Getting prepared for baby on a budget!

[glitternanny]

I just wanted to share, alongside the financially ready thread, our successes with getting ready for a baby on a budget!

I am 13weeks and we already have sorted:
Cot, moses basket, car seat(s), travel system, bottles, steralisers, sling, playmat, push along walker, clothes, baby bath & unit, monitor, thermometer, toys, bumbo, sit in walker...

And we've hardly spend a penny! Generous friends and family and my boss (in some cases in exchange for babysitting), good old freecycle (thanks to my sister in law) and eBay.

We'll need to buy new mattresses for the coat and moses basket and a carry cot for the pushchair.

I'm hoping to get my maternity clothes from eBay too, I'll be interested to see at the end of it all how much we've actually SPENT on baby and me (clothes)

Although it wont all be new, or match we wont be in debt buying it all.

I have been saving childcare vouchers for several months, I have at least 3 months worth already (26+2). Which means for the first few months after I go back I'll have my salary again YEAY!

that's a good plain Evie, I told my friend to do that at the weekend.

Oh and I have been given, a carrier, a monitor a nappy pail and a pram bag from friends (second hand). A friend made me two pram blankets, another is knitting cardies as we speak and my aunt said she will make me cot bumper and matching covers etc.
I bought a breast pump etc half price at the baby show (which my sis said she would give me money for as her useful gift for me) and invested in my cloth nappies when they were also on a deal.
Mum and DH's Mum are doing Cot/ Pushchair between them (although I have picked the basic non expensive options for both) and mum has bought white bodysuits and sleepsuits.
And my A&U have offered to get us a gift of our choice too (up to a certain figure)
So that only leaves the carseat that we need to get
Anything else will be a bonus

For me I have had to spend on shoes - as gone up massively with swelling and could not get anything on. I've bought a few mat trousers but my mum (who is much larger than me) has loaned me lots of big floaty tops

We too have been extremely lucky most things from ebay or freecycle and very generous family. We have more baby clothes than mothercare and 99% have come from charity shops,once washed look as good as new and the rate lo's grow will be back at the shop for someone else to use in no time. I honestly don't see the point in going into the red when you can get everything you need just by looking around,especially as baby things are sooooo expensive. :)

Great to hear such positive stories from people doing things on a budget!
The other tip I have is check your points! By that I mean Tesco Clubcard, Nectar, etc. We have over £100 worth of points with those combined (and with the double point offers that frequently take place these could be worth £200! Also DH has 'found' £50 worth of points from his Barclaycard that can be redeemed at Mothercare.

How do you save Childcare vouchers Eviepoo?I thought you got them after you've had the baby!

Yes I would like to know that too, Eviepoo...

I got a pair of next maternity jeans on eBay for £1.70, they look nearly new. Thankfully we've got all of DS's old baby stuff, so only need a double buggy (but will sell the current 2 to help pay for it), a new mattress, steriliser (if I don't breastfeed) and clothes and blankets if it's a girl.

I definitely advise shopping at Tesco as you can sometimes double up vouchers for baby stuff. Also stock up on nappies and wipes when they're on offer. I only buy brand name wipes but never pay more than a pound per packet. I got 12 packs last week in asda for £7

Our Ikea cot was £29 a few years ago. It has lasted through two of our dcs, been lent out twice and about to go out again. Even with the mattress cost on top that's still great value.

NCT sales are full of hardly worn newborn clothes.

Am very lucky that 2 of my neighbours and some of my other friends have babies of various ages so we have been lent or given loads of stuff and parents bought pram and cot for us which was very generous. Have bought bouncer for £2.50, single sheets for 50p and some lovely clothes from a yard sale and will be scouring all the summer fairs for cheap goodies. MIL has gone e.bay crazy for knitted goods which is nice but she has somewhat dodgy taste so may only dress baby in them when she is due. Am trying not to spend money on mat clothes as have been given some an only have 3 months left of work.

My advice to parents on budgets is to join the supermarket's free baby clubs - I often get vouchers for money off nappies, wipes, baby toiletries .etc which have been v.helpful for us. We have been slowly stocking up on this kind of stuff for weeks so won't be needing any for a good while after our baby arrives! :)

Well I was getting CC vouchers before anyway - as my 11 year old was in after school care - so I just upped them to the max. Made it easy for me.

However, check if your company is in a CC scheme (most are I think) and put in your application now, the vouchers are electronic so do not expire, they go into an online account and just start storing up. Also you can find out if you DP/DH's work does them too. If you are both earning you can both apply for the maximum amount to get the tax benefits. (I think the current limit is £243 each) which comes off your wages before tax (so if you calculate the tax savings it is brilliant) depending on what your Mat leave deal is like - you can choice to still get them while you are off too. My mat deal is kinda poop so I'm stopping getting them when my leave starts.

I just called my HR dept and filled in a form when I started getting them (as far as I remember it was very simple - but that was a few years ago and my brain is baby mush these days)
As far as I know there is nothing stopping you getting them now- nothing has been said at all about me getting far far too many than I need for DD1 and having a big pot in my account.

Oh and I agree with what wiiUnfit says - join all the baby clubs, it is so worth it, I got tons of vouchers from Babies R Us when I joined theirs too. Boots is also a good one to join as well as the big supermarket ones.

Re: the child care voucher system, it's all changed now. If you're earning £35000 + it's halved and I think it's reduced a bit any way. They also advised me that I can't apply until the baby is born. I'll definitely look into it when baby's here though.