Babies On The Cheap!

It's no secret that Scott and I live in Frugal Land. What might be a secret is all of the amazing things that happen in Frugal Land. Read this post and consider yourself a temporary Frugal Land citizen.

How to save dolla' dolla' bills on your kids:

• Cloth Diapers. I have been very happy with cloth diapers! If you have no interest in them- buy in bulk from websites like Amazon Subscribe and Save.

• Book Sale At The Library. All of the libraries in Charlotte have them going on continuously. I cannot stop myself from checking out the inventory. Cora does not have an insane amount of clothes but she does have an insane amount of books. When I can get them for .10 to .50 cents each it is hard for me to resist. 

I bought all 16 of these books from the library for $4.50! My First Body Board Book is Cora's new favorite!

• You don't need every baby product (even though baby stores may lead you to believe you do). Here are some of the things that we easily get by without: Diaper Genie, Baby wipes warmer, shoes (until she started walking. Sorry, grandparents- I know babies look cute in shoes but it just wasn't worth the money or the effort). Also, we just need a few of most things. I do the laundry so frequently that we really only need 2 of a lot of things (baby towels, crib sheets, sleep sacks in her current size, swaddling blankets for when she was tiny, etc).

• Consignment Sales. On Saturday, I told you about my first look into kids consignment sales. I should have read the suggestion above before going to the consignment sale! There are definitely bargains to be had! My tip to you is: Take your time. Buy only what you really need, not what you think your baby would like. Your baby would be happy if you brought home an empty plastic water bottle. Here is a list of kids consignment sales by zipcode.

• Getting a little TMI here but go reusable where you can. You can get washable nipple pads (if you are nursing). Instead of burp cloths use the old cloth diapers like the ones pictured below. They are a good bit cheaper and way more effective. They are bigger and soak up a lot more of whatever needs soaking!

• Library Story Time. Not only is this one of Cora and my favorite activities of the week but we have met all sorts of great moms and babies here!

• Make your baby food. Healthy, easy, delicious and a big cost saver!

• Borrow From The Library. Yes, I LOVE THE LIBRARY! We borrow about 15 books per week. Scott reads a new one to Cora each night (along with "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See"). Then I write down which ones Scott and I liked best, which ones Cora liked best, and which ones had the best illustrations. Then when Cora can turn the pages on big kid books without ripping them we will check out her favorites again. I can't wait to borrow movies from the library when Cora is old enough!

• Playdates. You don't have to join places like Gymboree or go to music classes to meet other moms and make playdates. Like I said earlier, I met lots of moms at my favorite spot... THE LIBRARY! And have had great playdates with the moms and babies I met there. You can make your own music at home and set up your own fun-land in your house with other kids. If you don't want your house turning into a zoo you can always get free Gymboree class pass here.

• Dresser/changing table. This one is pretty obvious but you can easily make your dresser a changing table.

• Parks. Charlotte has some great ones! We started checking out the parks when Cora was just a few weeks old. She did not seem to get as much excitement from them as I did early on but she loves them now!

• Don't tempt yourself by cruising through the baby clothes aisle. Ugh! I could spend so much money on adorable clothes but I stay away. I try to stick to only buying clothes from the Target clearance racks or second-hand. There are super cute baby clothes everywhere you look- so just don't look!

• Gender Neutral. I try to buy gender neutral clothes as often as possible. That way, if we have another baby he or she can wear them. Grandmas love to fill little girl's wardrobes with pink! By buying gender neutral, you can do a little mix and matching so your baby doesn't always look like a ballerina who just went on a pink parade.

It is true that Cora would probably rather be naked, like her shirt says. 

• My pal, Senor Craigslist is a great place to buy bigger items like bouncy seats and baby swings.

• We really lucked out here. We have the most Generous Family And Friends I can possibly imagine! We have been totally overwhelmed with everyone's incredible generousity. I feel like Cora has a wardrobe to last her until she is 12. As I said earlier, Cora has some very giving grandparents who keep Cora well-stocked on super girly clothes (that she might not own otherwise). My awesome cousin sends her two daughters hand me downs to Cora after they have grown out of them! Friends have been super generous. Thank you so much again to my generous friends and family. You all are the best.

There you have it! I hope some dolla' dolla' bills were saved!