Becoming a new parent is definitely one of the most exciting times in your life. However, parenting also comes with plenty of unique challenges, particularly financial ones. For example, this will likely be the first time in your life that you are financially responsible for someone other than yourself, which can be a little bit daunting.
Luckily, even though your new kid(s) may require a few added expenses, there are plenty of measures you can take to save your wallet. Let’s take a look at a few money-saving tips for new parents.
Reduce debt before the baby gets here
If you’re still expecting, do your best to reduce any of your outstanding debts before the baby arrives. This includes paying off things that you’ve bought in anticipation of your child. This is important to do because, once your baby arrives, you will have a whole new slew of expenses to deal with.
The more you can reduce your debt before your child gets here, the more money you will save in interest over the long run.
Start saving for college early
When your child is only a few years old, it might seem incredibly excessive to start saving for college. However, due to the compounding nature of investing, the earlier you start to save money the more time your money will have to grow. Since your children’s college education will almost always be one of the biggest expenses you have as a parent, you want to start saving for it as early as possible.
To save and invest, you should even consider opening a 529 Plan, which is a special investment vehicle that is specifically for saving for college.
Take another look at your budget
Even if you’re pretty good with budgeting, you need to realize that your entire budget is about to be thrown out of whack. Having kids is always going to come with plenty of expenses that you didn’t anticipate. This is why it’s important to reevaluate your budget after you’ve had kids so that you can adjust it to fit your new family’s needs.
You can even consider using a budgeting app like PocketGuard, You Need a Budget, or your bank’s budgeting app.
Embrace hand-me-downs
Kids grow incredibly quickly and you shouldn’t be surprised if your child outgrows all of their clothes year after year. Due to this, it can be incredibly costly to be continuously buying new clothes for your children’s wardrobe. Instead, do your best to tap into friends or family members for hand-me-downs.
Swap babysitting with your friends
For some families, a babysitter is a necessity if neither parent can be home to watch the kids all the time. For parents who want an escape every now and then, a babysitter may just be something that you’re happy to pay for. However, babysitters are rarely cheap (and you probably don’t want to hire one that is!). Even just a few nights out a month can quickly turn into several hundred dollars in babysitting fees.
Try to save money here by offering to sit for other parents for free when you can. This way, they’ll feel obligated to return the favor when you need them to.
We hope that you’ve found this article valuable when it comes to learning a few money-saving tips for new parents. If you are interested in learning more, please subscribe below to get alerted of new articles as we write them!
