Baby on the way - how much should I budget now for my weekly shop?

Littlemiss-lotsofdebt

Just as the title says really!:D Our baby is due in early June and I am planning to have 12 months maternity leave, so really need to have a budget in mind for food and nappies etc. There is me and OH and at the minute I probably spend around £250.00 a month which is far too much but I've had a few health problems so not been meal planning quite as well.

Can anyone give me a rough idea of what I should be aiming to spend on food and nappies per week? OH doesn't eat breakfast but has a packed lunch every week day for work.

Thanks

Money_maker

£250 per month should feed you both and cover baby bits if you meal plan. In the early days, babies can go through 8 or more nappies a day so you could need 2 packs nappies per week. You wont need to worry about food for a bit, you will need tinned milk if you plan to bottle rather than breastfeed. This will probably be £10-15 week - starts high and gets lower.

Might be an idea to pick up a pack of nappies a fortnight or so from now til june - starting with newborn and getting perhaps a few of each size. Keep an eye on prices of wipes - we bought over 6 months worth when tesco had pampers on special - think it was a 6 pack for £3.67.

Pop over to the OS board for meal planning and budgeting ideas.

Oh... and big CONGRATULATIONS on the news :T

Glpark01

we're a family of 2 adults and one toddler. We spend about £200 a month, you should get £80 a month in child benefit which i use to stock up on nappies, wipes, baby bath, shampoo etc and anything else my son needs and we do just fine, its not until they get older that they start costing more.

xanthe

I have a 15 month-old boy and another one due in January! I understand the cost just adds up without you noticing! As Glpark01 says your child benefit should be able to cover your costs if you budget well.

Firstly, join all the baby clubs if you haven't done so already!

Feeding: Breastfeeding is free! You can get a breast pump for about £10 at baby events, etc. and express to keep in the fridge or freezer.
Cost: £0.

Or if you choose to bottle feed, don't stock up until you find the right brand for your baby. Every baby is different and may react to different formulas. Watch their skin, poo, etc. until you find a brand that she's happy with. Then watch out for deals and stock up! Newborn formula is rarely reduced, so use £10 off £50 delivery at Tesco, Asda, etc. (So you don't have to carry 10 tins of formula on 1 shopping too).
Cost: £10 - £15


Nappies: Cloth nappies are very economical (go to http://www.thenappylady.co.uk for more information).
Cost: Running costs is just laundry detergent really. £1 approx?

Disposable nappies: But if you're not keen on all the additional washing, supermarket own brand are as good as big brand nappies. You will also need nappy sacks (poo nappies stink out your bins!) Again, don't stock up until you find a brand that has the right fit and absorbency for your baby. Once your baby is big enough, size 3 (4-9kg) and larger nappies are available in boxes and these are generally more economical. Remember to look at cost per nappy and not per pack / box. Stock up using vouchers along with deals and money-offs.
Cost: £5


Wipes: Re-usable wipes (go to http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/public/articledetails.aspx?id=46 for more information). This is basically using cloth to wipe your baby's bottom then chuck them in with the washing.
Cost: Running costs 10p?

Cotton wool: Self explanatory
Cost: 50p

Disposable wipes: Again, don't stock up until you find the right brand with the right wetness, thickness, etc. and check your baby doesn't react to it. It's comparatively rare but she might be allergic to some of the chemicals in the wipes so check before you buy in bulk. If you're buying brands don't buy individual packs! Multi-packs are available for alot less e.g. you can get huggies wipes 9 packs for £5 or £6 all the time.
Cost: 80p

Your weekly costs would vary depending on your choices above but it should be £20 or less. Or you could combine different methods - breastfeed at home and formula on the go; cloth nappies at home and disposable nappies on the go; reusable wipes at home and disposable wipes on the go!

As a general rule, watch out for baby events, deals, money-offs, vouchers, etc, buy in bulk! Have fun with your little baby! :T

skintbint_2

would recommend Asda's nappies, however i bought good old terry nappies for using in the house and only used disposables when out and about rather than carry wet/smelly nappies around. with your baby being due in the summer drying them should be easy and there is nothing nicer than seeing white nappies blowing on the line - try not to dry in the house as the sun also bleaches them keeping them nice and white. remember you may get child tax credit/working tax credit as well as child benefit and depending on how much you get you may be entitled to a sure start maternity grant £500, once you're at home budgeting will be a bit easier and you'll have time to cook properly, try to stock the freezer for using for the first couple of weeks after the baby is born, and while you're still working make a stock cupboard and stock up on things like tins and pastas, loo roll, washing powder, shampoo, conditioner, if you buy anything just now thats bogof put the spare in your cupboard and spend £5 a week from now till you finish work on stocking it. enjoy your pregnancy and your little bundle

LizzieS_2

Plan in advance meals for the first week after birth - saves your OH opting for the takeaways! If your freezer is big enough, you can prepare some things for him to reheat, or just buy a few easier meals.

