Dads & Dads-to-be

$$$$

Over the last 3 days we've closed out 2 of our registries.  Babies are expensive!  We still have one open that we are holding on to in case we think of anything we need to add and use the completion coupon.  Glad that we are holding off on that one for a bit so I can recover from this most recent hit.

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Re: $$$$

  • I feel your pain and we only have a couple items on ours so far.  Just curious, which baby monitor did you choose?
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  • We're just getting started.  I did a baby cost calculator.  Good thing I didn't do that BEFORE we got pregnant.  There's a link to it in my latest blog post at:

    www.stoneagedad.com 

    The Stone Age Dad: The Evolution of a First-Time Dad Web/Blog: www.stoneagedad.com Twitter: Stone Age Dad @NeighborsFCU www.twitter.com/NeighborsFCU Facebook: www.facebook.com/NeighborsFCU
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  • imagePrime:

    Ahh, you went audio only.  My wife and I are paranoid so we registered for the deluxe Motorola, night vision, swivel camera, Predator heat-vision camera.  It's probably overkill.  Something like $180.  I like the price of yours better. 

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  • PrimePrime member
    We registered for that one too in case someone was feeling generous.

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  • PrimePrime member
    Yeah friends on ours told us that we would probably want one when they get older.  Makes it easier to tell if they are actually awake or just fussing and going back to sleep.

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  • imagepolooo26:
    imagefutant462:

    imagePrime:

    Ahh, you went audio only.  My wife and I are paranoid so we registered for the deluxe Motorola, night vision, swivel camera, Predator heat-vision camera.  It's probably overkill.  Something like $180.  I like the price of yours better. 

    We went audio only too (gift) and my wife wanted video later on. She found one for 50% off ($200 down to $100 at Target). It's handy when they're two. She sets it up at nap time and goes outside to do yardwork. She knows when he wakes up this way. She'll also set it up in the basement when he's playing so she can keep an eye on him. You'll get a lot of use out of it.

    Have you experienced any interference issues on either?  Static, picking up cell signals, etc? 

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  • Luckliy, after they arrive, babies get much cheaper!

     

    LOL, just kidding! It only gets worse. 

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhqjipgCIAAOz7H.jpg
    -My son was born in April 2012. He pretty much rules.
  • imageLuckyDad:

    Luckliy, after they arrive, babies get much cheaper!

     

    LOL, just kidding! It only gets worse. 

    I think the current total cost for a child, birth to 18 years old, is around $400,000.  My wife mentioned that a few weeks ago and my heart stopped for a second.

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  • imagepolooo26:

    Here are my rough spending stats. 

    I have spent $3000 so far on furniture, pumps, food processors, car seats, strollers, and moitors. Basically, the big one-time purchases.

    I probably spend $300-$500 per month to keep my kid alive, happy, and cute.

    I probably spent $8000 for the first year and we didn't do daycare. My wife stayed at home. 

    I expect the costs to only increase as he gets older.

    Oh crap... 

    ::starts frantically searching for second job:: 

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  • imagepolooo26:

    If you're under the income limit you'll get another tax exemption and $1000 credit. That helps a little.

    You could go down a lot on those costs if you bought stuff used or get a lot of hand me downs.

    We are definitely doing that.  My wife loves to refurbish old furniture so she's buying a used dresser for the nursery off Craig's List.  Her friend will be lending her the motor part of her breast pump so we will just have to buy the bottles and tubes. Beyond that, I'm hoping some of our friends will donate baby clothes but unfortunately for us, most of them have girls. 

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  • PrimePrime member
    One of our friends is a frequent shopper of all the local consignment shops.  My wife has been going with her and already has scored some nice deals.

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  • We got extremely lucky and got a ton of hand me downs from friends and family.  Also our parents got us the big ticket items to spare us.  We got enough diapers that lasted us for the first 3 months.

    One way that we keep our costs now that our child is larger then our friend's 3 year old is buy going Once Upon a Child for toys and clothes.  I do buy very few new outfits when they are on sale at other places.

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker


  • We lucked out big time in hand-me-downs.  My 1st cousin had 2 boys and is done having kids, so she ships us large boxes of baby clothes.  High end stuff.  Next size up in shoes and my oldest is going to have Jordans to rock out in, with a full Jordan brand 3 piece outfit.  Lots of Kenneth Cole, Gap, etc.  She's a clothes horse and her husband makes good money, so it feeds her addiction and we get to benefit.  On top of that, my mothers-in-law are friends with a couple who adopted twin boys and they give us a bag of clothing each season, so we have more clothes than we really know what to do with in some cases.  When we are done we will likely have the mother of all garage sales and make some serious dough off of baby gear/toys/clothes.

    Once Upon a Child can save you a fair amount, shopping good sales on things such as diapers (gift card deals are usually your best bet, sometimes Babies R Us has a free jumbo box of wipes) and of course, an easy way to save money is to breastfeed (pumped or straight from the tap) for as long as possible.

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