savings/cost of baby
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Topic: savings/cost of baby
Posted By: heaf3
Subject: savings/cost of baby
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 3:26pm
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Hi guys
Have just started TTC and was wondering, I have just started putting some money into savings but how much am I going to need? I would love to be a SAHM but dont know if we will be able to afford it or not. DH is a builder and he doesnt always have stable work (especially at the moment!) and we dont have much savings and have a $5000 loan which we are paying $140 per fortnight on. How much does it cost (roughly) to set up for a baby? (new or secondhand) How much extra does it roughly cost you per pay to have a baby/child? (as in extra food, power, other bills, clothing, doctors visits etc) How much money should I aim to try and save?? sorry i know there are probably heaps of threads on this but i couldnt really find any (no new ones anyway). Thanks! ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: BugTeeny
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 3:40pm
Hi heaf 
Babies are as expensive, or as cheap, as you want to make them
DH and I bought all new "big" stuff for Hannah (cot, car seat, basinette, change table) and bought all new clothes and so on (we were given a heck of a lot, too.. so make use of generous rellies and friends  ). We did this because we knew we'd have another that would get use out of it, plus re-sale value will be higher.
But trademe is great for bargains. A lick of paint on a second hand cot will make it look as good as new! And keeping an eye out on baby shop sales becomes a bit of a full-time habit when you're pregnant 
With #2 we've managed to time things so he can use Hannah's "big" things. In terms of clothing, we're a lot more frugal. Re-using all the neutral stuff from Hannah and only buying a couple of "staple" items (singlets, stretch n grows, tracksuits) for his first 3 months or so. I've turned into a trademe fanatic and am constantly searching for bulk lots of boys and girls clothing for both kids. We're lucky that our mortgage payments are fairly small ($240/week) so WFF and Accomodation Supplement are covering $180 for that. Once #2 comes that takes WFF up another $60/week meaning they will pay our mortgage each week, leaving DH's wages for bills and so on. Hannah was BF for 12 months, starting solids (home made for the most part) at 4 months. By 18 months she was eating whatever we ate, with a few modifications (she'd have the chicken and veges we had, but without the butter chicken sauce for example).
She has family meals with us now, so there's no extra cost involved, since she doesn't eat much, and I always make enough for 4 people so DH has leftovers to take for work, and I have some for lunch the next day, if possible. As for bills, our power goes up in Winter since littlies need a bit more warmth, but real littlies can just be layered up instead of having heating on. Especially if you have a sunny house. Of course there are lots of variables. For example; if you end up FF'ing then you've got that as an extra cost, but it can all be factored in to your budget, once you know the cost per tin fairly easily. At the end of the day, babies can fit into any budget, really. Good luck
*eta: I hope that makes sense. I'm sure others will be happy to give you more tips and hints ------------- 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 3:54pm
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Agreed, babies don't have to be that expensive. If you wanna try and keep up with every new trend or new toy available and shopping at PP rather than places like tnt then yep it can get expensive really fast.
With big ticket items you can wait for sales if you want new. Around June, mothers day, xmas etc theres always HUGE savings to be made if you are patient enough to wait for them. I wouldn't worry too much about how much they cost as such cause it will vary so much. Just do a budget, try and see if you can pay for all your essentials using your DH's income and then try and set aside as much of your income as possible. Our power has only gone up for the winter months and its only by about $30 - 40 a month because we have a heat pump. Theres virtually no difference in our summer bills from being home. |
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 3:55pm
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Hmm... I have spent a fair bit of my savings already... Over $3k.
