Anyone else have an uh-oh baby? :)
That being said we have tried to make this baby budget work. And it has been ROUGH. I was really lucky, my dad has awesome insurance, and thanks to Mr. Obama, I can stay on it until I am 28. So the hospital is 100% covered. Phew. I don't know what we would have done otherwise.
Between Colton switching jobs, rent, bill payments and winter expenses like new tires and breaks for our car, I stress daily about money (or lack of money.)
We got really, really lucky with a lot of our baby gear. Colton's parents bought us a brand new stroller and car seat set. They are excited grandparents, and wanted us to have something nice for baby, since Colton was also a surprise. :) It is such a cute set and we are so lucky to have grandparents who want to spoil the little guy :)
My mom got us the cutest swing, and I found the matching crib on KSL, which I was stoked about. We have decided we are just going to use a portable bassinet crib for Tai. It's small, and low to the ground, so I can lift my newborn in and out of his crib. With a big wooden crib, I just wouldn't be able to reach in and grab the little guy. Drop side cribs are illegal, so you can't sell them (not even on KSL or Craigslist) and that is the only kind of crib that I would even be able to use. Even on the highest mattress level, most cribs are just too tall for me, and that's no bueno for a new mommy and a fragile baby. So portable it is :)
Clothes wise, we have enough clothes to last Tai until he is at least a year old. My mom was given a huge box of boys clothes from a lady in Park City (so they are all high end baby gear.) The lady found out we were new parents starting out and just gave her whole collection to us. She also gave us blankets, burp cloths, baby monitors, changing pads, you name it.
We also went to St. George to a lady who was selling all "brand new or barely used" baby clothes. This lady had 6 huge boxes of baby boy clothes, all barely worn. She had two little boys running around, and her house looked like a boutique. I walked out completely disgusted with her, let me tell you why.
We walked into her house, and I immediately could tell that she was pregnant. After she confirmed this by saying "and I'm due again in February" I asked "oh, are you having a little girl?" Because let's be honest, who sells brand new Nike, Puma, Hurley, Gap, Air Jordan and Childrens Factory clothes when they are about to have a little boy? She does. Yeah. This lady was about to have another little boy. Here we are pinching pennies to buy our little guy used clothes and this lady is selling boxes and boxes of clothes to get her little baby something 'nicer.' Made me feel like crap. I'm getting teary even writing about it.
Wow. Ignoring my little mini break down. (Colton to the rescue.)
We left with a lot of nice stuff. Including brand new blankets, quilts, outfits, onesies, pajamas, you name it. After that shopping trip our little guy had everything he needed clothing wise, and it was all REALLY nice stuff.
We have gotten a few other things here and there, an Eddie Bauer highchair we got for free from a lady on Craigslist. Colton brought it home covered in old food, paint chipped, falling apart, looking at me like I was a nut. When I showed him it was about $150.00 brand new, he turned into Mr. Fix it. We are going to spend a weekend cleaning, painting and recovering it, and it should turn out beautiful.
This is the same for a changing table, dresser and rocking chair. All free, and will be painted and fixed up for our guy. Thank you Pinterest for the ideas. :)
So all in all, we are doing okay. We have had to do a lot of stuff to save money. We never go out to eat, rarely go up North to see family, and don't go on many dates "out." Colt doesn't get new video games, and I don't get massages. Our date nights consist of Colt brushing my hair while we watch Netflix and playing Zelda on our Nintendo 64. Some nights we will get bundled up, and go walk around all the boutiques and holiday lights, then come home for ice cream. Not at all how it use to be. But we are truly happy. We love each other, and we know the sacrifice is worth it. It makes the little things so worth it.
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