Each week I do a quick roundup of the thrifty and frugal things I’ve been up to. It’s also a good time for me to reflect on my week and figure out how I can save even more money in the future. Here my latest edition of Thrifty Thursday.
New baby!
It’s been a big week for us! Last Thursday I skipped out on Thrifty Thursday because Jackson Price was born! He arrived on April 30th at 5:34 p.m. He was 8 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 inches long.
It was a quick and painful labor. My epidural didn’t work so I went all natural. Tom jokes that we shouldn’t have to pay for the epidural since it didn’t work. Too bad it doesn’t work that way. Tom and I are major nerds and can’t wait to get our hospital bill so we can analyze it and go through the cost of having a baby. I’ll be sure to share all that info in an upcoming post!
New expenses
New expenses come with a new baby. Of course we all know about the big ones like hospital bills and diapers. But other little things sneak in there too.
Next week I’m going to start a written budget again since we have a large lifestyle change. I usually function on a “mental budget” and stick pretty well to it. While I don’t think I’ll go too much over in the first few weeks, you never know. I’m already finding random things we “need” on Amazon. So far this week I’ve ordered a stroller, a bath mat and a car seat insert for newborns. It’s amazing the things I shop for while breastfeeding.
FREE healthy eating challenge group
One of my good friends is a fabulous clean eater. She is hosting a free healthy eating challenge group on Facebook. I’m so excited to join. Now that I’m over my sweets cravings it is time to eat healthy again. Did you know that I only ever love sweets when I’m pregnant? Even though I’m not craving sweets anymore, I still need support to get back into the swing of healthy eating. Let it be stated for the record that while I don’t crave sweets while not pregnant, I’ll still never turn down a donut or funfetti cupcake. Never.
If you want to kick start your clean eating, join the group with me! Tracie is the cleanest eater I’ve ever met. She has been eating clean for over 5 years and I’m always interested in talking food with her. She is extremely knowledgeable and has tips and tricks for different types of clean eaters, from vegans to meat eaters. She has so many smart tricks up her sleeve.
Contact Tracie through her email and she will sign you up for FREE! It starts May 11th and lasts a week. You can contact her at healthylifestylecoach17@yahoo.com to sign up.
No 2nd birthday party
Robert turned two this week! You all know that we didn’t do a first birthday party for Robert. This year was pretty similar. I couldn’t figure out a way to plan a party with a new baby on the way so we decided against it.
Robert had a great day of waffles, cupcakes, Chick Fila, a play date, the fire station and the splash pad park. He was exhausted by the end of the day! I think it was better than a birthday party.
We will still do a family get together with cake and gifts, but no big party. Instead of spending on a party, we put $200 into his college savings account. I also saved money by buying his gift on sale about a month ago. He got a baseball and football pillow for his big boy bed (that we haven’t successfully transitioned to yet).
I think I’m on budget…
It’s been a crazy week. I overspent on the stroller, but I had a gift card. Tom did some grocery shopping and did well to stay under budget. It’s hard to tell where we are this week. Hopefully my paper budget will help me stay on track next week.
The food from friends and family has definitely helped!
How have you been thrifty this week? Please share!
I am so looking forward to hearing about how much a new baby costs! No kids here yet, but it is daunting to think about those expenses. Also, your B&W pic is BEAUTIFUL! How cute are you in your button down? Congrats again!
Aww, Jackson is so cute! Happy Birthday Robert!
Good luck with getting back on track with everything. When I was in your spot (an almost 2 year-old boy and a brand new baby boy), I was too frazzled (and back then I didn’t know frugal from spendthrift!) to make plans like this, I just needed sleep. So I’m impressed! Also, back then Amazon didn’t exist. Wow. I feel really old now.
And yes, you shouldn’t have to pay for that epidural that didn’t work, IMO, but we all know that they wouldn’t accept to take it off your bill anyway (mine wore off with my 1st child because he took so long to come out and I had 1/2 an epidural with my daughter, meaning that only 1 of my sides was numb and they were really worried that they had nicked my spine and boy, that pain was intense!). Kudos to your husband for staying under budget when doing the grocery shopping!