What are you doing to budget?

psychobutthead · August 2014

Ok ladies what are some things or tips you're doing to budget for this baby? What are you doing to budget in your household if you plan on staying home?

1. I plan to be light switch nazi once I quit working.

2.I going to attempt to CD. If I fail I'm going to have to suck it up and deal.

3.Going to try to BF. If I fail at that I'll be while pregnant buying walmart giftcards each pay day to set back for formula.

4.changing our cell plan and internet plan.

5.try to be a one car family.

What I won't be doing is couponing. Screw that I don't buy anything name brand anyway.

jennjilljo · August 2014

Refinancing and consolidating debt in hopes of lowering interest and overall payments while not directly removing debt. I, also, checked my pride at the door and graciously accept all gifts (which are usually diapers and wipes). I was too proud for "charity" before kids. I'm still trying to figure out how I managed that thought process.

Long term plan: education, education, education.

mom2reesepiece · August 2014

I tried couponing, it's very time consuming so I just try and shop sales now. We are putting any extra money aside and spending less on going out to eat. I like your idea of buying gift cards now! Great way to keep from spending the extra money and could be used for diapers too!

Edit: just realized CD is cloth diapers... Either way babies cost money

jaztastic · August 2014

Is it bad that I really don't plan to change any habits right now. (But I'm not going to be a sahm) My car will be paid off in May, so that plus some of our disposable income will become child care funds. That's pretty much it for me. I will probably cut back on things I buy for myself and DH to purchase stuff like clothes and everyday needs for LO.

jmcgra06 · August 2014

At the risk of sounding like a spammer, We used LearnVest to get a good budget and investment plan and highly recommend it. They have different levels of service and help you make a financial plan. We had thought that paying off our student debt was the way to go, but our planner helped us see that our emergency fund was no where near what it needed to be. He set up an automatic debit plan so we save without even noticing, and we have a plan to have our student debt (currently on a 30 year payoff plan...) paid off in 5 years.

We got the top tier because I don't have retirement options at work so we needed more investing information, but even the budget option is $100 and that is where we got the most useful information.

mommaa1615 · August 2014

Pay off any debt, & stop using credit cards..already started putting $$ away each check!

psychobutthead · August 2014

We don't have any debt other than our house and car and we don't have credit cards never have.

I'm just trying to brain storm ideas. I'm hoping to refinance our car. I try to save 10% of each of our checks every paycheck. No one ever taught me about budgeting or anything like that growing up. Its scary how we're so unprepared then thrown out into the world and expected to make good financial choices.

PeaceofKia · August 2014

I won't be staying home, but I will be taking a lot of unpaid leave, so we're budgeting for that.

I like OPs idea of getting gift cards during the pregnancy for random purchases, I might try that!

Each pay day I put any extra money in the joint savings to cover for my portion of household expenses during my bedrest and maternity leave.

Sick leave bank will cover 45 sick days after I'm out for 30 days using any of my own paid or unpaid leave, so that will go to savings too.

Paying down both credit cards, they have low limits so that'll be easy.

Consignment shopping, I have no problem with hand me downs as long as it's not big items like car seat, stroller, type stuff.

Using our Walmart Credit Card limit just for baby needs after they arrive.

Finding cheaper before and after care for DD so we can save her extra child support money from her dad to do whatever else she will need.

FI is looking for a part time job since he'll be getting off of his full time job at 2:00 every day (he works as an instructional assistant).

I'm looking into changing my phone plan.

We already don't have cable, so that saves us a bunch, we just have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
My dad is being kind enough to take over my private student loan that he co-signed for me when I was in undergrad...whew!

I'm sure there's other things we'll be doing, but hopefully our ideas will help any other ladies budgeting.

sleeepybunny · August 2014

I am going to try to BF as long as I can for more reasons than financial, but that will hopefully help. The only positive side to our year of trouble staying pregnant is the fact that we were able to use that extra time to save money like crazy. We also skipped going on a big vacation this summer to focus on saving and paying off student loans.

mmariel · August 2014

I was going to start looking into consolidating some things. While in school I cant really work anymore hours than I do now to get any extra money. FI has been helping a friend of the family work on their house for some extra cash to put away. Trying not to go out and start buying stuff for baby or maternity clothes. I live in scrubs and leggings so I can get away with it for awhile! My car will also be paid off before the baby comes. We are also planning a wedding, so we are having to budget differently for that as well. If it comes down to it, we have a few toys like atvs and snowmobiles that we can get rid of. We dont really use them anymore.

