Image from EtanSivad on Flickr
Thanks to Heather for sharing her expertise on having a baby – or two – on a budget!
On December 8, 2008, I was eight weeks pregnant, and my doctor was doing a routine ultrasound. What she found changed my life forever.
“It looks like there are two babies!”
As you can imagine, nothing in life compares to that moment. Even though twins hadn’t crossed our minds, my husband and I embraced our TWO babies from that moment on. However, I had planned to continue working until our second baby came along … and that time was approaching a couple of years earlier than we expected. Instead of living comfortably in a two-income household with one baby, we were suddenly in a one-income household with two babies!
Very quickly after the girls were born, I realized that my responsibility as a stay-at-home-mom was to save money wherever possible in order to relieve the stress of living on one income. With two extra mouths to feed, twice as many diapers needed, twice as many clothes to buy and wash … this was going to be a challenge.
Good, I like a challenge!
So, how did I survive the first year of twins on a budget? Here are a few things that any mother can do to save money, regardless of how many children lived simultaneously in your uterus:
Breastfeed. It’s practically free, you don’t have to spend time washing bottles and measuring formula, and we already know it’s best for baby. Multiples moms: don’t be scared! I breastfed my girls until almost 11 months and loved it. (I know there are reasons why this won’t work for every situation, but if you can, I would encourage it!)
Cloth diaper. I have to admit, I don’t cloth diaper, but I’m still seriously considering it. For now, I stock up on disposables when they go on sale. I know that I have diapered my two babies for the same or less than a full-price shopper diapers one baby.
Make your own baby food. Did you know that jarred foods cost up to twenty times more than making your own? I bought a used Beaba Babycook on Craigslist, used the freezer cube method for storing big batches, and just pulled cubes out of the freezer for mealtimes … and with babies who didn’t graduate past purees until 11 months, I made a lot!
Accept hand-me-downs. Accept any offers of clothes, even if you don’t think they’re right for you. I promise you can find at least a few things to use! I’m fortunate to have several family members who pass clothes along to me. So far, other than a few items that were too cute (or too cheap!) to pass up, we haven’t purchased many clothes.
Coupon. This one is a little obvious, but of all these things, it has the most impact on a budget. I buy in-season produce for baby food and stock up on laundry detergent and diapers when they go on sale, as a part of keeping my entire household grocery budget low.
Image from snaphappydan on Flickr
Now, a few things that are a little more unique to MOMs (Mothers of Multiples):
Shop multiples sales. The bi-annual sale in Castle Rock is amazing, and I’ve heard the one here in Colorado Springs is good, too. The prices are good, and it’s a great place to buy matching sets of things!
Multiples can share. I just mentioned matching sets, but you really don’t need two of everything. Obviously, we have two cribs and two car seats. I also appreciated having two bouncy seats and two portable cribs. Other than that, our girls have shared almost everything.
Borrow the second (or third) item. Turns out, both of my girls loved being in the swing. We didn’t own two, so I borrowed a second one from a friend for a few months. Phases go so quickly that these items hardly get any wear and tear. Plus, you only have to store one for the next baby … unless you have another set of multiples!
Ask for multiples discounts. There are several online retailers that give BOGO or 50% discounts for multiples. I’ve heard of pediatricians who give a multiples discount. Here’s a crazy one – the college that my husband and I attended gives BOGO tuition to twins … and so do several others!
Contact companies for coupons and freebies. There are TONS of freebies and coupons available to multiples. We received free diapers, blankets, sippy cups, diaper rash cream, and bibs. We also received coupons for diapers, Gerber products, Johnson & Johnson products, and baby food. It does take work –calling or mailing letters to the companies, and some even require that you send copies of the birth certificates – but it’s totally worth it. You can start here, but there are several more that aren’t listed, which can be found by doing an internet search.
Splurge when necessary. Yep, I’m going to say it! Sometimes, buying a new item at close to full price is worth it. For me, it’s our high chairs. They’re portable, hook-on, swiveling, with an attached tray and a machine-washable seat. Our dining room is very small, which makes these perfect, and it’s nice to be able to swivel the seat so that both of the twins face me … or turn them so they can’t fling food at each other.
