How to save money?

Question

i have been doing my research on how to be a better mother. i've read all types of pregnancy and parenting books. now i've moved on on how to save money. i think I will use cloth diapers during the day and disposible ones at night. I've also thought of bying some of the basic stuff now and putting them in storage in our basement. I also see that motherhood.com and mimi maternity have a great sale going on. Do you think it would be crazy to buy maternity stuff while they are on sale now. or should I wait untill we get pregnant. We really want a baby but we want to wait a year to enjoy the marriage and at least have our financial security really secure. if it happens now it wouldn't be a problem but we want to travel first. So what do you think. am i too obsessed or is this normal and ok to do.

Answer 1

I think it's okay to plan and be excited for things (marriage, babies, etc.). But...wait on buying things. Styles change a lot in a year, you change a lot (your tastes in clothes, perhaps your weight, etc.), plus, you don't know if you're going to be big or one of those people who barely show.

Answer 2

First of all I'd like to commend you on being such a careful planner and doing all of your research. I wish all parents would care that much, the world would be a much better place I'm sure.



Secondly, I would just concentrate on setting aside money in a savings account. I wouldn't recommend buying anything at all until you're definetly pregnant and actually need things.



I say that for several reasons...



First, like the first answerer said things are ever changing, as far as maternity clothes and baby stuff. My Mom's youngest is only eight years old and she'd amazed by just how much things have changed since then to now.



Secondly, I think it makes it a little more special and exciting when you're buying things while you're pregnant, it's one of the few fun little perks to the whole pregnancy things. No reason to rush anyways...



Like I said, I would just concentrate on setting money aside in a baby fund.



Hope I've helped in some way... Good luck on everything and congrats on your marriage too!



Oh, I forgot to mention... I haven't needed maternity clothes, and would have been very upset if I wasted a bunch of money on clothes that I didn't need. I am now 34 weeks pregnant and for my entire pregnancy I have gotten one maternity skirt, one pair of maternity capris, and one maternity shirt. A lot of my shirts I can wear still anyways either because of the way they were made or just by stretching them over my belly. Also, I ended up losing weight in the beginning of my pregnancy and to this day I've only gained a total of 4lbs total, I can still fit into pre-pregnancy pants though I usually just roll the waistband down for comfort.



Bras are a different story... hahaha

Answer 3

There's nothing wrong with being prepared, but I would wait on the maternity wear. I was a size 2-4 before I got pregnant. I am now a size M (not S!) in Motherhood maternity clothes because I am retaining so much water (I'm a walking sponge)! I would wait on the maternity clothes until you're pregnant, so that you can be sure that they fit.



As a side note, most maternity stores have great sales several times a year, so wait until you're pregnant to get what fits and items you like at that stage in your life (tastes change)! Good luck :)

Answer 4

You are a little obsessive, but it sounds like you'd make a great mom. The best advice I could give you is that don't start stocking up on things now officially, but shop around and whenever you find any baby things that are on sale at a really good deal, BUY THEM! I've done this since I've had my son. I'd find clothes that were too big for him, but super cheap on clearance, so I'd just get it. When he was less than a year old, a friend was selling an awesome playset for $150 that she paid almost $1000 for, I bought it and I was so glad I did, even though it sat in my yard unused for a year or two. Just remember, age doesn't always correspond to size and if you live in an area where the seasons change, you may end up having shorts that will only fit them in the winter, but hey, those things make great pajamas.

Doing this is great fun by the way!

Answer 5

Its actually great that you are planning ahead. Most neglect to do so. You shouldn't buy maternity clothes until you are pregnant though because many people grow different during pregnancy and you never know for sure how big or small you are going to be. With boys you tend to be bigger girls smaller. I applaud that you are wanting to get your financial security down. But, go ahead and enjoy your first year of marriage then settle down a bit and try to have a baby. Know that most babies are conceived 14 days after the first day of your period. Well that is when most women ovulate. Good luck. Congrats on the marriage.

