New Blog Series: Babies on a Budget

Babies Are So Expensive!
Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to tackle the comment that we hear so much in our age of consumerism:  But kids are so expensive!! 

I can only agree that having kids is expensive (as in 9 months of Ob/Gyn appointments + delivery costs.  Ugh!).  But the actual cost of raising kids can be reduced significantly if you choose to put in a little bit of elbow grease and quite a bit of creativity.

One and Done?

Many parents choose to limit the size of their families strictly because of financial considerations.  My generation in particular often waits to have kids until we think we can afford them, or we stop at one or two because of the expense.  After Isabelle was born, my husband and I were frequently asked if we would have more kids one day.  Coming from a large family, I was pretty surprised to hear the question, but I think it's become so normal to stop at one or two children that many people expect us to do the same.

I have no desire to comment on or critique parents' family planning decisions; that's a very personal subject with lots of factors involved, and I think it should be handled very prayerfully.  I'm not in the habit of judging you as a parent or a Christian, based on how many kids you have.  But I will say that money, of all things, should probably not be the chief decision-maker.  It can vary quite a bit from year to year, based on employment, and to be quite honest, there's always this really cool unknown factor called God.  It's unknown because from year to year, we have no way of knowing just exactly how God will provide for some of our family's specific needs.  I've talked with moms of large families who have said that they have no idea how they made ends meet sometimes, but as the kids kept coming, God kept providing.  At the same time, I don't think that all of us are called to have huge families.  Again, that's something to handle very prayerfully.    

Just What is the Cost?

We're often told that kids are expensive, and the media frequently publishes data proving that fact.  MSNMoney's chart on the issue uses data from the USDA to demonstrate the extreme expense of raising a family.  According to their data, raising one child can cost anywhere from $124,800 - $249,180, depending upon your income bracket.  In just the first two years of life, a child can cost you $6,490 - $13,430.  My response?  Not my baby!  No way.   

Be a Rebel

My goal over the next couple of weeks is to show you that there is another way of raising kids.  You don't have to stick to the status quo.  Specifically, we'll discuss some techniques for saving money on babies, and I'll show you how these techniques work in real life.  Sure it's nice to take hand-me-downs from friends, but how in the world do you organize all of that stuff!?!  I'll show you.  I've read extensively on saving money, so I'll share with you from what I've learned.  Honestly, many of these techniques were implemented in previous generations, but have been ignored in recent years in favor of consumerism.  

Win-Win Situations

Most of these techniques will be true win-win situations.  In addition to helping out your budget, most of these techniques are very "green" and environmentally friendly.  And often, you'll find that you can save quite a bit of money for your family, but from the outside, no one will be able to tell.       

Isabelle, 5 weeks old, napping after church.  Her sweet little outfit was a garage sale find from my mother-in-law.

Maybe you want to stretch a budget that's already too tight, or perhaps you're just wanting to save a few bucks here and there to afford something you want.  Maybe you'd like to find ways of being a better steward of what you have.  Or maybe you're like countless women I've talked to who want nothing more than to be at home with their kids, but can't find a way to afford it. 

Some of these techniques may work for you and others may not (I know that cloth diapering is not for everyone!).  So take what works and leave what doesn't.  I'd also love to hear from you on the subject.  What are some of your favorite ways that you save money on your children?