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If I Let My Baby Run the Budget

November 21, 2016 | Leave a Comment

If I let my baby run the budget, things would work a little differently. Have you ever given such a funny thing a thought?

Let’s see…

If I Let My Baby Run the Budget

We’d buy the grocery store’s entire milk supply, I’m quite sure, skipping all the other aisles.

Sleepwear would replace our normal attire. We’d quadruple our sock supply.

If I let my baby run the budget, diapers would line the walls (in infant and adult sizes…). Enough for five to seven changes a day, right?

Pillows and blankets would also see an uptick. There would most likely be a fresh set in every room (and vehicle). After all, she’d be budgeting for all of us to take one to three naps every day (not bad at all).

What Wouldn’t Show Up On the Budget

As I thought about all the things my baby would buy if it were up to her, I realized something. The list was far shorter and simpler than mine.

If I let my baby run the budget, there wouldn’t be a column for snacks, caffeine, or Hostess cupcakes. It’s sad, but true. There would eventually be an interest in fresh produce, namely bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes. I’m thinking a juicer would show up on the scene with some pretty rad smoothie cups for each of us.

No cable bill or RedBox late fees would pop up on our statement. Collectors wouldn’t rag us about our debts because we wouldn’t have credit cards. There wouldn’t be stacks of fast food receipts or empty Starbucks cups because we’d eat every meal at home.

In fact, very little would be spent on organized recreation at all. A baby’s favorite place to be is in the arms of the one she loves, after all.

We’d save a fortune on toys and gizmos, too, if I had to guess. Her favorite pastimes are chewing on table legs, plastic spoons, wooden blocks, and mommy’s fingers, so there wouldn’t be much need for anything else.

What gas we did buy for the car would be used for those milk runs I was telling you about and trips to her happiest home away from home: Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Lucky for her, grandparents love traveling to see their grandkids, so a barter agreement worked very well in her favor to save on gas.

If I let my baby run the budget, I bet I’d learn a thing or two about life through the eyes of my child. I bet I’d realize how expensive my expectations are for the type of life I think she should have. Contentment would stop eluding me. We would shut off our devices and look at each other, again.

If I let my baby run the budget, it could be the best thing that ever happened to us.

The only problem would come if we ever decided to have another baby…I’m guessing she wouldn’t be too keen on changing her spending habits to move over for baby brother…

If you let your child run the budget, how different do you think your finances would look?

How to Save Money On Diapers

September 19, 2016 | Leave a Comment

After having two children under two years, I “get” diapers. We lived on a tight, single-income budget, so I’ve also done my share of deal hunting. It turns out, you can save money on diapers every time, if you know where to look.

Whether you’re raising a family, pregnant with your first child, or shopping for a baby shower, deals are constantly out there. They come in all shapes in sizes. I want you to leave this article with enough information to never pay full price for diapers again.

5 Ways to Save Money on Diapers

Crunch some numbers.

The best way to figure out how to save money on diapers is to start calculating the price per diaper every time you shop. Diapers come in so many different sizes, quantities, specialties, and brands, that it can be confusing to find the least expensive option.

You can calculate the price per diaper manually or by reading the store label for a “price per unit.”
This step is the foundation in educating yourself about how much money you’re actually saving.

BONUS TIP: Try writing the price per diaper on a piece of masking tape and placing it on your diaper box when you bring it home. That way, you can compare each purchase to see where you find the best deals.

Buy the largest quantity available.

When you calculate the price per diaper in any super market, you’ll usually spend more on fewer diapers. Do your best to buy the largest quantity available.

The only exception to this rule is if you have a coupon for a fixed amount like “$1.00 Off Any Pampers Diapers 52 Ct. Or More.” If you buy a smaller box of diapers, then that $1.00 will impact the price per diapers greater and may save you the most money.

Stores like Costco or Sam’s Club are great for buying larger quantities of diapers. Costco also has a terrific return policy. Pretty much anything you buy from them you can return in 90 days with few questions asked.

Collect coupons or codes.

If you tear open a box of name brand diapers, like Pampers or Huggies, you’ll notice a rewards code on one of the diaper packs. If you enter those into the rewards site, you can eventually earn a discount on your next purchase. Coupons, whether in-store or via manufacturers, also add value to your savings.

Buy new diapers secondhand.

