Does a new mother need a new budget?

Erin - posted on 06/02/2011

Do you get paid matternity leave? How long until you need to go back to work?

Erin - posted on 06/02/2011

Don't forget about a savings for your little one. For both of ours we started a RESP (registered education savings plan).

Amanda - posted on 05/24/2011

The part of my budget that changed was our "extra" money and some of the money we would put away each month. I used to go buy clothes and shoes whenever I wanted / needed. Now that money goes towards things my kids need (diapers, food, clothes, toys, books....). Besides that and our grocery bill, everything else seemed to stay the same. Good luck and congrats!

Gabriela - posted on 05/14/2011

Babies need a lot less than everyone thinks. If you decide to use cloth nappies (diapers), then you will only spend on nappies once (or 3 times if you go for sized nappies). If you breastfeed, then you don't have to spend on formula. You can try special baby powder (w/ cornstarch and zinc oxide) instead of the creams which is heaps cheaper and lasts a lot longer. You can get all the furniture 2nd hand and some people don't even get any furniture. And then, you can save even more if you do things like get a cushion for a change table and set it on top of the washing machine (they are just the right height!). For toys, it's good to go to 2nd hand charity shops and get heaps for $2-3 for a bit of good fun when you and baby feel like it!. You don't have to do any of this things, but do understand that how much you spend is entirely up to you.

Tammy - posted on 05/13/2011

omg this amazonmom thing is awesome. coupons and savings on top of savings everywhere :)

Tammy - posted on 05/13/2011

Thank you everyone!!! Ive been lucky to have a lot of clean close donated to me from someone who was gonna throw it away but its only up to 9 or 12 months. And my friend recently just showed me a new consignment shop nearby =) perfect! And thanks for the amazon hint! i am an amazon mommy but didnt know about the diapers.

Tracey - posted on 05/13/2011

28 :.) then u get to enjoy it an hve energy to keep up with the little darling xx

Julie - posted on 05/13/2011

It might not seem like much having such a small baby now, but it can be overwhelming. Depending on how much gear you already have, babies seem to need a lot. If you decide to formula feed, you can sign up all your family and friends for coupons online and save a lot. Buying clothes at consignment saves, too. Just try to be smart about everything else. Unless you find a problem, buying store brands or the cheaper brands really makes no difference to the baby but can save you lots of cash...ie aquafor vs desitin. Good luck!!

Jamie - posted on 05/12/2011

We changed our budget to add in things baby needs (formula, diapers, wipes etc) We cut back on "entertainment" spending. Which was easy, as the baby got older, there were less places I wanted to bring her. Eating out is no longer fun! We also added in fun stuff for baby, so when you see the cute outfit you HAVE to have or the new play gym opens up the street you can try it out! Always looks for deals. We buy most clothes and toys from consignment shops. You can get brand new stuff for a fraction of the cost, plus the kids out grow things so fast it makes no sense to pay full price. Try Amazon mom for diapers. It's great, free 2-day shipping to my house, plus you save like 30% over what you'd pay at the store. Amazon also puts coupons in baby magazines so if you can find one, bonus your diapers are even cheaper! You have to do the subscribe and save to get the best price but as soon as my diapers ship, I cancel and then sign up up again when I need more diapers! No penalty for canceling!

Tammy - posted on 05/12/2011

ookay. I have a feeling i read this same exact post in 2 other forums i posted in about coupons....>_>

April - posted on 05/12/2011

There are no coupons for fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and lean meats. However, you can make quick meals weekly by using some of the same items, buying less. We only buy fresh fruits, vegetables, beans/lentils, lean meats, oats, whole wheat bread (because it’s not that easy to bake and come out fluffy), boxed wheat cereals for the kids, milk for the kids, spices, and coffee to keep us going. We shop at Wal-Mart after doing a full price comparison between Safeway, Sprouts, Whole Foods (a total money suck), and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart was the cheapest, we spend for a family of four, $100 a week on just food. We can get it down cheaper if we opt for frozen vegetables, brown rice and chicken breasts for a stir-fry for the week when money is tight. We don’t eat out more than once a month, which is usually reserved for date night.

Brittany - posted on 05/11/2011

Child care is really expensive (at least in my area). It was about $1,000 a month. Being a single parent you should qualify for some assistance through the state. It's actually the reason I don't work. Our state did cut backs and wont offer it to us even though we qualify for other benifits. It never hurts to ask. Depending on where you work and what if offered health insurance can cost anywhere from $35-$300 a month.

Tammy - posted on 05/11/2011

oo I see. Lemme write all this down. thank you =]

Sinclairbrooks - posted on 05/11/2011

Okay, you have diapers, extra laundry (detergent & utilities), needed furniture & supplies (highchairs, playpens, diaper rash cream, infant Tylenol, etc...), health insurance, life insurance (the baby's and upping yours), there are a ton of expenses. They seem small, but they add up. And keep in mind, that's not counting clothes, toys, presents, food, etc.... They are a ton of fun, but they also cost.

Tammy - posted on 05/11/2011

Thank you everyone for the help!!

What about child care? Or babysitting

Brittany - posted on 05/10/2011

The biggest change in budget was diapers. $50 extra a month. Other than that it wasn't until my daughter was about 14 months or so that I noticed our food budget changing... even then it wasn't by much. As for things like clothes, I would buy them out of season and at a consignment store, so they weren't really that big of a change either.

It sounds like you are in a good place financialy so the change over should be fairly easy and painless for you.

Christina - posted on 05/10/2011

We sacrificed a little bit of our play money every month to cover diapers (about $40), and now to cover both diapers and also extra snacks/fruit/etc. for my one-year-old (so about $40-60, because I wind up eating the snacks/fruit more, too!). A great way to actually "find" money is to cut back on eating out, and that's something we just easily reverted to doing once he was born. Otherwise, we don't really do anything different.

Tyrae - posted on 05/10/2011

The money that I took to buy myself and my hubby stuff got moved over to paying for our daughter for stuff that she needs, or for random toys when we have enough money. We didn't really need to change the rest of our budgetting, as long as you can cut back on personal spending you should be good :) Good luck and congratulations!