• Home
  • What’s On
    • Events
    • Add an Event
    • Major Event
    • School Holiday Guide
  • Things To Do
    • Free Activities
      • Coastal Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
      • Picnic Spots
      • Playgrounds
      • Pram Walks
      • Rainy Day Activities
      • Walks and Bike Rides
    • Places to Visit
      • Attractions
      • Day Trips Away From The Peninsula
      • Galleries & Libraries
      • Historical
      • Markets
      • Tourism Centres
    • Places to Eat
      • Cafes
      • Restaurants
      • Wineries
    • Places To Stay
      • Accommodation
    • Shopping
      • Baby Goods – Sale & Hire
      • Child Friendly Shops
      • Made on the Peninsula
      • Online
      • Retail
    • At Home
      • Craft
      • Games
      • Recipes
  • Classes & Groups
    • Creative
      • Acting/Drama
      • Art and Craft
      • Cooking
      • Dance
      • Music/Singing
    • Learning
      • Literacy
    • Playgroups
      • Central and Northern Peninsula
      • Southern Peninsula
      • Western Port
    • Sports
      • Clubs
      • Fitness
      • Pre School Sports
      • Sports Classes and Tuition
  • Services
    • Health & Wellbeing
      • Dental
      • Health Care Practitioners
      • Hospitals
      • Medical Practitioners
      • Support Groups
    • Pregnancy & Baby
      • Prenatal
        • Pre Natal Care/Birth Support
        • Pre Natal Fitness & Wellbeing
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Maternity Products
      • PostNatal
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Post Natal Support & Wellbeing
    • Special Needs
      • Activities for Special Needs
      • Support for Special Needs
      • Therapists for Special Needs
    • Education & Childcare
      • Daycare
      • Incursions
      • Kindergartens
      • Schools
      • Tutors
    • Photography
      • Photography
    • Child Safety & Wellbeing
      • Child Safety/First Aid
      • Emergency Numbers
  • Articles
    • Education
    • Finances
    • Health
    • Parenting Articles
    • Places to Eat
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Reviews
    • Member Questions
  • Parties
    • Celebrate – Party Ideas
    • Entertainment
    • Suppliers
    • Venues
  • Giveaways
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Testimonials
  • Giveaways
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Saturday, June 25
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Testimonials
  • Giveaways
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Peninsula Kids
  • Home
  • What’s On
    • Events
    • Add an Event
    • Major Event
    • School Holiday Guide
  • Things To Do
    • Free Activities
      • Coastal Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
      • Picnic Spots
      • Playgrounds
      • Pram Walks
      • Rainy Day Activities
      • Walks and Bike Rides
    • Places to Visit
      • Attractions
      • Day Trips Away From The Peninsula
      • Galleries & Libraries
      • Historical
      • Markets
      • Tourism Centres
    • Places to Eat
      • Cafes
      • Restaurants
      • Wineries
    • Places To Stay
      • Accommodation
    • Shopping
      • Baby Goods – Sale & Hire
      • Child Friendly Shops
      • Made on the Peninsula
      • Online
      • Retail
    • At Home
      • Craft
      • Games
      • Recipes
  • Classes & Groups
    • Creative
      • Acting/Drama
      • Art and Craft
      • Cooking
      • Dance
      • Music/Singing
    • Learning
      • Literacy
    • Playgroups
      • Central and Northern Peninsula
      • Southern Peninsula
      • Western Port
    • Sports
      • Clubs
      • Fitness
      • Pre School Sports
      • Sports Classes and Tuition
  • Services
    • Health & Wellbeing
      • Dental
      • Health Care Practitioners
      • Hospitals
      • Medical Practitioners
      • Support Groups
    • Pregnancy & Baby
      • Prenatal
        • Pre Natal Care/Birth Support
        • Pre Natal Fitness & Wellbeing
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Maternity Products
      • PostNatal
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Post Natal Support & Wellbeing
    • Special Needs
      • Activities for Special Needs
      • Support for Special Needs
      • Therapists for Special Needs
    • Education & Childcare
      • Daycare
      • Incursions
      • Kindergartens
      • Schools
      • Tutors
    • Photography
      • Photography
    • Child Safety & Wellbeing
      • Child Safety/First Aid
      • Emergency Numbers
  • Articles
    • Education
    • Finances
    • Health
    • Parenting Articles
    • Places to Eat
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Reviews
    • Member Questions
  • Parties
    • Celebrate – Party Ideas
    • Entertainment
    • Suppliers
    • Venues
  • Giveaways
Peninsula Kids
Home»Finances»8 ways to save money when you have a baby on the way
Finances

8 ways to save money when you have a baby on the way

Updated:March 22, 20226 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
By Jo Violeta

Having a baby is one of the most fulfilling experiences in life. It’s also one of the most expensive experiences you’ll ever encounter.