A new diaper is a new diaper. Even if you buy from a yard sale, a consignment sale, or on a Facebook garage sale, it’s still (HOPEFULLY) unused. The only time I’d ever consider buying a used diaper is if it’s cloth. They’re washable, reusable, much less expensive in the long run, and much friendlier to earth.

Stock up during a great deal.

One of my favorite ways to save money on diapers is at Target. Their Up & Up brand of diapers is consistently less expensive than the name brand competitors. Also, they routinely offer a $5, $10, and sometimes $20 gift card back to you for purchasing two large boxes. If you know your little one’s size and can afford stocking up on multiple purchases, you could earn some serious Target cash right at the register.

BONUS TIP: Don’t forget to use store apps to get the latest deals. Target’s Cartwheel is a great example.

How do you save money on diapers? Tell us in the comments below!

Image Credit: Juan Galafa (UnSplash)

Planning for a Baby

November 13, 2013 | 1 Comment

Whether it’s your first or fifth, babies take planning. Even in the event of an unexpected pregnancy there are still nine months leading up to baby’s arrival that will require plans of some sort! A lot of couples plan everything from baby’s conception to nursery color. A lot of these plans require spending money everything from pregnancy tests to diapers. Being prepared will ease some financial pains when it comes time to have a baby.

Conception

You don’t necessarily think of conception requiring money per se but for millions of couples worldwide, conception can be the most expensive part of having a child. We were fortunate in only requiring the purchase of pregnancy tests, which only set us back $20-$30 total but have had friends spend hundreds on fertility drugs and tens of thousands on IVF. Though I wish any couple who wanted a baby could easily have one, it’s just not that simple. There are hundreds of reasons why it doesn’t just happen for some and my heart hurts for them. Conception costs can range from a few dollars on pregnancy and, or, ovulation tests to tens of thousands for IVF. If you think getting pregnant may be difficult for you, bring you concerns up with your doctor and see if you can make plans before hand.

Pregnancy

Now that you’ve had that “My Wife’s Pregnant!” moment, it will probably hit you that pregnancy itself can be very expensive. Though I live in Canada and don’t pay for any medical appointments, a huge proportion of the world has to pay for prenatal, pregnancy and post natal care. Make sure when you’re planning for a baby that you factor in any medical appointments, medications (even pre-natals), ultrasounds or medical tests such as bloodwork.

You will also have to clothe your growing body. While you don’t necessarily have to buy maternity clothes you will likely need to invest in a few pieces of larger or maternity items to get you through the last few months of pregnancy (and possibly first few months postpartum). I shopped around at local thrift stores, borrowed from friends and only ended up buying three or four items of my own throughout my entire pregnancy. I couldn’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on seasonal clothes I may only wear once, for three to six months. This will obviously depend on your lifestyle too. I wear scrubs all day and was able to wear them throughout my pregnancy only buying two pairs of bigger pants so really only needed clothes for the weekend. I also recommend checking online and larger department stores as well. Old Navy, Walmart and Target all have decently sized maternity sections now at affordable prices.

Postnatal

After baby is born you will need stuff. Babies require a lot and again this will vary depending on choices you and your family make (such as to breastfeed or formula feed or cloth vs. disposable diapers). Shop around before you have your baby and price stuff out. Ask friends, research certain things and get an idea of how much you will need ‘extra’ per month for baby. Also factor in any maternity leaves or loss in income.

The more prepared you are financially the better off you and your family will be. You can never be too prepared for a baby. If you end up saving more than needed, reallocate the funds to something else for kids such as post secondary savings or child activities. We weren’t prepared for our daughter’s arrival and spent the first six months after she was born scrambling to get our footings. I know if we choose to have a second child we will be in a much better spot financially.

Did you plan for your baby? What steps did you take?

Great Thank You Card Templates For Your Baby Shower

August 1, 2013 | 1 Comment

Baby showers are a lot of fun… but they are also a lot of work. And when you’re 8 to 9 months pregnant, and trying to get everything ready for baby, putting in a lot of work can be a challenge (especially if you’re still working). You need about 36 hours in a day – and that just isn’t happening.

So, from my wife’s last baby shower, we put together these great Thank You Card Templates to make it easy to get them done. This way, you husband or friend can easily help you get everything done quickly and easily.

