Polliwogged || Detail || Resist Register Return The Three Ways To Minimize Baby Spending

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Three keys to budgeting for baby: Resist, Register, Return

My friend with a four-year-old said something to me last fall when I was fretting over the upcoming expenses of having a child. "Babies are almost free for the first year," she said, "if you can control your urges to buy stuff." Some expenses - day care, feeding supplies for non-breastfed babies, health care - may be unavoidable. Here are three keys for avoiding spending money you don't have to.

Resist: Seriously. You do not need two gorgeous diaper bags when your sturdy messenger bag will do the trick. You might want a giraffe-themed super adorable crib dust ruffle, but do you actually need a crib dust ruffle? If something even slightly smells like an impulse buy, and it is not a priority for you, be strong and resist it.

Register: Remember those impulse buys I just said you should resist? Register for them! Your friends and family are waiting for a clue as to what you want. Many of them really and truly wish to give you something nice. Help them pick something that you will treasure - and don't forget to register for a variety of sizes. In our case, the ultrasounds and measurements kept showing that our child was going to be rather large. So I registered for no newborn (NB) sized clothing, a few 0-3m sized pieces, and heck of a lot of 3-6 and 6-12m. Sure, it seemed odd, but when our son was born just shy of nine pounds, it proved to be a good decision. Had I not registered I would have had piles of very nice, very cute, and hopelessly too small outfits.

Return: Even if you register, some people will branch out and give you things not on the registry. That is OK. If these gifts look like something you might need, or if they are so unique that you couldn't possibly return them without upsetting the generous gift givers, then by all means keep them. But if it is your second NB size three pack of Gerber onesies- return it. The first pack was enough. And then keep the credit in a safe place. Because there will come a time, in about three to six months, when you run out of some essential item. And that credit for the onesies that you returned is now miraculously transformed into free breastmilk storage bags. Voila!

- Leigh G.

Photo by cohdra, shared via Flickr.

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