t imagine we would get too many of those because all my sister’s kids are quite grown and we haven’t had a baby in the family for some time. We will see. In the meantime, I’ll try to limit it to the special ones.. like Maggie and the football shoes and socks previously mentioned.
#2~ Register for biggies~ Now we won’t be having to worry about this for a while, but it’s smart. Get the needs on that list. People will buy wants. Some friends might even go in on bigger items which would be way more awesome than getting tons of binkies.
#3~ Hand me downs~ As I mentioned, not sure there will be much of that, but I will be visiting the baby second hand stores. Many baby things are so gently used that they are practically new! And that will extend my budget so I can buy more things… for the baby of course 
#4~ Conventional, but necessary?~ She suggests really assessing what you will need for the baby. Talk to other moms and find out what you can do without or find an alternative. This will save space in your house… which is what I will need. I have to have space for all my fabric. An example she gave was high chairs. Everyone in my family always had high chairs for the babies so of course I automatically default to high chair. But a great space and cost alternative is a booster seat with a tray! I never thought about it before but I certainly will look into it when the time comes. Also, we have already decided to go for the cloth diaper thing, which I mentioned in a previous post. Don’t worry, there will be disposables for whomever is babysitting!
#5~ Filling the piggy bank~ Now this is the only thing I disagree with. Not that it’s not a good idea to invest in your baby’s future… college is expensive… but every financial book we have read, including “Smart Couples Finish Rich”, says don’t be too eager to put away for your kids. There is time for that later and better to invest the monies in paying down debt and what not. It still benefits the baby for mom and dad to have finances straight. Plus, I can’t imagine there won’t be things the baby will still need.
#6~Return and exchange!~ Of course it’s inevitable that you will get a cute sundress that the baby won’t be able to wear until 6 months old… But that might be December! Don’t feel bad to return or exchange and get a cute warm coat for the baby instead.
#7~Sample what you can~ Not all babies like swings… or doorway jumpers… or countless other things. If possible, try things out on your baby before buying one for yourself… borrow from a friend. This can be difficult though. Anyone who is hanging on to those items might have a baby thats still using it. Still, if you buy, keep the receipt!
#8~ Bassinet?~ I think this will be the hardest thing for me to decide. We will have a nursery with a crib, but when the baby is young, and you’re waking and feeding so often, to have the baby in the room with you could be so convenient. And it seems like it might encourage daddy to wake up and handle it sometimes too. I am not ok with my baby sleeping in my bed, so if he/she is going to be in there, then there must be a bassinet. Feel how you will about babies in bed but I feel that’s for me and my husband. A toddler with a nightmare is a different story, but babies off limits! We do plan to put some sort of comfy futon or pullout couch thing in the nursery. I know family will want to come and help but it will also be easy if one of us wants to crash in there sometimes. We will see…
#9~ Milking mother nature~ It is my goal to breast feed as long as possible. I know and agree it’s not for everyone, and many women who want to end up not being able to… and even I might change my mind (though I doubt it).But you can’t deny it would save money cause you don’t have to buy formula. Also, don’t overdue it with the amount of bottles. Obviously breast feeding will help with that too. Not much more to say about that.
#10~ Coupons for things now~ I have to try really hard not to buy things the baby will need in the future. I have to remember that the store isn’t going anywhere and that item will be there when I need it. I am always a fan of coupons… so that won’t be difficult.
That’s it! It’s all so exciting but so many things to think about. And everyone around me is having babies! My turn will come… soon I think . Until then!
~ Piece