Personally I wouldn't stock up on nappies or babywipes. I have tried most and ended up with one major brand for one child and another major brand for another child, same with wipes - just get what you need for the first couple of weeks, then experiment which is best for you & baby before bulk buying.

claire80

if you are planning on bottle feeding you should allow up to £10 a week for formula , i noticed a big difference when i had 2nd son (1st was bottle fed 2nd was breast fed ) my 1st son at one point was on 1 and a half boxes a week , this gets less obviously as they ween / go onto fresh milk .

Nappies - agian as others have said join the baby clubs , pampers huggies tesco etc you will get coupons for money off , however i prefer morrisons own nappies and spend £6 ish a week - all depends on your baby !

When it comes to weaning - a way off i know , it doesnt have to cost any more , neither of my kids liked jars or any baby food , so i always made fresh or they had what we were having , make up purees and freeze in ice cube trays then pop out into bags , you can make loads of apple / pear purees for example for less than a pound - at least 2 weeks worth .. this is the cost of 2 jars = 2 days .
only thing i buy extra for my kids are yogurts and some variety is always on offer - again a way off yet but while i remember !
also agree with the above , dont stock up on baby milk as you dont know if it will suit your child , same with some nappies , for example i found huggies were useless were for kids .. funny shaped bums i dunno lol !
and again a good point is raised above - if your oh cant cook like mine i advise in the last month to make double meals and freeze , stews soups etc.

i would think if you budget around £20 a week for nappies , formula , wipes you wont be too far off, i find that my child benefit and tax credits cover it ( and i get lowest tax credits poss ) and some left over for clothes etc .

theladsmum

Personally I would rather have gone without myself than not have used disposable nappies!! Not very eco-friendly I know, but there we are.

Don't be afraid of using own brand nappies - my first baby's skin reacted to Pampers, I never bought them again, and had no problems with "own" brands for him or my second.

OrkneyStar

theladsmum wrote: »

Personally I would rather have gone without myself than not have used disposable nappies!! Not very eco-friendly I know, but there we are.

Don't be afraid of using own brand nappies - my first baby's skin reacted to Pampers, I never bought them again, and had no problems with "own" brands for him or my second.

If you do want to use sposies but also want to be eco-friendly there are some eco-disposables out there, although they are a bit more expensive.
I loved the real nappies, despite having a section with DS and breastfeeing, I still managed....each to their own though .
Babies don't cost much in way of food if breastfed, obviously maybe some more calories for you to keep you healthy....not sure about formula costs but think that has been covered already. Once you are weaning make them smaller portions of your food (obviously with less salt, sugar etc) and it still need not cost you so much extra.
All the best.

cobnobbler

They usually have the big boxes of Pampers on offer in Asda for 2 for £18.

vicki+1

join the pampers club, huggies club, tesco baby club, cow and gate club, hipp club, boots parenting club. this will give you a stack of coupons. then buy big packs of nappies when they are on offer.
don't buy loads of bottles now, when i was preg i bought a million avent bottles in varying sizes with varying teats. then my naughty baby wouldn't drink out of them. so had to buy mam ones. as i predominently breast fed her i only really needed a couple. first infant formula is not allowed by law to be on offer, because they are not allowed to promote bottle feeding. but some brands are cheaper than others. i used hipp, which was the cheapest at the time.
don't buy things till you need them, my baby is 2 now and i still have enough talc and baby lotion to sink a large ship, you will be amazed how generous people are with gifts.
likewise don't buy to many clothes, i actually gave away clothes of freyas before she had worn them. she was bought so many. i also buy all her clothes from the car boot now. good clothes at a fraction of the price.
when you wean the baby make your own food. a few root veg mashed up costs a fraction of the price of a jar.. which is not nearly so annoying as throwing away a jar when te little stinkers wont eat it.