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3rd Trimester
Does reading the recommended products make you feel broke?!
DH makes 55k a year and I am currently in school part time to get my RN. When I was working we were making over 80k a year combined. To me this is probably about average, and even high for some areas. Yet, everyone on TB seems to be recommending products that I consider to be FAR out of our budget, even when I was working. It makes me feel broke, even though we are doing just fine financially with no credit card debt.
Am I the only one?!! I really can't conceive of spending $700 on a stroller, and DH says it better give a BJ if it costs that much 
I honestly don't consider myself a tight wad but I am really shocked at how many people are able to buy such expensive things. I wonder the average income is on TB. I am not judging because I dont think there is anything wrong with affording the best if you can. Just confused
Snuggling after a nap!
Claira 2 yrs and Sophia 11 months
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Does reading the recommended products make you feel broke?!
We bought a travel system from BRU. With a coupon. And I'm okay with that.
I'm of the opinion that what works for some doesn't work for others. I can't imagine for my lifestyle I'd spend 700$ on a stroller but then again I didn't think twice about buying a jogging stroller for half that cost becuase of my lifestyle.
I do know that I've had friends buy the best and most expensive of one thing and end up going back and buying the cheapest and liking that one more.
As did we. Also, you have to look at how much was spent on all of it. If that stroller is super important to you, then you cut corners elsewhere. Just saying. I agree that the expensive stroller might be more useful for people living in a city. IMO $700 is a lot, but there may be something I spent money on that other people consider a little much. KWIM?
Baby #3 is on the way! EDD 3/8/15
DD1--8/29/10
DD2--11/6/12
You forget that this is the internet and I hate to say it but not only are people who talk about money klassy but I wouldn't really buy into half of what people say on here either.
Some people who buy $700 strollers also buy a used recalled crib on craigslist for $75. What do you preffer doing? Buying an expensive stroller and having to cheap out on important things like cribs, car seats?
PS- For the record I make 1000,00000,0000.00 a year. *wink wink*
Just because people are buying expensive things on here in no way means they can afford it. The person that buys the $700 stroller might well be the person up to their neck in credit card debt with no savings.
DH and I make $150k combined and I still would never spend that much on a stroller. It's just not worth the money to me. I buy what I can with coupons at BRU and BBB and if that's not an option then I search online for the best deals. I'm a bargain kind of girl
I just replaced my Peg P3 that I hated and my ILs spent a lot of money on with another $200+ stroller and I am feeling the guilts a bit.
On a similar note, after having a child and walking the isles of the baby stores again after so long...about 85% of that stuff is crap and a total waste of money. So if you buy tons of gadgets it could easily add up to more than $700. I don't think that it matters if or put all your money into one item or tons of little stuff the money gets spent.
i agree
I take everything as a grain of salt and know that what works for others might not work for us. Would I love to have the finest things in life, yes, but do I need them?
Really, what does a baby need other than food, somewhere to sleep, something to wear and poop in :-), and love?
I was just going to say this. A lot of people feel the need to keep up appearances to outsiders. And people flat out lie. Even to internet strangers who don't know them IRL. And who's to say that those women who buy the $700 stroller aren't drowning in credit card debt.
I was just going to say this. A lot of people feel the need to keep up appearances to outsiders. And people flat out lie. Even to internet strangers who don't know them IRL. And who's to say that those women who buy the $700 stroller aren't drowning in credit card debt.
Im a frugal person by nature, but looking at prices in the baby area of the stores makes me feel so broke. (I love yardsales
) This is how cheap I am yard sales for example clothes should be $1-$3 range each or less unless it is a very expensive brand of and hardly ever used. Like my aunts neighbor was having one and want $7 for a little dress. I couldnt bring myself to buy anything cause I feel I could go to burlington or walmart and buy it brand new for that.
PS I bought my jogging stroller for $35 from a yard sale. (Just cause I know how much a new one costs)
If they can afford it, then cool...awesome for them.
I cannot fathom ever spending that much on a stroller (DH just bought a car for $1200!), and I am more then happy to use discounts, coupons, and sales on large items like that. We even took price into consideration when registering for gifts...whatever we get at the shower this Sunday we will use.
We may be broke to ALOT of the ladies here but with our cost of living and how we spend money, we are more then comfortable without baby and plan on being the same way with baby.
