Archives for 2016

How to Save Money On Diapers

September 19, 2016 | Leave a Comment

After having two children under two years, I “get” diapers. We lived on a tight, single-income budget, so I’ve also done my share of deal hunting. It turns out, you can save money on diapers every time, if you know where to look.

Whether you’re raising a family, pregnant with your first child, or shopping for a baby shower, deals are constantly out there. They come in all shapes in sizes. I want you to leave this article with enough information to never pay full price for diapers again.

5 Ways to Save Money on Diapers

Crunch some numbers.

The best way to figure out how to save money on diapers is to start calculating the price per diaper every time you shop. Diapers come in so many different sizes, quantities, specialties, and brands, that it can be confusing to find the least expensive option.

You can calculate the price per diaper manually or by reading the store label for a “price per unit.”
This step is the foundation in educating yourself about how much money you’re actually saving.

BONUS TIP: Try writing the price per diaper on a piece of masking tape and placing it on your diaper box when you bring it home. That way, you can compare each purchase to see where you find the best deals.

Buy the largest quantity available.

When you calculate the price per diaper in any super market, you’ll usually spend more on fewer diapers. Do your best to buy the largest quantity available.

The only exception to this rule is if you have a coupon for a fixed amount like “$1.00 Off Any Pampers Diapers 52 Ct. Or More.” If you buy a smaller box of diapers, then that $1.00 will impact the price per diapers greater and may save you the most money.

Stores like Costco or Sam’s Club are great for buying larger quantities of diapers. Costco also has a terrific return policy. Pretty much anything you buy from them you can return in 90 days with few questions asked.

Collect coupons or codes.

If you tear open a box of name brand diapers, like Pampers or Huggies, you’ll notice a rewards code on one of the diaper packs. If you enter those into the rewards site, you can eventually earn a discount on your next purchase. Coupons, whether in-store or via manufacturers, also add value to your savings.

Buy new diapers secondhand.

A new diaper is a new diaper. Even if you buy from a yard sale, a consignment sale, or on a Facebook garage sale, it’s still (HOPEFULLY) unused. The only time I’d ever consider buying a used diaper is if it’s cloth. They’re washable, reusable, much less expensive in the long run, and much friendlier to earth.

Stock up during a great deal.

One of my favorite ways to save money on diapers is at Target. Their Up & Up brand of diapers is consistently less expensive than the name brand competitors. Also, they routinely offer a $5, $10, and sometimes $20 gift card back to you for purchasing two large boxes. If you know your little one’s size and can afford stocking up on multiple purchases, you could earn some serious Target cash right at the register.

BONUS TIP: Don’t forget to use store apps to get the latest deals. Target’s Cartwheel is a great example.

How do you save money on diapers? Tell us in the comments below!

Image Credit: Juan Galafa (UnSplash)

5 Chores That Teach Work Ethic Principles to Toddlers

September 12, 2016 | Leave a Comment

“Chore” is a curse word for some kids. Perhaps you dreaded them, too, in your youth. What your parents, grandparents, and teachers were really doing was instilling work ethic principles in you as you learned what it means to grow up.

Now it’s your turn to pass it on.

Why start when your children are just toddlers, you ask? Isn’t it a bit young? They may be a little too young for learning how to file taxes, but they’re absolutely not too young to learn about helping out. Chores for 2- and 3-year-olds teach work ethic principles in the following ways:

Kids learn to be part of a team.
They learn responsibility.
They form good habits.
They learn listening skills.
They learn that they’re not entitled to “all play and no work.”

5 Chores That Teach Work Ethic Principles to Toddlers

Each of these chores is simple enough for a toddler to do, even though some may require a parent’s help. Supervise each task. Focus on your child’s obedience in doing the task more than how “well” he or she actually did it. Then, celebrate the completion immediately and enthusiastically. If you pay for chores, then pay your toddler right away.

Clean up toys.

Setting a brief time at the end of each day to pick up toys can help children learn a new habit. I typically choose one area of the house and assign my 3-year-old and 2-year-old to specific items. For example, I’ll ask them to just pick up all the books or all the trains or all the puzzle pieces. That helps them hunt for exactly what they need to pick up.

