Best tips for coping on a reduced family income when first child arrives?

tiff

My kids are 13 and 11 and I'm 42 just to give you an idea where I'm coming from. My best advice in the world is to set a budget, live within your means and if it was me doing it all again I would buy secondhand equipment and clothes without a doubt.

I work in a charity shop and today we sold a Quinny Zapp (old style) in as new condition for £60. We have a moses basket and covers for sale for £10 and loads of childrens clothes for sale. Obviously car boots are cheaper. Let your family and friends know that you're happy to accept secondhand.

If I did it all again this is what I would do. I also wouldnt have spent so much on our wedding but thats another thread. This all saves you money so that you can buy the things that you have to buy new and more money to spend on whatever else in life that you enjoy. Money to save for emergencies etc.

Hope that helps x

fairy_bubbles

we had our twins in april this year-they were tiny but getting huge now!

best advice i can give is to by second-hand wherever possible-most things either go in the washing machine,can be hand-scrubbed or at the least,wiped down.

nearly-new sales are brilliant,ive bought loads of clothes and equipment for a fraction of the price new. im now planning on selling some stuff at the next one.

e-bay is good as well. ive bought a twin buggy for about the third of the original price and just bought a highchair for £14 that would of been £50 new.

good luck!:)

kippers

tiff wrote: »

My kids are 13 and 11 and I'm 42 just to give you an idea where I'm coming from. if it was me doing it all again I would buy secondhand equipment and clothes without a doubt.
x

:T:T

My DD's are 13 and 11 also and that's exactly what i would do. I bought everything new for my dd1 and nothing new for my dd2...i wish someone had given me this advice when i was expecting.

squeaky

Have a browse of our Families Board too

valk_scot

You'll get tons of presents of clothes and stuff when the baby arrives...take my advice and take most of the smallest sizes back to swap for bigger ones, otherwise they'll only get worn once or twice each. If anyone actually asks what you'd like be brave and ask for vouchers for Mothercare or Toys R Us towards the things you'll need later on.

Never turn down the offer of second hand stuff. I got rid of all my baby stuff after my second son...five years later we went back for another child and she was spoiled for choice as my friends turned out their attics. The only exception here could be a new car seat...it's important to get one that fits your car properly and which hasn't been in accidents. A new mattress for a second hand cot is also worthwhile. Use these vouchers?

NCT sales are the best place to get just about everything else in the first five years. You don't need to be a member to go to them.

Breast feeding is cheapest! Also easier imho. You don't tend to get deals on formula but the tins do make great storage containers!

Cloth nappies are cheaper than disposables. If a grandparent asks what they can buy, a subscription to a nappy service for a year or two is a worthwhile option.

As to in general it's worth going down to a reduced budget now and putting the money you save aside into an emergency fund. It's easier to research your local shops and get into a new shopping groove before the baby arrives! Got a freezer? If you don't have a decent sized one start looking around for a second hand one (freecycle, friends and relatives, ebay) and get it stocked up for when the baby arrives. Good for freezing breast milk and baby food too.

Baby food? Home made is nicer, introduces baby to a wider range of flavours and textures and is a lot cheaper too. Ready made is useful too though, for travelling and when you're really short of time. Tins are a lot cheaper than fancy jars. There are always deals for these.

Speaking of deals, look out for vouchers. New mums will get bombarded with vouchers and introductory packs from the clinics and all sorts. Also many of the big shops like Boots have special baby clubs where you'll get special offers and samples. Well worth inspecting carefully to use wisely, but don't get seduced into using a more expensive option if you don't need them. All these disposable nappy samples are great for travelling though!

aless02

Start cooking differently - this site has tons of cheap meals, a lot of which can be frozen ahead of time for an almost instant dinner. Perfect when you're stuck under a newborn and leaving hubby to run the kitchen http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