HeyStVincent · August 2014

H and I need to move. Our condo is loft-style and open (read: no fulls walls, except the bathroom). This means that if I'm lying down in the bedroom and H is watching TV, I am pretty much watching TV too. There is also only one bedroom in which a bed and a dreser barely fit. This situation just doesn't work with an infant.

Anyway, I'm hoping we'll be able to rent out our condo for what we're paying for the mortgage (maybe even a little more) and then will move to a larger apartment or condo in a different area of Chicago that will be less $$ than what we're paying now. That could save us $300-$500 a month and would be HUGE.

Also, we're saving money on entertainment. I can't exactly drink anymore and he's so busy that we've been staying in a lot, even on the weekends. I think the last time we went out to dinner 6 weeks ago.

I'm also hoping to be able to breastfeed. We'll see how it goes though.

digwriter · August 2014

Canadian mat leave means that I will get a small income while I"m off. However, I know from my last mat leave that it isn't enough. So I'm saving a set sum from my check every two weeks and banking all of my earnings from my side business. We're also ditching our cable and sticking with netflix for a year.

HerHighness · August 2014

If you are buying gift cards weekly to save for future purchases make sure you buy them somewhere that offers gas rewards points etc. i buy all my gift cards at giant eagle (local grocery store) and i get 20cents off a gallon for every $50 purchased.

Little things i do to save money.

$ meal plan and buy only what is on sale. I tend to stock up on things when they are at the lowest price. I then make a meal plan based in what is in sale that week and what is in my deep freezer. I usually do a 10 day plan then shop.

$ in the summer check out your local farmers markets. You can buy fresher fruit and veggies for a lot cheaper. I also freeze items to use in the winter.

$ i make double batches of things and freeze half for a later meal.

$ we cut cable last year, we have netflix and hbo go. (We watch in the big screen using ps3) I watch other shows on the apps using my ipad. Abc, cbs, lifetime etc all have recent shows free.

$ i pack snacks and drinks for us when we go to the boat, pool or the park. We will sometimes get a snowcone or ice cream as a treat but it saves money (and calories) not purchasing crap food from concession stands. Only place i splurge on this kind of stuff is the fair.

$ i bought a lot of my maternity items at clothes mentor or other consignment shops. As a teen i traded clothes with friends all the time and i loved thrifting so it doesnt bother me if things have been worn before. I get nicer items dry cleaned and wash the rest. I also buy nice children's clothes at yard sales. Im picky but ive gotten some really nice things.

$ im a breastfeeder. It saved me a ton on formula.

$ i run my iPhone off a mobile hotspot. I pay $30 a month and im a walking wifi hotspot. (So i can also use ipad) i have a google voice phone number and i make and receive calls and texts thru google voice app.

$ i use magicjack as my home phone. Its around $60 a year and has free voicemail. It runs off my home wifi connection.

$ i pack dhs lunch. Dd and i usually eat leftovers

$ i made all of my own babyfood. The only babyfood items i ever bought were rice cereal and puffs.

jaztastic · August 2014

HerHighness said:

If you are buying gift cards weekly to save for future purchases make sure you buy them somewhere that offers gas rewards points etc. i buy all my gift cards at giant eagle (local grocery store) and i get 20cents off a gallon for every $50 purchased.