Bring dishes to the counter after meals.

One day, I was sitting at the lunch table, surrounded by bits of food and dirty dishes. The kids were racing around the house, energized by their meal. I realized that the only way for me to get some help clearing the table was to teach my kids to do it, too. So we implemented a new rule that each family member should carry his or her own dish to the counter. I shadow my youngest to make sure he doesn’t drop something on his foot, but the kids took to it right away.

Make the bed.

Can we all agree that this is an awesome, lifelong habit every kid should learn? Consistency is key in all work ethic principles, but there’s something universal about starting the day with a made bed. Plus, for whatever reason, my 3-year-old gets so excited to enter her room at bedtime and find her bed all nice and neat, waiting for her.

Put away shoes.

Do you have a designated place for shoes in your house? We have a coat closet. The moment the kids walk through the door, the oldest knows to take off her shoes and place them in the closet. The youngest can’t usually take off his shoes by himself, but he knows how to put them in the closet – which counts as a win in my book.

Dust the furniture.

You know what my kids love? Dusting the house with one of those Swiffer Dusters. It’s the kind with the handle and the fluffy guy on the end that looks like a Sesame Street character.

Not only does it dust much better than my previous duster – a rag made from an old tee shirt – but the kids get a kick out of it. It’s light-weight, is easy for toddlers to use, and pretty much gets the job done.

You can even make it talk while your toddler works, if you’re feeling especially ridiculous.

(I highly recommend any toddler activity with “ridiculous” in the description.)

Find it here for $23 at Amazon. You get a 3-foot extendable handle and 12 extra duster refills.

How old were you when you started doing chores?

Share in the comments below!

Image Credit: Ben White (UnSplash)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Kids Ain’t Cheap will receive a commission, but we only recommend products that we know and love. Thank you for your business!

3 Principles for Teaching Children Gratitude Lessons

September 7, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Whether your income is $25,000 or $250,000, you have the same tremendous opportunity with your children. You get to help them shape their worldview as they wrestle with topics like entitlement, gratefulness, greed, and contentment. It’s not always easy, but gratitude lessons can sprout up from everyday moments, as we’ll see in today’s article.

Little conversations about money, life, and more can become common place on car rides, around the dinner table, or before lights out at night.

Getting started is the hardest part.

So here are a few conversation starters for you and your child.

3 Principles for Teaching Children Gratitude Lessons

1. Show them what they have.

One powerful way to help your children understand how much work goes into the things they own is to show them.

For example, pay for your groceries in cash the next time you’re all at the grocery store. Let them see the 50’s or 100’s you hand over to the cashier in exchange for your next week or two of meals.

Show them how you choose a product (i.e. whether it’s on sale, you have a coupon for it, etc.). Talk about why you don’t spend a great deal on certain products or why you’ve cut back on others.

Encourage your children to ask questions on the drive home. If they’re old enough to understand, talk about how many hours it took you or your significant other to work in order to pay for a month’s worth of food.

2. Be consistent with your “No” and explain why it can be a good thing.

Not all negative experiences for your children are bad. One of the greatest and most challenging gifts we can offer our kids is our healthy use of the word “No.”

For example, I recently won a large container of Tootsie Rolls in a guessing game at a family reunion. My 2-year-old knows they’re in the house, so he drew a simple conclucsion: Chocolate candy for breakfast. Every morning.

Did I say “Yes” to his requests? No. Did he ask again and wail when I turned him down? Yes. It would feel better to make him happy, but I kept saying “no candy for breakfast” because:

I love my son.
The Buddy the Elf diet isn’t going to cut it.

It’s the same with saying no to other things in your kids’ lives. Sticking with your answer – however difficult – will give them a healthy dose of boundaries if you also take the necessary time to explain your reasons.

Bonus Tip:

Sometimes, you can offer a positive alternative without giving in. If they want candy for breakfast, my answer could be “No, but if you finish your breakfast, you may have one later as a snack.” If my daughter is fixated on a new toy she can’t have, that gives us the chance to talk the cost of toys. We can discuss bringing some of her own money next time – or doing chores to earn enough for that item.
OR just stick with your answer. You don’t owe your kids a Disney experience at the store or the breakfast table.

