Saving Money

Financial Planning For Baby: Where To Cut Costs

When you’re preparing for a baby the first thing to look at is the finances. Financial planning for baby doesn’t have to be cutting things out, but more-so finding budget-friendly alternatives.

Saving money can be easy when you make goals and keep in mind how much you’re saving. When my husband and I first got together he lived in what I would consider a half wide trailer. It was tiny.

It was difficult for 2 people to live in and I couldn’t stand it. I wanted better for us and our future. After learning about his expenses months into our relationship, we decided to make a drastic change.

It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We made goals and we were determined to reach them, especially when a baby was on the way.

Financial Planning For Baby: Where To Cut Costs. Financially Preparing For Baby

Ways To Financially Prepare For A Baby

Cut out Satellite and Cable

We eliminated our satellite tv. There we’re only a few shows we actually watched and realized we could watch them on Netflix or Hulu.

So we stopped it, saving us over $150 a month and got an Amazon Firestick to stream it on the TV.

financial planning for baby

Internet

One thing we needed to get in order to stream Netflix was internet. We didn’t live close to town so we weren’t able to get great internet.

After calling several cable companies, it was going to cost us over $7000 to install lines to our house. THAT IS RIDICULOUS! That wasn’t even to have internet, just to get it to the house.

We we’re able to get around it by getting unlimited internet on our phones and using that beautiful hotspot setting. And by going with unlimited internet on our cellphones, our phone bill dropped another $30 a month. AWESOME!

We get home, turn the hotspot on and we’re able to watch Netflix with no problem. That’s a lot of savings without internet or Satellite/cable.

Electric

Save money on your electric bill by turning the AC up in the summer and the heat down in the winter.
When we first got together my husband would literally walk around the house in shorts year round and would cover up with a blanket. It made zero sense.

We keep our heat around 68 F in the Winter and our AC at 72 F during the Summer. You’ll save money by wearing more clothes and using blankets in the winter and less in the summer.

Restaurants

Restaurants are very enjoyable and it’s always nice to have someone else cook for you, but you can save by eating at home.
Eating out at a restaurant can cost around $15 a meal, more than $2 for a drink and a 20% tip. Add tax and you’re looking at around $25 a person give or take.
It gets pricey when it’s every week or more, so check out some recipes and learn to cook.

Fast Food

Same thing as restaurants. If you’re not taking a lunch to work everyday and eating out for $7 or more. That’s more than $50 dollars a week.
Packing a lunch or meal prep for lunches can save you over $140 a month.

Cleaning Products

Cleaning can be very expensive. We look for the quickest thing that is going to get the job done fast. We look for something powerful which usually costs more.
I cut back my cleaning products by using Norwex.

save money

You just use water to clean and then it can be thrown in the washer. It’s a little pricey, but you’re not buying chemicals, paper towels, or refills. So it’s saving money in the long run.

If that doesn’t work for you, go natural.
There are plenty of natural cleaners such as vinegar and baking soda that will clean and still save you money.

Another way to cut back is with laundry detergent. You can make your own laundry detergent for less than $40 and it lasts around a year, depending on how many loads you do each week.

If you’re not making your own laundry detergent you can learn how by checking out my post on How to make your own Laundry Detergent. Pick your own smell and have clean smelling clothes for less. It’s a double win!

Hair and Nails

Learn to do your own nails by checking out my post How To Do Your Own Shellac Manicure. It will save you money and you won’t have to spend hours in a salon or work around their hours.

You can also stretch out those hair appointments another week or search for someone who will do it for a more reasonable price. It doesn’t hurt to ask around.

Cancel Subscriptions and Memberships

That gym membership you keep paying for monthly, but keep telling yourself you’ll go another time, get rid of it.

Those magazine subscriptions that are still in the packaging, sitting on your table, cancel it.

Anything that you pay for monthly that you don’t get a great deal of use out of can be cancelled. You can always sign back up later.

If you go through your bills and credit card statements you can find other places to save money. Make goals and see how much you can save.

Financial planning doesn’t have to be difficult. You can just look at your credit card statements and see what needs to change, what you’re no longer going to have time for, and what you’re really not using to begin with. Like that Hulu subscription that never gets used because you’re always watching Netflix shows.

Did you find other places to cut back? Share them with me and other readers. I’d love to hear what you found!

You can also check out Money Saving Apps For Moms to see what money you can get back on purchases!

Financial Planning For Baby: Where To Cut Costs
Financial Planning For Baby: Where To Cut Costs

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