Mama Bargains/Mommysavers Giveaway – New Year, New Parents, New Ways to Save!

We try to be as frugal as possible. When a girlfriend asked me what my favorite baby shop was, I shocked her when I replied "Good Will"...between that and Craigslist and ofcourse the support of friends and family, we've had to buy very little for our two girls. My advice to all new moms (and dads) on a tight budget is to watch out for over spending, assessorizing, and keeping up with the Jones'. Especially with young children, they don't need a high end fashion wardrobe nor bazillions of gifts under the tree- they won't remember any of it. Be frugal in hopes that your wise examples will help them be wise with their money in the future. :)

As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to make my children's toys from common materials. The best way to do this is to look through a catalog or website for items you wish your child had. Then think about what skill is developed and what items you have at home to replicate the toy.

Montessori: My daughter was about a year old when her favorite "toy" was an empty soda box and about ten baby food lids. She would put the lids in the top hole and reach in the end to find them. That was my version of a Montessori object permanence box.

Puzzles: Use greeting cards, magazine pictures, or junk mail pictures to cut your own. Store in ziplock bags or envelopes. The best part to this way is that you can decide the appropriate amount of pieces for your child.

Crayons: We keep all the crayons we get at restaurants. These can be recycled into fun shapes by melting in shaped muffin/cookie tins. simply peel, break into small pieces and put eight into the tin. Ten minutes on 250 will do the trick! I use these as party favors too!

For my baby, I bought most of my gear from garage sales. I got my exersaucer for $10 my bouncer for $5, my jumper roo for $10. I did buy a new car seat and stroller system, but it was half price at Target. I also got tons of other stuff such as baby monitors, car shades, bumbo and high chair for 75% off also at Target. My baby has all the best at a fraction of the cost. I do recommend not buying car seats used, JMO.

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Making your own baby food can really help save money on canned jarred baby food products!  Take smaller portions of whatever you are cooking up for dinner and throw it in a blender or food processor.  Your baby will probably get better nutrition since you know exactly what ingredients you are putting into their food (that is if you are a healthy cook...haha.  French fries and hamburgers would not exactly work with this tip!)  Not only will this save you considerably on jarred baby foods and provide your toddler with better nutrition, it will also provide an opportunity for your little one to learn to like what the rest of the family eats on a regular basis.  No picky eaters in this household!! 

 

Also, if you are planning on making a meal that you know your little one really loves, make up a bigger batch and store it in the fridge for a few days or even in the freezer for a longer period of time.  That way you are saving both time AND money!     

Try to purchase more gender neutral baby items whenever you can.  That way when you are expecting a new little one of the opposite sex, you will already have quite a few of your baby needs already taken care of! 

You really don't need all the gear they try to convince you is necessary to have a baby. Sometimes the baby doesn't even like it and it just ends up taking up space.  When the baby comes home, you need to have a car seat, some clothes for him to wear, diapers and wipes, a safe place for him to sleep and a plan for feeding.  Everything else is optional and can wait.

Edited by hols537 - 1/24/12 at 4:53pm

When we had our first baby, we thought it was so important that we bought everything new.  Looking back, I think it was a waste of money.  Most baby gear is used for such a short time, that getting it second hand is a great way to save money.  Put the money into a new carseat and crib and hit the consignment sales for strollers, play yards and the other stuff.

My favorite money saving method has been using Swagbucks to earn Amazon gift cards, with which to buy diapers.  I essentially diapered my two little ones for free for over a year.  You can also look on Craigslist for diapers, as many people will sell packs of outgrown diapers for a great price.  Just make sure you are aware of what a good unit price (price per diaper) is.