Baby Stuff - Where can I get free stuff?

The best things in life are free right? Here are some ways to get great things for free:

1. Follow this site! Any time I see something that is free or an extremely good deal, I will post it here (I don't want to waste your time by posting too many things). However, free deals do not usually last long. I try to check out the deal to make sure that there are not any complicated steps or loop holes that make it not worth your time. To make sure you don't miss a deal:
1. Get Google Reader account
1. Subscribe to this feed so you get alerts for new deals
2. Like Budget4Baby on facebook. Deals will hit the blog first, but I do try to get them on facebook too.
2. Mom 2 Mom/Garage Sale free bins - I see it all the time when a Mom finds a stain on a shirt that she is trying to sell and throws it in a free bin. I take it, take it home, pre-treat it, wash it and it almost always come clean. If it doesn't it make a perfect undershirt or something to wear when I know he is just going to get messy anyways.
3. Other Moms - I have had a lot of friends and people I barely know bring me things that their kids have outgrown for free. I have gotten a high chair, a HUGE garbage bag of brand name toys, a NICE Jeep brand jogging stroller a car seat head rest and I am sure there are other things I am forgetting.
4. Freecycle - A great resource to find (and get rid of) pretty much anything. I got a free baby monitor and baby scale from here. I have seen some really great things be given away as well, but you have to be quick. Usually things go to the first responder and the good stuff goes fast!
5. Thred Up - I have not used this site, but Triplets Mommy did a post here about it. You donate clothes that no longer fit your child and other moms do the same.
6. Freepeats - Is another site like Thred up however it sounds like it is more local like freecycle
7. Large Item Trash Day - This may not be for everyone, but I have gotten some great stuff by driving by other houses the night before large item trash pick-up. Most of it can be scrubbed up and made like new.
8. Giveaways - There are a bunch of moms out there who have created facebook pages dedicated to publicizing giveaways for baby stuff from companies and WAHMs (Work at home Moms). My favorite ones are:
1. Dibs - Natural Parenting Giveaways
2. Coupon Mommy of 2 -  Aka Coupon Mommy of 3, Does product reviews and giveaway promotion
3. Crunchee Mom - Deals and Giveaways
4. Mirthful Motherhood - Reviews and giveaways
5. Nicki's Cloth Diaper Reviews - Reviews and giveaways
9. Rewards Programs - Redeem points on purchases and other sources in exchange for other baby goods. I have never used these because we mostly use cloth or off brand diapers, but I would be glad to hear/share stories of those of you that do.
1. Pampers Gifts to Grow 
2. Huggies Enjoy the Ride

Where do you get free baby stuff? Do you have an experience you would like to share?

Traveling on a Budget

A quick bonus post:

We just got back from our first vacation with our son! I wanted to do a quick post about some things we experienced when traveling with him.

The first thing we did to save money was not buy him a seat. Children under 2 may sit on the lap of their parents. However, if an extra seat is available, you can request to be seated next to the open seat and your child can have their own. Of course you do have to be prepared to have them on your lap if there are not any seats available.

Our Chicco keyfit 30 car seat is FAA approved so we were able to take it on with us and seat him in it. I think he did better than he would have if he was outside of it.

Another thing that parents may not know is that babies, even without a ticket are permitted to bring a stroller, car seat and bassinet to be checked plane side. 

We opted to take the larges luggage that could still be carried on a check it plane side and it worked out great. We did have to lug it around with us in the airport while waiting, but it worked out.

One thing we were not expecting was that while baby items such as bottles, food and juice are "exemptables" it doesn't mean they will just let you through with them. On our departure flight, they went through EVERYTHING we had with us and swabbed it. On our return flight however, I packed everything that he had left in a ziplock bag and they only swabbed the bag and contents.... much easier.

JPS - Photo Book

Go here to get a free photo book from Kodak plus $1.99 shipping!

Thanks STL Mommy

Artscow

Ok family members. You may not read any further because I am going to share with the other readers about the awesome stuff I am getting for you for Christmas......

So.... one of the great things about having kids is that you can get items with your kids pictures on them, because the person that already has everything probably doesn't have a watch with your kids picture it.

Artscow is my new favorite website for getting gifts. Their prices and promos are insane and so far, all of them seem to be legit. I am just waiting for someone to come to my door and steal my kidney or something.

Right now they have a deal that if you share them on facebook, you can get a deck of playing cards for $2.99 shipped! I ordered a deck a few weeks ago with their $4.99 promo and they turned out great!  I also received the FREE notepad from a previous promo and it arrived and also looks great!

I am waiting for my $5.99 personalized watch to arrive. I will let you know how it turns out!

Guest Blog - Maternity Fashion on Budget

When I first found out I was pregnant, a high school friend had just announced that she was pregnant. She has a blog where she did a fantastic and entertaining job of detailing her pregnancy. Both my husband and I eagerly awaited her daily post to see what craziness we were in store for in the coming months.

