A discussion I had a work recently about having children has really made me think back to when we had Roo and Tigger. You see a colleague of mine has just got married so of course the question of when she is going to have children has been raised.
We can’t afford to have children yet
The usual line of we can’t afford to have children yet has been muttered on several occasions and each time I hear it I do giggle to myself as can anyone really afford to have children?
When we found out we were expecting Roo we were both working full-time and in the process of moving house. With two lots of wages coming in we were able to purchase the necessary (and some unnecessary) baby equipment we wanted. We were able to decorate the nursery and go a little overboard on buying baby sleeping bags (so much so that I was banned from buying anymore), all without the worry about where the money was coming from.
When it came to having Tigger times had changed and our financial standing was somewhat different to first time round. I was only working part-time, however, the majority of my wage was going on nursery fees – one of the reasons we wanted four years between Roo and Tigger was so that we’d only be paying one childcare bill each month as Roo would be starting school as I returned from maternity leave.
Saving for a family
Whilst we had the basics of a decorated nursery, a cot and some bits and pieces of baby equipment there was still things we needed to purchase. Whilst we weren’t able to pop out to the shops and purchase anything that took our fancy this time round it did make us more savvy shoppers.
These are some of my top tips for saving for a family…
Savings
Having set up a standing order to go out of our bank account each week for a small amount, and we soon didn’t even notice it going out. This small weekly sum soon built into a small savings cushion that we were able to use to buy
Supermarket points
Many of the large supermarkets offer points when you go shopping, however, it was only once I found out that I was pregnant with Tigger that I began to use them more wisely. Doubling them up during bonus events to allow me to purchase a new baby monitor and even exchanging them for gift vouchers for other stores – I even managed to save enough up to purchase a new pushchair from Amazon. Saving up your points, using manufacturers coupons or Walmart ca coupons will also allow you to save money on your shopping.
Nearly new sales
Take a look on Facebook or on your local Mumsnet, Netmums and NCT websites to see if there is a nearly new sale in your area. These are a great way of getting rid of baby equipment that you no longer have a use for and purchasing the items that you need. I managed to get some of my maternity clothes and some great outfits etc for Tigger by attending these types of sales.
Did you save for a family?
Disclosure: I am a member of the Joe Blogs Network
No Comments