Experience is the best teacher in telling you how to keep with your baby essentials while on a budget. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a single-income household or you’re blessed to have more than once income stream. The fact of the matter is: it is a sensible, logical decision for mothers to look for ways to stretch that budget especially when you have a baby in the house.
Here are tips from a woman who is raising three children who are below three years old on how to keep up with your baby essentials while on a budget:
1. Check out your Dollar store.
We buy our diaper bags and baby wipes at the Dollar store. Saves us a lot of money and the quality is the same as those you can buy from regular department stores. Household items such as paper towels, toilet paper, dishwashing liquid, and detergent (liquid and powder) can also be purchased in there. Trust me, they can stretch your hard-earned cash a loong way. Just be sure to clean up your car’s trunk before you go on a Dollar Store shopping spree.
2. Use coupons.
Baby formula, baby food, pancakes, yogurt…you name it. The makers of these products do give out, print, offer coupons. Every month, I receive Enfamil coupons in my mailbox. Each coupon is worth $5. I’ve been breastfeeding so a lot of those coupons has been thrown in the trash can. But now that I’m supplementing, those coupons will come in handy. A 12.5 oz (345 g) Enfamil Infant Formula is priced at around $16. If you use the coupon, you only have to pay $11. Every dollar counts!
3. Run to Goodwill.
Your infant grows up very fast. You don’t really need a $20 newborn onesies. He’ll outgrow that faster than you can blink your eye. Goodwill is a treasure trove of baby clothes and shopping in there protects your wallet from total annihilation. After having twins, my husband and I learned the lesson of not to get too excited about buying the cutest receiving blanket that bears a hefty price tag. For our third baby (my second pregnancy), we went to Good Will and found a $5 bassinet. Yes, you got that right: $5. We also scored a couple of blankets and towels, all priced below $5. And while you’re at Good Will, make sure to note which colored tags are on sale. They usually do 50% off on certain colored tags on weekends. For 10 onesies, three pairs of pants, and 10 bibs, we only paid $25 and walked out of Good Will satisfied.
4. Or scour Ebay.
E-bay is big on bids and used items. Some sellers sell baby things such as onesies and bottles at a discounted prices. They usually do bundles. Some offer free shipping. I haven’t been successful in my bids for clothes but I have purchased books on homeschooling, preschool curriculum, and day care centers, each one sold below four dollars. I purchased my maternity bras, belly wrap, and nipple butter cream from US-based sellers. Some personal items such as leggings, blouses, and pairs of earring I bought from sellers based in China. If it’s your first time though, make sure to deal with US-based seller first in case of problems such as delayed shipment and wrong product delivered.
5. Sign up for Mom’s clubs.
If you’re pregnant, don’t forget to sign up in Mom’s clubs. Similac and Enfamil are pretty generous and will send you a kit valued at $300. Your kit normally contains sample formula milk products, coupons, and reading materials. Gerber also sent me a couple of products. The hospital where you are going to deliver will probably give you a bag containing some freebies too. Go to the websites of the brands I previously mentioned and sign up. You can always keep those formula milk if you decide to breastfeed and then take them out of the cabinet where you stored them should you decide to supplement later on.
6. Buy in bulk.
Let’s talks diapers. To be honest, I prefer shopping at Walmart for them because they carry the Parent’s Choice brand. It’s affordable and the diapers are of good quality. I also buy Parent’s Choice breastmilk storage bags because a 50-count package is only $7.34. Philips Avent, Lansinoh, and Nuk/Gerber follows closely and costs between $8 to $9. Boxed diapers at Costco are also a great buy. Get the boxed ones (Kirkland Signature) sold at about $35 and you get 180 diapers.
Any more suggestions on how to keep up with your baby essentials while on a budget?
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more samples of the products/brands mentioned above. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