Gratitude lessons can feel harsh, but, like I said, they can produce some terrific discussion opportunities between you and your child.

3. Show them how others live with less.

One way to really generate discussions about gratitude versus entitlement is to take your kids to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Hunger and poverty are so prevalent around the world. Children in stable living conditions don’t grow up understanding how other children suffer each day – unless someone shows them.

For example, Audra Rogers from Real Honest Mom did a brave thing for her 8-year-old son. After noticing a few cases of what she called “affluenza” in her son (acting entitled or ungrateful for having a lot of things), she loaded him into the car and spent the day serving in a homeless shelter.

Their experience was so powerful that Disney’s parenting blog, Babble, picked up Audra’s story and published it for other families to see.

Recommended Reading: “What Happened When I Took My Spoiled Kid to a Homeless Shelter”

You can teach your kids about gratitude through experiences, conversation, books, and the like. I believe, however, the most effective gratitude lessons are simply taught by example. Easier said than done, I know, but the struggle yields a tremendous return: Children who love and appreciate the world in which they live.

When did you begin to understand gratitude as a child? Share an example in the comments below.

Easing the Transition of Changing Schools

August 10, 2016 | Leave a Comment

In just a week schools will be full of kids running the halls. Though I always remember it being an exciting time of year, for some kids it can be an incredibly stressful time, especially if they’re moving to new school for the first time.

Whether you’ve moved and starting fresh or you’re a brand new kiddo getting ready to embark for the first time, certain things can certainly ease the stress of starting a new school.

Ease Their Minds

Young children will be placed in an entirely new environment for the first time.

It is important to ease their mind in as many ways as you can. Read books about school and reinforce that it is a safe and exciting place to go. There are a lot of great books (The Kissing Hand and the Berenstain bear stories come to mind) that will give the child a good idea about what to expect.

Visit the School Ahead of Time

If you’re able to get into the school a few days before classes start it may be a good idea to walk the halls and give them a layout of where things like the principal’s office is, for reassurance. Make sure they have any medication they may need (especially something like an epipen) and a list of phone numbers where you can be reached (though the office will also have these numbers in case something happens its nice knowing your child has access themselves).

Prepare Them for Emergencies

Older kids moving forward in grade school may already have the safety net of a group of friends moving on with them. This alone may be enough to make the transition easier for them. If they’re old enough to have their own cell phone makes sure they know when to use it (no playing with it in class!) and make sure their contact list is again updated with all important numbers.

Though having mom and dad’s work number isn’t the top contact priority for a young teenager, if there was even an emergency that they needed to get in touch with you they will need it.

Easing the Transition to College

My biggest transition period was definitely moving onto university. Moving from the comforts of four walls to a huge campus was a big adjustment. Just like I did on a tour when starting primary school, my mom, an alma matter to my university, spent a day with me walking on campus and point out where everything was.

I already had my class schedule so was able to walk up to each classroom and know exactly where it was so I didn’t waste any time getting lost in those first few days. I also located other important things like library, student union, student services and university security, covering all my bases. I was much more comfortable on my first day of classes given I had some basic knowledge of the campus before-hand.

Change is scaring especially when totally leaving your comfort zone. Though kids get the hang if things pretty quickly it’s always nice to prepare them in any way we can. They’ll thank us later.

Catherine

Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.

plungedindebt.com

My Favorite Toys for Kids Under 5 Years

August 3, 2016 | Leave a Comment

A friend of mine was recently trying to decide on if a toy purchase for her son was ‘’worth it’’. She didn’t want to start buying a bunch of useless toys for him to have her small house cluttered with kids stuff that was hardly used (a problem I can sympathize with).

My house is overrun with kids stuff. Our daughter is the first grandchild, niece, baby in a long time and people love buying baby stuff despite us asking not to. We have made it quite clear we would rather have a contribution to her education savings than another doll or stuffed animal but people feed off that immediate toddler smile and ‘’thank you’’. However over the years though, a few toys have come into our lives that we love and have had hours of fun playing with. Gifts I am so grateful for, or money I’m so glad we spent.

