Money. We all need it. We probably all want more of it. It's the reason why we all get jobs. Yes, some people may adore their job, but at the end of the day, we are all waiting for the payslip that we get at the end of the month. After all, we all need to live! If you are in a position to be able to save a part of our wage each month, then it is well worth doing. This gives the security we all need to have money put aside for various reasons. This could be for a wedding, a holiday, retirement, a house deposit, a rainy day or even if you plan to have a baby.
Chris and myself have always tried to save a little each month as our long term plan has been to buy our own house. By the time we were posted to Norfolk, I had left my much loved job and was struggling to find a full-time job with us living in a more remote area. In the end I settled for a part-time job, nothing special, which allowed me to contribute to the monthly bills. During our 5 years together Chris has done two 6 months tours away from his base which allowed us to top up our savings quite significantly. After the first tour, Chris proposed and we spent most of our savings on our ideal wedding and honeymoon. We regret nothing as we have some beautiful memories from our most special day. Chris came back from his last tour last year, which put us back on track with saving for a deposit, but then we were posted to Cornwall.
We moved into Married Quarters for the first time and were given a three bedroom house. It really is a lovely home, but it made us realise we would be unlikely to afford to buy a house down in the South-West and would likely be in Married Quarters for the next few years. So, the decision was made to put buying the house on a back-burner for the time being. We had decided that when Chris returned from his tour, we would start trying for a baby. A month after Chris returning, we conceived and were (and still are) so happy and excited! Then the reality set in that we really didn't know much about babies and all of the things you need to buy to keep them alive.
So, for the past few months we have been doing some research and the "Baby List" appeared to be getting longer and longer... baby clothes in different sizes, nursery furniture, blankets and bedding, nappies, feeding equipment, a pushchair, a car seat, a moses basket, changing bag, maternity clothes etc, etc. The list is endless! How can one tiny little human need so many things!
According to The Money Advice Service, parents in the UK will typically spend between £1565 and £7270 on their baby in the first year of its life. This is dependant on whether you are on a budget or if you you are going to have the "no expense spared" attitude. I would say we sit somewhere in between. We have been quite lucky that we have a lump sum of money that we can delve into whenever we decide to buy things. We are willing to spend a little extra on the important things, mainly because we hope to have another child in the future and plan to re-use everything we buy now. A lot of our main purchases have been from your typical high street shops like Mothercare, John Lewis, Argos etc. We have also purchased things online from Amazon. Even though we don't mind spending a little more, I still love a bargain. This has meant me comparing lots of baby items on various websites to see which has the best price. I think we have saved over £300 by doing this, so it may seem a bit tedious, but it is the ideal past-time when Chris is hogging the TV, watching the football.
For those that are on more of a budget, there are various ways of cutting costs. If you don't mind second-hand then check out sites that are selling things in your local area like Gumtree and Preloved. If you are on Facebook then you can join a group in your local area where people are selling items. EBay is always a safe option and keep an eye out for "Nearly New Baby Sales" in your local area. These are typically like indoor car boot sales and you should be able to pick up a bargain there. You can also check out the NCT website which host Nearly New Sales around the country.
Hopefully this may have helped out anyone who is struggling with the cost of buying things for their little bundle of joy. I'm sure there are many other ways, but these are just what I have found in the past few months. If you have any more thrifty advice, feel free to comment below.
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