Going "old style"

knithappens

I am in the same position, had little one July 19th ( have 2 older kiddos) and SMP kicks in in october ( marriage fell apart beginning o f the year so doing it on my own). I am trying to cut back so i can spend as much time as possible of f with Little one. was going to go back to work when Little was 5 months at xmas, but trying to cut costs so i can go back in february, when she is 7 1/2 months, I am going to ask to cut my working week to 3 days ( i teach 4 days now) I doubt they will give it to me, but no harm in asking.

I breast feed and cloth nappy my Little one, both i know will save me a few pounds, I plan on making my own baby food too like i did with my older two.

I am just starting to meal plan at the moment. and I am saving as much cash as i can from the beginning of my mat leave to buffer me at the end.

babyshoes

How far are you from your local supermarket? Before we had a car we found that a taxi home was about the same cost as delivery, so would sometimes walk there and get a taxi home - great if you want to look for reduced price items and deals, and use vouchers at Tesco's. They will take all types of vouchers, not just for stuff you have bought. Check out the vouchers board on here for the full story!

Also in the vouchers board, you might be able to find codes for free online delivery and/or money off conditional spend codes. It adds a bit of time at the checkout screen working out what codes still work, but can be worth it.

I would also recommend Freecycle - you sometimes find all sorts of things on there from decent baby gear to cloth nappies to furniture to computers!

esmf73

hi i'd look at Freecycle, National Childbirth Trust sales (FANTASTIC!), washable nappies, perhaps see if Asda deliver to you as sometimes they can be cheaper. Use own brand / value products but you're probably doing that already!

Check out all the vouchers etc that you can and if you regularly shop on line try to take a bit more time to find the bargains as they can be had occasionally! Just not stickered:(

Could you get relatives to agree to buy nappies for Christmas as part of your present? Don't forget to get different sizes for when your baby grows otherwise it is false economy!!

knithappens

the local council usually have resuable nappy schemes, my local council have just set one up where you get

one month free trial with a nappy laundry service
or
2 week trial using home laundry kit ( can then claim a £30 voucher at the end of the trial - £30 returnable deposit or this option)


some councils have a lot better schemes, worth a look.

Olliebeak

You say your baby was born in July, so I gather she will be soon be going onto solids. It's worthwhile having a 'whizzie stick' (one of those hand-held blenders)to make your own baby foods from anything that you're having (as long as it's not oversalty/spicey).

For my dgk's, I used to freeze stuff in icecube trays at first and then put into freezer bags (just taking out two or three as needed) - then I graduated into freezing in small containers then margarine tubs. Must have saved myself and DD a small fortune on ready-made baby foods.

Before buying new toys, check out your local charity shops - one of ours often has stuff suitable for dgd2 on a regular basis. I reckon that there is a 'really lovely lady' who has a child a little older than dgd2 and donates there on a regular basis - she buys great quality toys (Leap Frog and Fisher-Price) and looks after them - so :T to whoever she is.

mambury

valk_scot wrote: »

I do agree with you that breastfeeding is a great Old Style method of cutting costs...but the OP's baby was born in July and I can't help but feel it's a bit late to start breastfeeding her daughter now....;)

oops! Read that bit with my eyes closed!

Sorry!

Mambury

tillymama_2

Thanks everyone for you helpful replies.

Breastfeeding - Yep, I know this would have been cheaper and was my intention. But DD simply would not latch on! :mad: So formula is our only option on that front.

Nappies - Yes, you're right. Reusables are going to be our best bet I think. I hadn't tried them up til this point as I was of the thinking that getting used to having a baby was enough for us to deal with in the first few months!! Now we're a bit more settled, I think I'll have another look into it

Supermarket - Unfortunately our nearest Tesco is about 5 miles away and getting there to do a big shop will be impossible with an 8 week old baby in tow!! However, I'm thinking about going there on the bus to do a bargain shop only...just picking up these hallowed "yellow stickies" and then getting the normal stuff on the online shop.

Do Tesco have these stickered products all the time? Or just at closing time? I'd only be able to do this jaunt on the bus with DD during the day. I don't want to waste £3 bus fair to get over there if it's not going to be worth it from a savings perspective. Especially as I'll still need to fork out £4 for delivery.

I am already an online voucher freak so will continue to use these.

To the poster who mentioned Asda...whenever I've checked on mysupermarket, Tesco has always come out cheaper for me on our usual shop. Do they do better offers than Tesco?

Slowcooker/Breadmaker - I will be dusting off my slow cooker and I think I've talked DH round in terms of investing in a breadmaker :beer: Does anyone know where I can buy a bigger kitchen :rotfl:!!!

NCT - Already our friend! Off to the next sale next month to stock up on Xmas pressies and the next 2 sizes of clothes!!


Thanks again, and keep these tips coming!!

Helen x

ktpie

Olliebeak wrote: »

You say your baby was born in July, so I gather she will be soon be going onto solids. It's worthwhile having a 'whizzie stick' (one of those hand-held blenders)to make your own baby foods from anything that you're having (as long as it's not oversalty/spicey).

For my dgk's, I used to freeze stuff in icecube trays at first and then put into freezer bags (just taking out two or three as needed) - then I graduated into freezing in small containers then margarine tubs. Must have saved myself and DD a small fortune on ready-made baby foods.

We did baby led weaning and it made life a lot easier, plus didn't have to buy any jars of baby food. I didn't puree anything for DS. You've still got a few months to go before you get to all that fun (mess!).

Personally I wouldn't bother making the extra trip for the reduced things. Usually when I look they are only reduced by about 10p. I think the better reductions are in the evenings. Maybe if you are nearby for something else you could pop in and have a look sometime so it isn't a special trip?

Triggles

We had a baby in July as well, and I am a SAHM, so we are always looking for ways to reduce spending as well. We use disposable nappies, however, we do buy the store brand (Sains) and simply stock up when they are on offer (which they are regularly). Same with baby wipes. Formula is never on offer, so we just have to bite the bullet and buy it (breastfeeding was stopped early due to medical problems).

We do a meal plan approximately every 1-2 wks. I always do a quick inventory of everything in the freezers and cupboards first, then tick off as I use them in the meal plan. That way I am using what I have already at home as well, so things don't get wasted. I also keep an eye on the sales and try to make sure to implement them in the meal plan as well. Always keep on hand some stuff for fast meals as well (like beans on toast and such), so that when you're tired and stressed, you're not as tempted to do takeaway as that REALLY eats into the budget! We put cleaning solutions, nappies, formula, household items all in the grocery budget - as someone else said, if it's in the trolley, it's paid out of the grocery money.

Secondhand and freecycle, as well as charity shops, can be a great source of baby items and clothing.

ktpie

One of my friends used formula and I remember her saying that she could buy it cheaply at the local baby clinic. I never saw any at the one I used to go to so maybe it is only in certain areas. Might be worth asking the health visitor?