Putting together a new nursery for your expected baby is fun and exciting… but it can also be expensive. A lot of people get discouraged and think it is inevitable that they will spend a small fortune on the new baby’s room, when it is actually not that hard to save a ton of money! You might not think about it at first, but there are tons of ways that expecting parents can put together an amazing nursery for less! All it takes is a bit of creativity, a little patience, and these 5 great tips!
Tip #1… Ask Friends for Used Baby Furniture and Clothes
If you buy everything brand new, then you are probably going to pay quite a bit to get everything that you need… especially if you buy designer brand baby gear for your nursery. However, asking friends whose children are grown if they have anything they want to get rid of can often be beneficial and yield great results! When we had our first daughter, we didn’t have to buy very much of anything. We were given a walker, a car seat, two dressers, and all kinds of clothes. This saved us a lot of money, and the stuff we were given was still in great condition!
Tip #2… Shop at Used Furniture Stores or Flea Markets for Nursery Furniture
This is a great tip that can save you a bunch of cash. Shopping at flea markets or second hand stores can yield great results for literally a fraction of the cost of buying new. I once bought a used dresser (worth over $100 new) for $25 at a second hand store! A fresh coat of paint is sometimes needed, and sometimes you need to replace the knobs… but you still end up getting great deals! Plus, you can use the money that you saved to buy other things for your baby.
Tip #3… Shop Online to Get the Best Prices for Things That You Have To Buy New
I am usually the type of person who likes to buy things at a store, where I can see it and touch it before I buy it… but I have actually started ordering a lot more online because of the huge price difference! You can buy things so cheaply online, especially on websites like ‘Ebay’, where you can buy most things new as well as used. You can find cribs, beds, car seats, changing tables, a black leather reclining chair… pretty much anything that you would find in a store you can find online. A little searching online will often reveal huge savings that you didn’t realize were available!
Tip #4… Buy Used Baby Clothes
I know that a lot of people are not quite as into buying used baby clothes as I am… but once you discover how much money you can save, I am pretty sure that you will change your mind! Nowadays, there are a lot of trendy stores where you can actually sell or trade in your old baby clothes for new things! These places are awesome because not only are the clothes usually close to brand-new, but your baby grows so fast that the clothes will be outgrown in a few months anyway. Why buy all brand new stuff if it is only going to be in use for a few months?
Tip #5… Consider Using Cloth Diapers
Ok, I know that, at this point, many people are probably thinking that this sounds crazy… but cloth diapers are making a HUGE comeback, and for good reason! Modern cloth diapers are nothing like the old ones. They have snaps, adjust to fit different sized babies, and come with disposable liners that you can simply throw away. They are washable, so all you have to do is throw them into the washing machine to get them clean… and they can save you HUNDREDS of dollars on diapers over the course of just a few months! I used them with my second daughter, and you would not believe how much we saved on diapers compared to our first daughter, who used all disposable diapers.
Plus, cloth diapers are better for the environment… and also better for your baby.
If you follow all of these tips, you will be amazed at how much money you can save in setting up your nursery! With this money, you could do all sort of things…
- Take a vacation
- Start your baby’s college fund
- Take a family trip
- Take an extra week or two off of work
- Go on a much-needed date night
- Hire a good, dependable babysitter for when you do have to go back to work
Setting up a nursery does not have to be expensive! As long as you are creative and patient, you can set up a fantastic nursery for a fraction of what it would cost if you just bought everything new at the store.
Josh Sigafus is a professional freelance writer, songwriter, aspiring novelist, husband, and father of two. He works from home, and enjoys getting to spend more time with his family on his days off. Being a professional writer, Josh uses websites like www.reclinerchairreviews.com for finding information and ideas when writing about various different subjects throughout the day.