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baby budget???
For those of you who already have kids- how much do you budget a month for baby stuff? Hopefully we won't need formula, but I know diapers, wipes etc add up every month. Also, do you end up paying a co-pay for all those baby visits to the pediatrician, or are those considered well- visits (like a well-woman/ physical) and so you don't pay a co-pay?
We are trying to adjust our budget for when baby comes and have been saving for his arrival, but I'm just not sure how much to budget every month. I have stock piled a bit (lots of wipes and diapers already on hand for instance) but am struggling how to figure out what may be appropriate every month.
I will be staying at home, so that will also be changing our budget, and is probably what makes me want to try and plan ahead.
Thanks for any advice you ladies have to give!!!
Re: baby budget???
you can make your own wipes and use made ones for outings or look for sales''I use half cloth diapers and half disposable. the cloth are an up front investment but you can often find them used
you can make baby food though the jar is easier but $$
just rememebr there is not much a baby needs and most people will give you toys etc for gifts
I am on Amazon Prime now, but this is the first I've heard of Amazon Mom...what is it? What are its benefits??? Sounds neat!
Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/welcome
You can subscribe and save with baby products like diapers and wipes. I never did the wipes because it didn't seem like it saved us money, but it definitely did with diapers. You can set up a certain time of the month for the product to be delivered to your home: once a month, every other month, etc. It will remind you via email in case you need to stop the subscription or change it for any reason. It's pretty cool.
I just noticed that they have added house hold products. I need to check this out. I may start ordering more stuff instead of going to target
If you sign up for amazon mom right now you get $20 off your first box of diapers!!
You can read more about it here: http://hip2save.com/2013/05/28/amazon-mom-hot-20-off-first-participating-diapers-purchase-free-2-day-shipping-for-3-months-more/#comments
Whether or not you pay a co-pay will depend on your insurance. I have to pay $25 every time I take my kids to the doctor (well or sick visit).
is $25 your normal copay? We have a $40 copay for sick visits but I ask her pediatrician's billing department to go ahead and bill my insurance co the entire amount and they have never asked me to pay the $40. You might try it
When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.
Baby Boy M - 08/01/2013
Daycare is definitely the biggest expense. It's worth it though to have LO in the care of someone that you trust.
As far as everything else, I'm with PP. Wipes are not that expensive and they seem to last a long time. We bought a huge box at BJ's (a wholesale warehouse type place) and we haven't had to buy another one yet. Diapers are another story but I also get them through Amazon.
As far as formula, count on using it. Even if you are able to breastfeed the entire time, it's better to budget for the formula and not need it than to not budget for it and need it. I had counted on breastfeeding but had a lot of issues and ending up having to stop and turn to formula - which is fine but we hadn't budgeted for it. Also, if your child can take to it - try the generic formula. My son is on Parent's Choice from Walmart. It has the same ingredients as Similac but only costs $18.88 for a 64 oz tub.
This is exactly part of the reason it makes sense for us for me to stay home- daycare would be half my monthly income (and we are hoping to have 2 or 3 kids)
Thanks ladies! You've made me feel better. I think we definitely over budgeted- I think we had down close to $300 a month because I wanted to be really cautious. I will have to call our insurance company and check with them about the doctor visits. I am planning on making my own baby food- so like somebody said, that will help with the cost as well. Hopefully will only need to buy the pre-made stuff if we are going to be out and about or on vacation or something.
This made me happy, because I've wondered the same thing. good to know there are ways to keep the cost down, so the idea of a kid doesn't seem so scary money wise!! (beyond daycare that is!) I'm going to look at Amazon now!
I try to buy our diapers at Target when they are having a buy 2 get a $20 gift card promo and save that for when we need diapers again. I buy a size up for the 2nd right now because she is growing so fast still. I'd say we maybe go through 2 boxes a month so about $70 for Pampers.
I buy both wipes and formula at Costco. Wipes aren't that expensive and last forever, but they also have a coupon fairly often for a couple dollars off. We've switched to the generic Kirkland brand of formula and its half the price. So we probably spend $65 a month on that. Formula would by far be your biggest expense if you're not bf.
Other than that we go through one or two bottles of wash, but I have 2 kids. That's another $30. But also depends what brand you use.
I also spend maybe 50 on clothes a month for each one.
So.. our budget would be about 300, but includes things you probably won't need.
I havent had a baby budget for a little while, but I think ours was probably close to $300. I made all of DS baby food, and we used mainly fresh organic produce as well as chicken, turkey and fish. It added up quickly each week. After starting him on homemade food, he refused anything from a jar....its pretty gross when you compare the two.
I needed new bras every two months after I had DS, I also needed new clothes (for work and home) twice in that first year. Your body can change a lot. I even needed all new shoes as my feet were bigger and stayed that way.
You will have sick visit copays, depending on your kid and your insurance this can add up quick. Our copay is only $15 but there has been months where he went to the doctor twice so that's $30 right there.
With DS being 3 now, we spend a lot more money on clothes. We dont get hand me downs though, and gifts are now always toys not clothes like when he was a baby. I generally buy his clothes at walmart but it still adds up quick. He needs new shoes and clothes every 3 months sometimes. We also have swimming lessons, soccer and a zoo membership. We spent $400 on his 3rd birthday party.
Obviously these are not expenses everyone will have or spend, but just something to think about.
Thankfully we had generous family and friends that gifted us a lot for DD1. We honestly didn't pay much for baby gear, clothing or diapers her first year.
Our biggest expense has been the health insurance premium. We are currently paying $650/month for just the girl's portion (my employer doesn't cover any dependents). Our copay is $35 and well baby visits are covered 100%. Look into your coverage, I had some sticker shock.
Some months are more expensive than others for general costs. Usually diapers are around $35-40/month and wipes are $8-13 every other month. Both girls eat what we eat now, but it adds to the grocery bill ($500/month). Twice a year I do a big wardrobe shop for them. I just did this last week and spent $300. We have memberships that come due annually and their birthday parties.
I'd keep your budget open for the first few months or estimate high. We budgeted for DD2 for what DD1 cost per month, but she ended up having medical issues that were expensive - multiple doctor/specialist and diagnostic copays, special formula, therapy, and medications. Her issues have almost all resolved, but her first year was incredibly expensive.
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