Honey, send the baby back...we can't afford it!

I remember many, many people telling me before I got pregnant that if you wait until you can afford to have a baby, you'll never have one!

This is so true.  Babies are totally full of unforseen expenses.  The Baby Cost Calculator at Babycenter.com estimates that you can spend upwards of $10,000.00 the first year alone! (I'm so glad Chris didn't know this before we had Cole!)

But since I am a total cheapskate, I managed to keep our number down to less than $3,000.00 for Cole's first year - so I thought I'd share some of my helpful hints:

1. Buy used.
     I cannot, cannot stress this enough.  Some things may be too important (safety hazards) to purchase used, but if you do your research, you can save TONS of money on used items.  My favorite used things we got for Cole were:

• His beautiful cherry wood crib.  This crib was priced at $375.00 new and we got it for FREE from a  friend who was done having babies.  Now, this is the part where safety can be a concern.  While this particular crib was not a recalled one (I did my research), all drop-side cribs have since been recalled.  We simply screwed in the drop side rail - not the prettiest fix, but very functional.
• His perfect cherry wood dresser/changing table.  I knew I wanted a dresser/changing table in one, since space is always an issue in our little houses.  Some people opt for forgoing the changing table altogether, but between our dogs and a squirmy baby, I wanted a specific high place to do the diaper changing.  My wonderful sister picked up this beauty off of Craigslist in Portland for only $25! 

• The same friend who gave us Cole's crib also gave us a high chair (saving us $75), a whole set of towels, washcloths, feeding utensils, etc (saving us $30), and three boxes of clothing (at least $100!).
• We purchased Cole's bathtub, his Bundle Me, and his changing table pad from various local sellers off Craigslist - we ended up saving over $50 buy purchasing those items used (and in great shape!).
• Also check out consignment stores such as Kid to Kid.  We purchased Cole's stroller frame for half price and our Ergo carrier for $35 less - both in excellent condition!
• 90% of Cole's clothes are used - either hand-me-downs from friends, or purchased from yard sales. I also recommend consignment stores and sales, especially for baby clothes, since they are hardly used at all before they are grown out of.  This way, you can get clothes for as little as 10 cents a piece - $5.00 a piece, either way much less expensive than buying them in the store. 
• Ask friends to scout out items for you - if there's something in particular you are in need of, ask friends and family to keep an eye out for the item used, on ebay, Craigslist, or yard sales.

2. Take advantage of your friends.
       I mean that in the nicest way possible.  I am so incredibly blessed to have wonderful friends who have finished having babies, so they very kindly passed on some of their things they were done using.  My beautiful friend Christine gave us her infant car seat (among many other things), which saved us $130!  My friend Janel gave me her breast pump, which although it was older it still worked perfectly, and ended up saving us almost $300!

3. Take stock in what you have - go shopping around your home.
       I tried to use what we already had and just repurpose it for Cole's room.  For example, the bookshelf in his room - I put my books in the giant canvas boxes and used the rest of the bookcase for his things.  Various baskets and other items also made their way into his room.

4. Don't be afraid of paint.
       We knew we wanted a rocker for in the baby's room, and I already had one, but it was in all the wrong colors.  Instead of spending $120 for a new one, Chris just spray painted the old one brown and my mom helped me recover the cushions in perfect off-white microsuede.  It was less than $15 to make a completely new rocker!
      This trick also worked with the lamp in Cole's room - Chris found a perfect lamp at a yard sale for only $1, but it had a cream and pink stripe - so I just slapped a quick coat of blue paint over the pink and it was perfect!

5.  Put yours (or other's) talents to use.
        I LOVE to sew.  So when I kept spying high-end (and not super necessary) items I wanted to buy, I made them instead. Also with this.  Way less expensive and to top it off, I have the pride of knowing that I made it!  My mom also generously made Cole's crib set - it was custom designed by her and was exactly what I wanted! So if you see stuff you like, recruit a talented friend or family member to lend a hand.

6. Reuse, reduce, recycle.
      Strangely enough, the same things that are often good for the environment are good for your pocketbook as well.  If you have time, making your own baby food can save upwards of $75 a month.  Breastfeeding saves a RIDICULOUS amount of money, since formula is crazy expensive.  And using cloth diapers will save you more than $1,500.00 per year, especially if you plan on using them for more than one child.

7.  Know what to purchase new and splurge on those items.
       For safety reasons, we knew we wanted to get a new convertable car seat (a Britax with side-air protection), a good, safe stroller, and a brand-new mattress for the crib.  So we purchased the car seat, Chris' parents gave us the exact stroller we wanted, and my parents bought Cole's organic mattress. 

So there you have it.  My own personal list of money-saving tips and tricks for baby!  Does anyone have any others to add?  Let me know, I'd love to hear them!