My £20k MSE Baby Adventure

ElleWoods

Good for you! I only wish I could do the same and be at home to bring up my 8 month old son. However I'm a single mum and I only have my income to rely on to pay the mortgage, bills etc - I don't even get any maintenance from my son's father!

Make the most of it - I just wish I had the choice to do the same. No amount of ebaying will pay my mortgage!!

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kateab

Well done Bev. Another tip for mummies to be and mummies is to find baby equipment and clothes cheaply at NCT Nearly New Sales. The charity sells equipment on behalf of sellers and keep a cut for themselves. Most branches have strict standards on what is sold and won't allow poor quality items into the sales (if it's a tabletop sale, such strict standards may not apply so beware as each seller sells their stuff individually). The main sale "seasons" are from now until May with a few in June and then September until late November.

I dress my two children with clothes from nearly new sales and they are in great nick with prices that you can't begin to find in the shops. I buy stuff from shops to fill the gaps. My son has been wearing a coat that cost me a pound all this winter! I also buy a load of toys for them too.

If you want to find a sale near you, keep an eye on the main NCT website http://www.nct.org.uk - you can search for sales in your area but keep looking as individual branches update info all the time. So, help a charity AND save money. (And of course, you can sell your stuff through this route when you've finished with it!)

kateab

joelle

Well done Bev! I've picked up loads of tips from this site even though I've always been on the, shall we say, frugal side when spending, it is nice to see that people can change their spending habits and get a buzz when they snap up a great 2nd hand bargain.
I've been shopping in Lidl for years (even when it was really uncool) mainly as I buy a lot of continental meats and cheeses and they have great quality at lower prices than the major supermarkets.
As for the NCT sales - they are great. I have just started selling some of my baby stuff at them but find them great for picking up 2nd hand 'Next' clothing for my little boys. Last year I picked up some Next jeans and a casual top for £3 and they look great on my little boy. They looked as though they had never been worn and as with most of Next stuff it is a classic style so always looks trendy and of course the garments wash really well, ready to pass down to my youngest! I've even picked up some great 'designer' bits as well as toys etc which you can always sell again next time (if still in good condition) once the kids are bored with them.
Anyway glad you are enjoying this site as much as me. Happy saving!

blackhole_3

What a great thread!
I too had a good job which I gave up when I had my first child. In a bid to save money (and the environment) we used real nappies and so saved heaps of money. When we moved to a new town I started my own real nappy business and I now combine my business with looking after my 3 kids - great!

PoundsLookAfterThemselves

Best post I've read in ages! Considering doing the same!

littlesaint

That's really great. You've done well. I admire people who decide to become full time Mums.

However, I do have one reservation. I'm not making any judgements on any of the other posters, as I don't know their situations, it's just something I want to throw in for consideration.

Some people take maternity leave, get the maternity leave pay, and never come back, rather than telling their employer they are leaving before they have their baby. This inconveniences employers and costs money. While I rarely support employers, and believe that stay at home mums actually save society money and deserve some kind of reward, people should be aware of wider implications.

This situation is creating in a lot of resistance from employers to the government's reform of maternity leave. I know of one company that had very good maternity provision, who watered it down after employees abused it. As someone who hopes to have children in the future and faces similar decisions, I would be disappointed if progress in increasing maternity leave is halted because the employers lobby is given more ammunition. In an ideal world, mums to be would weigh up their options from the outset and be upfront with their employers about their future intentions - although I do recognise that people's situations change.

I'm not saying the OP hasn't been upfront with their employer (I don't know their situation), but would encourage anyone considering giving up work to be clear about their intentions as they can from the outset. Otherwise, we could risk the progress in acheiving the family friendly working patterns that we all want.

littlesaint

Back on topic slightly. There does seem a lot of opportunities to waste money when you have a baby. I was in John Lewis's baby section yesterday and saw lots of Mums and Dads looking at £500 cots and £1,000 prams. I dared my friend to shout "what's wrong with hand-me-downs" at the top of her voice. She didn't. On the ebay thread someone was saying you can buy 50 second hand baby gros for £2 or something!