We were lucky and got 2 cots free from MILs workmate who had twins 10 years prior and just wanted to get rid of the cots! We bought a new mattress on sale - $200 Pram with capsule was $300, rrp is $330 it was on sale. 2 bases for the capsule $70 each. A new pram when she was 1mo - $800 on sale Bassinet - family heirloom free of charge! Bassinet mattress - $40 brand new on sale. Sheets for cot $10 each for cotton ones from spotlight on sale, or $25 from Farmers on sale. 3 cotton from SL, and 3 Flannelet from Farmers. Baby clothes... No idea how much we spent, but did get some good bargains from Baby city (they give you $20 voucher with every $350 you spend... If you join their club. Baby factory also have some good deals on clothes as does Farmers. Ignore Pumpkin patch unless you want a nice one off outfit perhaps. Umm... I bought a couch rather than a feeding chair, so spent $1k on couch rather than $350 on a feeding chair (couch is bedsette which can later be used if she has friends stay the night). Just got a high chair that was $50 off from Mocka and a little baby chair for $40 instead of $80 (baby chair definitely not needed but looked cute) We have bought some toys of TM like an activity musical tummy time bar by playskool got it for $5 when others were trying to sell theirs for $20. You don't need a tummy gym, you can get like gladwrap rolls and stick them together and hang toys of it at different heights then lay it across 2 dining room chairs and there's your babygym. Other wise they range from $40-$180+ Bouncer $40-$120+ We got ours on sale from $100 for $80 Blankets and Quilts... Probably spent about $400 on those, all on sale too... As you can see we spent a fair bit, probably on some stuff we didn't need... Lol. But it's an exciting time... Oh carseat we just got for $270 down from $400 ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 3:56pm
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Oh yeah change table was $140 from $250 again on sale.
I agree babies are as expensive or cheap as you make it be, they have no idea if something is second hand or brand new! My gran kept going oh buy brand new it's so much nicer, you don't know where second hand stuff has been or what diseases the people have had. What a load of sh*t imo. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: heaf3
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:00pm
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LOL @ your gran lil nic!
thanks for the input ladies!! much appreciated. i'm really hoping to BF but what will be will be. im hoping to get quite a bit secondhand. may be able to get some stuff off family members who have had babies. was hopefully going to buy MIL's cot off her but now SIL is having another bub so dont know if that will happen. i do have another question... how about pregnancy related costs?? like scans and stuff like that...do midwives cost? i really have no clue about any of this sort of stuff so i want to know what im getting myself in for lol ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:07pm
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MWs are FREE!! :) So are docs until 12 weeks
Scans, depends on where you are, mine were both free, despite being told it would be $40 each. (Least I think mine were free, but I know the place in town was free! ) ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:08pm
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Pretty much everything we got was second hand. Our cots were $20 each from the local hospice shop, and were sanded down and painted. Bassinets were family heirlooms. Original pram was $100, but I ended up getting a MB which was on sale at Farmers for 50% off (so $450). Capsules we hired. Dresser was $200 which we painted. All mattresses were new though - $40 each for the bassinet ones and $130 each for the cot mattresses. Change table, we are borrowing from a friend. Clothes....mainly from Kids Gear or TradeMe, or on sale at Farmers/PP/JK. Bouncers we were given, activity gym Mum got from TradeMe, toys are from TradeMe....sheets are from TradeMe, or on sale at Farmers. Blankets are from TradeMe (wool ones) or Baby Factory (bamboo cotton ones).
Our power bill has gone up a wee bit, because we like the house to be a bit warmer for the girls. Food bill has gone up a lot, but mainly because we are buying more veges/fruit now, rather than what we used to eat. The girls veges are all home made, but some fruit is bought, plus yoghurts. Nappies...we usually use Huggies, and will buy a box on special ($40) plus one smaller packet ($20 on special) and that lasts us two weeks (that's for two babies remember!). The girls are also formula fed, and would go through two tins of formula a week when they were younger ($15.50 a tin at PnS, so $31 a week, for Karicare)...they've dropped a feed now, so we don't quite go through that many. My biggest expense so far is clothes...they grow so damn fast that it feels like every few weeks I have to go and get more of the next size up!!!! We also get WFF and an accom supplement, so take that into account. You should be able to get a rough idea of what you are entitled to if you know what your DH's previous years earnings are. |
Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:11pm
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MW is free!! My 12 week scan was $40, but that was it.
Remember to budget for some preggy friendly clothes too!!! |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:12pm
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Have you thought about clearing as much of your debt as possible first?