A new baby can put a strain on the household budget. Not only are your expenses going to increase, but your income will likely decrease. A scary thought, right? But the arrival of a new baby doesn’t mean you must abandon your savings plan and money goals.

Here are 8 ways to save money when you’re preparing for your newborn:

1) Buy second-hand

I wish I’d known what was ‘really necessary’ and what wasn’t before my first bub. I bought everything new and didn’t need half of it! For my second child however, I was far savvier. I scoured eBay during my pregnancy and found lots of brand-name bargains, many still with the tags on.

Second-hand is a smart strategy for special occasion clothes. You can pick up a beautiful dress or a tiny suit for a fraction of the retail cost and chances are its previous owner only wore it once or twice.

If buying second-hand cots, prams or car seats, you’ll need to check that the items comply with current safety standards. Even if a second-hand item is in good condition, it may be less safe than a newer model. Keep in mind that second-hand goods bought from a private seller usually aren’t covered by consumer guarantees.

2) Road test your pram & carrier

Do your research before buying a pram. Ask around for recommendations. Test prams out, make sure that you can fold and unfold it easily it. I tested prams at a baby expo, which gave me the opportunity to try a variety of prams one after another and compare them.

When I bought my pram, I considered its weight, ease of use, size, warranty and whether it was suitable for newborns and toddlers.

Also check that you will be able to return it and receive a refund in case you get it home, give it a test run and discover that it’s just not right.

Our baby carrier was an absolute sanity saver with our youngest, Marcus. It was quick and easy and allowed him to feel settled and connected, whilst I was able to move around and get stuff done. It’s an excellent way to manage if you have both a young baby and a toddler, as it keeps your hands free to play and attend to the older child. Some of our friends only used a carrier and never purchased a pram.

Many local communities have babywearing groups that meet at libraries and other various community venues and offer the opportunity to try on different baby carriers. Try searching on Facebook or Google to see if there is a group in your local area. This way you can try before you buy and make sure you have the right carrier for your needs.

3) Australian Breastfeeding Association

If you’re breastfeeding, consider joining the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA). You’ll have access to a huge variety of discounts including breastfeeding related products. The ABA membership also offers half-price hire fees for breast pumps and access to free information and support.

4) Wait to purchase

If you’re going to have a baby shower, or have particularly clucky and generous friends and family, wait to see what presents you receive before buying stuff for your baby. That way you’ll save doubling up.

5) Test before buying up big

If you’re going to use bottles to feed your baby (whether it be formula or expressed breast milk) only buy one or two bottles initially. You need to be sure that bubs will drink out of that bottle design and may need to test a few different brands until you find the right one.

A friend of mine bought 10 bottles of a certain brand because everyone raved about them, but unfortunately her son wouldn’t drink from them. It took a few attempts before she found a brand he liked.

6) Don’t buy too many baby clothes in advance

Babies grow super-fast. It can be hard to coordinate what size they’ll need for which season. Newborns can have sudden growth spurts at any time of the year. For example: when I was pregnant with our eldest Eva, I bought her a beautiful (and very expensive) coat. But sadly, by the time winter came, she had outgrown it.

7) Reconsider baby shoes

We have a super cute collection of never worn sneakers for our youngest. They were never worn because he didn’t really need shoes and even when we did try to put them on him they just fell straight off.

Baby shoes look gorgeous, but before you whip out your credit card, consider whether you really need them.