Which board is TB? I keep seeing references to it...
I think we all just have things we'd rather spend more $$ on and things we are more frugal with. Okay, so I may be more frugal with almost everything, but... We live in the suburbs, so a good stroller really isn't a necessity. If it was something I was going to use for hours every day, I'd probably say $700 is reasonable. I'm willing to spend more $$ on carseats because we drive a lot. Someone else might be fine with a cheaper carseat if they don't drive often.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
I think I'll argue with this one. I don't think there is anything wrong with buying a $150 stroller or a travel system. They are some really awesome deals out there.
I think getting your moneys worth all depends on perspective. What may be "moneys worth" to you may mean nothing to someone else and visa versa.
When looking for a stroller I wanted something that had a basinet, that would hold a baby up to atleast 35 pounds, that had a facing mom/facing world feature, something that had a jump seat down the line for another baby, something that was easy to wash and clean, and something that was made of a tougher material to last longer. I wanted a stroller I could use for more than one kid and thats also why I bought it in a unisex color/pattern. I live in the city and need a stroller to use every single day.
FWIW I'm happy with my decision and know that I would not have been happy with a different kind of stroller.
Do you feel this way about other areas of your life, or just baby stuff?
Your baby will do just fine with your love and the bare necessities. Don't let the pervasiveness of mindless consumerism in our culture get you down. 99% of baby stuff amounts to pure luxuries by 99% of the world's standard of living. You and your family are doing just fine.
Great perspective
Could we have afforded a $700 stroller? Yes. Did I feel like we needed one? No. Do I feel that a $200 stroller will satisfy our needs the same way a $700 stroller would? Yes.
That's how we justified it. If there was something in the $700 stroller that we felt was 100% necessary to have, then we would have bought it. It really comes down to personal preferences - and, just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should - and also, like someone said, not everyone who purchased one can afford it necessarily. Maybe they maxed out their credit cards to do so.
It's all about perception & preferences. Whatever I say. Get what you think is best for your family. Price is not always an indicator of quality, either.
TB= the bump
When I just had DS and was looking at single strollers there was no way I was going to spend that kind of money on a stroller. We did just fine with the baby jogger city mini.
That being said, now that we're looking at doubles we're going to be spending close to $700. I use the stroller every single day to workout. I've been searching CL and deals but so far haven't found any on the stroller I want. Either way it's worth it to us and no we don't have cc debt.
Thank you! I thought there was some new board just about baby products since there's a board about everything else now...
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
We live in the SF Bay Area, so even though DH makes well over six figures, it feels like we make the equivalent of $40,000! I used to make around $80K, but I stopped working a month ago, so now we feel like we really have to scrimp and save! Wild, right!?
Anyway, it is about priorities. People will think what we're spending on our crib is absolutely outrageous - and it is! We're doing the Stokke crib - it's like $1,200! But it converts to a junior bed, and we're planning on having another child in 3 years, so we wanted to something that is extremely well made so that we can re-use it. Also, because it's round, I can put it in the middle of the room - saving space (a premium here). It also has wheels and is light weight so I can move it in and out of our room. For these reasons, it's worth it to us, but I do still think that it is outrageous!
On the flip side, the diaper changing table and the dresser for the baby are coming from Ikea, so we splurged in one area and are saving in another!
I agree with other PP's...What works for some, doesnt necessarily work for others. Its not fair to compare your combined salary or what you can afford from Wisconsin to say, me who lives outside of San Francisco. The cost of living is completely different -- as I am sure our lifestyles are completely different. I guess what I'm trying to say is salary figures don't mean anything. How you 'live' makes all the difference. If you have money in savings, no credit card debt, and investments then no matter what salary you make, you are doing 'well'.
DH and I make a great combined income for a couple living in the Bay Area however, we don't blow it all just because we have it. We put lots of money in savings and try to buy as many things as we can with cash to avoid credit debt. Yes, I did get the $700 stroller but used a 20% off coupon to make it more affordable for our budget. Matter of fact, I dont buy anything without a coupon and free shipping!
