Planning a family - how do you plan it financially?!

an9i77

One really good way of saving money with some of the one-off buys such as a highchair /baby monitor /pram etc is to buy second hand off ebay and sell second hand off ebay. That way you will get a good percentage of your money back depending on how much you use it. Some baby things are only used for a very short time before baby grows out of them eg moses basket/crib. Not to mention baby clothes which you can buy second hand for peanuts on ebay. You may even sell it back for more than you bought it and make money!

There are a few things that this does not work with, such as car seats and mattresses which for safety reasons are best bought new, but it does work with a lot of things. Its a new form of hiring!

JasonRain

Put your figures in one of the benefit calculator websites as if you're on maternity leave or a stay-at-home-parent - play with different scenarios.

Marshflower

Don't forget as well, if you don't qualify for tax credits towards help with childcare, if your work participates in the childcare voucher scheme, this can make a big difference.

Another thing I'd recommend - although naturally it's up to you and personal choice of course - is cloth nappies. Especially if you want more than one child ultimately as this will save even more in the long run. eBay have some great pocket ones and I think they saved us a fortune on nappies after 2 years. You can also use reusable wipes if you want but I found these a bit of a faff.
I really don’t think our daughter has cost us a huge amount aside from childcare (I work 26 hours a week, she is nursery 2 day and with the in-laws 1.5 days – such a huge help), especially if you and OH are cinema goers or out for meals or nights on the town a lot. In that case with having a child you may even break even at first if you use your MSE savvy!