20 Ways to Save Money When You Have a Baby
Do you ever feel how much you try but still can not save money as you thought, especially after having a baby? Raising children is not a five-finger exercise. It brings along added responsibilities, expenses, and challenges. Today, rearing children is costly. As per the Child Poverty Action Group, the cost of raising a child till 18 years, including rent and childcare, is around £185,000 for lone parents and £151,000 for couples in 2019.
Additionally, the year 2020 has exacerbated the situation. With the pandemic, parents worldwide have to face new challenges in upbringing their children, especially with supplemental healthcare and safety, an online education system, and complicated financial situations.
Everyone knows the coronavirus is not ceasing soon. In times like these, teaching mindfulness activities to kids might also be a positive and healthy alternative. Additionally, saving money is an essential aspect to have secured finance in the future. If you are clueless about how you can save a good amount of money, worry not. There are many straightforward ways to save money, even when you have a baby.
The tips mentioned below in this article will help you make good savings and cut costs regardless of your child’s age.
20 practical ways to save money
1. Don’t buy clothes far in advance
Newborn babies can have sudden growth. The clothes that perfectly fit your baby this winter might not fit in the following winter. So, buy only the particular garments that are essential after having a baby.
Do not buy more than 4-5 sets of outfits. Following trends and fashion and ending up buying lots of clothes for your baby is not a wise use of money. Moreover, people love to gift clothes to newborn ones, so cut this expenditure. Instead, save that money for your kid’s future.
2. Buying apt bottles
Never buy bottles before your baby is born. Do not go crazy by ending up buying dozens of bottles because you never know which brand your baby is going to love. Instead, consult your doctor and buy only the doctor’s recommended bottle. Only a set of bottles will suffice.
Remember, you may buy all the expensive branded bottles, but your baby may end up liking the less expensive one.
3. Get smarter at buying diapers
Diapers are the thing that you require in a large amount after having a baby. And, there is no doubt that diapers are in the expensive category of baby stuff. Please do not stick to only brands when it comes to diapers.
Several brands offer good quality diapers at a very reasonable price that perfectly falls under everyone’s budget. Like this, you can save a good amount of money. Also, another way is to get your hands on reusable cotton napkins ditching use-only-once diapers.
4. Stick to your shopping list
Often, couples tend to buy unnecessary stuff for the kids just because they are cute. This surpasses their shopping expenses. So, before heading to supermarts, list out all the most important things you need to buy and buy only listed items. Never buy things thinking it might be helpful in the future or because you find them eye-catching.
Roughly estimate your shopping budget for listed things before heading out. This way, you can stick only to your shopping list and refrain from extra spending.
5. Utilize the electronic gadgets
Various types of electronic devices are available in the market that meet almost every household stuff requirement. The basics would be a washing machine, automatic rice cooker, oven, robot vacuum cleaner, and smart coffee maker.
With the full utilization of such electronic gadgets, your work becomes trouble-free and fast, and you do not require any household helpers or maids. Instead of hiring maids and handing them their salary, invest in buying electronic devices. It is a one-time investment for the long term.
6. Cash in on the items that you do not need
Sometimes unknowingly, you may end up buying lots of clothes and toys before the baby is born. But, you never know if your baby is going to use those items once.
In such a case, sell the unused or used baby clothes through some thrift sale online store where you can upload images of things you want to sell and contact the customer online. This way, you can cash in some money by selling items that you do not need.
7. Say more to breastfeeding
When it comes to feeding, breastfeeding is much healthier and cost-effective than formula. However, no matter which method you choose to feed your baby, there is some cost associated with both ways.
Even though breastfeeding is free of cost, moms should buy breast pumps and other related things such as milk storage bottles and bags. But, even including all these costs, moms can save around $500 to $1000 per year with breastfeeding compared to formula feeding.
8. Make your own baby food
Making your baby food at home can be more cost-effective than buying it by the jar as your child grows. Baby food is easy to make as it is essentially pureed fruits, vegetables, and proteins.
You can also make and freeze baby food packets if you have access to fresh produce and a blender or food processor, which can double as teething aids.
9. Do not stress in making a nursery for baby
Parents often think of making a nursery for their newly born babies. But if your baby is sleeping correctly in their room, there is no need to spend extra money making a separate nursery. The only thing they need is a space like a bassinet or a crib.
Just purchase a convertible crib. These can go from crib to toddler bed to a twin or full-size bed in most cases, making it economical as it grows with your baby.
