Make a List of Essentials

This particular tip is at the top of the list on purpose. I recommend browsing Pinterest and looking at the recommended items to have on your registry. Then, poll your Facebook friends (I guarantee some of them are mommies with experience) and ask them what their favorite baby products were for their little ones. This will give you some insight into the things you might need with the baby.

Essentially, you’re doing research on the products that you want to use with your own baby. You can browse Pinterest, read reviews, and look at recommended registry items. Think about which items do the same thing and which ones serve a unique purpose. Then, create your own personal list of the items you want for your baby. This post is a good place to start.

Now that you have a list of essentials, you’re ready to use some money saving tips to stay within your budget for those items! A registry is a great way to keep track of what you want and what you already have. It’s also great to have on hand for when people ask “what do you need for the baby?” People love to buy for babies and this question is bound to come up at least once. If you have a lot of out of state friends, you can even share your registry on Facebook so that everyone has access to it. I did this to make it easier for friends and family to find and was actually a bit surprised when unexpected gifts arrived in the mail.

Many insurances, including Tricare, allow for a free (or highly discounted) breast pump per pregnancy. This really helps with the cost of feeding a baby (if you’re choosing to breastfeed anyways). It’s definitely worth checking with your insurance to see what they allow for new moms. It’s also best to do this while you’re still pregnant since you’ll probably need something in writing from your doctor.

If you’re with Tricare, then I have some great news for you – I’ve found a way to make the process super simple. I thought things were simple with my first born (get a prescription from my doctor and submit it to a website to order my breast pump). 1 Natural Way has made it even easier! You simply visit their website, submit your information, and they take care of the rest. They’ll even contact your doctor for you! I’m definitely all for less stress while prepping for a new baby. 1 Natural Way will also get you set up with pumping supplies that will help you out along the way. They truly do make things easy for expecting moms. (In fact, I’ll be using them when the next baby comes along!)

Shop the Sales

I’m a big fan of keeping an eye on prices and trying to get things at the lowest price possible. I was lucky that I was pregnant with Baby Fox in November when all of the big sales pop up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It was icy outside and I was starting to waddle, so I definitely wasn’t going to stand in line at any stores. However, I did have time to browse the sales online and managed to snag our crib at a highly discounted rate.

Stores have sales all throughout the year. You just have to keep an eye on them and take your time to browse through the ads. Sales are especially great for big ticket items since you can save a pretty penny by catching them on sale. I recommend signing up for the weekly coupons through your favorite stores and checking them out regularly for deals. It’s also a great way to stock up on some diapers before the baby arrives.

I have a confession to make – we haven’t bought many clothes for Baby Fox. Don’t worry – he hasn’t gone naked for the past year. We were lucky enough to be given lots of hand-me-downs from my sister and a fellow Coast Guard family. When I saw the amount of clothing that we were going to inherit from my nephew, I immediately knew that we wouldn’t need to buy much more. In fact, I put a friendly note on my registry letting people know that we already had plenty of clothes for the little guy. We’ve had to buy a few things here and there, but a lot of his wardrobe has been hand me downs that are in excellent condition. Babies grow so fast that many of their clothes aren’t even worn before it’s time to put them away. So, hand-me-downs are often in excellent condition.

 

We also got several baby items through yard sale pages, including our jogging stroller, glider, and exersaucer. There were several items that I knew we were going to want and I kept an eye out for these items when we would go to yard sales and through the online pages. I was able to get most of the items that I was looking at for a fraction of the cost – and they were all in excellent condition. This is why I say to embrace the term “gently used.” In the world of baby items, gently used can actually mean barely used if the baby wasn’t a fan of the item.

These are just a few of the ways I saved money when we were preparing for Baby Fox’s arrival. Patience and a list of essentials can save you lots of money especially when you pair it with knowledge about your insurance. Did you discover any great money saving tips when you were planning for baby? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!