I know this post has nothing to do with fashion or style or beauty, but it has to do with my life and every now and again, I will be posting Lifestyle Articles on Fashion and Style Police, I will try not to dilute the brand too much, but I will be posting relevant lifestyle posts just to keep things real so please hang in there with me.
Grab a cuppa, today’s post is a long one….
For those who do not know, the true costs of being a parent starts as soon as the egg meets sperm; long before the baby actually arrives. An expectant mum will need to eat a balanced diet and drink lots of water, take the right vitamins and wear the right outfits in order to have a comfortable and healthy pregnancy. I remember being pregnant with my twins, and taking my Folic Acid religiously every day for the duration of my pregnancy, buying a couple of maternity wear outfits (more like oversize regular pieces to be honest) and making sure I had a balanced diet and drank enough water. For someone who doesn’t drinking water much, it doesn’t taste like Coke does it?, I drank a lot of water while I was pregnant, my body just told me what I needed to do and I did it.
Then came the costs of buying baby essentials like the cot, pram, nappies, wipes, clothes, toys, comfort milk (if you have fussy, colic prone babies like mine) and all the other necessary stuff. The list never ends and if you have crazy cravings like I had which were Chinese food and Burger King’s chips, you will be spending a small fortune on food alone. I ate like a horse all through my pregnancy, it is a miracle I lost all the baby weight. I still don’t know how that happened.
We spent quite a lot of money before our twins actually arrived and now that they are here, we are am still spending. The spending actually never ever stops does it? A recent study revealed it costs £230,000 to raise a child to the age of 21, with the bulk of costs going on childcare and education. The research also showed that in order for baby to arrive having been provided with all the right vitamins and foods, and for his or her first weeks to be safe, comfortable and tastefully decorated, parents could spend almost £4,750. Now that is a lot of money.
Most of us cannot afford to cough out £4,750 so here are some ways to cut costs during pregnancy and the first few months after birth:
- Smart Shopping
You can get good deals on majority of what you need on online second-hand shops like eBay. Buying in bulk is also a smart way of shopping; you can get good deals on nappies and wipes on sites like Amazon and stores like Costco and other supermarkets.
- Breastfeeding
This is the cheapest and healthiest way to feed your baby in the first 6 months. It is super convenient, no need for sterilizing, bottles or teats. You save a fortune breastfeeding as an average pack of formula milk could cost about £9.99, and then you have the sterilizing equipment, baby bottles and teats to avoid buying as well.
- Resist the urge to splash out
I know how difficult it is to resist the urge to splash out on your little one once you are expecting but you need to fight the urge. Avoid going into shops, and shop online from the comfort of your home. This way you don’t get carried away with all the baby equipment and cute outfits arranged in a perfect order to get you to spend more than your budget.
I will advise you to buy as few clothing items as possible because your baby will likely be spoilt rotten with gifts from family and friends. So it is a good idea to get few items and wait until you have received all the baby gifts and then buy what you are lacking. Also, remember babies grow really quickly, so most of the outfits will be worn less than 10 times if you hardly leave the house in the first few months.
4. Nappies
When I gave birth, I used Pampers nappies all day and night because I didn’t know any better. After some months, I realised I could save money using cheaper supermarket branded nappies during day and Pampers nappies at night. I wish I knew this from day 1. I would have saved a fortune. Don’t make the same mistake I made.
5. Folic Acid
Folic Acid is a B vitamin and it is very important for the development of a healthy foetus. All pregnant women are advised to take Folic Acid for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy but I took my supplement all through my pregnancy because I felt more comfortable doing so. If you are like me, and you want a pregnancy supplement for the duration of your pregnancy, it is best to go for a drug store or a supermarket branded pack. They all contain similar ingredients and you can save a bit of money going for these cheaper brands.
Those are my tried and tested tips, they will help you save money during pregnancy and beyond. No matter how expensive being a parent is, I won’t change anything. Children are the greatest blessings anyone could ever ask for, and I love my busy bees too much.
