I'm Having a Baby and I Have No Money

Finding out you're expecting a babe is an heady moment, but if y'all're worried almost money that stress can brand you anxious.

It'southward totally normal to worry about whether you can beget to have a baby. If your finances are already really struggling and then this may be particularly concerning for you lot.

Whenever people joke with expectant parents about what to wait they'll normally make a quip most sleepless nights, but that'southward often apace followed by one about the hit your depository financial institution balance is probable to accept.

Nonetheless let me kickoff off this article past saying information technology'south going to be admittedly fine and it's perfectly possible to have a babe when your budget is tight.

I'thou going to share some tips for what to do when you're worried about your finances with a baby on the fashion and ways yous can trim your infant budget.

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What to practise if you're significant and have no money

Showtime of all you need to practice something to take the stress out of your situation. Anxiety is an inevitable emotion if you're struggling with money, but information technology's not a helpful 1 to finding a solution.

So begin by taking a deep breath and remind yourself you can produce an action plan to deal with this. Think that people are having babies around the globe every minute of every 24-hour interval, and they certainly are not all millionaires.

There may exist some adjustments you need to make to your budget – whether that is trimming down your outgoings or giving your income a boost.

The get-go thing to do is figure out exactly where you stand. I know this tin be scary – especially if perhaps at that place is some debt involved – but truly the best thing to do is sympathize what your upkeep is.

Start off by writing down your household income including salaries and benefits. Don't forget to cistron in benefits you can claim and actress help you can apply for after the baby is born (more details on those later in this post).

Then turn your attention to your outgoings both monthly and annual. Don't forget to include:

• Mortgage or rent
• Bills such as gas, electricity and water
• Machine insurance
• House insurance
• Groceries
• Subscriptions – for example Netflix, Amazon Prime or Spotify
• Pilus cuts, facials and manicures
• Dining out
• Takeaways
• Holidays

Can you beget to have a baby?

There'south no gear up amount of money in your bank account or a specific prepare of circumstances that mean y'all are now ready to have a babe.

Sometimes we go the opportunity to argue this question before the outcome occurs, but life happens and sometimes babies come along equally a happy lilliputian accident.

When considering whether y'all can afford to have a baby you may want to pay attention to the following:

• How much you're earning
• How much you have in savings
• Your debts
• Your spending
• How much parental go out pay you and your partner will receive

Whether you can beget a infant is all most the residue between these things, and adjusting one or more of them can help you absorb the costs of having a baby. And as we're going to explore in this article, babies don't have to cost the earth to get them kitted out and care for them.

As a full general rule I e'er try to take at to the lowest degree 3 months' worth of emergency funds to continue me going in savings, but in case the worst happens. I'k self employed and although I have multiple income streams, you never know when one might dry up.

Having a safety internet there just in case your income drops out is reassuring, and then information technology'southward worth considering your emergency fund and how much you can summit it up ahead of your baby's inflow.

How much does a baby really price?

I carried out an assay of the price of the central items you lot need for a infant in the commencement year over on my parenting website The Mummy Bubble.

This found yous will demand roughly £2,354 in the first year. There's besides the ongoing monthly cost of things such as formula, nappies and new clothes, which may cost you around £95 a month (if you are formula feeding).

Of course your costs may experience harder to accept on because you'll be on parental leave – which depending on your company's policy on pay could mean your earnings take a substantial striking in the showtime year.

Simply at that place are tons of ways to cut the costs back. This assay focused on purchasing essential items new. There is a huge secondhand market for babe stuff where yous tin option up nearly new items at a fraction of the retail price.

If yous breastfeed your baby you volition need a few essentials such equally nursing bras, but it will salve you money on purchasing formula powder.

What benefits tin can yous claim during pregnancy and after baby is born?

If y'all're worrying well-nigh money during your pregnancy and when your baby arrives it's important to factor in the help that may be bachelor to you lot from the Britain government.

During pregnancy yous will be eligible for:

• Gratis prescriptions. All of your NHS prescriptions are free during your pregnancy and for 12 months after your babe'south due date.

• Gratis NHS dental treatment (including up to a year after your babe is born)

• Revenue enhancement credits. You tin receive Child Taxation Credits if you already get Working Tax Credit.

• Statutory maternity leave and pay. You may be eligible for pay from your employer for taking time off from work after having a infant. You're eligible equally long as you give notice, earn at to the lowest degree £120 a week and have worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks.

• Sure Start Motherhood Grant. This is a one-off £500 payment. Yous are eligible if you claim certain benefits such as pension credit, income support, universal credit, working taxation credit or income-based jobseeker's brotherhood.

• Healthy Offset food vouchers. You tin can get Healthy Commencement vouchers if you are at least x weeks pregnancy or have at least 1 child nether four. You lot must be receiving benefits such as Child Tax Credit, Income Back up, Universal Credit or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.

How to save money on baby stuff

Once you accept an idea of your income and what financial assist you may be eligible for, you can then start to await at what the difference between the money you're receiving and your expenditure is.

You may demand to make savings on your weekly budget, but at that place are also ways to cut back on what you lot need to spend on your new baby. You tin still get everything you lot need, but at a fraction of the price, if yous shop smart.

Look for secondhand items

In that location's an astonishing secondhand market out at that place for all sorts of babe essentials – basically anything you can think of.

Y'all can find secondhand babe stuff at NCT secondhand sales (cheque your local NCT website or Facebook group for dates), car boot sales, on eBay and other online auction sites, and on Facebook.