Books

This is an easy one, but we’re big book lovers and I am all too happy to give another book a home.

Reading is very important to us and though we have a few favorites that rotate every few days, we love having new stories come into our lives. You can never go wrong with giving a child a book.

A few of our favorites from the last four years are the Oliva series; the Fancy Nancy series; Each Peach, Pear, Plum; Sandra Boynton (anything); Look and Find books (hours of fun playing eye-spy); A Very Hungry Caterpillar; The Kissing Hand; Are You My Mother and Sheep in a Jeep. I have hundreds of children’s books in my house and always looking for more! You may be able to find deals on these books using a ebay.ca coupon.

Play Food and Accessories

I think it was for my daughters first birthday that someone gave her a huge gift of pretend food and accessories (pots/pans/bowls/spoons). Over three years later and these are still going strong. Where it started out as a good learning toy- identifying shapes, colors and types of food, she now interacts with them and role-plays which is really fun. A huge hit in our house.

Toy Cash Register

This was a gift from her babysitter when she turned two. Not only does she just love playing with the pretend money it is a huge learning opportunity for us to teach her financial lessons. Sometimes we’ll play grocery store with her pretend food and we’re at the point now of teaching her how many coins she needs to buy the things. Again, over two years later and this still consistently gets played with.

Play House

Two years ago we had an opportunity to buy a small playhouse at a store for 60% off, we decided to go for it and she loves it. I think we paid $100 for it and have gotten a ton of use out of it. It’s plastic and we keep it outside year round. She goes from growing her pretend garden to literally shoveling the snow out of her front ‘’door’’. We play with it year-round and will continue to until she’s too big for it.

Lego/Blocks

My husband was given a collection of wooden blocks when he was a child and he was able to save them to give her our daughter. We have a few different types of blocks (everything from traditional Lego to wood blocks) and she loves them all. This is something I don’t see her growing out of anytime soon.

Crayons/Paper/Coloring books/Stickers

It’s just that simple. We go though a ton of all of the above and she loves them.

Some toys are a complete waste of money. We’re much better at picking our battles in terms of what we spend money on but we are very happy that a few toys have found their way into our lives and offered our daughter so much joy!

What are your favorite toys for small kids?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Why a Costco Membership is Beneficial for Our Family

July 27, 2016 | Leave a Comment

When we first became homeowners six years ago, the first thing we did was go out and invest in a Costco membership.

I couldn’t wait to buy 30 rolls of toilet paper, an enormous bag of coffee or 5kg of chocolate chips whenever I wanted. It didn’t take us long to realize we really didn’t yet need a Costco membership though. We were only two people and one of whom was traveling a lot for work and rarely home.

When the year was up we let the membership expire and didn’t really miss it. This all changed four years ago though.

Looking at Why It Didn’t Work

The biggest mistake we were making at the time of our initial membership was not pricing out our groceries. We were horrible at meal planning and figuring pricing out. We were wasting money in not planning. We also hadn’t looked outside food enough such as baby items (at the time not relevant) or stuff like cat litter.

After I started my first maternity leave, and were forced to have a good long look at how we were spending money, and when I look at our big areas of spending I realize how beneficial the membership actually is to our family.

Baby Stuff

I think my newborns entire infant wardrobe came from Costco. They have amazing and affordable baby clothes. Their price on things like diapers and wipes also made the drive over well worth it.

After we got our membership back I no longer had to scour the sales and wait for a deal when it came to things like diapers because I knew they would be cheaper at Costco than any regular store sale. Now that we’re expecting baby #2 I know exactly where we’ll stock up on diapers and wipes!

Propane

We have always loved to BBq and try to do it year round as it can be an affordable way to cook. The price of propane at Costco is more than half the price that we were paying at the local gas station. Given that we fill it up every few weeks in the summer we save quite a bit of money.

Coming next year we’ll also get our gas from Costco too.

Produce

With an official third mouth to feed, and a husband who was now home more than before, we were going through quite a bit of produce. I did the math and for a lot of our favorite items, it is more times than not cheaper to buy at Costco.

