March is in and I have found myself reviewing our expenses in my mind. February was very busy - having a baby and having the folks over and adjusting our home life with 3 more people were not exactly the kinds of changes that we go through regularly. Not to mention living with parents again (though temporarily) and what that means among other things...
Living on 1 paycheck nowadays has not been so bad but I miss having 2. Despite having maternity benefit, it can be a bit tight especially around the period when we pay utilities. Planning ahead truly helps! Sometimes I find myself counting the days until pay dates. Having the baby for 2 weeks now has meant some additional expenses - pram (stroller), additional blankets, diapers, etc. I wish maternity benefit were more than what it is now! We originally planned to use cotton nappies once his umbilical cord fall off but the baby wets too often and that just means constant changing and more washing. I'm afraid that would cause an increase in electricity and detergent expenses.
Despite all these worries of bills and debts, I love being a mom! I breastfeed and hopefully will continue to do so until at least the baby's 6 months old. That would save us from buying formula! I'm expecting that February's spike on child care expenses would gradually calm down in the next couple of months.
Any saving tips for a new mom like me?
Belated congrads on the new little arival! Can't be giving you much advise on saving tips for a new mum - as I don't have kids and am not in NZ. But do hope you will make your own baby foods instead of buying the stuff in those little jars. There are probably loads of recipes online for you to try out. I did see a women making baby food on the telly adding orange juice to vegetables. Apparently the kids love it! Who knew?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your bundle of joy! I enjoy reading your blog. Can you please tell me what tools you use tp put those bars on the side to measure your Assets and Liabilities? Thank you.
ReplyDeletegood decision to breastfeed. you will not only be saving a lot of money, but your kid will be more intelligent, more emotionally secure and you will benefit the most with slimmer body, more satisfaction as a mother and many more. you will not regret it. good job!
ReplyDeletelisa clark - thanks for that info! i will try it when the baby starts with solids.
ReplyDeleteanonymous - right-click on the page and view the page source. it will show the codes and just search for the part of the sidebars.
salve - thanks! i lost 20kg since giving birth so far but it seems to have gone status quo. hmm.