How much does a baby cost?

Glamazon

Hi

I would really advise looking at second hand things - me and OH have already bought tons of clothes (about 6 carrier bags full for about £5) and a bouncy chair £2.50, changing unit £10, carrycot £5 (this was brand new!!). Most of it is in really good condition and you wouldn't know it was second hand!

I will have to return to work but am currently saving up to allow me as much time off as possible and to help with childcare costs. I know that childcare will be the biggest cost but I plan to work 5 days in 4 so that I don't lose pay and only have to pay for childcare for 4 days.

Don't forget you will get child benefit, tax credits and can get childcare vouchers from your employer which will all help.

galvanizersbaby

code-a-holic wrote: »

Definatly!
Out of the mums im close to, its the working mums that tend to spend a fortune on kids equipment and food as well as the childcare costs.
The SAHM are bargain hunters who pass things on to other mums to be before getting them back for their own next baby and are doing packed lunches and shopping around to make the most of the household income - im sure down to having more time than the working mums.
When i was a working mum of one our expenditure was a lot more than now when we are a one income family with 3 children.

I have a friend who has been on maternity leave for a year having her second child. She is going back to her police job next week, but is only going to better off £20 a week than she is now due to childcare costs and increased travel costs. If she stayed at home and had another baby she would actually be better off money wise..... which is why her hubby is getting lots of 'attention' at the moment! lol

I love that statement! - us working mum's are bargain hunters too codeaholic, probably depends on your job and how much internet/flexibility access and time you have though to be fair - perhaps that's why you spent more when you were a working mum?
I manage to be very thrifty and work full time mainly by checking deals on the internet regularly (this site helps too)
Childcare costs though can be very expensive as you point out so in my opinion you need a decent enough paying job in the first place if you are going to return to work (it hardly seems worthwhile for an extra 20 per week! :eek: )

stuffandnonsense

I love this thread! my husband and I have just decided to try for our 1st baby and I was really worried about how much everything would cost. This thread has made be feel so much better I had had images of having to spend thousands and thousands even before the baby is born.

Thanks Everyone!

code-a-holic

galvanizersbaby wrote: »

I love that statement! - us working mum's are bargain hunters too codeaholic, probably depends on your job and how much internet/flexibility access and time you have though to be fair - perhaps that's why you spent more when you were a working mum?
I manage to be very thrifty and work full time mainly by checking deals on the internet regularly (this site helps too)
Childcare costs though can be very expensive as you point out so in my opinion you need a decent enough paying job in the first place if you are going to return to work (it hardly seems worthwhile for an extra 20 per week! :eek: )

With you completely, i was a working mum that was also a bargain hunter! I was just saying out of my group of friends you can see quite a difference in priorities when working, convenience was more of a first priority which is usually more expensive. I worked at a computer so my first child was kitted out with ebay goodies! But friends who work as nurses, teachers, police women, work long hours, bring work home and have about 10 minutes to themselves so bargain hunting is the last thing on their minds.... so i like to induldge myself and bargain hunt for them! lol.

galvanizersbaby

code-a-holic wrote: »

With you completely, i was a working mum that was also a bargain hunter! I was just saying out of my group of friends you can see quite a difference in priorities when working, convenience was more of a first priority which is usually more expensive. I worked at a computer so my first child was kitted out with ebay goodies! But friends who work as nurses, teachers, police women, work long hours, bring work home and have about 10 minutes to themselves so bargain hunting is the last thing on their minds.... so i like to induldge myself and bargain hunt for them! lol.

Yes, ebay is where it all started with me (discovered it in a big way while on maternity leave with my first born) and became addicted to buying and selling.
I still sell stuff for other mum's occasionally (bundles of clothing mainly) but not so much nowdays.
I'd probably get fired if they knew how much work time I spend on the internet mind you!:D
Keep up the bargain hunting!

prettypoppyknickers

just to add to my previous thread ebay is great for next clothes and h&m sales are brillant the clothes last so long!

i got a few bags of clothes on free cycle for one of the bags to be brand new next clothes so when people offer free clothes on free cycle i snap them up.

i dont know how this works but can you not get childcare cost covered slightly with tax credits if you are working? my friend does and she works full time and this is almost all paid for her.

tekkiegurl

having a baby is really big cost. it needs a lot of things, but it is the best thing you can have

Cadenza

I am fascinated by the different replies in this thread. We have a baby ourselves, and I must say I hardly spend anything on her. I think it really comes down to what work you are willing to put into it. A baby can cost very little.

One of the best pieces of advice I had was to refrain from buying anything you don't absolutely need until later. This is harder than it sounds because every time you walk in to Mothercare you will want to buy the whole store! I used all my restraint and it paid off. DH's parents and mine both gave us generous gifts for our first baby that covered some of the big items such as cots and travel systems. I fought the urge off to buy all the cute clothes and was amazed at the inundation of gifts we received and the number of friends who brought us bags full of their used baby clothes and blankets with hardly any wear at all since babies spend so little time in their things before outgrowing them. There are tons of clothes that have never been worn because I have more than I need.

So much is not needed-- for instance, I use a clean wash basin for bathing or take her in the big tub with us and I don't have a changing table. A lot of the rest I managed to find on freecycle or borrowed from friends and neighbours. I've picked up some ebay items, which has helped too.

I was sold on reuseable nappies from friends who showed me that they are so much less work than I thought they would be, and believe it or not, often work better than disposables. The modern adaptions to cloth nappies make them a whole different beast than our parents dealt with. Many councils will help cover some of the costs of the systems. I've also just started using reusable wipes, which work great. If you look at the costs saved just by using the reusable wipes, you can pay for an entire top of the line nappy system.

The best thing for us is the fact that we currently live in a very small flat. Before I buy anything, I ask myself "do I really have room for this, and do we really need it?" You'd be amazed how much goes back on the shelf unpurchased, and she has more than she will ever need still.

Best of luck! Having our daughter was the best decision I ever made. I'm so glad we chose not to wait!

cheap_plastic_spoon

If you have to ask the price then you probably cant afford it.

jonny2510

cheap_plastic_spoon wrote: »

If you have to ask the price then you probably cant afford it.

Can I ask on what logic you are using to come to such a conclusion?