Sometimes it’s cheaper for us to buy seasonal items from local stores (like when we have local apples) but non-seasonally, Costco prices and quality is always much better than most local grocery stores.

Services

We have capitalized on many services that comes with our membership such as photocenter or pharmacy. Again the pricing always makes the trip in worth it.

Our city has had a Costco for as long as I remember but the 30 minute drive made it hard to justify becoming a member given than we’d be driving at least an hour return for our trip, but about six years ago we got one closer to us and now it’s a part of our regular grocery shopping routine. Costco also has a really great return policy, so I know that pretty much anything we buy at Costco we can return – no questions asked.

I’ve become price-savvy enough to be able to shop around and know if and when to wait for our Costco trip. It’s a fee we don’t mind spending as we definitely do save way more per year than our membership costs. We’re also at the point now in terms of Costco spending to justify getting the executive membership which, if anything like I expect to earn in cashback, will end up being essentially free for us.

Do you have a Costco membership? How do you make it work for your family?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Hosting a Bridal Shower on a Budget

July 20, 2016 | Leave a Comment

I think most of us have at least attended a shower before. Baby showers and bridal showers are both pretty common events. Though I have attended many, including my own, until this year, I have never been involved in hosting and organizing one and let me tell you, it is a lot of work! If you’re not careful it can be so easy to go overboard and bust your budget.

Along with my Mother-in-law, we have been busy planning a bridal shower for my sister-in-law this coming week. In the past few months I have discovered quite a few tips to help make the process a little easier in both work load and finances. Though we are planning a bridal shower, the same could be applied to any baby shower as well.

Timing is Key!

Be conscious about the time you want your event hosted. Originally we had the time set to start at 4pm to accommodate someone who would be working in the day but we quickly changed it when we realized people would likely be expecting a full meal to be served.

Avoid hosting the event over a time where a meal would likely be served. You can save a ton on food costs by having it at an ‘’in between’’ time. For us we decided to have the event from 1-4pm, after common lunch time but before supper.

Instead of needing to provide a meal we will be having finger foods like small sandwiches, fruit, cupcakes and treats. This is much easier on the wallet. A late morning works well too- you could simply have tea/coffee/mimosas and fruit and sweets. Aside from the financial side of things, it is so much less work!

Don’t Go Crazy with Decorations

I did a quick walk through at a local party store and quickly got turned off. While there were quite a few cute decorations they really were a one-time use only and cheap in quality.

I could have easily spent over $50 in that store alone on stuff simply because it said ‘’Bridal Shower’’ or ‘’Bride-to-Be’’. Instead we went to the dollar store and bought some (of the exact same) balloons, streamers and a local craft store to make our own signs. It was less than half the price and not much effort.

(Here are some more tips on throwing themed showers.)

Designate Tasks

As the shower got closer and we realized how much we both still had to do we asked for help.

I knew the maid of honor wouldn’t mind helping so we asked her to take care of one of the games as well picking up a few items from a specific store. She didn’t mind at all and now something we didn’t have to worry about. The day of the shower some cousins will be coming over to help set everything up too which will help while we prep the food.

Especially around a wedding or baby shower, people are often all too willing to lend a hand, just don’t be afraid to ask.

Skip formal invites

Shower invites are very tempting. I looked and really wanted to buy some but I knew they’d just end up in the garbage so we opted not to do it instead choosing to do everything online instead. It was easier to communicate with people this way too. I don’t think anyone minded not getting the formal invite and it saved us a few bucks!

I’m happy to say we managed to get everything we needed to host the 20 person shower for less than I was expecting because of a little extra planning on our behalf.

Have you ever hosted a baby or bridal shower? How did you manage everything?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Helping Family With Financial Problems

July 13, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Money issues can often become a family issue. When we were younger, my sister was the saver and I was the spender. At any given time, my piggy bank was likely empty as I had just bought something while she probably had the first cent she ever saved. Things have drastically changed as adults.

My sister tried to justify every tiny purchase and as a result has a hard time getting out debt and putting money into savings. She may be my younger sister but she is an adult and should probably be able to manage her finances on her own, but she has come to me (multiple times) for help. She’s never actually asked for money, just help with managing things which I don’t mind doing.

