Frugal Pregnancy tips:
“Borrow.
Have a friend who was just pregnant? Talk to them about maternity clothes. Maybe they’ll let you borrow some shirts.
You don’t have to have every cool thing they make for babies. I’d splurge on a cradle swing even before a crib.
Talk to friends and neighbors who are all done having kids – esp if they just had their last kid. They’re dying to get rid of their old stuff. Check for safety issues.
Make sure your car seat is less than 3 yrs old.
Don’t pay any medical bill that hasn’t been through your insurance. I overpaid the doctor’s office because they insisted on a certain amount that *they* expected. It took a WHOLE YEAR to get my refund check.”
– from Heart Baby Home
“This may sound silly to you but I just had a baby and this my personal experience. With my first, I craved taco bell like no tomorrow. And I ate it all the time. And whatever else I craved. With the baby I just had I craved pizza all the time. Instead of ordering out for it, we did homemade pizza and almost always had some in the fridge. When I was hungry but didn’t know what I wanted I would eat cereal. I had a ton in my stockpile and after awhile that’s what I craved. Those two things helped me save money on my cravings while pregnant!”
– from Fabulessly Frugal
“Always try the cheaper brands first. My babies all did fine with the off brand diapers and I saved nearly $10 on a big box (buy the big box) each time. This is the same for wipes, food, bottles, etc.
Breastfeeding isn’t for everyone, but if you can, it’s the way to go. There are so many benefits for mom and baby, but it is a big money saver. Formula is about $22 a box and will probably get you through a week. Do that for a year and then move into sippy cups when baby can have cow’s milk.
Also, get items that grow with the baby: a crib that turns into a twin bed, a car seat that grows with baby,
And, don’t buy what the baby doesn’t absolutely need. Unless the baby really needs it, don’t introduce the pacifier, or the bottle, etc. Once you buy one of those, you will buy 40!
Our baby started eating the same things we were eating as soon as he could have solid foods. A $6 mini food processor makes your meal edible for the baby. Since we get vegetables from the garden and meat from the farm, we know the baby isn’t getting overly-processed foods either.”
– from Keeping Up with the Joneses
“These are all great ideas. “Don’t buy what you don’t need”…I agree. I never had a changing table and I never missed out. I know several of my friends that said that was a useless item. If you feel you must have one buy one that grows with them like Kimberly said. In this case get a dresser with a changing pad on top.
I would not forget about thrift stores and yard sales too. You can find really awesome clothes for you and your baby all up until they are about 3-4 years old. Most people have too much stuff for their baby that is never used or maybe used only once and that includes clothes, and bedding.”
– from Saving Your Green
“And all you need is sleepers and onesies for the first few months. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive.
Somewhere for them to sleep, if even a pack&play next to your bed or cradle/basinet/baby moses basket for first couple of months too.”
– from 3 Boys and Adoption ?!?
I would love to hear all of your Frugal Pregnancy tips as well. Share them with me in the comment section!
One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is celebrating Advent. I love the anticipation that comes new every year as we await the coming of Jesus, God with us. I love looking at Nativity scenes and thinking about that little family. The scene above is exactly like my favorite nativity scene of my mom’s. We loved it growing up and tried desperately not to break it. This year my bible study group is doing a book called “Preparing My Heart for Advent” by Ann Marie Stewart. We started it late, not realizing that she had a lesson for every day in November as well as December. Now we are doing each November day with the corresponding December day. I love it and am getting so much out of it. She speaks to my heart, and the study has really helped me to focus on Jesus and not get Christmas stressed. The study has taken us all over the new and old testaments, looking into the people of the Messianic family tree. I love the Christmas story as told by Matthew and Luke, but getting the bigger picture has been amazing. Here is my favorite quote from the study so far: 
