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Paper Heart Family

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November 25, 2019

How to Save $2,500 During Baby’s First Year

When I first saw the estimated cost of a baby during the first year, I was shocked. 12,000 dollars?! Who can afford that? And even if you CAN afford it, who WANTS to spend that much money on a baby over one year?

Not. Me.

I despise spending money, and when it’s on something that I’m going to use for such little time, I despise it even more.

This post contains affiliate links.

It’s actually possible to spend very little during baby’s first year. Of course, there are essentials like diapers and wipes that you must purchase, but there are some simple ways that you can save some serious money.

How to easily save over $2,000 during baby's first year.

Formula vs Breastfeeding

Are you planning to breastfeed? It’s my belief that every expectant mom should at least give it a try (if possible).

I knew that I was going to breastfeed, but I wasn’t looking forward to it because I had never really been exposed to breastfeeding (and therefore thought it was weird). Yep, I seriously thought it was weird! Maybe you do, too? But because of my frugality, I was determined to give it a try.

I knew nothing about it. Now I feel like I know everything there is to know (The Breastfed Baby: From Birth to Weaning).

Worried that breastfeeding is going to be too difficult for you? Read my post When does breastfeeding get easier?

Despite not at all looking forward to it, from the first moment of breastfeeding, I adored it. I can’t explain it, and maybe your experience will be different, but maybe it won’t. Maybe you will love it, too! It doesn’t hurt to give it a try for a few days!

So let’s look at the cost breakdown.

Formula

Formula (on average) is going to cost you $100 a month. And that’s if your child doesn’t have a milk protein intolerance (like both of my babies did). If you need to buy the specialty formula, you can expect to spend about $400 dollars a month. (Boy am I glad that I decided to breastfeed!)

Cost of formula for one year: 1,200.00

Cost of breastfeeding for one year: free (make sure to get a free pump from your insurance company)

Savings: 1,200.00

Crib bedding

Another place that you can spend unnecessary money is on crib bedding (that you can’t really use with your child because you’ll want to provide a safe sleep environment). A basic crib bedding set is going to cost you about $100, and it will contain two unnecessary items. The blanket (which you cannot have in the crib with your sleeping baby), and a dust ruffle, which while beautiful, is essentially pointless.

I purchased this super soft velour crib sheet and I also bought breathable bumpers (which you would have to buy separately anyway). I love this crib sheet because it is SO soft and doesn’t get cold like traditional sheets (so that when you’re lowering your sleeping baby into the crib, she hopefully won’t wake up).

Cost of crib bedding: $100

Cost of velour crib sheet: $13.00

Savings: 87.00

Baby food

Once your baby starts eating solids around 6 months of age, you’ll have this added expense.

If you make your own baby food (or go the Baby-Led Weaning route) you will save a lot of money. Besides, have you ever tasted jarred baby food? Do yourself a favor and don’t. I remember giving my first born child jarred baby food a month after she only ate homemade purees. Her expression was one of pure what-are-you-trying-to-feed-me-get-it-out-of-my-face-this-instant. It was hilarious, but I understood her pain.

Homemade baby food purees taste just like what they should taste like. Food.

Approximate cost of baby food (according to this awesome breakdown. I’m estimating that your baby will use 3 jars of baby food daily for 6 months). ): $500.00

Cost of homemade baby food (according to the above site. I however believe that the savings would be much more significant): $160.00

Savings: $340.00

Baby clothing

Baby’s grow. Fast. Faster than they ever will at any other time in their lives. While it is so tempting to buy all the cute clothes, resist. Those cute clothes will soon be covered in spit-up stains or will be outgrown after an epic growth spurt. Your baby might not even get around to wearing those adorable outfits that you just had to have.

Instead, take all the hand-me-downs. I didn’t buy any new clothes during the first year because I had bags and bags of hand-me-downs. Actually, I probably didn’t buy any new clothes for my children until they were school age.

Approximate cost of clothing: $60 a month for a total of $270.

Cost of hand-me-downs: $0.00

Savings: $270.00.

Diapers

While there’s no way around it, there are still some simple ways to save money on diapers.

My favorite money saving diaper tip is to figure out how much you are willing to pay per diaper and NEVER pay more than that.

The cost of diapers can range anywhere from 15 cents per diaper to 40! That means if you’re spending 40 cents per diaper, you could easily cut your diaper costs IN HALF by simply being aware of what you are paying per diaper.