I particularly similar Facebook Marketplace for secondhand baby stuff.

The best manner to discover baby stuff on Facebook is to join local buy and sell groups for your area. This way you save coin on paying for stamp, as well-nigh people will be happy for yous to collect stuff.

Secondhand baby stuff to wait out for includes:

• Infant clothes – considering babies grow speedily you'll discover many secondhand baby clothes accept hardly been worn.
• Pushchairs
• Cots, Moses baskets and bedding
• Toys
• Breast pumps – you will desire to purchase some new parts for hygiene reasons but the pump itself is absolutely fine to purchase secondhand.

If you are eligible for actress help you will too discover there are charities in your area – in my expanse there is i called First Days – that have donations of baby stuff and pass them on to families who are struggling.

Create a useful babe wishlist

It's likely yous volition have a few loved ones who will exist keen to get you lot a souvenir to gloat the new baby.

Get ahead of the game with this and create a wishlist – you can use Amazon'southward baby wish list service to compile a list of what you need. This mode when someone asks what you need or friends make up one's mind to throw you a infant shower you have a consummate listing of baby essentials to straight them to.

Chase down baby freebies

There are tons of baby companies that want to give y'all complimentary samples and money off vouchers.

Be sure to take reward of these offers. Virtually of them simply want your email address in commutation for sending you the freebies. If you desire to avoid lots of spam in your mail inbox so consider setting up a split up new email address just for signing upward to infant mailing lists.

Avoid the stuff yous really don't need

There are lots of baby things you actually really practice not need. Yous tin can brand a big saving by fugitive the tempting baby items that will toll you lot a big slice of your baby budget but won't actually exist of much employ in the long run.

Examples of infant stuff to avoid include:

• Too many beautiful outfits – babies volition poop or puke on most things so y'all desire good value, practical clothing
• Infant shoes
• Babe bath
• Expensive gadgets such as sound machines
• Expensive beds – a simple cot is absolutely fine.

Shop for things that will last longer

Be tactical with what you purchase for your babe. Consider focusing your budget on toys and items that will last them longer – for instance machine seats that can exist adjusted to grow with your baby.

I would also add y'all should consider whether you lot really need a Moses basket or side sleeper as well as a cot.

I purchased cot beds for both of my kids, which cost around £120 including the mattress, and these lasted until they were age four.

When buying apparel for your newborn try to size upward where yous can, as while dress will hang off them initially they will quickly grow into them. When your babe is not itch information technology doesn't really affair if their outfit is a footling baggy.

Buy supermarket own nappies and wipes

The large proper name brands such as Pampers cost a whole lot more than supermarket own brands, and having used a range of brands for my own kids I can tell y'all there's not a huge difference.

Pampers tend to feel a picayune softer, simply in terms of absorbency and comfort they all exercise pretty much the same thing!

You tin can get supermarket own make nappies and wipes for more than half the price of the big brands – a saving that really adds up over time.

Y'all don't need piles of toys

Some toys are great for keeping a baby entertained and aiding their development. But y'all don't need all of the toys in the shop!

The nuts that volition benefit your baby are:

• Books
• Sensory toys such as from the Lamaze range
• A play mat – this will final longer than a babe bouncer chair which your lilliputian i will abound out of after around 4 months.

Make a maternity leave budget and stick to it

Planning is cardinal to living inside your means. Examine all of your income (and how that will change if you are taking time off work), outgoings and debts.

Look at your costs for maternity leave and consider how you can make savings.

I have lots of tips for frugal living over on this post, but some bully ways to save money during your maternity exit include:

• Brand your own baby food. Instead of purchasing expensive jars and packaged baby food, instead feed infant the food you eat. For example you lot can feed a weaning baby a little mashed potato, or place spaghetti bolognese into a food processor to turn information technology into a puree.

• Breastfeeding instead of formula feeding. At that place is some expense involved in breastfeeding, equally yous will need equipment like a breast pump and dress like a nursing bra. But as formula costs around £ten a tub you may well find that over time – particularly as yous can reuse your nursing equipment with the next baby – you lot've saved money.

• Cut back on subscriptions and memberships. After your baby arrives y'all may not accept much time for the gym, so you could switch your conditioning to running with the pushchair instead. Examine if in that location are any other subscriptions yous can axe, or opt for a cheaper plan.

• Meal planning. A simple merely effective fashion to save money on nutrient.

• Cut dorsum on takeaways.

Check out my tips for what to do when you lot have no coin for food.

A great way to alleviate the force per unit area a little on your baby upkeep is to earn a little actress cash on maternity go out.

Cool ways to do this include using survey sites, such equally Prolific, and decluttering your home to sell excess stuff online.

I have a while mail service with ideas for how to make coin on maternity leave here.

Concluding thoughts on having a infant with no money

The cardinal to affording a baby with no money is to have a good program in place.

One time you've got an activeness plan in identify you will feel a lot improve.

Be clear on exactly what your expenses are – both the ones that are fixed and the ones that are flexible such equally beauty treatments and luxuries like takeaways.

Then make a programme for infant stuff you need and find ways to get the essentials for less – for example as gifts from friends or by shopping secondhand. Practise not forget to check what financial help you may be eligible for.

Finally find ways to cut dorsum during your parental leave, so that you can go on your monthly expenses downwards.

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Source: https://morethanamummy.com/having-a-baby-with-no-money/