This time around I actually prepared for a baby. I am not sure what I did last time...but I wasn't ready for anything Dom needed.
I looked for baby deals- diapers, wipes, medicines, baby wash. I discovered that when you get a target registry, they give you 15% off everything on your list....EVERYTHING. You can put whatever you want, not just baby stuff. It's cool. You get the discount in the mail, and can use it several times. I combined that with cartwheel, coupons (store and manufacturer) and got so many good deals for baby. By the way, Target is the best place to shop for baby stuff...if you have a registry there. I was able to score 10 wipe refills for free, plus other really cheap ones. They
usually have a deal where you buy two boxes of diapers and get a $10 gift card back. They have the same deal for formula. if you look up Similac and Enfamil online pages- they send coupons(usually $3 off a can) that you can use during these sales. I would get Enfamil half off for the month supply with Dom. I had to use Enfamil because his tummy did not handle change well, and that's what they gave him at the hospital. So, for about 6 months I was stuck with Enfamil. I have also seen (and once used) coupons for the parent's choice formula at Wal-Mart. I even called the customer service to see how to sign up for such coupons (the one I had was for $8 off...that's so good!) but nobody could tell me how....so if somebody out there knows...let us know please!!!!
Also with target registry, if do it in the store, they will give you a goody bag- this time around I got a munchkin bottle, a MAM pacifier, and little baby shampoos and lotions, along with coupons. The last time (with Dom) I got basically the same thing....but way more coupons. That's how I started getting into the couponing stuff- especially for diapers and formula. Target (back then) used to have diaper boxes on clearance frequently. I got to try huggies pure and natural, babyganics, pampers, seventh generation....all for like 70% off. I guess all targets are different, because I have yet to find those deals again. I also started cloth diapers- I know what you're thinking-YES, I am a hippie. Seeing how many diapers I was throwing out, made me feel bad. But just because I do it, doesn't mean I will try to talk to you into doing it as well. It's not for everybody. I was lucky to get hand me downs for a fraction of the cost of brand new ones. But you know what? If I hadn't gotten them, I would have been fine with pre folds and diaper covers. Like these:
So much simpler. You don't have to use special detergent, nor do you feel bad when they get stained or old and have to throw away (like you do with $20 cloth diapers). AND...you can actually afford to have like 50 of them at one time. Cutting down on laundry time. I only do laundry like every four days with diapers. Life is so much simpler. I like knowing that I'll always have diapers and never run out, but I am not a fan of cleaning poopies off them- I mean I don't mind, but I know it's not for everyone. With this baby- as soon as the cord fell off, we went cloth! AND I just bought 5 diaper covers because I got rebates on my grocery apps,(we'll talk about that later) so they were essentially free. And this time around, I got a diaper sprayer...which makes life a bit easier on me....but that's a luxury...you really don't need that.
For baby clothes, they were basically all of Dom's...since they were born a week apart...no worries about that...I got lucky. But if I had to buy them, consignment sales are the way to go. The really big one is "just between friends"- they go around the country. And everything is in one place- clothes, strollers, toys, books, maternity, games, swings, cribs, etc...and the prices are really good. I bought $300 worth of stuff for $70 back when I was preparing for Dom.
This time around I went ahead and got maternity clothing. With Dom, I gained too much weight by the 5th month, that nothing fit. There is a group called "freecycle" online in every city and state- for St. Louis, it was a yahoo group. In Nashville, it was Facebook and online. In St Louis, we got so lucky. Almost weekly, people would give away baby stuff. We got countless baby books, and toys, that have since been freecycled to other families. The only luck I had in Nash, was a lady that was giving away her maternity clothing- all S and M. And what a score!- they were all motherhood maternity jeans, and target blouses and even sweatshirts. I would have NEVER bought this stuff, and I will repay the favor and give it to someone else in due time.
I also shopped for home deals. Like...toiletries, and food. I decided to do freezer meals this time around in case I wasn't able to get around. So, the deep freezer is full of food (along with pantry. I also got 60 rolls of toilet paper...why??? I really don't know. They were on sale, I got carried away ). And I had toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soaps, deodorant, and shampoos stockpiled from a while back. I just wanted to make sure if my husband had to go out and get stuff...it was mostly food. Cause, God bless his little heart, the man cannot shop. I send him with coupons and he comes back with them every time. Look around your stores and see which ones are willing to double coupons and up to how many...sometimes its worth going the extra time to that store if it means you can stock up on cereal (which is a necessity here) or pasta. For now, I only use coupons from the computer, so I hardly print them UNLESS I know I will use them, otherwise I'm just wasting ink....but sometimes...you don't even need coupons...the upscale store in town had "buy 5 8oz cheese blocks and get each for $1.50"...that's a steal, and we eat a lot of cheese, so it's worth it.
When it comes to groceries, sometimes you can find coupons online or in the newspaper AND you can get rebates on top of that. If you have an android or apple phone check out: ibotta, snap by groupon, shopmium, and checkout 51. Once you accumulate a certain amount you can "cash out" and either request a check or do it thru paypal. There are other ones like Shopkick or Receipt Hog- where you get points for walking into stores or scanning certain products in store (no purchase necessary). These points can then be converted to gift cards. With Receipt Hog- you get points for scanning your grocery receipts. And then there's the walmart catcher app- where you scan your receipt and walmart will let you know if a lower price is found somewhere else. If it does, you get it in a gift card. This one is not as rewarding, but I have been using it for about 5 months and have gotten $9 back. Extra cash never hurt anybody right?
So, you see? it is possible to have a baby on a budget. Nobody told me about this stuff, I had to find out on my own. But had someone told me, I probably would have been much better prepared for my first baby- which is really the crucial one. So much marketing, making you believe that you need this AND that...and don't you and baby deserve it? Well, of course, but you don't want to go broke! I still wish I had a phil and ted stroller, or a diono car seat....but seriously?? I can't see myself spending THAT kind of money on something that I will use for a year. But I do wish that I could, so I could try all the cool stuff out there for babies....
IF you had to buy something brand new- go for the crib, you'll definitely get the use of out it, and the car seat....since they have a certain number of years old and have had no accidents (there really is no way to know that). Other than that, give yourself a break....save!IF you know of more ways to save...please send me a comment...I'm always looking for new ways to save....
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