Savings Sunday - Baby

Another late Savings Sunday post.  Seems I just can't blog on Sunday... but Savings Monday doesn't sound as fun, haha, and I know I won't get on here Saturdays.  Ah well.  We'll just say I'm always late.

This week I'll be talking about saving money where babies are concerned.

Diapers - You can save a LOT of money per month buying the store brand vs. the name brand (think Huggies or Pampers) alone, but go even further and only get them when they are on sale.  For most of our diapering days, we purchased the Superstore brand of diapers at a sale price of $20-22 per box... each box containing about 150-170 diapers (depending on diaper size, of course).  Another way to save is to keep your child in the smaller size as long as possible.  Don't move up a size because your child can fit into them, you get less diapers per bag/box.  Wait until you can really see that the diapers are too small.  The weight ranges are a guideline, not a rule (I had to teach my husband that one, haha).  Plus, wait until the sales are on and buy as many as you can.  Sales cycle every few months as well.  Buying in bulk is a good bet as well, but try to take notice of the 'cost per' part of the price tag.  I know Superstore has this on their tags so you can easily compare cost per diaper/wipe for bulk vs smaller boxes or brand name vs store brand.  You may not always get a better deal with a sale on a smaller quantity, but you might save a few cents per diaper that way as well.

Another way to save big is to go the cloth route.  You can make your own cloth diapers, get them second hand, or buy online.  I was lucky to find covers for 1/2 price at a baby store moving sale, and I got a bunch free from friends who were no longer diapering.  Baby diaper detergent can be pricey as well, but there are plenty of options for making your own for pennies a load.  I did my calculations and I figure that, even with going the cheapest route for disposable diapers (as I did for my other two kiddos), I'll easily save $1000-1500 by the time my third baby is two.  Oh, I'm using cloth wipes as well... and not only is this a cheap, reusable route, it is more earth friendly.  Especially since I make my own laundry soap which doesn't contain any chemicals or harmful ingredients for the environment.  Yup... saving money AND going green!  It just... takes a lot more of my time. 

Baby Food - Make your own!  Yup, you pay way less this way!  I can get baby food on sale, 3 for $1. but I can make my own with less preservatives, less processing, and less packaging (and freeze it myself for later use) for half the cost (or less).  After introducing the baby to food, I will change things up and just use our own food mashed really well, so as to reduce 'baby food making time' from what I used to do.  I hated making baby food with my first (I was trying so hard to be 'by the book' and it was far too much work).  With my son, we introduced him to more textures earlier on and he had no trouble handling them.  I didn't bother with food in the freezer for him, he ate the same things we did.  I will be doing that as much as possible with our third baby.

Nursing - This is the cheapest option over formula!  Really.  If you can, I highly recommend it.  Sure, it means you are more tied to your baby, but it really isn't so bad.  I also recommend getting a second hand pump for those odd times you'll need one.  I bought mine for $10, and I hardly use it because I mostly just nurse.  Formula can cost anywhere from $60-$120 per month, depending on what your baby eats and what brand you use.  There are always coupons to get, and I would snap those up as much as possible if you are using the formula route.

Big Ticket Items - You can get lucky with a number of these things by waiting for sales, or getting second hand.  Since we were planning on having more than one baby (I know, not all plans come to be, but still), we bought our car seat and stroller combo new (but got it at a deal... I love sales).  Also, you don't need a change table.  We hardly use ours.  Ever.  The floor is the easiest place to change a baby, and the safest.  Or the bed.  Or the couch.  You could even make a change table on top of a normal dresser.  We also bought our crib and mattress used, and managed to get a free toddler bed (meaning we needed to purchase another mattress, which we did on sale).  You don't need a high chair... those boosters with multiple settings for placing on regular chairs work great and take up less space.  However, it is always possible to get used high chairs, or if you can nab a really great deal, do so.  We managed to get a $200 high chair brand new from Toys R Us for $50.  Prior to that we were using a really old high chair that didn't fold away very well that I picked up for $10.  It was falling apart, and while it served us well for 2 kids, we really didn't want to use it for number three if we could find something better.

As for Moses baskets, bassinets, swings, and pack n plays, they aren't really a necessity and take up a lot of space.  If you get these items as gifts, awesome!  If you feel that, after having your baby for a while, you can afford and would really love said item, get it then.  Babies are born into the world with nothing, and you will find that, for the first few months, all they really need are clothes, diapers, love, and food.  A dresser drawer on the floor will work just fine as a bed if needed.

Clothes - You most likely got an entire wardrobe for your baby at your showers, but otherwise, to save on clothes, buy second hand.  I like to wait for bag sale day at our local thrift store.  Money goes to a good cause, and I can get a bag full of clothes for $7.  Garage sales are a good option, but watch out for that because some people like to charge too much for used baby gear.  I've been to garage sales with items that I picked up at the local stores on sale for less... brand new!

Any pointers you can give for saving money with babies?  Please feel free to tell me in the comments!  I'd love to read them!