The Baby Budget - How to save money for when bub arrives

A new bub in the house and a single income mean that being thrifty has become my number one priority (well one on them).

Here are my tips for saving money while ensuring your new addition has everything they need.

Disclaimer: In no way should this be taken as financial advice. You should contact a professional financial adviser or institution for your own circumstances.

• Reducing debt is critical. Before bub arrived we worked hard to ensure there were no outstanding credit card debts. This was our priority before growing the emergency fund. 

• Lists, lists, lists!! I love a good list and make one for every area of life admin. Early on in my pregnancy we wrote a list of everything we would need. Every few weeks we picked up one or two things as we had the money to pay for them outright. 

• Meal prepping. I invested in a hefty supply of plastic containers and made extra large batches of soups, savoury mince, bolognaise sauce and stews that I labelled and froze. 

• Systematic bill payments. My husband and I have a system when a bill arrives. We have a clip on the fridge and each bill is filed in order of due date. I went through and started making small fortnightly payments wherever I could to reduce times where we'd have large chunks of money required at one time. 

• Buy baby clothes on sale and accept hand-me-downs. I brought very few full priced items instead I stocked up in online sales, used discount codes and spent countless hours picking through sales racks. We also accepted second hand clothes from friends and family. Note: buy different sizes in end of season sales - you'll be needing them before you know it. 

• Do your research on big ticket items. We were very fortunate to be given a second hand cot and change table (with chest of draws underneath) and replaced the mattress. Compare stores online and don't be shy to ask if they price match. I read reviews online before going in to try out the pram I had my eye on. I also brought a pram that is compatible to add a second seat if we have the need down the track. Note: Always ensure all products comply to Australian Standards especially when looking at second hand items. 

• Our biggest tip? Try to use cash instead of plastic. I use sandwich bags above to divvy up the cash I want to spend. Sure it never works 100% to the dollar but it keeps me accountable and I know what I'm spending. I have four each with the fortnightly amount written on the front - petrol, food, Daisy and play money.