I was driving down the road one day and all of a sudden a BOLD picture of my soon to be daycare check entered my mind. It was the first time that it really dawned on me how much I was going to pay for daycare with this second baby coming. I realized that I was “nesting” my way into debt.
As I broke down the cost of two kids, I discovered a few cost effective ways to save for baby #2:
1. Childcare
For baby #2, I started thinking of different ways I could put off daycare expenses for a while. I couldn't stay at home myself, because my family relies on the income of both my husband and I. After much discussion and persuasion, I convinced my sister (without needing to do much convincing) that she should be my son’s childcare provider for the first 6 months! She is in the midst of transitioning jobs and would be working remotely, so she agreed. She loves babies, is big on childhood development, and would be flexible with my personal schedule. What a gift it would be to ease into the expenses of two in daycare. It would cut a total cost of $5,600.00 in 6 months by not needing infant childcare. What next? How would I keep saving once the baby DOES enter daycare? With my first child I was very big on SAVE SAVE SAVE…. And not on my checkbook, I saved everything “just in case” we had another girl. Well….we are having a boy. So now what? Buy everything again? Absolutely not! We are using some alternatives to repurchasing everything in blue.
2. Start with the essentials
I started by going through our daughter’s clothes and salvaged any gender neutral items. The items that we were not able to pass for a boy we sold to a local store and got a couple hundred dollars. This is money you can put towards a stroller or new baby items. Utilize the second hand shops for “holiday” attire as well. Every mom loves the “BABY’S first” outfits but you can find the same outfit for $3 at Once Upon a Child vs $12 at Target. Once we got through the clothes we went through all the burp cloths and receiving blankets (all great things to keep regardless of color). Once you are done with them your little girl can use them as doll accessories for her babies!
3. Baby furniture
We bought our toddler bed at a garage sale, we are using our current crib for the new baby, and instead of spending $100 dollars on baby bedding this time around, I am using the same bedding pieces and sewing over them with a new fabric, total $16.00! It is also a great time to truly assess what was needed for the first born and what we can sell. For example, changing tables: you use them for the first few months or so, and after that, you change the baby wherever they end up at that time. We got $50 for our changing table and used that towards other baby expenses.
4. MAKE YOUR OWN BABY FOOD!
Chances are you are purchasing lots of fruit and vegetables for your growing family already…but how far can this go? The average jar of baby food costs .67 and will get you one feeding. Frozen peas in a bag will cost you roughly $1.00. This will get you enough to feed your entire family, in addition to blending the left overs for your little one to freeze and have for additional meals. You are spending less and getting 5 times the serving size.
5. Register for baby number 2
Even if you don’t have a baby shower, you can go to the place you’re registered and save 20% off anything that wasn't purchased from your registry. It is a great way to add an additional discount to any coupon offers or sale items you need to purchase! A side note: Insurance companies are covering the cost of breast pumps as well! This is an added perk that can save you up to 300 dollars.
Written by Abby Dahl
This blog post is from the Author's perspective and doesn't speak for brightpeak financial. Contact brightpeak if you want to know more about brightpeak products, and keep in mind that they are not available in all states and there are some limitations (some exclusions and restrictions may apply).