How have we done, living on one income in my house? By learning how to coupon successfully and implementing these tips, we are living more comfortably on one income than we were on two incomes. In fact, we paid cash for a minivan a few months ago, which we never could have afforded in the past.
And I’m not Super Woman – with one-year-old twins, I can’t spend much time saving money. I estimate that I spend 1 – 2 hours per week outside of grocery shopping. And the truth is, the intangible “income” that I’m receiving by being a stay-at-home mom outweighs any money I could possibly earn.
How many of you are MOMs? Do you have any tips that saved your budget during the first year or two? Singleton moms, please share your thoughts as well!
Heather VanHorn is a stay-at-home-mom to 14-month-old twins and a 3-legged dog … which she’s pretty sure statistically makes her family one-of-a-kind! Read about her family’s adventures on their blog.
I am a new mom to one. The only suggestion I could think to add would be to use Target brand generic diapers (or another generic brand if you find one that works for you). Initially we got a Sam’s membership so we could get brand name diapers there. We did that for a while, but then my sister told me what great luck they’d had with the Target Up & Up diapers.
I had heard not to use generic diapers, but, in the end, Target generics have worked great for us (and much better than one name brand we tried). And they are cheaper than buying brand name (or generic) diapers from Sam’s, even if you don’t factor in the cost of the Sam’s membership. (I only did the math for size 3 diapers, so I don’t know if this is true for other sizes).
Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of the Target Up & Up wipes. I prefer Sam’s generic brand. Though not enough so to renew our membership just for that!
As a been around the block mom I used cloth diapers with my first with my 3rd there was no way with the other kids I could do that. (cloth diapers have really changed from when my 21 yr old was in them they were the cloth squares) There is a sale coming up in Sept Just Between Friends at the Phil Long Center I would recommend going there for clothes. Garage sales as well. What I do for diapers is wait for sales and then use my coupon. I have some coupons for Luvs we can’t use them it would make a box 3.50 off if any new mommy or any mommy would like them. Making your own baby food is a major plus! I use ice cube trays to put the food in and freeze it then pop them out and put them in ziplock bags. You may want to try and make your own wipes out of paper towels there are lots of directions online for that as well. I agree with breastfeeding I have done that with all 3 of my boys. This time I had lots of support from a local yahoo group for breastfeeding moms only. As it had been 8 years since my last one I needed support. With twins i can only imagine. WIC still helped us out even though I was BF.
Congratulations on the twins!
Christina
I have thought about getting a Baeba Babycook for this next baby. (Great idea to check craigslist.com!)
I have two girls who are not twins, but are so close in age that they can now share the same size clothes. So, I search ebay for Hanna Anderson or Gymboree clothes. This brand is too expensive for me to buy full retail, but it is usually very affordable on ebay. These brands are so well made that even second hand they look brand new, they wash very well, and I can always get the stains out!
Oh and every Friday from May to August is “Garage Sale” day for me and my mom. We have fun looking together, and we usually find something fantastic. The girls get “new toys” every Friday – of course some of those are reserved for Christmas, and I like that it is all paid for in cash.
Where did you go to college that had bogo tuition?
Ack, I just realized when I published the post Heather sent it didn’t preserve all the links. :( The college she referenced was this one, I think: http://sterling.edu/
Yep, that’s it! There are several others that I found during an internet search, though.
I am now on my fourth child and finally cloth diapering in earnest! (My oldest, who is now 6-1/2, was only in cloth diapers for about 8 months–I didn’t have the drive with just one kid, but I do now with 4!) My 3rd is potty training, and it is really nice to look to the future without buying ANY MORE cloth diapers! If anyone is into checking that avenue out… there are quite a few diaper-makers that offer one-size diapers–as in, they will fit your baby from newborn to 35 lbs. or so. It is a change from disposables, and not as convenient (and sometimes not as trim), but so much cuter. And–if you don’t mind me putting in a plug here–I heard there is a new cloth diapering store opening up at Powers and North Carefree on Sept. 1 called Cloth Diaper Market (they are on Facebook). So you may not have to pay shipping either! There is another cloth diaper store in town called Baby Cotton Bottoms, and they even offer classes on cloth diapering, too (in case you need them). And there are many, MANY places online you can find more info. Yay for cloth diapers!!
