6 Financial Saving Tips Before Pregnancy

 Expectant mothers should be ready financially, physically and emotionally for the arrival of their baby. Parents are said to spend up to $500,000 to raise their kids through age 18. If you heed to the 6 financial saving tips before pregnancy, you won’t find it difficult to raise your newborn.

This guide will give you some insights on financial tasks that are on your plate from pregnancy to your baby’s first years. Tackling your financial case now is a smart idea.

1. Cut down use of credit card

You should start cleaning up your finances. The best place to start is your credit cards. Keep in mind that annual interest can go up to thousands of dollars.

With such interest rate, it’ll hamper your ability to purchase a home or a minivan. You can start by transferring your balance to your credit card with a lower interest rate.

Then, you need to create a budget. To do that, you’ll have to track every penny you spend by accumulating all receipts. You’ll need a few months’ worth to get a picture of the small cash effects on your finances. Once you’ve accumulated the right numbers, you can document your spending patterns.

From there, you can monitor your budget. You can decide whether you’d like to pay for childcare. Make sure that you have an emergency fund in your budget because having a baby can mean a lot of unexpected expenses.

2. Sell your car

It’s a useful money-saving strategy that can offer you significant savings in the long run. After selling your car, you can sign up for a car-sharing program. For a shared wheel, you can spend less than $1,000 a year.

But you need to think this through. Can you handle the hassle of not having a car? It may not be appropriate if you and your family depend too much on your vehicle for transportation.

Nonetheless, selling your car can offer you significant savings before the baby comes. And if you have two cars, consider selling the other one.

3. Know your wants and needs

On our first suggestion, we’ve mentioned saving your receipts. You’ll need them to know what your wants and needs are. You can make a list of essential and non-essential things so you’ll know where you can cut costs.

Non-essential expenses would include getting a cup of coffee in a shop, dining out, and purchasing the latest gadgets each month. Your magazine subscriptions and movie rentals should also go.

Instead of buying food from your favorite restaurant, consider preparing your own meals at home. Stock your fridge with some microwavable meals. Doing so will help you save lots of money in the future.

4. Get a second job

To kick start your baby fund, consider getting a second job for nine months. It’s only temporary. When your child arrives, you’ll realize that having two jobs is just nothing compared to the task associated with your new baby.

The best thing about it is that you don’t need to leave your house to get a second job. There are tons of work-at-home jobs available online. They can all help you in paying the bills after the baby comes.

Or if you have a spare room at home, you can rent it out. It’s not a second job, but it can help you accumulate some savings that you need when the baby arrives.

Consider subletting the spare room for a few months. It’s especially beneficial if you live in a city as you can earn up to $100 a night, depending on your location and the size of the room. For a bigger and faster increase to your savings account, rent the room for five nights each month.

You may also think about having a sale. As you prepare your home for your baby, you can clean out your closets and cabinets by selling your unused clothes. You can also get rid of some furniture and make money from it.

Have a yard sale as you make room for your baby and your savings account. Or you can just sell things on eBay, Craigslist, Amazon and other platforms. You can even sell those items on Facebook.

5. Purchase essential baby items

Before, during and after pregnancy, you and your child need a few things. Thus, start shopping for maternity clothes and baby clothes early.

When you purchase those things, consider obtaining them from thrift stores or garage sales. That’s because brand new items are more expensive than second-hand ones.

If you know someone who became a mother and may have some clothes that they can pass on, try borrowing from them. Most likely, they’re going to give them to you at no cost.

Don’t use the baby gift money to buy baby items. Some of your friends may give you money for your little’s ones. Save it, instead of spending it on baby items, like diapers.

6. Ditch your phone

By giving up your cell phone or landline, you can have a savings of up to $1,5000 for nine months. Just because you’re giving them up, doesn’t mean that you’ll be living a phone-less life. You can always get a low-cost prepaid phone.

On the other hand, you can choose to get rid of your data plan and use your phone as a plain old phone. It can surely give you significant savings in the long run.

Conclusion

Having a baby involve a lot of expenses. If you’re not ready financially, you’ll find yourself borrowing money from one person to another.

To avoid that, you need to commit yourself to saving money. You should monitor your budget and plan better for the future. And make sure that you always have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses.

When you plan ahead, you’re lowering the stress of financing your family before, during and after the baby arrives. If you heed to these 6 financial saving tips before pregnancy, you can have savings that can add up quickly. Cutting back some items in your budget will help you get to your financial goal.

Hannah Tong is the founder of Omaby.com, a blog dedicated to providing accurate advice to mothers regarding childcare. She loves taking care of her kids and teaching them the right things. She is also enthusiastic and loves sharing her experiences to teach others about how to care for their families’ health. Check the latest article (Child’s development) here.