Little things i do to save money.
$ meal plan and buy only what is on sale. I tend to stock up on things when they are at the lowest price. I then make a meal plan based in what is in sale that week and what is in my deep freezer. I usually do a 10 day plan then shop.
$ in the summer check out your local farmers markets. You can buy fresher fruit and veggies for a lot cheaper. I also freeze items to use in the winter.
$ i make double batches of things and freeze half for a later meal.
$ we cut cable last year, we have netflix and hbo go. (We watch in the big screen using ps3) I watch other shows on the apps using my ipad. Abc, cbs, lifetime etc all have recent shows free.
$ i pack snacks and drinks for us when we go to the boat, pool or the park. We will sometimes get a snowcone or ice cream as a treat but it saves money (and calories) not purchasing crap food from concession stands. Only place i splurge on this kind of stuff is the fair.
$ i bought a lot of my maternity items at clothes mentor or other consignment shops. As a teen i traded clothes with friends all the time and i loved thrifting so it doesnt bother me if things have been worn before. I get nicer items dry cleaned and wash the rest. I also buy nice children's clothes at yard sales. Im picky but ive gotten some really nice things.
$ im a breastfeeder. It saved me a ton on formula.
$ i run my iPhone off a mobile hotspot. I pay $30 a month and im a walking wifi hotspot. (So i can also use ipad) i have a google voice phone number and i make and receive calls and texts thru google voice app.
$ i use magicjack as my home phone. Its around $60 a year and has free voicemail. It runs off my home wifi connection.
$ i pack dhs lunch. Dd and i usually eat leftovers
$ i made all of my own babyfood. The only babyfood items i ever bought were rice cereal and puffs.

I guess that's why I don't feel like there is much to do different now we are having our Lo... I do a lot of money saving tips now anyway. But I'm hoping this guy isn't too expensive. DH did say we will probably cut back on how we travel (how often, how expensive etc... I tend to show off when on vacation)

psychobutthead · August 2014

HerHighness said:

If you are buying gift cards weekly to save for future purchases make sure you buy them somewhere that offers gas rewards points etc. i buy all my gift cards at giant eagle (local grocery store) and i get 20cents off a gallon for every $50 purchased.

Little things i do to save money.
$ meal plan and buy only what is on sale. I tend to stock up on things when they are at the lowest price. I then make a meal plan based in what is in sale that week and what is in my deep freezer. I usually do a 10 day plan then shop.
$ in the summer check out your local farmers markets. You can buy fresher fruit and veggies for a lot cheaper. I also freeze items to use in the winter.
$ i make double batches of things and freeze half for a later meal.
$ we cut cable last year, we have netflix and hbo go. (We watch in the big screen using ps3) I watch other shows on the apps using my ipad. Abc, cbs, lifetime etc all have recent shows free.
$ i pack snacks and drinks for us when we go to the boat, pool or the park. We will sometimes get a snowcone or ice cream as a treat but it saves money (and calories) not purchasing crap food from concession stands. Only place i splurge on this kind of stuff is the fair.
$ i bought a lot of my maternity items at clothes mentor or other consignment shops. As a teen i traded clothes with friends all the time and i loved thrifting so it doesnt bother me if things have been worn before. I get nicer items dry cleaned and wash the rest. I also buy nice children's clothes at yard sales. Im picky but ive gotten some really nice things.
$ im a breastfeeder. It saved me a ton on formula.
$ i run my iPhone off a mobile hotspot. I pay $30 a month and im a walking wifi hotspot. (So i can also use ipad) i have a google voice phone number and i make and receive calls and texts thru google voice app.
$ i use magicjack as my home phone. Its around $60 a year and has free voicemail. It runs off my home wifi connection.
$ i pack dhs lunch. Dd and i usually eat leftovers
$ i made all of my own babyfood. The only babyfood items i ever bought were rice cereal and puffs.

I didn't know about the gas points thing. We don't have the grocery store here but I'll have to start looking for some place that does that.

We cut cable out with our first apartment. We've never been home enough to use it. We live on Netflix though.

I just feel worried because DH is selfish. He won't eat packed lunches no matter what I pack him. It really adds up when your husband goes out for breakfast and lunch at work everyday. If it weren't for that I know we'd be ok.

