7 Tips for Raising A Baby On A Budget

1. Borrow more often than buy. Kids go through things quickly. There’s no doubt about that. I can’t even tell you how many things I ended up with from a friend who had her baby a few months before I had mine. She let me borrow her swing. He gave me more clothes than I ever could’ve used. Sure, I bought a lot – too much, probably. In hindsight, though, I should’ve stuck with just what was given to me.

2. Breastfeed if at all possible. Obviously, your budget is just one of the countless benefits to breastfeeding, but it makes a huge difference in your expenses each month. The price of formula is ridiculous. Just this one thing could make a difference of a couple hundred dollars each month. Unfortunately, sometimes breastfeeding doesn’t work out for one reasons or another and if that ends up being the case for you, look for manufacturer’s coupons for whatever brand of formula you end up using.

3. Make your own baby food. Sure, premade baby food is convenient, but that convenience comes at a cost. A friend of mine gave me a book that explains exactly how to make baby food and if you have the time, it’s definitely something to look into. Not only will it save you money, but it will also give you complete and total control over your baby’s diet in those early months.

4. Have you considered cloth diapers? This option definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you think it might work for you, it’ll save you a substantial amount of money. While you’ll have a larger initial investment, you’ll see long-term savings if you opt for cloth.

5. If you’re using bottles, only buy one or two at a time. I can’t even tell you how many sets of bottles we went through trying to find one that worked. When I went back to work, I ended up with one full set at daycare and one full set at home as well as several sets that, for whatever reasons, my son wasn’t particularly fond of.

6. Reading is important, no doubt. If you can, though, use your local library instead of buying books especially considering how quickly they’ll outgrow them. If there’s one thing that I’ve realized over the course of the last year, we definitely didn’t need all of the books that I bought. Besides, they take up a lot of space.

7. Buy quality furniture that will grow with your baby. As much as buying something inexpensive might seem like a good idea at the time, you’ll quite possibly end up regretting that decision when you have to replace it on a somewhat regular basis. These days, a lot of cribs convert to twin or full beds, so they’ll potentially last through your baby’s entire childhood. There’s also no need for specialty furniture like a changing table. You can just put a changing pad on your baby’s dresser, which can be removed later.

Do you have any tips for raising a baby on a budget? Leave a comment and add to my list.

Written by: Cristi Wuenschel