That's what I've been doing I had a personal loan for consolidated debt - HP, CC, Car etc I've got $1600 left and that will be paid off by the time I go on maternity leave. It's a big relief as we only need to cover our essential cost of living which we can do for the most part on DH's salary. I've found that people will give you stuff, some without even asking. I've already got the first 6 months worth of clothes from a couple that have finished their family and passing it on. We also got offered a buggy for free if we'd wanted it. I got some sheets from Farmers, I also had a ripped queen sheet which I've cut to cot size. I think depending on your situation you can get everything you need without having to spend much. I found with TTC as it took a while, that putting a little extra aside each pay day has paid off. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:14pm
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My scans have been 50 ea but i think we are in the expensive side. but if i had done them at the hospital they would have been free.
If you plan on using sposies you can get great bulk deals online |
Posted By: heaf3
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:17pm
yeah have thought about that fleur but we have got a consolidated loan now with a pretty decent interest rate so its not costing us toooo much to have. (instead of me getting charged 37% on a credit card that i didnt know i was getting charged!  ) so we have paid off about $3500 in a year, which isnt too bad. considering i was dropped down to 3 days a week for ages and DH has hardly been working for the past 6 months.
every time i try to save a bit extra to put on the loan it ends up going on some other bills! ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: monkey33
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:31pm
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I agree with everyone - they are really as expensive as you want them to be. I saved for the time I was pregnant and we ended up with enough to buy everything new we needed for DS for the first year (as others have said, you really don't have to buy new). We thought it was best to do that so that the pressure to find the $ during the year would be off us. I made a list of absolutely everything we needed, put the usual rrp next to it and then made it my mission to find it cheaper somewhere. It is amazing how many sales you come across in the time you are pregnant. I have saved $1900 all up so far by buying things on sale.
When I left work to go on leave, I had 9 or so weeks annual leave owing which contributed to savings. With this $ I pay for my petrol, insurance & mobile phone bill to help out DH and I have paid for a few big bills (eg car repairs to get warrant) Extra savings like this aren't essential for everyone, but I have found it has helped us out alot. Oh & don't forget you get 13 week payout from the government which helps out. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: monkey33
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:41pm
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Oh and as for bills with baby - apart from everything on the 'list' I was talking about, the only costs that DS has for us right now that we haven't saved for are:
*Nappies - we buy Homebrand nappies ($5) and Treasures for night ($7.60 on sale). We lasted 3 months without buying nappies as I went to the Parent Show and got 44 packs of nappies for $5!! *Formula - not a cost everyone needs obviously but we spend $22 every 5 days or so. *Heating - the last power bill went up only $50 and that was using the dryer twice a week, the lounge oil heater a bit and DS 5 fin oil heater every night - so not bad really. *Solids (we are buying the moment but I want to start making next week). We have only just started solids (you start anywhere between 4-6 months) so the first few months cost you nothing food wise if you BF. DS had chicken pox recently and it didn't cost us a cent - we had creams & lotions and it was free 
My scans were all free (my MW gave me the option of going to a free one or a private one) - the only one we paid $60 for was the optional 12 week scan that is not covered by govt (the Nuchal scan). ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Babe
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:42pm
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Holy crap Nic LOL you spent more on Lily than I have on either of my two INCLUDING cloth nappies!! Lucky girl Lily
I got a touchwood cot off TM $300 inc new mattress, playgro touch and feel playmat $20 from 2ndhand babyshop, another K-Kids playgym $2 from sally army, milano buggy with capsule was $299 and my parents brought that as a baby gift and I just upgraded to a P&T e3 doubles buggy for $150 off trademe, fisher price electric swing $120 coz Jake had severe reflux, dresser was borrowed off my parents and then I sanded back and am painting DPs drawers from when he was a kid, bassinet was family heirloom, clothes were either under $2 at the secondhand shops, homemade or hand-me-downs, Snazzipants fitteds, prefolds and bummis covers for both of them (so multiple sizes) $120 all up, toys were hand-me-downs or I made them - we're just starting to get Jake some toys now that hes really getting some preferences, Change table was a family heirloom, Jolly jumper port-a-cot $20 off trademe, then when Jake grew out of the capsule we got a safe and sound I think thats birth to 5 and when its forwardfacing you can tilt it back which is a primo feature. That cost $400 and Tys in it now coz Jakes already chasing the 5yos in size
