Becoming a Frugal Parent

It is hard to be a frugal parent. I thought I would be.you saved money on it.
I made plans to save money using cloth diapers. IWhen it comes to babies and toddlers, you can
planned to make baby clothes. I said why buy newspend a lot of money on prepackaged baby food.
when you can buy slightly used? I just didn't know.And 99% of it may just be wasted. There are a lot
When that little baby came home, everything flewof children out there that never eat the stuff. But
out the window. Our new home had no utility sink towe buy it and try it out anyway. We have estimated
wash diapers in. Anyway, I hurt too badly to standthat we've spent at least $200 on baby food. Our
and wash diapers. I was tired and she never slept.daughter is past that stage, and there are still 20
Disposable diapers became a necessity.some odd jars in the cabinet that we thought she
You will probably find that you do have some time tomight like...At least you can find recipes for carrot
make baby clothes when your child is really young,cake and the such online.
say up to six months. But after that, good luck. IInstead of buying baby food, simply buy a small food
suggest starting before the child is born. I made atprocessor. Throw some of your veggies or fruit or
least 30 outfits before my daughter was born, and 1meat from your meals into the processor. Believe
1/2 after.me, your children are more apt to eat it than they
And while buying used is a great idea, prepareare the jarred stuff.
yourself for temptation. I, like a lot of other moms,Toys are another area in which you can save money.
find myself splurging on a new outfit. Often, I putWe decided not to buy a lot of toys for our
back the soda pop and buy the little shoes instead.daughter, but were unable to resist. It is absolutely
Over time, this urge will disappear a little. I think ittrue, they would rather play in your kitchen cabinets.
helps to see how much you have that is never reallyWe've pretty much stopped buying toys, she just
worn enough to make it worth the price.loves to explore. A good fifteen minute can be
Children's resale shops are a great source of clothingabsorbed by a damp washcloth. Try an empty soda
and other accessories for your children. But findingbottle with a few beans in it!
deals depends on you knowing what things cost. ForThe fact is you can't be truly frugal until you see
example, the little denim shorts might seem like awhat it is like. If you are planning on being frugal,
good buy for $4.50. But you can sometimes findsimply learn what you can from your first child. You
them at a department store for $2.95. Make surewill cut out a lot of things for the second.
you know the cost of something before you say