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'
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.
With babies, as with life, the simple approach is often the
best. The simpler your life is, the more time you have to
enjoy your child.
Susie Cortright is the founder of http://www.momscape
and http://www.susies-
find direct links to diaper and formula savings, coupon
codes for baby gear and more:
http://www.momscape
