Money and Pregnancy – Things You Should Think About
Having a baby costs money. You know that we know that, everyone knows it costs money to raise a child. There is a lot to consider too. What to buy and when? Do we want to decorate a whole room for your baby, and can you afford that? Are you going to buy new or second-hand?
In this blog, we want to lay out some potential costs and some money-saving ideas.
The Little Things
The little things like nappies and cleaning wipes will all start to add up.
Certain things are best bought in bulk. One larger lump sum rather than multiple smaller payments will mean that firstly, you may save money in the long run and second you will always have the peace of mind of having these items at your fingertips.
Interestingly there are also reusable nappies out there that you could invest in. These will save money, as you don’t have to throw them away. You can simply wash them and use them as needed.
As for clothing, unless you want to have designer items, we suggest keeping things on the cheaper side, especially while your baby is growing so fast. See if you can get some clothes second had or something from friends or family so not everything has to be bought new. Whatever you buy new maybe get items slightly bigger than you need to give growing room.
The Big Things
The furniture, the toys, and the blankets are all the bigger ticket items that your baby needs.
Cribs and highchairs range in price from very cheap and likely unreliable to very expensive. Check deals and shop around. If you see a cot that you adore it’s pricey, see if you can find yourself a discount code or maybe the same model from a different shop.
You may also be able to get some of these things second-hand or from friends and family if they are giving them away.
Other Things to think About
There is a list of other less important things that you may need to spend money on during your pregnancy such as…
– Parties – hosting the family even for an afternoon to do an announcement or gender reveal party will cost a little bit. You can keep it small of course and it is optional if you want to have a party at all so might not even be on your radar. It is easy enough to save money here though by making things like food and decorations at home if you fancy it.
– Decorators/Decorating supplies – Are you setting up a room for your child? If so and you need to hire a decorator or gather yourself some decorating supplies, it is a really good idea to budget this as best you can. If you plan for this to be your child’s room for most of their life you can keep decoration simple when they are small and then let them help redecorate later down the line.
– Medical things – Have you thought about private cord blood banking? Are you using private health care? Are you hiring a doula, and will they require payment? All of these things will likely have fixed prices so can be factored into your budget.
– Photographers – if you want to have plenty of memories you can hire a photographer to make so stylised glamourous snaps. However, on the flip side if you are happy with some more candid shots, you can leave this to friends, family and camera phones.
Conclusion
As we said before, a baby costs money. There are always places where you can save some cash but most importantly is ensuring you have all the essentials and prep-work done before the baby arrives and you are prepared for potentially costly things along the way. Even if this article is just a helpful reminder for you of certain things, we hope that no matter what your baby is happy and healthy.
*This is a collaborative post.