Nothing is as joyful as the experience of bringing a child into the world. However, you will have to plan to get yourself together financially if you want to have another child. You will need to have money for all the things your child needs, such as a crib, clothing and food. You’ll also need money for the delivery and childcare afterward. The best thing to do is to start preparing yourself to have another child at least a year in advance. The following are some tips for getting ready.
Create a Financial Goal
You can start your journey by creating a financial goal. Add up the total amount of money you will need to bring your child into the world comfortably. You’ll need to account for the 12 weeks that you might not be able to work. You won’t be eligible for disability if you have not been on your job long enough. Take your time and add up everything. When you’re done, you’ll have a figure that you can use. Aim to be as accurate as possible and then plan how you will save up the money you need in a year. For example, let’s say that you need a total of $10,000 to have your baby comfortably. You’ll divide $10,000 by 52 weeks, and you’ll see that you need to save $192 a week for an entire year to reach your goal.
Pick Up a Second Job & Consider Second-Hand
The next thing you might need to do is pick up a second job. You can pick up a part-time job at another establishment or pick up a work-from-home job so that you won’t have to leave your home. The money you earn from this job will help you to put away something extra for your baby fund.
Another way to save some money, particularly if this is not your first child, will be to use hand-me-downs and second-hand items like baby clothes and toys. If you or people you know like friends or family have items like these that their children have grown out of, consider asking for them. Reuse your first child?s old clothes or baby toys. If this is your first child, consider using things like reusable diapers, or buying toys, clothes, and other necessities like a stroller second-hand to save money.
Eliminate Your Debt
You will also need to make a huge dent in your debt before bringing a child into the world. You can do that using a variety of strategies such as debt consolidation, bankruptcy or credit card debt settlement. Some methods will be better than others when it comes to how they affect your financial future. Many people opt not to go the route of bankruptcy because of the lengthy amount of time it can stay on their credit reports. It will not be the best solution if you don’t want it to be on your credit report for up to 10 years.
Do Some Spring Cleaning
Another way to prepare for having a child is to conduct a “spring cleaning” session. During this spring cleaning session, you’ll make room for your baby by selling all the items that you no longer need in your home. You will also be able to earn a lot of money in the process. You might want to look into doing that so that you can pack away some more funds for your baby collection. You can sell your items at the flea market, or you can choose to sell them at a yard sale or online auction. Use the method you think will bring you the highest level of cash.
Cut Some of Your Bills Down
Cutting some of your bills down will allow you to salvage some of the money you need for when your baby comes. What you’ll need to do is to go through all aspects of your household bills. Consider terminating any unnecessary expenses you have. Think about the cable bill, the smartphone bill and other bills that you can stand to lower. You can even consider tinkering with your car insurance deductible to make your premium a little lower if you think it will help you.
There are always ways to make money and cut your costs down if that’s what you need to do. All it takes is a little dedication and a lot of determination to get it right.
Start Getting Ready for That New Life Today
Those are a few ideas for getting ready for your new child. Anything is possible with faith and a positive attitude. People have survived having children with much less than what you have now. However, you should strive to make it as easy for yourself as possible. Start with one of the things on this list right now and then keep going.