blankets, etc we either got from secondhand shops, hand-me-downs or baby shower gifts (all cotton or wool), my rip-off moby cost $10 for 5m of cotton and I got 2 wraps out of that. My feeding chair was just a big comfy armchair that we already had. My recommendations to get the most bang for your buck - buy a carseat that goes from birth to 11, buy a doubles or doubles compatible buggy (P&Ts also have a capsule fitting available and the capsule) if you're planning on having more kids, buy a good quality cot, and while one that converts to a bed is useful the additional cost isn't really worth it if you're going to have another child coz then your oldest will be moving to a 'big kids' bed and the cot just goes back to being a cot IYKWIM, don't stress too much about clothes - honestly Ty lives in woolen all-in-ones and stretch&grows!!! don't stress about toys either - one decent playmat/gym, a couple of jelly/wooden teethers and a teddy keeps them going for ages and ages and AGES! The power bill first time round was higher coz I kept a heater in Jakes room 24/7. This time round no difference coz no heater just extra blankets! Experience is a nice thing to have
No issue with food costs, Jake eats what we eat and I always make alot. HTH -------------   
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Posted By: GuestGuest
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:49pm
| For me I figure it is going to cost next to nothing because I have very generous inlaws in the UK who are panting for a grandchild plus most of my friends have had babies and are keen to pass things down to me (including a moses basket that i absolutely love!) Are you in the situation where you can get hand me downs from people? |
Posted By: Babe
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:52pm
Yes LR coz if she has a boy I'm sending her heaps of stuff  on the proviso of course that I get to be a favourite OB aunty!!-------------
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Posted By: heaf3
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 4:56pm
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more than likely LR, have a few friends with babies, and SIL and sister as well (girl and boy)
awww babe of course you can be!!!   you are too sweet.
lol monkey i had forgotten that you get maternity pay! thanks for the reminder. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 5:06pm
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hmm
Cot - $50 2nd hand off SILs sister Carseat and capsule $200 (brand new off a TM business) Basinette $50 (paid for by MIL as a gift) Pram $280 (as above) Bouncinette and matching changetable $50 2nd hand off TM High chair $50 as above Extra pram (3-wheeler for speedway) $50 as above Blankets - 2x $12 and a $30 cot set, all the rest were gifts from family/friends Sheets - 2x $20 and all the rest were from friends/family as handmedowns Nappies/Formula - $30 per week, not so much now that shes eating 'real' food more, and formula less, and can go longer before needing a nappy change The biggest expense has been clothing (I am notorious for the amount of PP clothes she had and never wore, BUT it was all either outlet sales, or TM bought, never bought anything at full price! I buy PP as it has a great resale value on TM, and I the ranges you can mix and match with, rather than one full set per outfit) but you will find that (esp with your first) you will get a lot of clothes as gifts, or handed down from those who have already had kids and dont need the clothes any more
There are also a lot of one-off things I bought and either put away for next time, or sold, like the breast pump ($50 off TM) a front pack ($30 instore) breastfeeding pillow (a $15 tri-pillow from the Warehouse) things that arent necessities, but are great to have JIC ------------- Brandon - 05/12/2003  
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Posted By: Jelly
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 5:10pm
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I had a few scans, all free... I know the first two were free because I went to horizon who never charge for maternity scans, but my 12, 20, 37 and 41wk scans were all free at Auckland Radiology. Well, aside from the cost of getting the footage put on DVD which was only $10ish per visit.
Holy cow I just realised that I had a LOT of scans 
Anyway our weekly costs are nappies, $10 a week for home brand or woolworths select. Treasures ALWAYS leaked for us, but that might just be the shape of DS's bum/thighs. Huggies are great but now I know home brand is just as good I can't justify the cost anymore. We buy wipes in bulk when they're on sale. a pack of 80 huggies ones lasts a week or more for around $5. Our formula is one of the more expensive brands, yay us, at around $25 per tin. We go through just over a tin a week, so if you end up FFing always have a spare tin in the house somewhere for when you run out at bedtime the day before pay day. It will happen, trust me Oh that is only part time though, his last bottle is a dream feed at around 12am and his next bottle is usually around lunch time. He is BF overnight.
