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Having a baby is a magical life experience, and is intensely emotional. Among the gamut of emotions that you feel is anxiety. There are many reasons for a pregnant woman to be anxious: the kid’s future, your child’s medical condition, and of course, the money you need to shell out. We’ve addressed many aspects of anxiety after childbirth, and today we’re going to look at five things that pregnant women should know about money. Here they are:
1. Sensible shopping
At the cost of sounding like your mom, or indeed an older family member, you need to be practical while shopping for your baby. If you plan to have a second child, ensure that you buy some gender-neutral baby items. While your son may look super in his race car yellow pram, are you sure that you want to fork out money for a lady-like pram for your daughter later? More importantly, if you can buy second hand items that your baby will enjoy, you should just bite the bullet and buy these comparatively inexpensive things as they will last long enough and not burn a hole in your pocket.
2. Your partnerâs advice
As a working woman, the chances are that you haven’t had to take any advice or indeed any instructions from people about how to save money, and what investment options will help you put some money aside for the future. It was all good when you were single, but now that your baby is on his way into the world, you need to re-evaluate your expenses and discuss them with your partner. You should sit down and discuss important points like paying bills, buying grocery, buying nappies and baby food and who will buy them. It is a collaborative effort, so don’t feel resentful towards your partner if he seems to spend more than he can. Remember, teamwork is crucial.
3. Settling Bills
You’ve probably heard how pregnant women sometimes suffer from a pregnancy brain and become forgetful. But in many cases, women forget to take care of bills, and other important payments that need to be made. Set up a direct debit so that you or your partner don’t have to run around settling bills when you should be at home discussing your baby-to-be’s name, and how his/her room will be decked up.
4. Returning to work will be difficult
If you thought that being a new mom and a homemaker is hard, you probably haven’t thought of getting back to your full-time job yet. Yes, it will be mighty difficult, and in some cases near impossible, for you to return to work full time. So, budget accordingly, keeping in mind that getting back to full-time work will be rather tiring, and you need to make alternative arrangements.
5. Practice, practice and practice
Now that you know how you need to manage your budget when your little one arrives, test it for a few weeks and understand whether you will be able to do everything you wanted, and provide the best for your baby within the budget you have. Practicing living under such strict monetary conditions will help you prepare for the big day when your baby comes into this world.
How did you plan for your baby’s arrival? Did you have a budget? Please tell us here.
