Congrats! You have made it through the sickness, bloating, exhaustion, acne, and mood swings of the first trimester. Or maybe that was just me. Second and third trimesters come with their own challenges (putting on socks, anyone?) but you are definitely in the home stretch. Unfortunately, this is also the time when all the worries about money seem to kick in. I mean, you are going to have to spend how much on diapers?!?! If you read my first frugal pregnancy post, First Frugal Things to Do After You Get Pregnant, you are already well on your way to great financial shape. But a frugal pregnancy doesn’t stop there. You must continue that momentum right on through the rest of the pregnancy. After all, many of the tips to have a frugal pregnancy go right into saving money with a baby.
Some of the steps to take during this last part of pregnancy are a continuation of your first trimester and some are different. A frugal pregnancy can be easy to achieve if you just follow these steps and the ones already mentioned in the first post.
Continue stocking up on baby items
Continuing to stock up on baby items can help save a lot of money in the long run. Just be careful not to stock up too much. If this is your first baby, more than likely you will be gifted some of the things you need. If this is your second, third, or more, you likely already know how much baby wash, wipes, etc. you tend to go through. Overall, I wouldn’t purchase very many bath products, diaper creams, etc.
When it comes to diapers, I recommend buying more size one and two diapers and less of newborn. A great thing to do would be: purchase your diapers separately from the rest of your items and keep the receipt taped to the diaper package. This will make it super easy if you end up needing to exchange. I also recommend buying the newborn diapers last. Some babies only use these for a couple weeks, some use them for a few months, and many don’t use them at all. You don’t want to run into return issues because you purchased them too early and now are past the return by date but you do not need them. Another great thing to help stock up on diapers is to check for diaper coupons and stack them with sales.
Create freezer meals
Freezer meals aren’t just great for the newborn stage, they are great for the end of pregnancy as well. Just like first trimester, third trimester can be a time of exhaustion and low energy. I don’t know about you but when I’m that tired, the last thing I want to deal with is dinner. Unlike first trimester, most food aversions should be gone. This means that freezer meals can be a great help to avoid take-out on those nights you are just too beat to cook. Starting around month six, I like to try to make one to two freezer meals a week. This gives me one for pregnancy exhaustion and one for the newborn stage. One to two a week is also fairly manageable on both your energy level and budget. If you aren’t sure about good recipes for the freezer, Pinterest is a great resource. I even have a freezer cooking board that might be a good starting point for you.
Tips for a #frugal #pregnancy...second and third trimester edition Click To TweetBuy nursing bras
Don’t be like me. Don’t wait until the baby is already here (three weeks early) before buying nursing bras. Let me tell you, wandering Walmart five days postpartum when you had an emergency c-section is not a good time. Not to mention, Walmart nursing bras aren’t the greatest. Now is a good time to start checking for sales on good quality nursing bras. My favorites came from Motherhood Maternity. They will often do a “buy three, get one free” deal. If you have a friend who is pregnant or nursing, you can even go in on an order with them. We each got two nursing bras and split the shipping. It was a great deal for both of us. You absolutely do not want to wait until the last minute and have to pay full price.
Stock up on non-baby items
If you already coupon and stockpile you are probably already doing this. If not, now is a great time to start. It’s easy to think about all those baby items you are going to need…but what about toilet paper? Toothpaste? Easy snacks? Even paper plates for those first few weeks postpartum if you do not have a dishwasher. Some women are out and about fairly early, some stay home for a few weeks. Sometimes you don’t know what type of mom you are going to be as you don’t know how childbirth is going to go. It is better to be prepared and be able to stock up at a low price over the next few months than it is to run out and have to pay full price. Not to mention having to pack up the baby (and older children you might have) for a store run or have to have your husband or friend stop for you.
What ways have you stayed frugal during pregnancy or ways you are planning to have a frugal pregnancy?
Great tips! My mom and I are going to be doing freezer meals soon so that we’re prepared when baby comes. And yes to stocking up on things.
Thanks for sharing on the Shine Blog Hop!
I love that you mom is helping you with your freezer meals. That’s so awesome!
I love this! I’m 32 weeks with number 2, and a lot of this ring true for me! I would definitely advise to be careful with nursing bras since you can’t be 100% what size you’ll be once your milk comes in. With my son I bought 1 sports bra nursing bra that came in sizes s/m/l and then once everything evened out I bought others.
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday: 7 Months and 20 Months
Very true. I was about the same size nursing as I was not nursing but I have friends who change quite a bit. I like your idea of buying a couple sizes. I assume you kept the tags on to return the sizes that didn’t fit?
These are all great tips, but I especially like the suggestion to stock up on non-food items. Having to run to the store for something like toilet paper can be quite the challenge when you have a newborn.
I’m halfway through my pregnancy with my second child, so I’m going to be doing these things in the coming months.
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I’m starting to stock up a bit more than I had been due to some complications. Bed rest hasn’t been mentioned yet but being prepared is a good thing. 🙂