Slightly less regular costs... Baby bath stuff is I *think* around $4, 1 bottle could probably last 2 weeks since you really don't need a lot. Unless you want to do a bubble bath, in which case you may run out early. My bad
We also use curash (also $4ish?) at every nappy change, one of those will last 2 weeks+. The first one lasted a month cause he had such a little bum 
So even with a mostly FF baby it isn't too bad. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: tictacjunkie
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 5:20pm
| There's so much stuff you "need" but that you actually don't. I've never had a change table, just a thick rug on the floor & a nice seagrass basket to put Nappies etc in arms reach, worked great for me. Buy 2nd hand where possible, baby gear's used so little you can get great stuff for quite cheap, just be price wary, I've seen things sold on TM & in opshops for more than new price. Definitely clear debt rather than save- interest on a loan will be more than you get from a savings account. |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 5:26pm
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I did the same as you're thinking, and just set up a savings account specially for the baby part-way through our time TTC (when I figured it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, I thought I might as well try and find a silver lining and make the most of the time!) I didn't have a set amount I put in, I just transferred anything I could spare in there. It really added up after a while. I also bought some things while we were TTC, so we had a bit of a head-start (I know that's a decision people have different opinions on, though).
All in all, I'm surprised at how much is left in the baby's account, even now when we've got most things. I do still need a few things, but I'm sure any extra will be spent on needs for Bubs as he gets older. There's not nearly enough in there to let me be a SAHM or anything - it's still a possibility, but if we were to make that decision, we'd have to be basing our decision on DHs income, not my baby savings. ETA that as others have suggested, I'd clear any debt (the personal loan kind, not the mortgage kind!) before putting money aside specifically for the baby. Babies can be cheap if need be, and debt is just draining your finances with the interest you're paying. Its nice to be able to splurge on some nice things, but if need be you can get really good stuff cheaply second-hand. -------------   
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Posted By: HuntersMama
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 5:28pm
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I dont find much of an ongoing cost at all. Our DS is BF and wears cloth nappies so the only thing we need to get on a regular basis is clothing.
The only thing we bought brand new was his pram/capsule/bassinet and cot mattress. All the other stuff was either given to us or bought of TM. Clothes we tended to get when I was UTD so we still have a few things he hasnt worn yet. Pay off as much debt as you can and save, save, save so you can spend as much times with bubs as you would like to. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 5:42pm
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Nappies, I find Huggies leak so much for us. Treasures giggles = nappy rash but Treasures Ultra are good although sometimes leak.
My fave disposable nappy is Woolworths Select. Not too cheap but not as expensive as Treasures or Huggies. I have cloth nappies too but only tend to use them on weekends can't find the funds to go full time atm.
Don't buy bassinet sheets if you use a bassinet, just use fitted cot sheets for the mattress. Works just as well if not better! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: lil_lease
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 5:53pm
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So far it hasnt cost us anything and we have a cot, highchair, some Haute Pocket nappies, a few flat cloth nappies and a few clothes.
We also have a couple of prams that are avaliable to me. My dad told me he has a chest of drawers for me but I'm not sure if he still has them. Pretty much all the basics have been bought for me or given to me. Just lucky I guess. ------------- Antony, gone but never forgotten 2-4-2010 
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Posted By: Babe
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 7:39pm
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Oh yeah I got a brandnew Avent pump - $120 (I would recommend a pump personally!) and a feeding pillow $12 from secondhand baby shop, also got a basic monitor from there for $15.