8) Shop around for better deals on household expenses

Towards the end of both of my pregnancies, I was in full-on nesting mode. I spring-cleaned the entire house. We also spring-cleaned our finances. We went through every ongoing expense to see if we could save by negotiating a better deal. We contacted our utility and insurance providers. Before I started maternity leave, we refinanced our home-loan, reducing our interest rate and monthly repayments. By dedicating an afternoon to ringing around, we literally saved hundreds of dollars a month.

Do you have any other useful tips for saving money in the lead up to, and during the first year of, having a new baby? Please feel free to join our Facebook group and share your tips with other parents. There are plenty of great money-saving conversations going on in there.


Jo and Carl Violeta are self-confessed numbers nerds, parents of an energetic toddler and a super switched-on teenager, and co-founders of the award-winning business, Violeta Finance. They are a husband and wife team who are passionate about empowering their community with financial education, love the odd glass of wine, and get a kick out of helping families achieve their homeownership and financial dreams.

Peninsula Kids – Autumn 2022

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Comments are closed.

Calendar
<< Jun 2022 >>
MTWTFSS
30 31 1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 1 2 3
Visit Our Advertisers
ABOUT

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

MPNG also publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Follow Us On Instagram
  • 💦 Been to @waterbombali ?!?!
What a mostly awesome day! 

I had just been talking with daughter, swinging our clasped hands as we walked from one slide to another, and saying, y’know, when you’re my age you probably won’t remember this family vacation at all.

Then she got stuck in a tube slide..her lanky body not having the mass to go back up, she instead slid back and forth like the pendulum pirate ship rides until coming to a stop and having to climb her way out on her own.
🥴
So I’m assuming that 4 seconds will be etched for all of eternity instead of the jet skiing, cabanas, parasailing, swimming, or anything else magical. 
🤦🏻‍♀️
Today calls for a chillax day. Nothing heavy. One she’ll forget. 
😂☀️🪂🍹❤️🛝💦😬
———————————————————————————————
#memories #makingmemories #pleasedontletthisbetheone #waterbom #waterbombali #slides #waterslides #familyholiday #bali #visitbali #discoverbali #familytravel #kuta #travel #trynewthings #brandnewday
  • HARD ROCK HOTEL BALI 🎸🤘
We ❤️ you! We soooo needed this!
The pool area is BEYOND and brimming with lounge chairs, cabanas for rent, and yummy drinks from the swim up bar, Love Shack or Love Shack junior.
We’ll have two Kit Kat dolls, please!😁😁
It’s not too busy here in Kuta, yet!
———————————————————————————————
#rockon #hardrock #hardrockhotelbali #travelling #schoolholidaygetaway #funforkids #familysthatplaytogetherstaytogether #familytime #holiday #bali #visitbali #kuta #swimupbar #swimmingpool #sunshine #getaway #adventureawaits
  • One week from now this Bali virgin is on a plane! 🛫🍹☀️
A very much needed break for our fam, we are all counting down the minutes. And it’s not just because of the weather around here lately!
Hit me up with all your must do’s! We’re staying at @hardrockbali in Kuta. Gotta start somewhere! 🗺 
*fresh hair from @hairbycherylxox 😘
—————————————————————————
#wegottagetoutofthisplace #holiday #vacation #swimupbar #family #getaway #chasingthesun #familytime #restandrelaxation #familyfun #countdown
  • WORRY. 
Are they going to be ok? Am I doing a good enough job? I wish they’d talk to me more. Why aren’t they talking to me more? What are they thinking? Who are they talking to, if not me? I hope they know they can. And I’ve got their backs. And I’m always here. Worrying. 
————————————————————————-
#sigh #parenting #parentingishard #ittakesavillage #takethehelp #youvegotthis #youarenotalone #preteenlife #givemestrength #givethemallthelove #preteenmum #lovepeninsulakids
  • Saturday morning sport perks. 🏀 Hanging after the the game in Mentone with family and @huffbagelry 🥯 
—————————————————————————
#mmmbagels #huffbagelrymentone #bagel #saturday #saturdaysport #saturdaysareforadventures #family #catchingup #letsgettogether #haveagreatweekend ☀️
  • How do you take your democracy sausage? 🌭🇦🇺
—————————————————————————
#australiavotes #australia #atthepolls

Follow Me!

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay In The Know

Sign up to our free newsletter and receive weekly updates on events and things to do with kids on the Mornington Peninsula.

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.