Frugal Oyster Budget Tally #12

The Frugal Oyster Budget Tally #12

April 17, 2012

Next update: May 17, 2013

 

Maternity clothes:

Gifts:

Now usable from pre-preg closet: Everything

Total: $0

 

Baby toys and books:

Gifts:  Little Golden Book Bible, wind-up hopping bunny and bunny ears, Alphabet City, Peekaboo Baby Faces

Total: $0

 

Baby clothes: Summer outfit, Gymboree, $24

Ladybug bathing suit and matching hat, Gymboree, $25

Gifts: Watermelon sun hat, Bahamas t-shirt, socks

Total: $49

 

Baby essentials: Diapers, Target, $22

Formula, Kroger, $16

Formula, Target, $37

Travel wipes, Target, $1

Gifts: Spoons, bowls, over-the-hand wash cloth, two teething toys

Total: $76

 

Other: French Kids Eat Anything book, Amazon, $14

Gifts:

Total: $14

 

Running total for complete baby budget challenge: $1,676

Balance remaining in budget: $1,024

Percent of budget used: 62%

Months into challenge: 16

Months remaining in challenge: 5

The bet is that we can come in at or under my self-imposed dollar amount, without sacrificing safety or comfort of baby or parents, when calculating everything spent by us on the little oyster from conception to the first birthday. This includes all furniture, baby and maternity clothes, toys, vitamins and toiletries, and equipment, everything included in the “average” budget. This excludes insurance costs when the baby is added to the policy and the cost of the food I eat if nursing, which are also not included in the “average” budget. I will save receipts, round to the nearest dollar, and keep a running total on the blog.

The amount to meet or beat is $2,700.

 

The Frugal Oyster Budget Tally #s 7-11

(Funny how much time it takes to have a baby and get one’s ducks in a row. Fortunately, I have remembered to save my receipts! See below for the latest update in The Frugal Oyster Budget Challenge. Any line items left out of this update will be included in April.)

The Frugal Oyster Budget Tally #7, 8, 9, 10, and 11

March 17, 2012

Next update: April 17, 2013

Maternity clothes: Nursing bras

Gifts:

Now usable from pre-preg closet: All clothing except button-front shirts

Total: $90

Baby toys and books: Stuffed giraffe, stuffed panda, two books (Christmas from us), $54

Gifts:  So many! Christmas did happen, after all.

Other: Silver necklace, Bedtime Bible Promises book, Press Here book

Total: $54

Baby clothes: Christmas outfit, Target, $9
Christmas Eve outfit, Baby Gap clearance, $13
Shirt, Target clearance, $4
Dress, Target clearance, $8
Onesies, Target, $9
Leggings, Target clearance, $3
Hoodie, Target clearance, $5

Gifts: So many! Again, Christmas.

Other: Giraffe hat, cupcake jammies, owl shoes, knitted socks, spring dress, shirt with hearts, Valentine’s Day outfit, leg warmers

Total: $51

Baby essentials: Baby wipes, Target, $15
Diapers, Target, $165
Pacifiers, Target, $12
Formula, Target with coupons, $39
Vaseline, Target, $1
Baby Tylenol, Target, $5
Milk storage bags, Target, $45
Hospital-grade pump adaptor kit, Amazon, $35
Gas drops, Target, $4

Gifts:

Total: $321

Other:

Gifts: Christmas!
Other: Baby’s first silverware set

Total: $0

Running total for complete baby budget challenge: $1,537

Balance remaining in budget: $1,163

Percent of budget used: 57%

Months into challenge: 15

Months remaining in challenge: 6

The bet is that we can come in at or under my self-imposed dollar amount, without sacrificing safety or comfort of baby or parents, when calculating everything spent by us on the little oyster from conception to the first birthday. This includes all furniture, baby and maternity clothes, toys, vitamins and toiletries, and equipment, everything included in the “average” budget. This excludes insurance costs when the baby is added to the policy and the cost of the food I eat if nursing, which are also not included in the “average” budget. I will save receipts, round to the nearest dollar, and keep a running total on the blog.

The amount to meet or beat is $2,700.

A one-two punch

Last night the husband and I started a little oyster registry at Target! We got there late in the day and the husband’s energy level was waning fast, so we didn’t make a big production of it but we did have fun picking out a few adorable little things and some required items before I had to load the sleeping father into the cart and push him out the door.

The registry is a work in progress, but it’s a fun one. Unlike getting married, when we knew what we wanted and needed and would reflect us as a couple and a newly established home, we’re a lot more open to advice or opinions from parents who have been-there-done-that with baby products. (Products, I said. Advice on products.)

Now, as anyone can gather from reading the blog or knowing us in person, we won’t swallow everyone’s advice hook, line, and sinker and we’re not likely to do things just because others have. But really, how do we know which bottles are the best without asking? How many onesies does she really need, and do we truly skip all the newborn stuff and only register for 3 month sizes and bigger? (Answer: No, because Target had some stinkin’ adorable newborn onesies and yes, they are on the registry. But only a few of them.) How many long-sleeved, one-piece pajamas does she need, and how different is this number from how many we will want her to have, for laundry purposes? Are we threatening her safety with the long-sleeved, two-piece pajamas we picked out? (Parents, feel free to respond in the comments!)

This morning I emailed the other middle sister and based on what she said, swapped out the bottle choices we had made for the ones she and her husband used on Nephew 2. Then I selected her recommendation in glass. See? Taking advice, and making it our own. That and I think the glass bottles are chic.

Target has great baby items, but the selection there isn’t huge so we’re building another registry on Amazon. For about eight seconds I considered trying to register for the little oyster entirely online, never setting foot in a baby store or baby aisle, but when that eight seconds was up, I remembered that we’re trying to be frugal, but we’re still human and this is a human experience we get to have. This stuff is cute, and it’s fun to touch and see it in person. It’s also fun to see the husband holding two little baby girl outfits, looking discerningly and weighing the merits of each before deciding which one to scan for the registry, and then going back to add the other anyway.

When we got home, the little oyster was moving around, excited for the little goodies we picked out for her. She got so excited that the husband was able to feel her move for the first time! I think he grinned until he fell asleep.

Not bad for a Wednesday, which also marked 20 weeks for this pregnancy. A registry up and running and a kick for the dad? I call it a one-two punch for the little oyster.