Baby on a Budget

The purpose of this series is to provide support and information for married couples contemplating starting a family (or adding to theirs) despite difficult financial circumstances.  While I believe that there are valid reasons for postponing pregnancy, and that economic situations can be one of them, I think that our modern society often gives us unrealistic ideas of what is really necessary to raise a child. 

When our daughter was first born, my husband was making a grad student's stipend (think tiny!) while I stayed at home. Now I work as a part-time teacher and David works at Starbucks while looking for a job in his field.  It's sometimes difficult, but we get by.  If we can do it, almost any couple can too!  Our baby girl has been such a blessing to us and although it's sometimes hard to make ends meet, she's absolutely worth it!

This series consists of tips and tricks that I use in our household to save money on baby related expenses, as well as several guest posts from others detailing their personal experiences and their money saving ideas.  If you have some experience in this area and would like to contribute a guest post either on your experience raising a "baby on a budget" as a whole or would like to give advice on a particular aspect of it (including one of the topics below), send me an email at messywifeblessedlife@gmail.com.

Of course, every couple must decide for themselves if starting (or further expanding) their family is financially feasible, but I do want to provide support, ideas, and my own personal experience to help them make their decisions.  It would have made the decision-making process easier for us if we knew of others that were able to do it, were able to ask questions, and seek advice.  If you would like to see any additional topics covered, let me know!

Posts by Mandi:

Baby on a Budget Series Introduction
What You Really Need 
Rewards and Survey Sites 
Receiving Gifts 
Couponing for Baby


Guest Posts:
Happily a One Income Family by Kaylene of Letters from Momma
Elimination Communication by Amanda of Making Memories
Stocking Up by Rachel of The Atwoods
Turning Your Current Belongings into New Baby Items by Liz of Tales from Astoria
Baby-Led Solids by Amy of You Shall Go Out with Joy
Hand-Me-Downs by Karen of Karen in Mommyland 
Encore Baby Registry by Felicity (founder of Encore Baby Registry)
Top 10 Couponing Tips for Beginners by Beth Anne
Library Love by Cat of Cartwheels and Windmills

How to Cloth Diaper for Under $70 by Rachel of Efficient Momma

Some additional topics I'm planning to address:

Buying second hand

Breastfeeding 

Cloth diapers (and wipes)

Being happy with what you have