Whoops… I meant “without buying ANY MORE diapers!” I might buy a few more cloth here and there, but they don’t add up nearly as fast as disposables do–that is, once you have your stash in hand. Craigslist is another good place to find used diapers, and no–it’s not as gross as you might think to get used diapers. Really.
I’ve got a little one on the way and plan to use some of those tips. It’s been five years since we’ve had a baby in the house and already I know it’s going to be a cheaper ride than the first two go arounds.
I’m on the fence about cloth diapers. I like the idea of one time investment. We plan on having baby #4 and so they could be reused and really help us save.
Here’s the problem. My kids are ridiculously skinny.
I could never use anything but name brand disposables with them…and as I’ve checked out options, I really think I’d have to go with two sets – 0-6mon and then 6 mo to trained. So at that point I’m wondering if it’s worth it. Also, what about the cost to launder them? We don’t have an energy efficient washer and living out in Falcon we pay through the nose for water.
I’m curious if anyone has checked out to see if they really save money when you factor in all the extra loads of laundry.
Just wondering- I used a regular blender to make my own baby food for my little girl. WIth another little one on the way, I’m wondering what the benefits of this Baeba Baby Food cooker thing are all about… Anyone got insight?
@Tamara, I do feel that a food processor would do as well as a Babycook when it comes to blending. The thing I appreciated about the Babycook was the convenience — it steams and purees in the same bowl, so setup and cleanup are super easy. It also has built in measurements and an automatic timer, so you can push the button, walk away, and come back to perfectly steamed foods which are ready to be pureed. Definitely not a necessity item, but it’s been very nice!
Tamara, I did not even use a blender. I have a hand mixer like for drinks I bought it for $7 at walmart 9 years ago and it is still going strong it came with a container for mixing. When I made chicken for us I would put some aside add apple sauce and freeze baby food.
My Magic Bullet worked great for baby food. It has a steamer top you can screw on to steam in the microwave and then drain it through the holes; you then just change the top to the one with the blade in it and then push on to the bullet to blend. It’s nice because there is a small and a medium cup you can blend in, so a small amount of puree doesn’t just end up all over the sides of a large blender jar. The Bullet is rather expensive, but I received it as a gift and there are generic versions you can get (although I don’t know about their quality). The other nice thing is that it also works great for sauces, smoothies, etc. even after baby has moved on to solids. I fully plan to use my Magic Bullet again with my second little boy who’s due at the end of November.
Also, anyone have problems with the Dry Max in new Pampers? Pampers were the only diaper that worked for my first son (everything else leaked), but now I’m hearing about lots of people having problems since they added Dry Max. My son is really prone to rash and I’ve heard that even normal babies are breaking out in severe rashes from the Dry Max. Any of you have this problem? I want to stock up on diapers while there are coupons and sales, but would hate to have a bunch of diapers I can’t use. Thanks.
Erika: We used Pampers Dry Max with our baby girl for a couple of months without any problem (though she doesn’t seem to have much trouble with diaper rash to begin with. She does have mild eczema, so I’d say she has sensitive skin). We ended up switching to generics which is the only reason we don’t use the Dry Max anymore. My sister is using Pampers Baby Dry which apparently does not use the Dry Max technology.
Erika, I had the same problem and they also use the same thing in Luvs and my baby ok 18 months broke out horrible it looked like more of a burn than a rash. The regular pampers are less expensive per diaper than the ones with drymax. I just bought a box of 128 regular pampers size 4 I have 118 and I am looking to sell them for less than what I paid as they fit perfect but if he wiggles they don’t go on very well we need 5′s now. It was 29.99 for the whole box I am asking 20.$ that is .18 a diaper. If you would like them let me know. I also have lots of pampers coupons as well. There was one targets website. If anyone else would be interested in the diapers please contact me as well.
Christina wiseman98 at gmail dot come
Thanks, Christina, but my oldest is out of diapers my second won’t be here until the end of November. I was hoping to stock up on diapers that he’ll be able to wear within the next year, as I don’t have space to store anything for farther in the future. I hope someone else can take advantage. Thanks also for letting me know about your experience with Dry Max.