I’m back from my week-long hiatus and more refreshed than ever! A lot of things got done last week, including the sale and purchase of a car, switching health insurance, and of course–family time. Speaking of family, it’s that time of the month again–no, not that time–it’s the 8th, which means I’m due for another baby expense update.
By this time next month, you’ll be able to track these reports and all other family/baby-related posts on a special blog page. But for now, I ask for your patience! 🙂 You can always refer back to last month’s post through this link.
If you like my posts on parenting, you cannot miss the parenting series in a few weeks, right here on Fiscal Fizzle. I’ll tackle some of the issues that were brought up in the #bp chat last week, and feature more guest writers!
The Second Month
Okay, let’s get into the meat of this post. Some of you reported problems with the Google Spreadsheet last month, so I’m going with a direct screen shot this time. Here are the second month expenses, as compared with last month, as well as the running total since birth:
The first thing you’ll probably notice is the significant rise since last month on non-savings outflows, so let’s go through and analyze some of the line items:
- There is an obvious increase in the health care portion of our spending. This month’s total included three doctor’s visits (two wellness visits that both happened to fall within the month), and a third visit for a skin issue that was resolved with a little bit of skin cream (also in the total). Lastly, we ordered our next (and last) batch of pre-natal vitamins through our insurance mail-order services.
- The diapers-wipes total includes us “buying ahead” toward the next month, since we’re purchasing in bulk.
- If the feeding/supplies total seems high, it’s because it includes some clothing items which make the job of feeding the baby in public much easier.
- I did not include the hospital bill (even though it was paid this month), since our supplemental insurance covered the entirety of the deductible. That AFLAC duck really knows what he’s talking about… 🙂
In total, we spent $390 this month, and $717 so far since birth. Not too bad for the first few months, when I expected expenses to be through the roof. What do you all think?
Until next month…
Photo by M.ADA
Fiscal Fizzle 
Great report. I almost do not want to know how much I spend on my kids, but I think that if I saw the actual numbers in a spreadsheet…maybe then I would curb some of the needless spending associated with buying them “stuff”.
I’m a big believer that tracking makes you spend less, or at least spend on the “right” things–those that bring you the most joy/effectiveness, etc.
These expenses are not too bad but these are only the “running” expenses so to speak. When you include other expenses like a house with an extra bedroom, a car seat, a stroller, baby furniture, etc and allocate them for their useful lives, these numbers would look a bit scarier. Then again, you can look at these other costs as sunk costs and move on.
By the way, did you guys get a “Breast Friend”? We blogged about it a while ago
. This is the link to the product site http://www.mybrestfriend.com/.
Very true–most of those were pre-birth purchases, so you won’t see them here. But as you rightfully point out, it doesn’t mean they “don’t exist.” They are very much a part of the sum total expenses for our baby, a number I don’t even want to start wrapping my head around. 🙂
We have the Boppie, by the way. Similar idea, but I think it looks a little cooler (and easier for the baby to sit in than the “boxy” Friend.)
What a crazy/good/crazy idea this is to track baby expenses. I am with Hank, I am not so sure I would want to know what I have spent on my two kids in spreadsheet form. But you have inspired me to think otherwise.
I’m not scared of the spreadsheet. I mean–the money is going to leave my account anyway…I might as well know where it’s going so I can potentially do something about it.
We’re going into it understanding that kids will be expensive, but that there any many ways to make them less so…
I’ll preface my thoughts by stating that I’m only 21: I thought the concept of having a spouse seemed expensive, now I’ve increased my acceptable child-rearing age from 28 to 32.
Heh! 🙂 It helps to be ready financially, but at some point, our bodies start to give way, too. If current trends continue, couples are going to start hitting the age ceiling pretty soon.
haha
Wojo – only 2 months old..you ain’t seen nothing yet…mine are 10,8 & 6!!!!
It keeps adding up every year!!
But enjoy the wonderful times!
Mr CC
P.S. – bet some smart alec is going to suggest cloth diapers to save money!!
.-= Mr Credit Card´s last post: Scare Tactics on Charge Backs and Credit Scores =-.
Find Freecycle in your area. I joined to unload all my kids’ stuff. I’ve seen clothes, toys, strollers, and many more for kids. You can ask for something particular as well.
I will definitely check it out! We tried Craigslist, but everything goes so quickly, it was tough to find what we needed.