HerHighness · August 2014

@psychobutthead‌ i totally get that. I used to have constant fights about his eating out for breakfast/lunch. It got to a point where he was spending more a week on it than i was spending on groceries for the family for a week. It took me a long time to break this habit. Eventually we compromised and he has lunch out 1-2 times a week on a budget. He also lost 30lbs because he quit eating fast food crap.

kkkjmama · August 2014

We also cut cable. I have just a basic package with some channels internet and phone. My daughters needed nickelodeon or I wouldn't have cable at all I'm strictly a netflix watcher. We don't eat out as much and sadly we aren't taking a summer trip this year. We instead used the money to buy baby things. I've already bought clothes stroller car seat bath tub diapers blankets bottles. I'm planning to breast feed so that's going to save. I literally only buy what's on sale at the supermarket and I plan on applying for wic once I'm on maternity leave because then I will qualify. I plan on throwing one of my daughters a school party n that's it. She usually has two parties every year school and then in a place but her bday is 7 days before Xmas and I don't see it being feasible this year. I plan on getting my Xmas shopping and have all baby items done by November and I will be saving all checks in December and January. Hopefully I'm able to continue working till then. I don't have a car note but I'm going to pay my insurance thru until May in January and DH has gotten a part time gig so we should be ok.

kimmykaye · August 2014

If you go to Dave Ramsey's website, he has budgeting tools and tips. We are currently working on getting out of debt using his plan (total money makeover book).

psychobutthead · August 2014

@herhighness since I got my raise at work I quit throwing such a fit about it. But now that I'm pregnant its like cut me a break. I even offered to get him a portable crockpot so that he can always have hot lunches at the job sites. He hates sandwhiches and theres only so much food you can eat cold. He told me no because the guys at work would give him to much crap for it.

@kimmykaye is it free?

amt0312 · August 2014

I always budget on clothing- 2nd hand is pretty much the only way you'll get me to do any shopping for DD or LO#2. I've been getting tons and tons of hand me downs, so I haven't had to do any clothes shopping yet.

Other ways I try to save $$:

Generic formula (if BF doesn't work out)

Cheap diapers (would love to buy pampers, but I settle for luvs, I won't do generic diapers though. They suck).

Always buy on sale

TJMaxx is a great place for baby stuff on the cheap for little random items. Hit or miss, though

I space out getting my hair done from 8-10 weeks to like 14 weeks (I highlight to very blonde so I really just can't not do this...I tried going back to my natural color and I hated it and DH wasn't a fan, so we agreed to splurge on my hair).

No clothes shopping for me unless necessary

Grocery shopping for only sale items, store brands or at a local farm for produce

Make my own baby foods (except for certain things like prunes. God, what a mess! And she needs them almost daily for constipation).

Grow my own herbs. I tried vegetables, I failed

Will try again next year.

DH is extremely handy at home projects so we rarely have to hire out something.

Never go out to eat. We go out for an ice cream cone instead. Still fun, baby can come and its cheap

We haven't needed to cut cable, cell phones or our cars since we really aren't that bad off, but I do try to save pennies where I can.

psychobutthead · August 2014

@amt0312‌ i always like luvs diapers. if bf diesnt work out with this baby i may go the genwric formula route since i wont have wic.

buying.2nd.hand here is so difficult. the secon hand stores near me charge almost as much as retail price.

smg2302 · August 2014

In addition to the others mentioned:

1. We planned on TFAS since May. From that point, we have been paying a second daycare payment to ourselves to practice the expense, and give ourselves a decent amount of savins to use on the big cost items.
2. Shopped around on car insurance again. Looks like we'll be saving about $50 a month there.
3.Carpool to work (it helps that DH and I work for the same University).
4. With DD, we exchange babysitting with a friend when we want to go out, so we don't pay for a sitter.
5. When we go out to eat, it's usually with a coupon.
6. If you have a local Aldi, they're owned by the same company as Trader Joe's. You can save a ton of money on groceries there if you're not brand picky.

cls78 · August 2014

Right now we are in the middle of selling and buying a home. My house was on the market last year and back on the market this Feb. Finally got a half way decent offer after finding out I was pregnant. (I knew that would happen like that.). Right now we have a lot of money going out and it sucks, but I would rather do this now instead of when the babies are here. We are set to close on the sale and purchase in Sept, so please keep your FX for us that everything goes smooth.

