1st Day Of New Year And We Didn't Spend A Dime

Of course there are daily costs of existance that pile up, but today, the first day of the year, neither my wife or I spent a dime.

Maybe we can do it again tomorrow.

Wonder how long we can keep it up?

Hmmmmm .... Might be on to something here.

and that was a beautiful and exhilirating way to start the new year.

and I didnt spend any yesterday either :)

our first kid is on the way, so we need EVERYTHING .....

Congrats. :toast:

is fun to buy all that cool stuff!!! Congrats, babies are a load of fun!

but it's hard not to shell out for the safety features and quality furniture....

get one shot at you. Their marketing is designed to overwhelm you during YOUR most vulnerable spending period, because after you have the baby, they'll never have you again. The sentimentality and security factor for you is at your highest, since you want only the best for your new, first baby. You'll rarely see parents with more than 1 child shopping for baby furniture.

Keep in mind that everything you "need" for the child isn't a necessity. You need a crib. That's it, and if you think very hard, you'll realize you only use it for 2 years. It doesn't get worn out. Why not buy a barely used one from a local thrift or baby swap shop? There are plenty to be had for pennies on the dollar.

A common dresser holds clothes and supplies. You can change the baby on the bed or in the crib, or even on the floor. No need for a changing table, you'll use it for less than a year. You can buy a bassinet, but honestly, a wicker basket works fine, again, you'll only use it for a couple of months at the most.

You don't need a rocking chair to give a baby a bottle or a breast. But a plastic bathing tub that will fit on the counter and then into the tub is nice. The little roundie sitting up chair ring in the tub is good once baby is into the sitting up a bit and less wobbly stage.

You do need a good car seat. They all do pretty much the same job. It's nice to get the car seat that fits into a stroller as well. Once baby is old enough to sit up on their own, the $19.99 umbrella stroller is your best friend. The large pram is a real pain in the ass to schlepp all over town. It's just too much darned work. I used mine maybe 3 times because I felt I SHOULD. I rather planned my trips around the baby's nap time. A well slept baby is a happy baby.

A table top fabric holder/seat ($19.99) is another best friend, since you can easily bring it from room to room whilst you go about your business, while the infant is under a year. Once they get moving thier leggies the scooter seat on wheels, if you don't have unsecured stairs is a great purchase again, for under $30. The baby LOVES being able to scoot around the house and it gives them a real sense of independence.

Baby blankets for cuddling and swaddling are nice and those you can never have enough of, it seems, what with burping and nursing. Other than that, your regular, every day towels work fine for the whole family.

After that, aside from diapers (Toys R Us, Luvs brand, BEST price) and formula, clothes from baby swap shops are the best bargain going around. It's great to recycle kids clothes, since, especially under age 2, they barely have time to wear anything more than twice it seems, they grow so fast! You don't need baby soaps or special detergent. The stuff you use on you is just fine. With plastic diapers you shouldn't get diaper rash ever, and powders are bad for the child anyhow. Johnsons No More Tears shampoo is safest for the little one.

A common napsack is great for schlepping all the baby gear. No need for that green and white striped atrocity. All you need are some wipes, a couple diapers, a change of clothes and a bottle. Why carry something that screams "BABY SHOWER PRESENT"?

I have had one kid, and I did it solo from the get go. I was on a very, very tight budget and I had no room for anything that I didn't absolutely need at the time. But, I was always a frugal gal to begin with, and I really understand the marketing concepts behind the whole baby and marriage schemes. (My wedding cost us less than $700 and included a reception of sorts at L'Hermitage for our nearest and dearest, and dinner at the Hamlet, both in Beverly Hills).

Trust me, I love the best that life has to offer. Now, just 12 years after those penny pinching days, I live in the South of France and because of my frugalness and pinching that dollar until it screams, that child in a fine school here, I have a booming international business and the nicest things one could want.

It's all a matter of pacing out the purchases as well. Wait until you absolutely need something to buy it. You can plan ahead a little bit with an infant, but the fact of the matter is, they don't require a lot of stuff. They're just little bundles of drool and poo for about a year... and once they start walking yee hah!

And, for the record, I've never had child safety locks on ANYTHING. Ever. Why? Because I watched my kid. She was never un-attended at any time, and from before she could even walk, I just talked to her and explained what she could and couldn't do and reasoned with her to a point. I just never had a reason to lock doors or cabinets. She never did anything she wasn't supposed to, I guess. I kept our fragile items in plain sight and didn't 'baby proof' anything... and there just were never any accidents. I guess because I just paid attention to her, I don't know.

But, honestly, how exciting for you! Babies are an absolute GAS. They're really easy and soooo much fun if you just listen, and most importantly, talk to them in really simple language. Most of all, hug them, squeeze them, and kiss them a million times a day! ENJOY!!!!!!

maybe you can come over and teach mrs. unblock how to be frugal, lol!

or better yet, since you're in the south of france and we're in new jersey, maybe WE could visit YOU!

:hi:

those FUKCERS in the baby shops know they can get allllll the money in your wife's wallet. I do know, between you and me, that a huge source of aggravation over the first baby is the wife's spending on baby gear... so be gentle.

