Cheapass parenting reccos?

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murphyspub

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Hey all. My wife is pregnant right now, expecting in July. Anyone aware of a site for cheap ass parents? Cannot stand the idea of just paying out the butt for the tons of things I have no experience shopping around for. Movies, music and video games? I'm getting 10 for the price of one. Diapers, and uh, other stuff... Where are you getting your leads from? Thanks for any tips. And good luck to the us all.
 
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While the crowd is terrible, SlickDeals usually has that kind of information. I saw something like 100+ diapers for $0.35 on there the other day. I just lurk there, contributing to that "community" is pointless.
 
You really don't need any music, movies or video games for a newborn. For the first three months of their life all they do is sleep, eat , and poop. It's not until they can hold their head up that they can really start doing anything.

For clothes if you really want to be cheap wal-mart or target is your best et. After that goodwill if you dont mind washing a few things.

Diapers: Go cloth. It's a bigger investment up front but it will save you in the long run. Once you've spent $100+ on cloth diapers you wont need to buy any disposables.
 
If you do decide to go the disposable route, then may I suggest a few couponing websites, such as couponmom.com, survivingthestores.com, and commonsensewithmoney.com. These sites focus on using coupons and sales to max out your savings on pretty much everything at the grocery store, but most of the ladies that run these sites are moms, and will focus on the baby stuff. These sites helped us out a lot in learning how to get the best deals on diapers, wipes, all sorts of things.
Some of the tips we learned that we found most useful was buying multiple sunday papers (to get multiple copies of the coupon brochures in them) or asking family/friends if you can have their coupon sections. They also show matchups with sales at varioous stores, especially drug stores like CVS and Walgreens. Both of those stores have in store cash back systems (think Best Buy Reward Zone, only you get the credit faster) CVS has a card that you have to sign up for, walgreens is just a print out from the register. Anyway, we learned from those websites I mentioned how to use coupons matched with sales at the drugstores along with the reward programs to get big packs of diapers are low as $3.50/pack and we even scored wipes for free using coupons. The trick is to buy the stuff when the store is offering a reward incentive, then roll that incentive (along with a coupon) back into more product. (the website can explain it better than I can)
Anyway...yeah, I know it sounds like turning into one of those 'crazy coupon ladies' but it helped us out a lot.
Good luck, and congrats on your new arrival!
 
[quote name='eldergamer']
Diapers: Go cloth. It's a bigger investment up front but it will save you in the long run. Once you've spent $100+ on cloth diapers you wont need to buy any disposables.[/QUOTE]

This. And breastfeed. That takes care of the 2 biggest expenses for a newborn.
 
I second Amazon mom if you shop online. You can save that way with free prime shipping and the subscribe and save option saves even more (even if you cancel it right after).

You can try craigslist.com but that's hit or miss.

As stated above if you don't mind washing clothes check out local thrift stores (churches usually run a few in most cities) and goodwill.

Watch target clearance and buy off season if you can guess on the size of your child once they are a little bigger. (Unless they are large or small usually the months on there are pretty accurate.)

If you go the formula route sign up on the formula websites and put that you are breastfeeding, even if you aren't. They send more coupons that way and they send you free samples. Usually hospitals give you a going home bag of a few supplies too, formula especially. Same thing with diaper, and eventually baby food websites although if you have time (even before the baby is here if you have a chest freezer) making and freezing baby food ahead is way easier. Basically when they start baby food they eat so little that it's much more to buy pre-made (except apple sauce but buy the big one). My wife made all the food for our kids for the first 4 months of their food. You take whatever, put it either in a good blender or a smoothing maker, put it in ice cube trays and freeze it. Each cube is approximately 1 ounce of food. A single banana makes 2-3 trays of cubes. Once frozen pop them from the tray into a freezer bag (they won't stick together unless they melt some) and pop them into the deep freeze, most things will hold up to 12 months in there. When they get bigger and want more than 1 ounce or so at a time then sit it on the counter or do a short microwave and use 2+ cubes instead. As they want thicker food then add baby cereal after you warm it up. With vegetables keep the water if you boil it and you have to add a little when making the smoothie mixture. The carrots and such are way brighter and it all tastes way better. Also no one makes baby food avocado and it's really good for babies who are going to solids. Do a web search for home made baby food, there are tons. If they outgrow it before you use it, then use the banana cubes to mix into like banana nut muffins, etc. Vegetables can go into spaghetti sauce or soup, etc if you end up with extra.

Babycenter.com has a decent community and forums that will forward you the right way also.
 
a huge money saver, with the added benefit of being healthier, is to avoid formula and go the natural route. formula is incredibly expensive. If the wife has to go back to work, just rent a good pump.
 
Yup. We didnt go formula at all here. Both were exclusively breast fed for 6 months. If you want to be somewhat evil you can take all those formula coupons/free offers and re-sell them as well.
 
My kid was breastfed first 6 months then when my wife returned back to work.. she couldn't get a break long enough to pump and she dried up. Now it's formula and starting foods.
 
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