Answer 6

Put cash right into a managed fund, $400 bucks a month. They look forward to the fee, so you might be compelled to put it aside. Every time is a good time to rationale it is a long run funding (so as a rule over time which you can double it every say around 7 years) and it compounds. So you might get a 30% return in say four-6 months, if u pick a just right one. $a hundred per week=$four hundred a month =$4800 a 12 months =$24000 over five years and double this by compound following the rule =$forty eight,000 no longer bad for 100 bucks every week. Theres constantly an excuse it is going to go down or will not work but as a minimum youll have 24 grand. Internet debts are good additionally 5% interest and cant get at on weekends, until Monday morning. Just dont ask for a card. Get a timer on your oil heater- I used to be residing in a cold climate (Orange) last 12 months and the timer decreased the invoice via like $500 bucks for the quarter. From 900 to 300 and it was still snowing in November. Dont purchase books on investment, you might have invested the cash. If u do sell it on ebay when finished. Sell something u dont need on ebay. Its low priced to promote and any person else benefits from some thing you dont want. When you have cash pay you credit card off, that is the worst debt you can have.

Answer 7

If you're going to start trying, it's not crazy at all to buy stuff now. Just buy basic things like t-shirts and jeans because you don't know what season you'll be in when you get pregnant. You don't want to stock up on sweaters if you could possibly have a July or August baby. Also, you can find a lot of cute maternity clothes in great shape on e-bay or even at yard sales. Most women wear them a few months and then have no more use for them so they're not worn out. You just have to hunt for a bargain!

Answer 8

alittle too obsessed, you shouldn't buy anyting until you are more than 12 weeks pregnant..not to be a pesimist but what if you don't get pregnant than you would have wasted money for nothing and maternity stores have sales all the time...

Answer 9

It's okay to do, but I hate to be the pessimist and say what if it never happens for you all? Then you have all that baby stuff around and it's depressing. I had a miscarriage a couple months ago and I had already started getting the baby stuff out from my other children and cleaning it up, it was depressing to see it afterward.

Answer 10

IT'S NORMAL TO HAVE YOUR MONEY AND TO HAVE A FAMILY OF YOURSELF

I WISH YOU ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD

Answer 11

It is ok to be prepared ahead of time to have a baby. It means you'll just be ahead of the game and you'll be a great mommy :)



I would wait to buy maternity clothes because you won't know for sure how big or not so big you'll be.



But you could probably buy unisex baby toys/clothes.



You might want to consider signing up to mailing lists at Pampers, Luvs, and Huggies. They send you coupons in the mail.



http://luvs.com/en_US/app.cnt/pageid/welcomeReg

Sign up for Luvs mailing list and get a $5 cpn



http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/



(I found this on some website, I can't remember which but I am not taking credit for it)



Diapers:



Huggies http://www.happyhealthypregnancy.com/offers/



Pampers http://us.pampers.com/en_US/promotions.do



Goodnites Special offers change: http://www.goodnites.com/sample/



Luvs http://www.luvs.com/en_US/app.cnt/pageid/pghome001



Luvs Ultra Leakguard Guarantee

Luvs - Luvs Leakguard Guarantee



If you are not satisfied with the leakage performance of Luvs (compared to your current brand), we will refund your money. Simply send us your original receipt, the UPC from the diaper package, and one unused Luvs Diaper to the address in that link. This is limited to one redemption per household or name; no organizations, and the offer expires 6/30/08. Refund is the cost of one bag of diapers, plus $1 for postage.



Little Tikes http://www.snugncozy.com No mailing lists, but does have a store locator.



White Cloud White Cloud Diapers | Welcome to WhiteClouddiapers.com - Ultra Leak Protection With The Soft Touch, Available Exclusively at Wal-Mart No mailing lists, but does have the contact links in case you have need of them.



Playskool http://www.hasbro.com/playskool/babycare/ Sold exclusively at CVS Pharmacies. No mailing lists, but has contact links.





Bath & Body Products:



Johnson & Johnson www.baby.com

Printable coupons and other things on the Offers page.



Huggies Cleanteam http://www.huggieshappybaby.com

Membership card, activity book, etc.





Formula:

The goal should be to sign up as many people as you know with each of the formula companies to maximize the amount of checks you get.



Also, see the http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums...ula-101-a.html thread for more money-saving ideas!



Enfamil Enfamil.com



Join Enfamil Family Beginnings. They send you up to $60 in formula checks, a diaper bag with free samples and a feeding kit, and JC Penney coupons for photos.



There is a separate link on the Enfamil site where you may print out a coupon to take to the hospital. There you will receive an Enfamil Lipil Smart Bag-- a nice diaper bag with a full-sized formula sample inside.