The experts believe that your baby will use THREE THOUSAND diapers in just the first year. Yikes! That’s a lot of diaper changes.

If you’re buying the costly diapers, there’s going to be a big cost difference, and this difference extends until your baby is potty trained..

Approximate cost of more expensive diapers: 1,200.00

Approximate cost of value diapers: 450.00

Savings: 750.00

Check out other ways that you can save on diapers too.

Total savings: $2,647.00

Of course there are other ways to save too, but this is definitely a start.

What do you plan to do to save money during baby’s first year?

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Get over the fear of busting your budget after baby and learn how to save money after baby.

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Filed Under: Baby Brenda 25 Comments

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Comments

  1. Livingforthesunshine says

    August 11, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    Great post! I often joke that I went the cheapest route possible when my little girl was a baby. I used baby-led weaning and breastfed, so we paid pretty much nothing to feed her in the first year. We also cloth diapered, which saved a huge amount of money. One thing I would add is using a baby carrier instead of a stroller (we actually had both) to save even more money.

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 11, 2017 at 3:02 pm

      Me too! I feel like I didn’t spend much at all (except on sleep props ?. Swaddles, woombies, magic sleepsuits!) Totally agree about the stroller too. Neither of my kids ever really liked it. They just wanted to be held!

      Reply
      • Livingforthesunshine says

        August 11, 2017 at 3:05 pm

        True! There was definitely a period when I would have thrown every cent I had at any solution that would make her sleep for more than an hour at a time!

        Reply
        • Brenda says

          August 11, 2017 at 3:07 pm

          So hard!!

          Reply
  2. Laura says

    August 15, 2017 at 9:45 am

    Great tips for saving money! It was important to me because I stayed home. I breast fed, made my own baby food, got lots of used clothes and some hand me downs, and only used a crib sheet (especially because that’s all a baby should have in there anyway for safety!).

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 15, 2017 at 7:54 pm

      You sound a lot like me!

      Reply
  3. Brittany G. says

    August 15, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    I LOVE this visual! I kind of fell in to baby led weaning with my first and I’m SO glad I did–saved so much time and money!

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 15, 2017 at 7:53 pm

      Right! So simple, I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it!

      Reply
  4. Alexandra T Armstrong says

    August 15, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    I do feel for the women who have real issues with breast-feeding. They want to nurse and can’t for one reason or another. The expense of formula adds insult to the injury. Good post!

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 15, 2017 at 7:52 pm

      Agreed. I truly wish every woman who wanted to could!

      Reply
  5. Naya @ Lactivist in Louboutins says

    August 15, 2017 at 1:56 pm

    This is a great list! Cloth diapering can also help save money. While it’s a bit of an investment initially, it can really help save money and the environment in the long run.

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 15, 2017 at 7:50 pm

      Right! It’s something I wish I had done!

      Reply
  6. Tami says

    August 15, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    Money was wasted on the crib accessories. I saved money mostly with hand-me-down clothing and breastfeeding two of my three babies.

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 15, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      Two huge savings!

      Reply
  7. chasingcalmblog says

    August 15, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    Save the money now and start saving for college! Great habit to get into from the beginning. Great tips!

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 15, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      Don’t mention college! ?

      Reply
  8. Victoria with One Sharp mama says

    August 15, 2017 at 8:27 pm

    This is awesome! My daughter has the milk protein allergy too! We spend a small fortune on formula. My tip is, if you need formula, check Facebook groups. Ive found quite a bit for about 4$ cheaper a bottle and she drinks a bottle a day. So, it’s much cheaper than stores! Any savings with that stuff helps

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 18, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      Aww, poor babies! I can’t imagine having to buy that formula ❤️

      Reply
  9. Megan @ The Many Little Joys says

    August 24, 2017 at 4:31 pm

    I love your practical mentality. I agree that you can spend a fortune on baby stuff, but you don’t have to if you make choices to save money…and often it ends up being better for baby anyway. 🙂

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      August 26, 2017 at 8:28 pm

      Sometimes I need to be a little less practical! ?

      Reply

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Brenda Hey mama! (Or soon-to-be mama!) Paper Heart Family was created by me to help mothers through pregnancy, the baby stage, the toddler stage (eek!) and beyond. Whether you’re simply surviving through new motherhood, or looking for kid activities and parenting advice, you’ll find the resources you need here. Click to learn more about me.
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