Getting Ready for Baby on the Cheap

As anyone that's read my blog recently knows, I'm expecting baby #3 to arrive in April. My first two children are girls and this baby is a boy. While we have most of the "gear" in place for his arrival, our house is a little bigger now than it was when the girls arrived and all of the clothes, covers, etc. are girly. Since this is my last baby (hopefully) and we won't be doing anything major like a home addition at the time of his birth, I really want to get some blue in the room and actually get a chance to enjoy this child as an infant.

Since this is my 3rd trip to the rodeo, I know that baby stuff is horribly expensive. Fortunately, I've got access to a little thing called the Facebook Yard Sale sites that are helping me stock the nursery for less. Because I'm getting ready for baby on the cheap, I can justify getting the odd things that I have always wanted because they are such great deals and this is my last baby. Here's some of the deals I've found recently:

1.) Baby K'tan Carrier - Paid $25. The lady used it only a few times and it's in excellent condition. Retail price: $50; Savings: $25

2.) Cloth Diaper Stash - Paid $50 for 26 BumGenius diapers. Sure, they're well used, but they are in good condition and will definitely work for another child. She included extra inserts and the little liners for when you need to use diaper rash cream. They're pocket-diapers that will grow with the baby. We only plan on using them at home, but it should cut down on the amount of trash we produce while saving a nice bit of money. Cloth isn't what it used to be, so if you're turned off by the idea I urge you to look into it and see how far things have come. Retail price: $468 for diapers, excluding the extra inserts and liners; Savings: $418

3.) Bottle Warmers - Paid $5 for 1 with a cooler and 1 without. To be fair, the one with the cooler is missing the included ice-pack, so I'll have to get creative and make something with a baggie in the freezer I think. Not a huge deal. Retail: $35 for both; Savings: $30

4.) Bassinet Pad - New in plastic - Paid $5 and it's better than the one that came in the bassinet. Retail: $45; Savings: $40

5.) Diaper Champ - Paid FREE. I got this when I thought we'd be doing regular diapers all the time. Someone was giving it away for free, so why not, right? Retail: $30; Savings: $30

6.) Diaper Pail - Paid FREE. I got this after I decided we were doing cloth diapers. Again, someone was giving it away for free, so why not, right? Retail: $20; Savings $20

7.) 2 contractor bags of baby clothes spanning birth through 1 year - Paid FREE. This was probably my best deal as we went from having no baby clothes to having an abundance. I can't even say how much money this saved. At consignment prices, it's easily $300 worth of clothing if not more. Savings: $300+

8.) Crib Sheets - Paid $2 for 2. Retail price: $16; Savings: $14

9.) Swaddle Me wraps - Paid $5 for 2. Retail price: $17; Savings $12

My point is that as a 3rd time mother, I don't mind buying some things used for my baby. I'll still want to get new things too, like pacifiers, burp cloths (not sure why this is a thing for me, but it is) and a special blanket. I also really really want a new car seat, but I'm having a hard time talking the hubby into that one since the old one hasn't expired yet.

Still on my list is a snap 'n go stroller. I may be getting one for free from a friend, but if I buy one I can get it for about $20 through the yard sale site. The savings will be about $50 if I buy it. I'm also buying a rock 'n play from the site for $25 for a savings of $25 over the retail price.

By using the yard sale site, I'm going to get all of the baby things I need and want for less money than buying everything brand new. That's a good feeling, plus I'll finally get to justify all of the "extras" that I've wanted with the last 2 babies because of the money I'm saving on the necessities.