Budgeting For A Baby
I’m not much of a planner, but I like to be prepared. Does that make sense? Doesn’t matter. That’s how I am. Maybe I need to plan somethings but not everything. Well, now that we are pregnant and have our first baby on the way, I have been trying to plan/prepare for certain things. But the hard part is that I have never done this before! And to add to it, everyone does it differently. And then add to that, every baby is different. Awesome. Sounds like I’m planning and preparing for something that you can’t really do either for. Well, I’m still gonna try.
Right now I am working on budgeting for a baby. It’s a big deal to me (as I am sure it should be). But like I said, I have never done this before. It’s one thing to budget for a wife and a dog. They are easy. He wants food and she wants shopping money. Ok. Cool. Here’s what we got. But to add a baby to that I now I have to figure out diapers and wipes and formula and baby food and trash bags for throwing away all those things and car seats and massive bows (judging from the size of them they have to be pretty expensive) and who knows what else. And I am pretty sure there have to be other things that I don’t know about. What about toys and stuffed animals? Dolls?! I don’t have a clue how much a Barbie costs! I bet if I can keep the “little girls have the cutest clothes” thinking to a minimum we might not be completely broke.
But, even with all that, it is funny how priorities change. Security and safety is higher on my list than it was before. Of course I want my wife safe, but now it is different. Cable and internet are not as high as they used to be (but that could be because of the iPhone). I haven’t had a poker bank roll in forever and that’s not because I lost it all. But try as I might, I still don’t know what is about to come or really how to handle it. I am gonna do my best, which won’t be enough, AND trust that God will take care of the rest. I might not know what I’m about to have to pay for, but I know God does and He will provide for us! (God, if you could go ahead and email me the budget spreadsheet, that would be great!)
May vision of You be the death of me. 
Don’t waste your money on trash bags to throw away poop. Plastic bags from the grocery store work great. Go self check out and just grab a few extra each time.
Alright.
You can’t get away from the fact that diapers, wipes and formula cost money. If KK breast feeds the little punkin, then great. It just didn’t work out for this momma. This will be the bulk of your baby budgeting because you can find toys, clothes and other baby stuff priced reasonably if you look for sales. Plus, babies don’t really need a ton of clothes…that’s mainly for the momma and her wanting her baby to be cute. Nothing wrong with cute, though.
But, I can tell you that baby food in the jars is WAY overpriced. Seriously, it is HIGHWAY ROBBERY when you compare it to making your own. Now, before you think I’ve gone off the deep end and mill my own grain, stay calm.
Making the food for your baby is not only better for him/her but it will be nice on your pocket book. Por ejemplo, you can buy a package of carrots for less than a $1. Well, at least you can in Oklahoma. So, you steam the carrots, put them in a blender or food processors, add a little water or leftover formula that your baby didn’t guzzle down. Pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. Thaw a couple for each meal and and wah-lah…you have baby food. You could easily feed your baby six different meals with that package of carrots. If you purchased the jars, you are looking at over 50 cents per jar. Maybe more.
It really doesn’t take a lot of time. I would spend an hour or so every couple of weeks doing this. Once you freeze them, take them out and put in freezer sized bags. They keep well. I did carrots, sweet potatoes, avocados, you name it.
You’re welcome 🙂
Be patient and flexible. Tatum is 10 months old and I still have to change our budget monthly to meet her needs. As they grow, their expenses do too.
You will figure out pretty quickly how much the necessities are going to cost each week. Just remember that will change as she gets older and you start adding cereal, baby food, snacks, etc.
Make sure to set aside money each month for Kara-Kae to buy her clothes, accessories, toys, and more clothes. 🙂 This is VERY important.
Don’t forget to budget co-pays for all the doctors visits. You go to the doctor a lot in the beginning and those co-pays can add up.
Register for practical things for the baby shower…there is a big start-up cost for babies. The more practical stuff you get early on, the less you have to buy. All those tiny things add up big time. (bottles, shampoo, towels, washrags, diaper cream, pacifiers, onesies, blankets, burp rags, you get the idea) 🙂
You guys will do GREAT!
Reminder…you will now have TWO women in your life asking for shopping money. Good thing you have a thrifty wife!
Thanks Cindy for the tips on making baby food. I was planning to do that once she’s into solid foods, but wasn’t sure exactly how to make it. Expect some calls from me when we get to that point 🙂
Don’t I have the greatest husband EVER???
Cost Per/Month 4 Us:
Diapers: $40
Wipes: $8
Toys/Clothes/ect.: Thank you Grandparents 🙂
Breast Feeding: Free (Seriously free food for 6-8 months before they start solids)
Don’t worry about Barbies; I still have Kara-Kae’s. If you were closer , she could have free baby food from Dennis’ garden – chemical free!! Maybe you will have to plant a garden on your balcony. There is this old fashion thing called cloth diapers, but I wouldn’t recommend them.
All of the above-great advice. I would recommend you start now saving for a college/wedding in the future. It will come before you know it, I promise. A few $’s set aside regularly will grow alot so you won’t have to scrape it up when the time arrives. But you are right, God will provide when you can’t. He did for us, for you and He will for yours….
boys = $750k to raise / educate / marry = food (another $500k)
girls = $1.5 million plus
can’t wait to see KK and the baby with matching Gucci bags stepping out of their Lexus SUV in a couple of years.