How to Prepare for a New Baby on a Budget

Many expecting parents find themselves on a tight budget without a baby so they may wonder how they are going to afford to prepare for a new baby.  There are many great and inexpensive ways to prepare for a baby without having to skimp on the cute and fancy stuff!  I have spend a very minimal amount of money (less than $500) preparing for my little one and I would like to share with how I have done so!

1.  Shop at garage sales!  I cannot stress this enough.  Garage sales have some GREAT items if you hit up the right neighborhoods.  Almost every garage sale I have stopped by has at least some baby items and others have almost every baby item under the sun.  Be particular about the garage sales you go to because some will charge more than stores for used items and others simply are not selling quality baby items.  I guarantee that you will find garage sales that have next to new items for next to nothing in price! 

2.  Accept anything that anybody wants to give you as a hand-me-down.  You can always choose what you want to keep and what you want to give away later.  It is best to have more than you need than to turn somebody down with baby items and have to buy those things later on.  You will find that many baby items are not used for very long and it is simply a waste of money to buy some things new.  Even as a first time parent it is important to understand the value of a dollar when buying your baby items. 

3.  Don't waste your money on name brand clothing for your baby.  Babies grow so fast and will literally only wear each outfit about three times before they outgrow it.  It is pretty depressing when you spend $20 on a super duper cute outfit and the baby only wears it a couple of times.  You certainly can find used name brand clothing (that is cute) if you hit up the right garage sales or second hand stores. 

4.  Have a baby shower!!  People are dying to buy you some new stuff for that precious little bundle of joy so let them!  Ask a friend to throw a shower for you and enjoy all the kind gestures and gifts that people would like to shower you with. 

These are just a few tips about how to prepare for a baby on a budget.  Second hand is the way to go!  It will make your pocket book much larger, make you feel more financially secure (especially during that precious maternity leave time), and may even allow you to take more time for maternity leave because you have more money in your bank account.  Your baby will certainly not be deprived but your bank account may feel that way due to not having to use it as much :)

Until next time,

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