This is the second post in the Baby On A Budget series. You can find other posts in this series here.
Having a baby can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be! Babies actually need very little, but sometimes as moms (and dads) we want to have a few extras for convenience as well as little wants here and there.
My very first tip to having a baby on a budget is actually putting anything related to baby in your budget. 🙂 It seems very straightforward, but I think it is overlooked a lot. Before you get pregnant or shortly after finding out you are pregnant, figure out what you absolutely need, add up an estimated cost, and divide that by how many months you have until baby arrives. Then in your budget, set this amount aside so that you are prepared financially when baby arrives. (Don’t forget to include any medical expenses, including deductibles, co-pays, etc. Those can eat you alive if you aren’t prepared!)
When it comes to decorating a baby’s nursery, some will spend thousands and thousands of dollars. However, if you consider the fact that your baby will live in his or her nursery no more than 3 years, decorating on a small budget sounds much more practical. Decorating a nursery on a budget can be a lot of fun if you just follow these 5 simple tips.
1. Use furniture you already have or take hand me downs from friends or relatives.
When my first son, Caleb was born, we used an old chest of drawers that belong to my husband and a bookcase that was a hand me down from my in-laws. The rocking chair belonged to my grandpa and the crib and changing table were gifts from my parents.
So you can see we didn’t spend a single penny out of pocket for any of this furniture, but yet he had a darling little room. It probably wasn’t pinterest-worthy, but it was cute as a button to me, which is all that matters anyways. Just between us moms, we are decorating the nursery for us, not for the baby anyways, right?! 🙂
When my second son, Ben came along, we used all of the same furniture so, again we didn’t have to spend any of our own money. We were very blessed in receiving many hand me downs and gifted pieces of furniture.
However, if you do have to find pieces of furniture yourself, ask a friend or relative if they have a crib you can borrow. Look on Craigslist for a chest that can serve double duty as clothing storage and a changing table. Shop your house for a rocking chair or look at yard sales. There is no need to go out and spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on furniture for a nursery.
2. Add nursery necessities to your registry.
When making your registry, think of the necessities that you may need for your nursery and add them to it. I’m not talking about the $200 vintage mobile. That’s not a necessity.
Items like crib sheets, mattresses, blankets, changing pads, a monitor, blankets, bibs, and burp cloths could be included. It’s a good chance that you will receive these things at your baby shower and, in turn, will save you from having to purchase them yourself.
Note: My favorite places for baby registries are Amazon.com and Target!
3. Remember the difference between wants and needs.
Yes, that $800 glider is super comfortable, but will the $200 version work just as well? Do you really need the $250 crib bedding set? Can you get by with a basic sound monitor instead of the more pricey video monitor?
Question every purchase. Yes, we could probably get by without most of the baby items we do buy, but some make us feel safer or make our lives just a little more convenient. You have to determine what you are willing to spend money on and what you can get by without. However, if you constantly ask yourself,
“Could I get by without this or could I find something cheaper?”
you will save a yourself a lot of money.
4. Shop sales, clearance racks, and use coupons.
If you are following the budgeting strategies of setting aside a certain amount each month, you can begin to take advantage of sales, clearance racks and good deals with coupons as you see them over the course of your 9 month pregnancy.
I found navy black out curtains on clearance for 70% at Target. It was much easier to fork over the $8 for those two panels than it would have been had I paid full price of well over $25.
If you do budget monthly, take out your “baby money” in cash and stick it in a special envelope. Keep the money (or a portion of it) with you so you can take advantage of good deals when you see them!
5. DIY what you can.
If you can run a straight stitch on a sewing machine, you can make baby blankets, burp cloths, and bibs. If you can color inside the lines, you can make wall decor on cheap canvases. If you can use a paint brush, you can rehab some old furniture.
Try to find a few things that you can make yourself. Not only will this save you money, it will also be something special for your baby and fill that nesting instinct!
A few things I made for my baby include a wooden sign, a rag quilt, several burp cloths and burp rags, a couple small flannel baby blankets, a pillow and 5 decorative canvases.
I also found 3 large wooden letters at Joann Fabrics on clearance for $.97 each. I painted them with some cheap $.50 acrylic paint! For less than $4 and about 15 minutes of my time, I was able to make something special for Ben’s nursery. It doesn’t have to be expensive and you don’t have to be super crafty! It can be done! I promise!
Now it’s your turn!