Knowing when to step in and help a friend or family member with their finances can be hard. Even advice can be hard to give sometimes as money is so personal. You really need to know and understand each other’s spending habits to really be able to help.

Establish Boundaries

Before you agree to help someone you need to establish boundaries.

I agreed to help my sister with a budget and getting everything set up but that’s it. At one point she asked me if I would actually control her money for her, only giving her an allowance but that was too much for me.

Not only does she really not learn anything about managing her own money, it would be a lot of work for me as well to actually manger her money as well as mine. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for accidentally screwing something up. Some people may be ok with actually taking over someone else’s money but I wasn’t so I made sure she understood exactly what I was willing to do and not do.

Make Sure You Have Time

Helping someone with their money- even if it’s just setting a budget up can be very time consuming. If you’re willing to help make sure you actually have time set aside to help them or it won’t be beneficial. I agreed to help her again set up a new budget but I won’t have time for a few weeks to set aside and actually discuss everything with her. Especially with little ones around, I will need a few, uninterrupted, hours to dedicate to her. I’ve agreed to help but she will have to wait until I’m ready.

Be Prepared to Walk Away

The first time my sister approached me to help (a few years ago) I could tell it was going to be a total waste of time and effort. She wasn’t in the right mindset and shot down every suggestion I made. Even though I knew she needed to follow the advice I was giving her, I just knew she wouldn’t. For my own sanity I walked away. I told her we’d come back to it when she was ready to take it more seriously which, a few months later she did. If you’re both not on the same page, walk away.

Helping a friend or family member with a financial issue has the potential to divide people. I totally understand why some people refuse. Thankfully my sister and I are able to maintain a good relationship despite these things and I’m happy to take responsibility for the positive changes she has made.

Have you ever helped a friend or family member with a money issue? How did it work out?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

What to Do When You’ve Busted Your Budget!

July 6, 2016 | Leave a Comment

We’ve all had months were costs have gotten a bit out of control. Sometimes it’s a missed item that you forgot to budget or sometimes you do budget for something but it ends up costing way more than expected. Busting your budget is bound to happen.

If I’m being honest we can be bad for busting our budget. Rarely do we hit our numbers perfectly. I do my best to estimate our variable expenses but I’m often off the mark. Sometimes it’s a few dollars which doesn’t make much difference but sometimes I can be off by a few hundred. This is why I’m glad we have a loose budgeting system in place- I often don’t have a hard time attempting to fix our ways come next pay. Here are a few ways you can ‘’make up’’ a budget-busting month:

Make More Money

This can be the easiest way for some people. If you don’t want your future weeks or months effected than simply earn more to make up the short fall.

Both my husband and I have a side hustle which earns us a little extra money we can use if necessary. We also both have a cash-accumulated vacation-time bank through work which I can withdraw from if needed and finally we can also work more at our day-jobs. For us, it’s often easiest to just earn more if we need to make up the shortfall. Then we don’t have to worry about messing anything in the future up.

Move Money Around

I don’t like doing this but sometimes we need to shift funds around a bit. For instance, even though our water bill is only due every three months I usually make a payment on it, every month. If needed, I could skip one or two of these payments and still be able to make it up before the bill is actually due. This is my least favorite way of making up a busted budget but is still an option. I also have a small buffer in our account after bills are paid that I don’t like touching but know it’s there if needed.

Give Something Up

Maybe there’s something in your budget you need to cut down (or cut out entirely) to make up your shortage. If you have something like an ‘’eating out, or entertainment’’ category, maybe consider skipping out on it for a month to make up your shortage. Most people have categories in their budget they can play with like how much they spend on groceries. Got through each category and see if there is any room to play with.

Emergency Fund

This is an absolute last case option but it has to be suggested anyway. Really, ER funds should not be used to make up a budget shortfalls but sometimes if it means taking from ER fund versus take on debt, the choice is easy. Just be careful not to make a habit out of it!

Everyone will experience months where their budget isn’t perfect. The goal is to avoid taking on debt and making up the shortfall as fast as possible.

