Having a baby means an unimaginable amount of happiness and a complete change in lifestyle. All of this can happen very quickly. As lots of congratulations are coming your way, it is also a good idea to work on your budget so that you will be able to welcome the newcomer in a grand way and prepare your family for the road ahead.
Budgeting for a baby will allow you to deal with money matters with less stress and more calm. Let’s discuss three tips on how expecting parents can baby proof their budget.
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Prepare for pregnancy expenses
Actual budgeting for a baby starts much earlier than you actually conceive. You should be ready to handle all the doctor visits, medicine, clothing, and other expenses. It will be much easier to create a budget when you include these factors as part of your budget.
One good thing is to consider your or your spouse’s maternity insurance coverage. This will help you to find out which plan is more beneficial, and accordingly, you can switch to that plan. If you have your own business or other source of income, consider all the pre-pregnancy expenses and start to save. You can create a new savings account or start depositing in any of your existing accounts. Make sure not to use the money you set aside as a post pregnancy fund.
Talk to other parents. This will give you an idea of all the general and unexpected expenses that you may face during this time.
Start saving for the newcomer
You should have financial flexibility when the baby arrives. There will be multiple anticipated expenses, but you can’t overlook all the unexpected expenses too.
The ideal thing is to start saving for all of them beforehand. The best option is to open a separate savings account for baby expenses. You can go for an online zero balance savings account, where you can open the account instantly, and the good thing is you don’t have to pay any maintenance charges or hidden fees. The zero balance account comes with a preloaded virtual debit card to take care of all your online expenses. If needed, you can also apply for a credit card free of any charges.
Like every other goal, parenting requires a lot of care and cost. Being prepared for them is the best thing you can do for your child.
Think about income changes
The choice is yours, whether you take parental leave from the office or become a stay-at-home parent to take care of the newborn, but the point is that you may face the challenges of a low income. In such cases, you should be ready to create a budget with your monthly income.
There is no option for parental leave for self-employed parents; there will be a temporary drop in income, which you should consider while saving for your pregnancy.
One way to deal with pay cuts during pregnancy is to cut down on unwanted expenses and by reducing the overuse of credit cards.
Takeaway
You may have to give up on sound sleep, but being prepared financially will definitely give you an upper hand. When you have a budget, you don’t have to stress about multiple other things and can be more involved in the journey starting from pregnancy till the birth of your child.
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