I remember when I first found out I was pregnant with our daughter. I went out and bought so much stuff immediately – clothes, picked out all of the things for the nursery, AND more clothes. I knew I would be having baby showers but I just could not wait. The one thing I did not buy enough of or receive enough of at showers was….DIAPERS.
At my baby showers, I received all of the big stuff that I “needed” and so many things that I did not need. I remember regretting buying a lot of things (like those outfits that I had already washed and put in the nursery). We were prepared for our first child but we were not prepared for the financial burden that came along with her. Diapers, wipes, and baby food are not cheap. We learned the hard way.
So when I found out I was pregnant again, I immediately made a budget and I stuck to it. I bought some things but the main thing I purchased was….DIAPERS.
My son was 2 year old before I had to purchase diapers after he was born!! He was 16 months old before I had to buy wipes again!
So here’s the deal. When you find out your pregnant, instead of going out and buying all those cute outfits and burp cloths, swings, etc, stock up the following first:
Diapers (size Newborn to size 3)
Wipes
Baby Food
Here is how I did it:
When I first found out I was pregnant, I found this blog post about how many diapers to buy:
http://www.southernsavers.com/2012/08/stocking-up-on-diapers-how-much-to-buy-at-what-price/
And I did! I budgeted in about $70 a month and bought 2 large packages of diapers off Amazon Mom and Diapers.Com depending on who had a better deal. It was super easy and they were delivered to my door. In the beginning, the only diapers we had to buy were preemie and some more newborn size since he was so little.
We also did the same thing with wipes. I have found that Target is the cheapest place for wipes. Their brand works well and it is super cheap! Again…he was 16 months old before I had to buy more.
After we purchased enough size newborn – size 3 diapers and wipes, I started buying baby food. I knew that I would not have time to make our own baby food so I started buying them here and there when I had $5 left in our budget. I also bought in bulk for when Target put them on sale. Make sure you check the expiration date on them and try to get the ones that will last the longest.
We started Will on baby food at 4 months and we did not have to buy food for him until he was 8 months old – this is because we asked for it for Christmas from our parents and we were so thankful when they provided TONS of Stage 2 foods. This is the only thing that I wish I had bought more of before he was born. When he was about 10 months old, we had to buy them a good bit and it is NOT cheap! He ate 5 things of baby food a day which equals about $5 a day so $35 a week. It adds up quickly!
So be smart with your money and you won’t have to worry every month about essentials! We have enjoyed being able to use that money to go on trips and start saving for Will’s college 🙂
How have you been able to stock up on baby essentials while pregnant?? Leave a comment!