How do you mange months where your budget gets busted?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Planning for Baby #2!

June 29, 2016 | Leave a Comment

We finally announced that we are happily expecting baby #2 this year. If all goes well, by Christmas this year we’ll officially be a family of four. Our daughter, who just turned four this month is beyond excited and all to ready to start prepping for baby– more than mom and dad I think!

Thankfully we held onto a lot of stuff from our first pregnancy which saves on what we need to get for baby #2. There were a few things though that either didn’t make the journey with us or quite simply didn’t work as we had hoped and really need to replace. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to get everything we need for less than $500.

Maternity Clothes: $150

This pregnancy is the opposite season of my first. My first was due in June, this baby is due in December. This of course means most of my seasonal maternity clothes don’t make sense or I just don’t have. I didn’t need to buy maternity summer clothes with #1, where I can no longer fit into any non-maternity summer clothes. Given that I’m in scrubs most of the time (something else that doesn’t fit great anymore), I needed to buy some summer items. I decided to buy two pairs of shorts and a few tops (which I don’t need quite yet) on clearance.

I waited until I had a 40% off coupon and bought two pairs of shorts at one of the only maternity stores in town (we don’t have anything like a Target and none of our WalMart’s carry maternity items so we’re forced to shop at maternity clothing stores which are crazy expensive).

I tried our local thrift stores first with no luck at all. I also thought I could get away with buying a few bigger sized shorts at a cheaper store but had no luck there either. In the end, the shorts were $45 each but I had the coupon which helped. The tops were bought only because I knew I’d need them in a few months and were on clearance for $10-20 each. I also bought a maternity dress on clearance in preparation for a wedding I’ll be attending in the fall at 6.5 months pregnant.

When this pregnancy is done I also plan on selling all my maternity clothes to help the cost a bit!

New Crib Mattress: $120

I was hoping we wouldn’t need to buy this but after looking at our current crib mattress, which our daughter used for 3.5 years it’s not in great shape. It’s quite stained and I think one of the springs is broken (possibly from toddlers jumping on the bed while trying to escape?).

I found a really nice organic one at Marshalls recently that was on sale from $220 for $99. I’m hoping one will be there in a few months when we go to buy. Worst case, there’s always Costco which sells them for $100 year round.

Breast Pump: $100 (or less)

I have every intention of breastfeeding again as I did with our daughter for 14 months. I had a pump, lent it to a friend and she accidentally broke it. She felt pretty bad and ended up giving us some gift certificates towards the purchase of a new one despite be trying to tell her not to worry about it.

I think with the gift certificates and sales that are ongoing, $100 is more than enough. I may also be able to borrow one from another friend who’s been having breastfeeding issues but has a very expensive high-end pump that we could just buy new tubing to.

Diaper Bag: $45

We were given a diaper bag with our daughter which I used literally until she was out of diapers and didn’t have to worry about an outfit change every outing we made. Some people don’t use them but I loved having the dedicated bag to our daily needs to take a quick notice. Near the end of it’s life though the zipper tore off and though I had intentions of having it repaired, when I went to look through our baby stuff recently I couldn’t find it. I did eventually crumpled up in a ball in the corner of our damp basement storage room full of mold.

I’m not storing our new baby stuff in a broken moldy bag so I threw it out. As fate would have it, I found a really nice bag online through Zulily at a great price. The bag normally retails for almost $200 but they were selling it for $35 plus $6 shipping. I haven’t received it yet but it’s reviewed very well so I’m sure it will serve our needs just fine.

Infant Car Seat: $85

Since car seats expire we need a new infant car seat. We happened to be in a store recently while they were marking down their infant seats (50% off) from last year’s fabric pattern. We scored a new infant car seat for $80 and it’s compatible with our current stroller.

Planning for baby #2 is definitely less stressful than your first that’s for sure. I’m glad we held onto as much as we did and won’t need to but much beyond what’s already listed!

How did you plan for baby #2?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

How to Prepare for Maternity Leave

June 22, 2016 | Leave a Comment

I am the first to admit that I was 100% unprepared for maternity leave. My baby was due at the end of June and because of some complications I was having (which was hindering my ability to work), my OB was talking about putting me off as early as the beginning of March. Given my unpreparedness, there was no way we’d be able to handle an additional three months on top of what would be a yearlong leave from my job. The only thing I did know was that money would be tight.