Great replies!! I will pipe in since I bought the $700 (but would never spent the $1200 on the Orbit or Bugaboo. We did get the Uppa Baby Vista though as we felt that there were features in there that other travel systems didn't have. I am really tall so the adjustable height was great. The under carriage is huge for outings. LO can face you at all times if need be and they tend to be closer to you than other strollers. It also operates as a bassinet. For us, either these features or the way the features are shown on the UBV were top sellers for us. We do plan on using it for all our little ones. We would like to have more than one kid so the fact that it alters into a double stroller was huge. We live in an urban areas to the wheels and pram looked suited us. I think travel systems are awesome. Our doula just recommended that they don't sit in a carseat too long as it's not good for their systems so we wanted more options.
Mind you, it's a ton of money to spend on a stroller and our furniture items were gifts so we though we could splurge. Like a previous post said, this was an item that was key to us and there are many little things (that add up) that we won't be buying which is why we justified the cost. We didn't want a bottle warmer, sterilizers, expensive bottles, boppies or any nursing apparel really. I also probably bought 3 maternity outfits and just rotate them. So we found a way to cut corners so that we could justify that cost! Otherwise no way could we have done that!
For some, a better quality stroller is (sort of) necessary. I live in the city...we only have one car and we walk EVERYWHERE. We bought a high quality stroller (the previous years model to save some cash), but we're glad we did. If I lived elsewhere, there's no way I would have spent as much as I did. I have friends locally who bought cheaper strollers and they were ruined in months from old sidewalks and bringing them on/off trains.
It's priorities and it changes depending on your needs and where you live. We saved money elsewhere by accepting hand me downs and not spending a fortune on Nursery Furniture, bedding etc... In fact we are buying next to nothing for DS #2...he will be getting a whole lot of hand me downs (even bedding), but we will invest in a nice double stroller because we will beat the life out of it.
So basically I do agree baby stuff is expensive, but I won't judge people's decisions to get what they feel they need or don't need...especially if they can afford it.
We feel this way too...DH makes 6 figures and I bring in some extra (used to bring in a good amount) and being in Boston it's incredibly hard to get ahead. People who live elsewhere are shocked to hear how much he makes and also hear we live in a 2 bedroom condo.
I also think people forget the bonuses of getting the $700 stroller. The UppaBaby grows with your family. So when baby #2 comes around, you can get the 'Rumble Seat' attachment and still use the same stroller. So, there's no need to get a double stroller later down the road. Also, I love the bassinet feature and its lightweight and has great wheels and suspension so, there's no need to get an umbrella stroller or a jogging stroller for rough terrain. In this scenario, the Uppa is definitely worth the $700 -- or the $560 with a 20% off coupon....
I will agree with the OP. My DH and I are on a very strict budget. We just moved and I've been unemployed. Until I get a job and he gets his paperwork and clearance done for the shipyard we will be on this strict budget. I love the bump. I love talking to other mommies. However, sometimes my jaw drops at some of the prices people pay for things. 700$ for a stroller, over 1000$ on cribs and nursery furniture, paying over 200$ on crib bedding... it just seems a little on the overboard side. Makes me feel so inadequate. I mean I got a free crib, free dresser, have a graco travel system, and my grandma and best friend in PA made my crib bedding. The bum has added so much to my baby list than help it. I am constantly taking suggestions and recommendations from other moms. I just can't keep up! lol
However, if you can afford it then go for it! More power to ya! I just can't do it.
Just remember this much--the people buying the $700 strollers and $1200 cribs are 1)much more likely to post about them and 2)much more likely to include the price when they do post about them. Take heart in the fact that there are many more of us that are living much more frugally, we're just not as apt to post about it.
I try not to let it affect me one way or the other. I know that I would never spend that kind of money on something they can only use for a few years. My Graco travel system has served us well for almost a decade now, and that's all that matters to me.
Ella is finally here!
Elizabeth Anne Born 08/18/10; 7lb. 4.5 oz; 20" long
I remember feeling that way on The Knot too, especially when reading about honeymoons of younger brides. I kept thinking, "DH and I make a good combined living, and I would NEVER pay (or really be able to afford) some of these trips." We went to Aruba, stayed at the Marriott on points and flew mostly on air miles from DH. But, we came back under budget with cash to spare and did not put one dime on the credit cards.
I think that is part of it for us. We could afford some of the higher end stuff, but we would have to credit card it for a few months and it just isn't worth it to us. We never carry a balance and have zero debt, other than the house and school loans.