Didn't use change table at all with Tyler but did all the time with Jake just coz of the way things were at the time. I missed the debt part - yeah I'd recommend paying it off! Even upping the payments by 50% per week makes a huge difference and being debt-free makes everything easier when you have kids. I reckon make a wishlist then put everything you can on your debt but keep an eye out for any specials or trademe deals and grab them. -------------
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Posted By: blossombaby
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 8:06pm
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ahh we are due in August for our first, I love shopping so have found it hard to contain myself. Still yet to have baby shower but we are pretty much set to go heres what we have done .. We went brand new for everything(almost) 1 because i didnt want to borrow anything of anyone and have them ask for it back a few months later .. and 2 because we are in a situation to buy everything this time round but don't think we will be 4 number 2 (iykwim) plus we havnt found out what baby is so everything is unisex
Cot from Babycity = $500 mattress from Mocka = $100 Capsule = Borrowing Carseat 0- 4 Baby Factory= $320 Pram - Phil and Teds Dash = $800 + Peanut Attachement, Sun and Rain Covers = $300 Bassinet - Family Hairloom!!! Bassinet mattress - $30 Sheets, Protecters etc for Cot and Bassinet from Farmers = $150 (on sale) Baby clothes = Ahhhh far to much - Mostly from PumpkinPatch - Good resale and wash up nice etc. Check out outlet stores tho they have some wicked stuff and at a good price Baby factory a Feeding Chair - Stolen from My Mums house super comfy chair! hahahaha Change Table from Mocka = $70 Toys, PlayGym etc = Aprox $400 mostly in sales at farmers Bouncer from Mocka = $59 i think? Blankets and Quilts = Maybe approx $400 spend and have been gifted heaps!!! Bottles, Sterliser, etc From Baby Factory = $360 Ahhhhhhhhhhhh atucally first time ive put it in writing and cant believe it wow ... Definatly should have cut back on somethings!!! I must stay away from the shops and hope to god dp dopesnt want a break down of what we have spent anytime soon!!
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Posted By: blossombaby
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 8:07pm
| Also have a mix of nb nappies and small ittis (8 i think) unsure what i will use as of yet |
Posted By: Blankney94
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 9:35pm
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Hi, wise questions - well done in getting things sorted so early. I found the biggest expense was in the hardware items - I got a really good new pram with a doubles attachment as I know I will probably have another bub - that was $350 at half price - hubby had to do one of those line up outside the store door things - and run to grab it!!! Also got a table-height change table - saves your back! It was $90 on sale at Farmers. Farmers are great - you can often get things half price - just wait it out if you have time on your side. Bassinet was the one I slept in originally! Cot is one that has been handed around friends. If buying a 2nd hand cot make sure it is up to regulation standards. You will probably get given a LOT of baby clothes - especially if people know what gender the baby is. We only found out we were having a girl when she arrived, and we had boy hand me downs, but who cares when it's free. The other expensive thing is giving up work! Take into account your "lost" wages, but also take into account you may be be entitled to Paid Parental Leave and Working for Families. All the best for your future! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 9:52pm
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Sometimes Farmers have the cardholder sales, which isn't really the best situation as they whack on interest. My MIL said she missed a few good deal because she wasn't a card holder, but she usually just let my mum know who is and she got it and then mil paid her back iygwim.
Also babyshowers are a really good idea, I didn't have one as ran out of time but my friend did and she got given pretty much everything she would need or might need! She had hers at 30 weeks and hadn't got much for baby yet so she just got stuff she needed after she knew what was coming from the baby shower. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: julz85
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 10:08pm
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as i was a solo mummy from the get go i knew i had to start buying straight away so from 3mths on i would buy little things and layby stuff every week ,definatly look for sales , for example i got the pram ( which is a really good steelcraft strider one ) down from $500 to $150 on red dot sale at farmers , i then saw the exact same pram at a "trendy" baby shop for $815!!!!!! i told the woman what i paid for it and she was like : thats way cheaper than what we even buy them for , its an awesome pram and was used from newborn and i still use it now, always get comments about it as it can face towards mum for newborn and away from mum as they get a bit older and want to see everything. her cot was from a family member , i just bought the matress, as was the bassinette ( its a family hariloom- my dad slept in it as a baby and hes 56) also just bought matress for that , i bought a change table for $200 from baby factory altho looking back i wouldnt of got one as hardly ever used it , bought most of her clothes on sale, i always look for end of season stuff in the size shes going to be in that season next year so iv got quite a bit stored for next summer spring etc , never say no to hand me downs , i got bags and bags of stuff from relatives which i was a bit unsure about