It was a huge wake up call to find out my income would inevitably be almost 60% decreased on leave for twelve long months. To say it was an adjustment would be an understatement. I learned a lot though and when the time comes for future children we will be much more prepare following these few self-imposed rules.

Beef up the Savings

We had zero savings when our daughter was born. Not even an emergency fund. Thankfully we got our act together and stashed a small one away once we realized how unsafe we were being but it wasn’t easy. If we have more kids I will be spending the whole gestational period saving more money. If my doctor wants me to go off early again I need to be able to do it and not worry about the financial repercussions. I need to be able to take care of me and my (potential) baby.

Adjust Your Budget

Again, we didn’t have a budget when I went off with our daughter, big no-no. Now that we have a money monitoring system in place, if we have more kids I will adjust it to accommodate the changes. You need to figure out what your new baby will need (diapers, clothes, potential formula, medical appointments etc.) and make sure the money is allotted. Also make sure any income changes are addressed for the time off work.

Prepare Your Life

Do as much prep as you can before your income and time is potentially reduced. There were things we didn’t necessarily need right away (high chair, crib) but we bought when we had more disposable income and had time to shop sales.

Also spend time preparing for the first few weeks at home. While you have time and energy, prep your freezer for easy meals or you may find yourself eating out more than you’d like. Those first few days, weeks, are exhausting and if you are the primary cook, you will really want easy meals. Your spouse will be tired too and be so thankful when you tell them there’s a meal already prepped in the freezer for them to throw in.

Whether it’s your first or fourth, being pregnant and bringing a new baby home will be a change in every aspect of your life. Don’t be like me with my first pregnancy, sit down as soon as you find out your pregnant and figure out what changes you need to make in your life!

What things did you do to prepare for maternity leave?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

My Experience With Co-Sleeping

June 15, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Before having our daughter, I never would have thought that we would co-sleep. We knew we wanted her close, in our room, for the first few weeks but could never have foreseen bed-sharing, for what ended up being almost 10 months.

The first few nights at home, our daughter slept in a bassinet close to the couch I was forced to sleep on since getting in and out of our bed was too challenging post c-section. After a few nights I was able to get into bed and we moved her to the bedroom where I would climb in and out of bed for nighttime nursing sessions.

The issue we were running into was that she was waking up too much when she nursed and would take me almost an hour to get her back to sleep, multiple times per night. After a few weeks of this, in a totally exhausted and desperate state, I brought her in bed with me where we both were able to sleep for the first time in almost a month. She was still waking every two to three hours to feed but because I wasn’t rousing her too much, she’d nurse then we’d both fall right back to sleep. It was glorious and so a new routine was formed.

It took my husband a little while to get comfortable with bed sharing as he was nervous about something happening to her while we slept, but I assured him that even though I was ‘’asleep’’ it was a very different hyper-aware sleep. In almost 10 months, we didn’t have any issues and it worked very well for our family.

Though my husband was initially nervous about it, he ended up really enjoying the experience as well. The three of us developed a nice closeness that we all enjoyed and looked forward to. Obviously if you have a spouse who isn’t in favor of bedsharing, or any form of co-sleeping, it likely won’t work out. Had my husband been dead-set against it I would not have continued but I’m so glad it did work.

People were warning us that with bedsharing we would end up with a college student still in our bed but that wasn’t the case. When we were all ready, and as I was preparing to go back to work, we transitioned her out of our bed and into her own crib. There was a two to three night transition but we haven’t looked back since and she’s four now.

Co-sleeping has many options that work well for various families. We did also try moving her pack-and-play crib beside our bed, but as soon as I would pick her up, position her, and lay her back down, she’d be awake for upwards of an hour. Nothing else seemed to work for us as well as bedsharing. Again, I never thought I’d be the type of parent who would even consider co-sleeping but it just worked for us. Having experienced it once I would likely do it again with future children.

Did you try co-sleeping? How did it work for you?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

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