Similac https://welcomeaddition.com/joinnow.aspx



You will receive a sample shipment with two small cans of formula powder, one milk-based and the other soy-based. After that, the checks are generous. You will get many $5 checks. You can use these to get free or close to free ready-to-use 32 oz bottles.



You may contact by calling 1-800-227-5767 to join or check on your Welcome Addition Club status.



Similac also hands out free diaper bags with samples at the hospital. One of the mailers will have the certificate in it for you to redeem.



Bright Beginnings http://www.brightbeginnings.com/members/register.asp (newsletter temporarily unavailable)



All they will send you is a $7.50 coupon good on one of their products. However, they are the only formula company that regularly has coupons for their products, usually $3/1 or $4/1.



Nestle Good Start http://www.verybestbaby.com/user/reg...name=&Next=%2F



No initial sample shipment from them, but they will send you checks for $11 and $1 initially and then again for each of the first few months thereafter. Since their 12 oz. can sells for $10.99, this is a good check for getting that can for free.



Nestle is also notorious for generating "free" catalinas when you buy their competition (as in buy the competitor powder, get a catalina for a free powder of Good Start, etc.) If you use formula checks to get their competitors' products for free or almost free anyway, it is a very nice bonus to get the catalinas on top of that.



One of the mailings includes a certificate to take with you to the hospital to get a free backpack diaper bag. It's a very nice pack, and includes a full-sized can of NGS powder.



Nestle Good Start Supreme Money Back Guarantee



Parent's Choice Organic http://www.parentschoiceformula.com Free sample, click on link at the top center of page



Member's Mark Soy (Sam's Club) http://www.membersmarkformula.com/fr...ula-sample.asp Free sample, mailing list for coupons and promotions



Store Brand Formula: ASBIF - Made By PBM Nutritionals



The same company makes the store brand formula for a TON of stores.



For Parent's Choice (Walmart) and Bright Beginnings formula coupons:



Call this telephone number - 1-800-410-9629 and ask for formula coupons.

They will sign you up and send you all sorts of great coupons. The wonderful thing about this is that you can call every 30 days and they will replenish your coupons.



It is pretty valuable information, as people sell the telephone number on Ebay.





Other Baby Supplies:



Playtex www.playtexbaby.com Go to Site Map and register for the newsletter and get updates on new products and special offers.



Avent Avent America Go to the blue box on the left to sign up for exclusive offers.





Baby Foods:



Gerber http://www.gerber.com/special



Beechnut http://www.beechnut.com/Special%20Offers/sign_up.asp



Earth's Best Baby Food http://www.earthsbest.com/promos/index.php



Del Monte Nature's Goodness http://www.naturesgoodness.com/mailinglist.asp





Drugs:

For the baby, not for you!



Tylenol Call for coupons; 1-800-962-5357



Johnson & Johnson (Formerly Pfizer) 1-866-565-2229

New mom's kit: one per household.





Clothing:



Carters Celebration Club https://www.carters.com/Club/Signup.aspx

Send regular emails with coupons and information on sales at Carter's stores. The coupons seem to have changed from 20% off any one item to 20% off your purchase of $50 or more. Boo hiss.



Gerber Clothing http://www.gerberchildrenswear.com

Regular emails with printable coupons.



Healthtex Clothing Healthtex





Books & Magazines:



American Baby

Free magazine subscription (no strings):

Link To Subscription



BabyTalk Magazine

Fill in a form for a free subscription to BabyTalk Magazine.





Entertainment:



Free Circus Tickets: Good for single babies and multiple births

Free ticket to use any time during child's lifetime. Complete the online form for a free circus ticket; when the voucher is delivered (via mail), redeem it at any arena box office when the circus is in town. The FAQ explains the exemption to the one-per-household rule for families with multiples. http://www.ringling.com/offers/babyfaq.aspx





Other:



Midas Mufflers

Participating dealers offer the Century 1000 car seat, at cost, for $42. If returned in good condition, you receive a certificate for $42 worth of service at any Midas shop; 1-800-621-0144





http://www.babiesonline.com/members/create.asp Free online birth announcements



www.babyzone.com Has a section for free baby stuff!



www.babycenter.com Free newsletter, offers, etc.



www.babiesrus.com Register for their mailing list to get coupons and notification of special promotions.