Feel free to use these for your own baby shower.

Organizing

The essential part of making writing thank you notes is organization. When you’re actually at your shower, it can be so hard to keep track of everything because everyone wants to chat, and you’re trying to get through a bunch of bags and boxes. Instead, ask the host of the shower, or maybe your best friend or sister, to keep a list of what you get.

A simple tracking for can include:

Who Gave The Gift
What The Gift Was (Write down everything)
If Money/Giftcard, Include the Amount

Then, when writing your thank you notes, you can go right down your list, instead of having to track down all the bags, boxes, and look for cards to remember who gave you what.

Clothes

You’re going to get a lot of clothes. Here’s a great template for clothing thank you notes:

Thank you so much for the adorable (insert clothing items here). There’s no doubt in my mind that Baby Smith will be decked out in the cutest outfits for the first three years of his life. Your kindness is overwhelming and your support is so appreciated. Thank you again for everything!

Essentials

Essentials include all the random baby toys, diapers, and butt paste that people will give you at your shower. This includes the basket of essentials that a lot of people put together to give you.

Thank you so much for the (insert essential items here). It’s a little overwhelming to see how much Baby Smith will need in the first few years of his life, but I’m getting so excited and I’m so thankful to have such a caring group of people to send me into motherhood. Thank you again for everything.

Money and Giftcards

A lot of people will simply give you money or giftcards to stores like Babies R Us or similar stores. That is so useful, but it’s sometimes hard to write a thank you note for.

Thank you so much for the (Babies R Us) giftcard). I thought I had everything I needed for Baby Smith, but it turns out this little guy has quite a preparation checklist to fill. I really appreciate you thinking of me and thank you again!

The Unusual or Unnecessary

No matter what, people will stray from your registry, and give you something totally odd. Or maybe Aunt Mae will have made something that you know your baby will never use. Regardless, here’s a catch-all for the random and unnecessary stuff people will inevitably get you.

Thank you so much for the (odd item here). I really appreciate you thinking of us and taking the time to (make/find) this for us. I know that it will definitely be useful once Baby Smith gets here. I appreciate your support and thank you again!

Getting Simple and Inexpensive Thank You Cards

You can get classy and custom thank you cards on sites like amazon.com, but for most, that really isn’t worth it. Remember, everyone who gets your thank you card will throw it away – and it’s more about that thought than anything else. If you and your friends are trying to be green, then you might want to send ecards instead, just remember to personalize them.

One of my favorite sites for thank you cards is partybell.com

You can get incredibly cute cards, like the one you see to the right, for about $3! You really can’t beat that price.

Not having a boy? No worries, check out their main site at partybell.com and you can find a bunch of other Baby Shower Thank You Cards for extremely reasonable prices.

Hopefully this helps you make the job of writing thank you cards a little easier, especially given everything else going on at this point in time.

Decorating Your Child’s Room

September 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment

A child’s room needs to feel like it’s theirs. When you bring home the baby, you never quite know what their personality will be. You probably make the room either pink or blue, depending on the sex of the baby, and you also probably put your own spin on the décor. However, as they grow up, their tastes will change, and you will need to keep up.

The Baby

The baby and young child is the easiest, because what you say goes. You just need to keep it basic with a child’s bed, a dresser, a nightstand, and a place to store their clothes. You may even want to store their toys in their room as well (less mess in the rest of the house). Depending on the size, you could even have a place for them to do homework, unless you want them to do it out in the kitchen or other central place in the house.

The Tween

As your child grows into a tween, you will really start to see their taste in things shine through. Now is a great time to give them a little freedom to start decorating their own room. You probably should keep a little say, but there is nothing wrong with a little paint and some new wall decorations.

In fact, they’re probably growing out of their baby bed and will need something a little bigger and they could choose from the number of childrens beds that are available. If you get new furniture now, make sure that it is designed to grow with them into adulthood.

The Teen

Finally, you’re eventually going to have a teenager, and they will probably not want you going into their room very often. They will also want the leeway to do whatever they want to their room. If you trust them, let them do it. Just make sure that they’re not going to cause permanent damage to the house. Also, for your teen, consider investing in furniture that they can take with them when the leave the house. It can be a good investment for both you and them.

How have you handled your children’s changing needs and desires for their room?