I'm not sure of your lifestyle choices, but breastfeeding and using cloth nappies are the BEST way to save money with a baby. Cloth nappies are a tiny bit of an investment at the beginning, but you will save a FORTUNE. I recommend http://www.thenappysite.co.uk or http://www.usednappies.co.uk to get your nappies from, as buying from new will cost hundreds (used is perfectly fine, don't be squeamish). The Nappy Lady (http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/) has some fabulous advice articles so you know where to start. Also spend a few quid on washable wipes (cheap flannels cut smaller also work!), which are just as easy and also save money. You throw in the laundry with the cloth nappies so no extra hassle! As far as breastfeeding goes, the best advice I can give (WITHOUT starting a debate) is that it will be very hard at first but pay off dividends once established. There's all sorts of helplines and clinics you can attend so DO NOT be afraid to ask for help.

Don't buy baby clothes from shops. Bundles off eBay or car boots are a bargain and your friends/family will give enough clothes as gifts to create a good mix. I don't think I've ever bought a single piece of clothing new from a shop and my son is 20 months old! Pram shoes are a waste of time, socks are fine until they're older, wooly things for wintertime.

Amber_Babies

Babies dont need as much as you think! Certainly dont rush to decorate the nursery because usually baby stays in with you for a while. Nappy bins definately arent an essential! Both my babies lived in baby gros for the first 3 months at least so unless you get given clothes, dont worry too much about pricey outfits. IMO moses baslets are a waste of money because they get outgrown very quickly. I found a travel cot (about £30) is good for downstairs during the day & then will last for a couple of years whereas moses baskets is a matter of weeks.

Also, the best nappies Ive found are Aldi. They dont leak & are super, super absorbant. I think they're £5 per pack so loads cheaper than pampers / huggies etc. Look out for deals on wipes. Sainsburys often do a half price baby toiletries sale so get your wipes then.

HTH

Kate

Tink_04

when i started my mat leave (bout 4 weeks before DD was born) and i started batch cooking different meals so that by the time baby was born for the first few weeks we had loads of meals ready so that we could just reheat them up and not bother cooking and avoid the shops too - we have continued to do this a lot and has saved up lots of time and money - as DD got bigger we started freezing smaller portins for her on these days too.

Gaia

congratulations!

check out your local Freecycle group - you can get lots of the stuff you need here as long as you don't mind it already used eg clothes, bedding, re-useable terry nappies, cot, pushchair etc etc - you can find your local group here: https://www.freecycle.org

sazziecee

Hi
I am 2 weeks off my due date with baby 3 and I am also wanting to make savings/cuts if I can, as unfortunately my husband got made redundant on 29th June and is claiming JSA now, and I only worked part time so only get £47 a week in Maternity allowance, still waiting to hear from tax credits whether our award will go up, but we were only getting £10 a week beforehand due to my husband having a well paid job.

I never managed to breast feed my other 2 children but I am super determined to really try and do it this time, as those tins of baby milk soon add up. I had also already decided months ago that I was going to try cloth nappies, so I have been buying them as I go along. I got a £30 incentive voucher from my local council if I spent £45 so got some with that, and also got a few samples of different types. I also have a stash of cheap pocket nappies from a site called tiny nippers, which were between £4 and £5.50 per nappy. My husband is a bit squeamish about the idea but I have told him tough

I had to buy a relatively expensive pram/travel system due to having very narrow access into my house and a tiny car boot, I was limited to about 3 types of pram, one of which was a Bugaboo.. totally out of budget, so I went for a Babystyle Oyster. But with my first children I bought an £80 used 2in1 pushchair/pram on Ebay that was as good as new and it did me fine.

I have been using local facebook for sale groups and picked up bargains like 20 babygros/vests for £5 etc and have bought things in supermarket baby events, the next Asda baby event starts on 30th August and you get good deals on sterlilisers etc.

I am also going to use just babygros for the first 3 months, they are cheaper than outfits and they look like little babies for longer too

Very early on I bought an £80 moses basket!! my husband loved it and I went along with it cos he had a good job, I am regretting spending so much now and keep thinking what else I could have bought with that money instead, so don't be tempted to go overboard

good luck

x