And you can come visit any time, this region is beaucoup family friendly! We're in Cannes, fly in to Nice, for future reference :)

What an exciting time for you! My grandson is 6 mos so we are at that place where we'd like to freeze time. He's sleeping through the night, not teething, no colic, and not tearing into everything yet either. He just laughs and coos and thinks every little thing is the most amazing yet. Last night I was watching Robert Klein and when the salsa music and dancers came on, he was literally mesmerized. It was hysterical. And feet. If he's laying on the floor and you jiggle your foot in front of him, he just laughs and laughs. We have absolutely no idea why he thinks it's so funny.

You are in for an incredible time!! :hug:

my kids are in their early 20's so i've been outta the market for a while...
$2500 that's a boatload of dough, i believe in 83 when our first was born we spent
maybe $300 to setup, we though bought all from second hand stores and from garage sales...
we also received many items as hand me downs from friends...

solid wood crib and dresser, for instance. the crib is convertible into a full bed, so we'll get more than just a couple years out of it, even if we don't have a second kid. obviously, particle board cribs are much cheaper, but solid wood is obviously sturdier and more reassuring for worried first-time parents.

mrs. unblock keeps telling me 'ya get what ya pay for', which i think means 'poverty'....

We are not spending ANY money in corporately owned
businesses to the best of our ability-
the exceptions are our utiltiies because frankly
we have not yet figured out how to get off the grid
entirely. That is the long term goal however.
Goodwill and "mom and pop" stores are
great places to support.
BHN

I haven't spent a penny since Dec. 23rd, when I bought groceries.

I have no plans to spend any until Wed, when I go to a Dr. appt.

Bought a birthday gift for a friend's three year-old son and bought my youngest daughter an outfit (all items on sale, though)

but I spent $160 on groceries yesterday because my daughter and I were gone over Christmas for a week
and there was absoulutely nothing in the house to eat. I did buy a lot to get me through
the next two weeks, though, so hopefully I can go without spending anything either!

:hi:

I will make them last a long time.

if you watched your cable TV or any TV or used any electricty or used the internet or the telephone then you spent several dimes for each of those services :)

But congrats on not pulling a card outta your wallet today!

some of them might be argueable, but electricty is pay as you use so definitely someone spent money just by being at home.

the I spent no money meme?:shrug:

Will use everything on hand this month and only purchase absolute necessities for the first month of this new year. Should save a dollar or two for 1-2 good dem. candidates if they are ever found!

So I went grocery shopping. :shrug:

What is with the not spending money?

it's just sort of a generalized reaction against corporate America always wanting us to shop shop shop and be good little consumers instead of citizens, I don't think there's anything specific going on. But I could be wrong. :shrug:

I bought gas for my car and beer for me. What is the point?

I see most new items as landfill. It kills me to buy some new piece of plastic crap that I'm just going to throw in a landfill in a year or two. I'd just as soon buy a collectible at a second hand shop as to buy another piece of junk produced by some poor soul in a sweatshop with resources that are dwindling beyond what most people even begin to imagine. Consumerism for the sake of consumerism is silly at best, deadly to the environment at its worst. But if I have a real need or really want to treat myself, I splurge. To each his own though.

out to the front of the property, ate 'fridge cleanins' and cleaned. Went nowhere, spent nothing extra. She had a small 2 oz of wine (I don't indulge) and we had probably the happiest Sunday we've had in a long time.

I did all my grocery shopping for our wonderful New Year's dinner on Saturday.

but with the bad cold and being laid off, that's no surprise. I did buy stuff at the grocery for entertaining New Year's Eve though last week.

You won't find me at the after Christmas sales, jeez, once it's over the big Christmas frenzy is over.

... challenge yourself to spend as little as possible. It serves several purposes: (a) when the consumer numbers go down, so do Bushie's poll numbers. People start getting nervous when they hear about 'consumer pessimism' and 'poor spending trends', which in turn makes them VERY unhappy with the way ol' George is doing his job.
(b) it makes corporate America nervous - and hell, I like the sound of THAT. Supply and demand - when demand goes down, so do prices.

A few tips:
Always buy on sale, never at full price.

Make as many purchases as possible from smaller, neighbourhood stores rather than large chains.

Scour the yard sales, garage sales and second-hand stores - you'll be amazed at the TREASURES you can find at rock-bottom prices.

Good Will and like stores are great, if you're patient and willing to look through the merchandise. (Last year I found a faux-fur coat, brand new with the store tags still attached. I paid $30 for it, and it was retailing at the time for over $400!)

Have swap-parties with your friends. Trade that sweater you bought on a whim -- hideous colour on you, but perfect on your girlfriend, who HATES the sweater her aunt sent her for Christmas, which you think is FABULOUS! My girlfriends and I do this with everything from clothes, to shoes, to earrings ...

Pool resources with your neighbours (the ones you're friendly with, who take care of items) on purchases of power tools, snow-blowers, etc. Why buy an industrial-sized carpet cleaner you'll use three times a year, when you can share the expense with a few neighbours and swap it around on an as-needed basis?

Less money into the pockets of major stores and corporations sends the message that YOU, the consumer, are calling the shots.

We didn't even go out of the house.

imagine the corporations being threatened with boycotts, money is all they understand.