until bubs was here , then i realised they live in round the house clothes majority of the time so there great for that . i bought her car seat from kmart on sale from $300 to $150 , borrowed capsule off a friend untill she was 5-6mths , got a second carseat for nanas car off trade me for $30! that was a real bargain as its quite new and in mint condition, was a $1 reserve ( i wanted her main carseat to be new but nanas one doesnt get used much and it had never been in a accident or anything), i splurged a bit on a newborn infant swing thing which was around $200 but it was great as amelia had colic , i then sold it on tm for $140 so didnt loose much on that . i bought a sling for $100 but also because of amelias colic it definatly came in handy , manual breast pump was about $130 all up (avent one) and that included a cple of bottles , i also bought her highchair for $50 off tm and a second stroller off tm for $50 (smaller one for when i need to catch the bus ) . i bought her bouncer for about $50 on sale at kmart then sold it on tm and got $40 for it , i had a baby shower at 36 weeks prego and i was very spoilt , got heaps of things like :baby towels, bath products, toys, rattles, clothes etc . Like the other have said , babies are expensive as you want them to be , power has gone a up a bit as i heat her room at night with a small oil heater and she has a bath every day , now she is one she eats quite a bit so grocerys have gone up , i have breastfed mostly all along ( started part formular feeding about 2 months ago as she started preschool ) i have definatly noticed a difference in my grocery bill since having to buy formular and thats only like a bottle or so a day so not even much but fomrular is expensive , i can honestly say i have never paid full price for a pack of nappies , i refuse to buy them if they are not on special as there is always a supermarket with either treasures ultra or huggies on special ( i use these at night ) and i just buy giggles or a cheaper brand for during the day . ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 23 June 2010 at 10:27pm
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Change table was a waste for us too, we only used it for the first 7-8 weeks, not it sits gaining dust and everything gets piled on it.
I bath with her so we bath together, she loves it and so do I. Somenights dp has a bath with her which she also enjoys! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 7:08am
| The fold up change tables are a cheaper alternative. i used ours until Daniel was 1 and it cost me $15 |
Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 8:41am
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I have a fold up table and its quite large, I'm still using it! ------------- Brandon - 05/12/2003
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Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 9:06am
I have a Farmers card - I only use it for sales, and just pay it straight off so I don't pay interest. My only complaint is it's a hassle going into the store to pay it, but it's worth it for the specials. -------------
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Lil_Nic9 wrote:Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 9:10am
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Yeah if you can pay it off quickly, I think it's a month before the interest applies it's great.
Kirkaldies and Stains in WGTN have a store card and don't charge interest at all! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: tictacjunkie
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 10:04am
| I have a manual Avent breast pump too, I paid $110 for it new about 9 years ago. Definitely a worthwhile investment as it meant I could bf for longer, paid for itself really after our first child because of the formula we didn't have to buy ($20 a can, about 2 cans a week), I bought an extra pack of larger bottles, then about a year later got the non-spill things (they go in the lid instead of the teat) & handles so the bottles turned into toddler cups. Great investment! |
Posted By: tictacjunkie
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 10:13am
| & I bought an Edinburgh automatic swing off TM for $90 (rrp is 250ish) for dd22mths when she was little. She's only just stopped using it, I've found it a far better buy than a rocker or bouncer (we borrowed those for our older kids) because she could use it for a lot longer (over a year compared to a couple of months), & you can sit the back of the seat up & use it as a highchair too because it has a little tray. It's high up off the ground as well- a bonus if you have coldish floors.+=) |
Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 10:26am
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Hopes - you can pay it by internet banking as well....I do for Mum's card (which I paid for my MB with).
Change table - we used ours ALL the time. Only stopped using it a couple of months ago actually!! It made life a lot easier than getting down in the floor all the time, especially after my CS. We used to bath them on the kitchen bench, then transfer them straight to the change table, dress them and go from there. I also had a manual Avent breast pump which I got for $20 out of the paper. Brand new and never used, but I just sterilised it first. |
Posted By: Nutella
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 10:49am
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We didn't buy a specific change table instead we used a set of drawers that are the right height and put a change mat on top, means can store all his nappies underneath it easy access and also can use it afterwards. But I have to admit that the majority of the time I change him on the ground coz I give him HEAPS of nappy off time. Used the change drawers more when he was little.
