PapaBear Pontificates...Babies aren't cheap? (PART II)

Being the single guy, it would be odd for me to know the tips and tricks on how to save money on all things baby. Plus, I don't change dirty diapers (or clean ones for that matter). Therefore, I am happy to present Part II of PapaBear's posting. If you missed Part I, click here to check it out.

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From the LazyBoy of PapaBear

Here are the baby items you will absolutely need:

1) Car Seat. The hospital won’t let you take your baby home without one properly installed. We got ours for free from the Rich Mother’s Club. Soon your baby will grow out of the infant car seat and have to sit in a bigger car seat. Find another free car seat through the Mother’s Club. Evidently, kids need to sit in car seats until they are 5 or 6 years old and there are different car seats all along the way. Keep finding free car seats otherwise your car seat investment will be in the thousands of dollars.

2) Diapers, lots of them! Steal as many as you can from the hospital. Unfortunately, you will eventually have to buy these yourself. Babies go through about 6-8 diapers a day. Have fun with the changing! Buy in bulk. Diapers.com will save you time, hassle and money.

3) Food: The good news. For the first few months, Baby food is free because it comes out of your wife’s boobs. The bad news. Your wife’s boobs have never been bigger, but not sure when you will ever look at your wife’s boobs the same again. After a few months, baby will start needing solid foods, again, buy in bulk.

4) Clothes: Get as much as you can from the Mother’s Club, hand me downs, use your own old clothes if you still have them. It is amazing how fast a baby will outgrow clothes. Avoid spending money on clothes at all costs! Baby clothes from 0-9 months are the dumbest expense! The baby has no memory and no ability to understand what she is wearing. Putting pretty clothes on a baby is purely for the indulgence of the parent at this stage of life. I've seen parents and babies wearing matching outfits. Some people think that’s adorable, I think that’s idiotic. It’s actually more expensive to buy the same outfit for a baby than it is for an adult if you can believe it. My baby is cute if she’s wearing a pretty dress or if she’s wearing a potato sack, you know why? She’s a baby! Babies are cute! Babies grow up to become people, and if you are a good looking person, you will spend more money on your clothes and appearance because the world loves good looking people. And if you are an ugly looking person, you will continue to wear nondescript clothing and question why the world is so shallow while secretly wishing that you were better looking. That’s just the way the world works. Babies and good looking people always win no matter what!

5) Furniture: Find it for free from someone giving it away from the Mother’s Club or family. You need a crib, a stroller and eventually a high chair for baby to eat solid food. Get these for as little money as possible. Neither you nor baby will remember how pretty baby’s furniture was. Nobody cares.

6) Toys: Babies play with anything. They think that their own feet are foreign objects. There is absolutely no need to buy expensive baby toys. If you can find free toys, give them to your baby. But do not clutter your house! Keep 2 or 3 favorite toys around for baby to play with and that’s it. When a toy gets old, get rid of it and find a new toy. Use an old ball, a small box or an old cell phone. Let the baby use her imagination.

And that’s it. You see, raising a baby can be cheap. Don’t think that you need to spend a fortune on stuff. With a little legwork, all of your money can be saved for her education and that shotgun for when she starts dating.