Right now we are credit card free. We just have the mortgage and one car payment. I got a bill from my RE who does not take my insurance, so I have 6 months to pay off a 2,000 bill which sucks, but it will get done. Luckily, most of my IVF was free since I participated in their study.

I already shop for sale and generic brands for food and household stuff. I even have the hubby trained on that.

. I plan to cloth diaper and BF if I can. I want to wait to shop for the babies until I know what I am having, but I will look for deals and sales there too. I will also shop garage sales, thrift stores, consignment for certain baby items.

michelle142 · August 2014

We'll CD and BF just like we did last time.

I'm currently on a spending freeze, no unnecessary spending. Any extra money goes into savings.

CatLadyTX · August 2014

We have found that our biggest problem is the grocery budget. It is so easy to say we have to run to the store for just one thing, and come home with $50 of groceries. I bought a few dry erase boards, the first one lists our menu for the next two weeks, the second has a grocery list and a tally of the weekly grocery allowance, so I can show how much we have and how much we have spent or saved. Being accountable has helped me save $65 over the past two weeks.

shanksshell · August 2014

I use ynab. It stands for you need a budget. It's a budgeting plan and software with an app that syncs to your computer. It's awesome!

agm04 · August 2014

I'm sort of struggling with this right now. DH and I both work in finance and have always been savers and hyper-aware of retirement needs, so we are fortunately fine for now. I am also very grateful to have paid maternity leave. But...I know we need to be thinking about (gulp) college and things like that. There's always a reason to save more!

But at the same time, I'm really wanting to savor these last few months of freedom - going out to eat when we feel like it, etc. So it's tough to strike the balance. We're just trying to be mindful of our spending as usual, and I plan to breastfeed and cloth diaper if I can get DH on board. And I feel like our spending will balance a bit when baby comes because while we'll spend a lot on baby, we won't be able to DO anything that costs money. Either way I am sure we're in for shock!

runawaylaurel · August 2014

We've been saving my salary for the last 13 months while we were TTC. That was huge because I want to be a SAH.

Maple403 · August 2014

We are lucky that we have been able to save up for the baby. Now I am asking all my new parent friends for advice about what to buy for essentials. I've created a google doc that I'll share with all of them once we make our big announcement (not everyone knows yet). Then, once DH and I have decided which of the items we want to get I'll watch for sales on some items and put others on the registry.

Also, I plan on buying as few maternity clothing items as possible. I'm looking for the most variety in outfits with the fewest actual individual pieces. Some of my friends have offered to lend me their maternity stuff so that I can add variety without spending much money.

Irishcurls · August 2014

We have a nice savings and I plan to go back to work but life throws curveballs sometimes!

I coupon, but not extremely. We get just the insert from the Sunday paper for free on Saturdays, so I cut whatever coupons I get from that. Usually just a few things here and there but they add up! I also plan to start stocking up on diapers when there are coupons, one pack here and there so it's not all at once.

My concern is if we have to move mid-pregnancy, I most likely would have a hard time getting a job--which would mean closer to 6 months off, instead of the 3 we "planned" on. Or moving somewhere I can't get a job at all, that's a whole other issue. Luckily that would be to a cheaper cost of living place but yikes. No more fancy dinners out!

keskes008 · August 2014

I've been couponing for diapers as well. I'm trying to stock up on my first year of diapers, so far I have HALF my "estimated" amount and I've only less then $100 total. Once I have all my diaper stock I'll move on to other things bottles, blankets, clothes, etc. My family thinks I'm crazy and should wait for baby shower, but I rather not count on that.

I did splurge on my stroller, however, maternity clothes I will NOT pay full price for (maybe my baby shower dress when the time comes) so I go to a thirft store on Mondays where a certain tag color is $.99! And I can get picky and only buy Motherhood shirts and jeans LOL

kimmykaye · August 2014

psychobutthead said:

@herhighness since I got my raise at work I quit throwing such a fit about it. But now that I'm pregnant its like cut me a break. I even offered to get him a portable crockpot so that he can always have hot lunches at the job sites. He hates sandwhiches and theres only so much food you can eat cold. He told me no because the guys at work would give him to much crap for it.