10. Do not stock up on baby products
Buying too many baby products and stocking up for future use is a foolish move. Do not forget that each item comes with expiry dates. There can be the case where you bought dozens of diaper rash creams but ended up never using them, and they expired.
So, never stock up on too many things in advance. You can get them whenever you require them. Do not overthink about future needs.
11. Borrow some baby stuff from relatives
You can ask for some basic baby stuff with some other relative who has given birth before you. They may acquire many baby items that are no longer in use for them, like cribs. You can cut expenditure by not buying those things. Also, feel free to get money management bits of advice from that couple.
12. Ask your pediatrician for a free sample
If you can get the formula for eczema cream free of cost, then ask for it. Stock up diapers and formula as much as you can when you are leaving the hospital. Every nurse is willing to give you. Also, do not hesitate to ask for freebies from your pediatrician too.
13. Look for the genuine product
There is no doubt that many fake brands and products are readily available in the market, and you can easily get tricked by them. So, beware while buying products. If you cannot determine real and fake, make an online order from their official website, if possible.
The market also has a duplicate version for the same product of the same brand, so always be careful before spending money randomly on them.
14. Buy only generic products
No need to buy any fancy products. They are always more expensive than the regular ones. Save your money by buying the regular one rather than investing in the fancy. All you need is quality.
Thus, always buy only generic products, such as skip buying a fancy thermometer. The most used thermometer to measure the baby’s temperature accurately is a rectal thermometer. Doctors also recommend a rectal thermometer and a digital thermometer.
15. Do not hire a nanny
It is better to babysit by yourself. If you have no idea how to look after your newly born baby, seek help from elder family members such as mother, mother-in-law, or who have just completed their post-pregnancy period. You can save an outstanding amount of money that you would pay to a nanny for it.
In case you are a working mother, ask your company to extend maternity leave more, if possible. Otherwise, compare the total cost and savings associated with going to an office and hiring a babysitter to yourself babysitting your baby, and make a wise decision that benefits you more.
16. Consider health insurance
Many people think investing money in such a health insurance company is not beneficial, which is absolutely wrong. It is best to consider health insurance once you get pregnant. The pregnancy period is vulnerable and complicated. Many health risks and issues come along with pregnancy.
Unfortunately, if something happens to you or your newly born baby that requires a considerable amount of money urgently, you can use your health insurance card there.
17. Registering the birth
Once your baby is born, you first need to register your baby’s birth at your local registry office. Otherwise, you may be fined £200 or more depending on the place and law. Once you register the childbirth, which only takes a considerable amount of time, you will receive your child’s birth certificate.
18. Keep toys to a minimum
Kids are destructive in nature. They do not care about the money or the price of the toys. You may bring the most expensive toys from the store for your baby, but they might end up breaking them within an hour, making it a total waste of your money.
Kids often seem happier playing with wrapping paper and boxes than the toys inside. Instead of buying expensive toys, purchasing cheap ones, eye-catching ones for kids, is safe play. Moreover, try to give your baby a basket collecting everyday items like hair brushes, spatulas, and empty kitchen roll tubes.
19. Cancel automatic subscriptions and memberships
Suppose you are paying a subscription fee to multiple platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Amazon Prime, then now it’s time to cancel their subscription. Or, you may subscribe to only one platform among them, which you may think you get some time from your baby to watch because looking after a baby is such a time-consuming task that you won’t get any other extra time to watch shows or movies.
So, it is better to cancel the automatic subscription as it is a waste of money if you have no time for watching it. Also, look out for other unnecessary subscriptions that might be clinging to your credit card.
20. Reuse or share baby stuff
If it is your first baby and has already planned on having another one in the future, then try to keep all the baby stuff properly for future use. By doing so, you do not need to spend on the same kinds of stuff again for your second one, saving a good amount of money.
But if you have no plan of having another baby in the future, save all that baby stuff safely so that you can pass it on to some other family members who are planning to have a baby.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these aforementioned ideas and tricks might be helpful for you to know how to save a good lot of money when you have a baby. As new parents, you will learn gradually about handling the baby situation. In the process, your expectations before delivery might be different from the experiences after. So a lot of surprises come along the parental journey.
Remember you cannot get your money back once it is gone. So, be a wise parent and think about your baby’s future before spending money blindly. Better seek sound advice from other experienced parents too.
Best of luck to the new parents!
