Raising a baby can be expensive, but, with a little online savvy and
some help from your friends, you can save bundles and even find some
free baby stuff. Here's how to save money on baby and find the best baby
freebies on the web.
Baby Freebies Online
Just as
having a baby can be an expensive proposition for you, it can be a
profitable one for retailers and manufacturers. Many companies will give
away things to expectant and new moms in the hopes of earning your
business for a long time to come.
Here's how to get free products, samples and coupons from the most trusted baby brands.
You
can typically find free samples and discount coupons by navigating your
browser directly to a manufacturer's website. To find these websites,
do an online search for your favorite brands of formula, diapers, and
baby foods.
You can also often get free trial subscriptions to
leading parenting magazines. At the time of this writing, you can get a
free 6-month subscription to American Baby magazine and a free 12-month
subscription to Baby Talk magazine directly at the publications'
websites.
A word of caution about signing up for baby freebies,
newsletters, and sweepstakes. Make sure you read the fine print, as well
as a site's privacy policy before you enter your name and email address
on the company's registration form. Each time you are signing up for
something, you are probably being put on a mailing list. You may want to
have a secondary email address that you use only on registration pages
and, if the page asks you if you would like additional mailings from
partners, opt out.
It's a good idea, too, to check the URL of the
freebie's registration page before you fill it out, to make sure you are
on the website of the manufacturer or publisher. Third party sites,
especially sites devoted to providing freebies, may be in the business
of collecting and selling your personal information.
Savings on Diapers and Formula
These
are two items you will probably spend the most money on before your
baby becomes a toddler. Breastfeeding is, of course, the cheapest way
around buying infant formula, but it's just not an option for everyone.
Here are the best ways we have found to save.
Search Online.
See
if you can find products cheaper online. Do a search on froogle.com for
bulk groceries or formula. This site, run by Google, allows you to
comparison shop across lots of different sites with just one search. And
check prices at Amazon Grocery, too, which will ship these products to
you, just like any other Amazon purchase. Shipping is often free for
orders of $25 or more.
Join the Club.
Ask at the customer
service desk of your local grocery store to see if they have any kind of
Baby Savings Club. Some of the leading grocer chains offer additional
savings for these types of purchases.
Discount Baby Furniture and Gear
When it comes to baby furniture and baby gear, you can save a lot simply by knowing where to look.
Let Your Friends Know What You Need.
The
best way to get free baby stuff is to ask your friends and family for
anything they might be hanging onto that they don't need anymore. Even
your friends whose kids are a bit older may still have some items in the
attic.
Have a Baby Shower.
Baby showers are a great way to
get exactly what you need for the new baby. Even better, your guests can
share more ways on how you might be able to save money on baby items in
your particular area.
Join Moms Groups.
Join parenting
groups both in your local area and online. These are fantastic resources
for free information and a daily or weekly dose of sanity. Plus, once
you get to know other moms in your area, you can swap secondhand baby
clothes.
Join a Freecycling Network.
Freecycling allows you
to give away things you don't need while taking things you do. Do a
Google search to find a Freecycle Network in your area, or visit
Freecycle.org and browse the groups or enter your town into the search
box. Once you find a local freecycling group, you can usually post your
own needs and you find a lot of good things, completely free.
Shop for used items.
Local
consignment stores, thrift stores, and garage sales are a great place
to find gently used baby furniture or gear. Check the newspaper for this
weekend's garage sales or monitor an online garage sale announcement
service. Go to Yahoo Groups and enter your city and "Garage Sale."
A
note about buying baby items secondhand: If you buy used toys or baby
gear, make sure they still have safety labels attached. Also, it's a
good idea to always buy a new car seat for your child. You don't want to
take a risk by getting a secondhand car seat that may have been in an
accident.
Simplify
The most important thing for our family
when our kids were small was to consider carefully what it was we really
needed. When we were excited about having our first child, we felt like
we wanted one of everything. But we found that some gear was not
necessary at all, and some of it just got in the way.
The simple
approach is sometimes the best, so take a little time with each buying
decision. If there is a piece of furniture or a baby item that you feel
you really need, see if you can get it gently used. It's better on the
pocketbook and the environment.
It's also tempting to invest in
things the baby will need when he or she has grown older. You can save
money by waiting until your baby actually needs a bigger, better
stroller, for example, to see both what you can afford and what kind of
features are truly the most important to you. It helps me to look at it
this way: When you save money by not buying things you really don't
need, you'll have more money to put aside for your child's future.