Do you have any tips to share? Do you enjoy reading lifestyle posts? Drop me a comment, let’s chat.
Thanks for reading.
You and your children are beautiful, look at your glowing skin! Parenthood is an expensive journey but so worthwhile in the long run.
http://www.fadedspring.co.uk
Thanks Ana. It is expensive but worth every penny.
Did u take folic acid before getting pregnant while TTC or was it as soon as you got pregnant.? Your before and post preggy pics look flawless..did u get help with ur skin.? Ur babies are so beautiful …
Thanks girl. I started taking folic acid/pre-pregnant care before I conceived. I didn’t get any help with my skin, it is still not back to what it use to be pre-babies, but it is a work-in-progress. Pregnancy does things to us.
Wow beautiful babies. You are blessed . Pregnancy suits you, your skin is glowing. Love your blog.
Thanks Osime. Glad you enjoy reading the blog.
What beautiful babies! Whilst I’m nowhere near becoming a mother yet these tips are useful to know 🙂
Thank you Miss Pond.
My top tip was don’t buy all the “must have” accessories – most of them won’t be used!
I did find that having a nappy bin was *really* helpful when I lived in a flat – I could empty just once or twice a day rather than having to trail downstairs to the bin every change. 🙂
http://softthistle.net
Oh ok. I never had a nappy bin but I hear many people find it useful. Thanks Marylin.
I love reading this post Stella :). It helps me have a better idea of what to expect…thanks for sharing!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.com
Happy to hear that Pru. Thanks for reading.
Hello Stella, first of all : you can definitely include these kind of lifestyle posts in your blog in my honest opinion !! I liked reading it… and boy are you right… I’ve got three kids (nearly 13, nearyl 16 and 19) and they cost us an arm and a leg… their study, for one thing !! At the beginning of another schoolyear it’s counting every penny you’ve got !! Their clothes, their hobby’s,… I dare not count how much they have cost me so far… But I am not surprised by the 230.000 GBP you mentioned… My eldest daughter is now in her 2nd year of college and I am already crossing my fingers that she will go through college without having to repeat a year ! But on the other hand… what would we do without our kids ?! We would be bored to death 😉 Love, Kathleen
I can’t imagine my life without my kids now. They are the center of my universe, literally. Thanks Kathleen.
You are so right about everything, babies are so darn expensive!!! Thankfully we have been flooded and continue to be flooded by great clothing and toys as gifts from friends and family, they have been a huge help. Your tips are so on point.
About lifestyle posts, sure, why not? I enjoyed reading this one!
Glad you enjoyed reading this, more to come. Thanks Cara.
Such a great post! Your babies are so beautiful and you look simply radiant. God Bless! 🙂
Thank you so much.
I love reading lifestyle posts and getting to learn more about the person behind a blog, so I say carry on! 🙂
Michelle x
michellegleaves.com
Cool. Thanks Michelle.
Lovely post. Absolutely adorable babies xxx
Thanks Evelyn.
Wow, it costs that much to raise a child? I can’t believe it. BTW our kids are too cute! 🙂
Thanks Jaklien..
Great advice – I don’t have any children yet and the idea of spending all that money is pretty scary so your advice is perfect for me. 🙂
Glad you found the post useful. Thanks for reading.
What a great post, your children are beautiful. Me and my partner were so strapped for cash when I was pregnant with our daughter, we bought the bare minimum and luckily our family bought us a lot of the expensive items as gifts. One thing I didn’t count on though was not being able to breastfeed and the cost of formula milk and bottles is crazy. Especially when they get to around the 6 month mark they drink so much! haha
Formula is so expensive. We were buying a pack of Aptamil for £9.99 every week. Thanks Georgia.
Parenting can be very expensive but its totally worth it!
I usually plan our shopping and buy own brand nappies, it saves so much money 🙂
Yea shopping on a planned budget is very helpful when cutting costs.
What a lovely post. Your children are so incredibly beautiful x
Thanks Sabina.
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