Do you have a baby on the way and are stressed about your finances? You’re not alone, as many expectant parents worry about their financial position just as their family is about to expand. The best way to combat this is by planning out your finances as soon as possible in order to prepare yourself for the arrival of your baby.

Reduce your outgoings

Once your baby arrives you will have another mouth to feed, so you definitely need to consider cutting your spending, especially if you will be out of work. This could mean swapping your food shop from Marks & Spencer to Aldi or Lidl, where you can find high-quality items for half the price. You should also consider shopping around to reduce your household bills. The best way to do this is by looking at comparison sites, which will help you find the cheapest and most efficient deal.

Having a baby means making a number of sacrifices, such as reducing the amount you spend on clothes, your beauty regime, gym memberships and more. This may not be a permanent change, but these costs should definitely not be a necessity in comparison to other more important outgoings.

Boost your income

You may find that just cutting down your outgoings is not sufficient enough, therefore you should consider finding a way to increase your income. While you’re pregnant you will be able to work up to a certain point; however, some jobs may not accommodate pregnancy, so you should consider other opportunities that allow you to work from home. This could include freelance writing, tutoring, website design, music lessons, selling accessories and more.

Another reason you may want to boost your income is so that you can buy a bigger home to fit your family. A quick way to do this is by renting out your current home while you stay with family or friends. If this is successful, you should consider a career in property investment, where you can gain massive profits. However, before doing so, you should take a look at these property investment tips by RW Invest, which will help you achieve success as a property investor and allow you to reach your short-term and long-term goals.

Start saving

The first thing you should do when you find out you’re expecting is to start saving immediately. To do this, you should establish a monthly budget and decide how much you can afford to put aside and insert into a savings fund. You should consider opening a fixed-term savings account, which will only allow you access after the end of the specified term. This will allow you to save up a significant amount without the temptation of taking it out as and when you want.

A simple way to save is by setting up a direct debit every month via your current bank account, which should be sent to your savings account. You should decide on a specific amount to send each month, which will allow you to save quickly. This will also offer you flexibility, as you can alter the amount you send if you’re struggling one month, but in the following month, you can afford to send more.

Those are just a few tips to help you cut costs when starting a family. Babies are expensive!

~A~

* Collaborative post

There is one event in life that can spread across several months, and it’s pregnancy. From the moment a couple expresses the desire to have children to the birth – and even after the birth – you have several opportunities to show your support to them. Admittedly, your gift needs to be in relation to the specific step of the pregnancy journey – you wouldn’t buy baby clothes to a couple who’s only trying to get pregnant, for instance – if you want it to be impactful and thoughtful. But thankfully, this little guide can help you to find inspiration!

[Read more…]

Falling pregnant came very easy to us. I fell pregnant with Lamb in the third month of trying, and Bear, well Bear was first try. But not everyone has an easy ride with fertility.

To someone who hasn’t experienced fertility issues, or maybe someone who isn’t a parent, ‘having a baby’ might not seem like such a complex matter. But it is.

A really complex matter to a hell of a lot of people.

[Read more…]

Back in May Bear and I were invited to a lovely event hosted by AVEENO®. At the event we got to meet some lovely bloggers and their little ones. We all enjoyed a session of baby yoga with experts Tatty Bumpkin.

Baby massage was a really special time for me and Lamb. We attended sessions when he was a teeny, tiny newborn, so I was excited to try it out with Bear too. I should of known it wouldn’t quite go to plan. He is the polar opposite to this brother after all!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram and Facebook, you’ll know my little cub isn’t one to sit still and enjoy bonding time with me. And he certainly didn’t disappoint during our yoga session! He, of course, crawled (thankfully he wasn’t walking at this point) all over the room; over other babies, over yoga mats, and took the opportunity to explore, rather than relax.

Thanks to his speedy scrawling, the yoga expert managed to pick up a live model, rather than a doll, and surprisingly Bear sat with her while she demonstrated with him!

[Read more…]