What could be so distracting that we haven't posted a new post in months? Why haven't we at least updated the savings/debt totals? As of yesterday, I am 16 week pregnant! We've been very busy getting our physical, emotional, and financial selves ready for our expanding family. This includes a two-pronged approach to getting our finances in order: savings and free stuff.
Free Stuff
Thanks to some very generous ladies I know from school and church, I don't think I'll need to purchase a single maternity item for my apparel. The shirts, pants, and even pajamas lent to me totaled an astounding 55 items for me to choose from. My "maternity" wardrobe is now bigger than my regular wardrobe.
In addition, I've been on the hunt for as many free samples and free programs as I can find. My OB educator gave me several samples at my first appointment, and I have signed up for free diapers from several companies. In addition, most department stores that allow you to sign up for a baby registry will give you a free gift bag of goodies for simply registering.
Caution - Just because it's "free" does not mean it is a good deal. My husband and I went to a major retailer offering gift cards for purchasing items such as diapers and batteries. However, the difference in price between the items we were asked to purchase and their equivalent generics were more than the price of the offered gift cards. It doesn't matter how much you save, only the value you get for the money you spend.
Saving
This is where my husband shines. Although you will see the amount we owe on the house going down, it will be at a slower rate than usual. Instead, our rainy day account will soon be soaring. As first-time parents, we don't really know every expense coming around the corner. So, we're going to build a nice healthy account called the rainy/baby account. Hopefully we can transfer a nice bulk of that to our debt at some point, but for now we're playing it safe.
Sorry for the delay in posts! Feel free to share any of your thoughts in the comments below.