@kimmykaye is it free?

We received the book as a gift, but I think you can get it on amazon for like $10. It's around $15 on his site. The budgeting tools are free for the basic ones, I think. We used the site as a secondary source, since all of the budgeting sheets were inside the book as well. We went a step further, though, and also bought one of his packages that had a cd set of his financial peace university, 2 more books, and a cd of budgeting tools. I think we paid $40-$50 for that package, but we both feel it was completely worth it. It's really helped us to get on track. Hope this helps.

brij2006 · August 2014

We've been following Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover plan ever since we couldn't afford another round of IF treatment and had our M/C last year. So this is what we've been doing and will continue to do.

1. Sold H's car and bought him an older used one in cash = no more car payment.

2. Cancelled satellite and home phone. Only have Netflix now.

3. Only spend $75/month on eating out.
4. No vacations.
5. Eat very frivolously and watch our grocery budget.

6. Go for many walks or free things for entertainment.

7. We've already paid off all but 1 of H's student loans and 3 of mine. That savings alone will cover daycare.

8. Cancelled all extra subscriptions (magazines, Julep Mavens, and XM for both of our cars).

9. We do not buy many clothes except what's absolutely needed and we try to find them 2nd hand or items on clearance.

10. Accept freebies from friends and family for baby. Also are doing the "minimalist" approach as far as what we need for baby and my pregnancy. No fancy thrills here.

Right now we're sticking to our strict budget and saving every penny possible. After baby is here and everything is paid for (medical bills, crib, car seat, etc) we will apply any remaining amount toward the next debt in our debt snowball and will continue to live this way so we can finish paying off debt.

kimmykaye · August 2014

Another big part of Dave Ramsey's plan is using cash envelopes. Pay cash for EVERYTHING! We have our envelopes labeled with what the cash is used for, and you don't use it for anything other than what it says on the envelope. Also, if the budget needs to change, you have an emergency meeting and you both must agree on the decisions. You need to work together, it can't all fall on one person.

cls78 · August 2014

I followed the Dave Ramsey plan loosely. I did pay off all the credit cards and car loans with his plan. Unfortunately , my husband was in a bad car accident in Sept and his car got totaled. (He was ok, but his car saved his life). No car payment was very short lived for us.

. We ended up using the money from the insurance from his car being totaled as a down payment and I got a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. (Sport model). We wanted at least one nice car. My husband took over my CRV for work, so we at least only have 1 car payment. I need to do the cash envelope thing. We use our debit card way to much.

pomegranite09 · August 2014

I'm also using the Dave Ramsey method to pay off debt and have been doing the envelope cash system. We also traded in our two car payments for one car, slashing our car payments in half.

KMommytobe · August 2014

Looks like you got a lot of great ideas, basically getting your monthly bills down as low as you can.

This is our 3rd. We will be reusing the baby stuff from the first 2 (car seat, stroller, swing etc). We will have to buy new clothes as this will be a winter baby and the other 2 were born in the same season and were the same gender. We will be formula feeding from the getgo this time so will be budgeting for that. I would buy formula early but you never know if they will have eating issues so I'll wait. I'll probably start putting money away for formula in the 2nd tri.

My family always asks us what we want for Xmas and this year I will ask either for baby clothes or diapers! Or money towards formula

That's pretty much it. We paid off our credit cards years ago and don't use them anymore, and paid off my car last year. We have a reasonable cable/internet plan and have a budget for groceries every month. We do pretty well but you've gotta stick to it!

anamculbertson · August 2014

Hubby can't live without our direct tv. But we have taken some other steps. We made a smart financial decision just last week which will make us be ahead when the baby comes.
I do coupon. But not like crazy. I use them on things like house hold cleaning products, razors, tooth paste etc.
I also try to make a weekly menu & shop on Sundays for the week. We have a SAMs. Which makes life easier & cheaper with things like toilet tissues, body wash, paper towels etc!
And we pack lunches!!! Yes, occasionally we eat out or I have Starbucks. Usually on pay day & then that's it. It's like a treat!
We also started buying a pack of diapers a pay day!!!

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