A great way to make savings is to use reusable wipes, it is so easy honestly! I think back to when my niece was a baby and that is just what you used, seems funny how we buy into disposable wipes when it is not that hard to wash cloths. Don't get me wrong, they are useful when going out and also pretty good when the first poo comes in but seriously they are not exactly cheap now....I'm so pleased I swapped! We use cloth nappies too but have no idea if that was a saving, I was really doing it for the environment (haha no the truth is I think they are cute lol). We brought heaps of new things just coz of where we live...obviously a bit hard to bring a cot over from nz...we would have had HEAPS of things from family if we were living in NZ. I found that I had way too many clothes for DS and still do, some of the things I brought while pregnant I now look at and think what the? And he doesn't wear them lol. ------------- 
 Oct 11
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 11:47am
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Lily has more clothes than she can wear, even if I was to swap outfits more than once a day! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Nutella
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 11:52am
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Same Nic....hehe -------------
Oct 11
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 12:12pm
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Shop around and check out the sales, I've seen cots brand new on sale at Farmers cheaper than TM, plus you get a bit more consumer protection if its not right. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: sweetpea
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 2:08pm
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thanks for starting this thread this topic has been on my mind too. Some good comments in here i will store them for future reference. If you can get rif or reduce that debt as quickly as you can afford. ------------- http://daisypath.com"> 
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Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 2:16pm
Absolutely - we got our cot new from Farmers as an end-of-line cheaper than I've seen them sell on TradeMe. And then when it turned out to have a small mark on it (noticable, if you look in the right place, which is thankfully hidden because that side is against the wall) I took a photo and they gave us an extra $60 credit because as it was an end-of-line they couldn't swap it for a new one. So I was rather stoked with that -------------
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Posted By: Daizy
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 3:06pm
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We spent hardly anything with Keira as most stuff was given/loaned to us. Second time around people probably assumed we already had everything so pretty much had to start from scratch. There is a lot of stuff that you probably really don't need, it's different for everyone.
Always keep an eye out for specials (my rule was to try to never pay full price for something). ------------- 
 
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Posted By: blossombaby
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 5:28pm
| often 2nd hand isn't a cheaper opition .. there are so many sales now day infact i cant remeber last time i went into farmers and it wasnt in a sale!!! |
Posted By: LG
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 7:34pm
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We live in Whangarei too and all of my scans were free.
I agree with what everyone has said - that babies can be as expensive or cheap as you want. And only buy things on sale While we were TTC (for almost 2 years) i bought a lot of stuff but know not everyone is in to that. All on sale but things like hooded towels, sheet and blanket sets, unisex clothes in all sizes that were on sale. I also tried really hard to pay off my debts and it made a big difference in the end I bought the big items new because we are planning on having more kids and also for resale value (things like cot, pram etc). -------------  Angel Baby Aug '12, Feb '13 |
Posted By: heaf3
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 8:37am
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thanks for all your replies everyone! has been great to see everyones opinions. and some great ideas in there
i think i might try and pay off as much as i can while putting a little money aside and buying a few things here and there. i really hate not having any backup money behind me even though i know i have debt that needs to be paid, but if i need new tyres or anything i need to have some money put aside for things like that. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 9:41am
| Fair enough wanting to have a little money behind you. With tyres though. Don't just buy new at a tyre shop. So many people I know do that and they could save so much money. Get quotes from different places.. look on trade me and then play everyone off against each other. My dad does this very successfully. His vehicle has 4wd nz made tyres (approx 250 a pop) and he found some on trademe that were basically new for 80ea and at the shop he got them down to 149. For one i needed urgently tonys wanted me to pay 250ish and i got them down to 189 |
Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 9:57am
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Oh thats good to know Stacey. Unfortunately both our cars need new tyres so I will have to send DH on a mission -------------  
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 10:06am
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The tyre place on the corner of botanical and pioneer do really good deals for normal car tyres, they gave us some for $60 that were new not retreads and then you just get that as a written quote, take it to tonys and they say in their ad they will beat any written quote in town by $10 a tyre, and then if ur really keen u can take tonys quote to another place and see if they will beat it again Worth the effort really
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