Huh...Budget?

I was recently asked about what kind of budget we had for our children when they were newborn. I'm not really abudget kind of person. I buy what I need when I need it...if I can afford it. The kid supplies ALWAYS come first. I can't exactly run out and but some new shorts when the baby needed diapers. Thanks to the miracle of Quicken, however, I was able to go back and review my "baby supplies" category for the first year of Louis's life. Ready? Nearly $900 for one year. That number is probably higher depending on how meticulous I was at that moment. Louis always wore Pampers (more on that later) and was on formula from about 6 weeks old. Other items were filtered into the "baby supplies" category like clothes, strollers, car seats, etc. I don't think the prices have changed much in 3 years...diapers are about $18.00/jumbo package and formula was about $15.00 a can.

Diapers. I am a firm believer in Pampers...straight-up in the greenish package. They are not the cheapest but they are the best. You can try Luvs. I reject them for two reasons...one...when they get over full (like during the night) they release little silicone (??) pee filled balls. You will ask, "What the heck is all this snow in the diaper?" Reason 2...they can't spell. As an English teacher I must boycott companies that willfully misspell their product. Coupons are plentiful to offset any overage in the cost of Pampers. Check out their wesite (www.pampers.com) & sign-up as a new mother. You will get TONS of coupons in the mail (and no crap on your email account). The counterpart to diapers are wipes. I use huggies scented. They are the juiciest...and believe me, when you are cleaning up a massive, up-the-back poop, you will want lots of juice. Coupons are also available for these guys (check you Sunday paper). The last component of the diapering trifecta is poop bags. You can buy a fancy, expensive poop eating machine (like Diaper Genie). Every new mother takes this route. The bad new is that THEY STINK. No matter which make or model, when you trap poop inside a plastic garbage can, IT STINKS. Poop bags are the solution. The are light blue, baby powder scented, handle tie thingys. They are cheap (about 2 bucks for 50). Just drop the poopy diaper in the bag, tie it up and...VOILA...poop stink is gone. You have been in my house in the presence of old poopy diapers. Did it stink? Well, don't answer that. Any stink is FAR inferior to the Diaper Genie contraption (not to mention easy on your "budget").

Gotta do mom stuff...a bientot!