A baby nursery for less than $260!
Remember my post from October about looking for a pregnant Halloween costume? Well, the time has *almost* come. Here are nine ways I’ve saved money in preparation for parenthood.
- We compared the prices of popular baby gear on Amazon, Babies R Us, and Target to make sure we got the best deal on a car seat and other items we wanted to buy new. You’d be surprised which retailer was the cheapest!
- I stalked craigslist, Freecycle, and my local Mommy & Me consignment store to furnish our nursery, pictured above, for less than $260. I can’t believe how much used baby stuff is free or extremely cheap. Here are more places to look to avoid paying retail for baby clothesand gear.
- We cooked five dinners ahead of time and froze them, including turkey spaghetti, chicken corn chowder, and pork and hominy stew. I also made a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, which freezes really well for up to a month. Everything but the turkey spaghetti recipe came from my favorite cookbook, America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.
- We considered using disposable diapers but the environmental and dollar cost convinced us to go with washable cloth diapers. We’re using the Gdiaper system and were lucky to find a huge stash of them at a garage sale for $.50 a piece!
- We planned family visits to get extra help cooking and cleaning, reducing our take out bill and sleep deprivation. Not sure if this will save us that much, but it will certainly be nice to have the company!
- We updated our budget to live on one salary, nixing a lot of luxuries we used to enjoy.
- We skipped a lot of baby gear money traps. It’s obnoxious how many manufacturers use parents’ fear to sell worthless crap.
- I bought most of my maternity clothes second hand from a local consignment shop, and found hot deals at Sears for new items. In one trip, I paid $133 for two pairs of pants, two sweaters, two bras, and three tops. That averages to $14.78 per item.
- We fully stocked our kitchen pantry and toiletry closet so we won’t have to pay full price if something runs out.
Anything else we should do before baby arrives?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Great job! If it’s not included in the stock pile already, stock up on Free & Clear laundry detergents – no perfumes, etc. for baby & you. I can’t recall if you make your detergent or not, but skip the essential oils for a batch. You’re an inspiration to us all!
The room looks very welcoming. The baby will love it, especially when held in that beautiful chair.
What a great post! These are some great tips 🙂
Cute nursery! Very belated but heartfelt best wishes and congratulations to you & your husband on soon-to-be parenthood.
Congrats to the *almost* parents, who are now actual parents of lovely Lucy Ellen! I’m sure we’re all aware that Dan has been totally wrapped around his daughter’s tiny little finger already!
The only other thing you need to do is relax and try to get some sleep while you can. Life will never be the same again! In many ways, that can be a blessing. Hugs and kisses to your beautiful daughter! You really hit the nail on the head when you said she’d be born at the end of January.
Wow great job wish I was more savvy with me first two
I’ll have to keep some of your tips in mind, since I’m expecting my second. I my sister-in-law is using cloth diapers (for her second baby) and I already found a local resale shop for baby and kids things. I have a friend who uses freecycle all the time, so I really should check it out. Anyway, congratulations on the upcoming birth of your baby! Your life will never be the same (in a good way)!
room is soo adorable—but the chair/foot stool retails for at least a few hundred!!! Wonder how you did that?
(gramma of 7)
Ellie D frequently infers that she knows Bargain Babe & Dan personally & apparently she does. But how can WE ALL be aware of anything in Bargain Babe’s life like Dan being wrapped around the babys finger? I also wish the new parents congradulations but without knowing them.