From being a loyal reader for almost two years now, I know that she knows about clothes. After reading my post after it was written, I knew I needed a favor and she was the one to ask.

Kristi's Maternity Fashion on Budget post:

Greeeeeeeeetings, Budget4Baby community! I’m head over heels that Budget4Baby asked me on over to talk about something that is ever so near and dear to my heart: clothing.

And to be totally honest (which is my thing), clothing oneself while pregnant is not nearly as fun as playing dress-up when you’re not knocked up. For me (a self-dubbed retail price hater that stacks coupons and sales whenever possible) it was really hard to justify the purchase of a whole new wardrobe for a mere 6 or so months of wear. Think of the shoes I could buy with that money!

With the exception of one incredibly fantastic pair of Mavi jeans, I’m proud to say that I never paid more than $10 for any maternity item in my closet. And don’t think for a minute that I looked like a ragamuffin in sweatpants and my husband’s tee shirts for the better part of six months (though that was a favorite at-home staple). I actually had quite the collection…in fact, some of my maternity tops were so cute I wish I could still wear them! 

I actually did a post on my blog on this topic waaaay back in 2008 – you can read it here. Or, if you’re like me and prefer a quickie, keep reading.

• ·         Shop early. Since you know you are pregnant a few months before you’ll actually start to show and need maternity clothing, start shopping well in advance. I found out I was pregnant in August and was due in April, so I knew I would need the bulk of my maternity clothes in winter wear. Well…guess what’s on clearance in August? Winter clothes! Many stores have a “bump” you can put on while trying on clothes (it’s super weird the first time, be warned). That way, you can have a good gauge on what size you will need.
• ·         Be a virtual shopper. Online shops often have a wider maternity selection than their brick and mortar stores. Two great examples are Old Navy and Target. Both have HUGE online collections and great prices…and if you sign up for email alerts, you can purchase things when items are on sale and shipping is free! Don’t forget the clearance sections on these sites!
• ·         Never underestimate the power of a long shirt. Wardrobe staples like tank tops or layering tees come in long lengths that are non-maternity so you can wear them when it no longer looks like you swallowed a beach ball. Brills! (*edit* - After reading this, I went out and bought some long tanks from express and LOVE THEM. -b4b)
• ·         Be a coupon queen. Stores like Kohl’s, JcPenney and Sears often run $10 coupons both online and in the Sunday papers. Be on the lookout and have friends and family save them for you, too. Additionally, I always make a beeline for the sale racks whenever I enter a store…the thrill of the hunt!
• ·         Be second hand savvy. Since most women wear maternity clothes for about 6 months, “used” items typically show little to no wear. Check out your local Mom2Mom sales, thrift stores and resale shops and peruse the maternity sections for some great deals. If there are outlet malls near you, check those out, too!
• At the end of the day, every woman deserves to feel confident and sexy in maternity clothing…but it never hurts to save a little money in the process!

Baby Stuff - What about me?

I want to apologize ahead of time for this blog as it is going to be a bit "weak".  I was absent the day that fashion sense was handed out and thus I have none. I would have been just fine wearing my husbands clothes the whole time I was pregnant and probably would have if I thought I could get away with it.

What about you? We are buying all this fun stuff for baby, but you are the one doing all the work right now :)

Where to buy?
Mom 2 Mom Sales - This is where most of my clothes were purchased and I was probably better dressed while I was pregnant that I dressed before or after. Because most woman are only pregnant a few times and possibly during different seasons, you can get like new clothes at a used price. There were a ton of cute things that were only worn a few times and cost about $2 or $3 each.

Kohls -  Their selection is not great, but they do have quite a few sales. Again, since you will probably only fit into them a hand full of times, quality is not super important.

Target - Target probably had the best selection when I was pregnant, but sales were hit or miss and I didn't really like anything there, but I know a lot of other people who adore the store.

Old Navy - Our Old Navy has since added a maternity section since I had my son, so I cannot speak from experience here, but when I was there the other day, they had some cute stuff.

Motherhood - I went in here a few times, but only bought something once. The prices were not horrible, but not like what I could pay at a mom 2 mom sale.
Freebee Alert: They also usually have a gift pack for signing up. I got a bottle and pacifier.

Other Advice:
Budget for a splurge - If you can, save a bit of money for something you love. Remember how I said I did buy one thing at Motherhood?  My baby shower was coming up and I felt huge and wanted something that made me "look pretty". It was a navy blue polka dot dress and I paid full price for it (which I almost never do). However, I love the dress. It looked great for the shower, and I can still wear it now. I think it was worth the money.

Get to know other Moms - Other Moms can be extremely generous!
Two of my experiences:

• A friend of mine was pregnant at the same time I was. Someone that her co-worker knew that was done having kids offered all of her clothes to her for free. THERE WERE THREE WHOLE GARBAGE BAGS OF CLOTHES. They ranged in sizes and my friend is smaller than I am, so she and I went through all of the clothes and I took the ones that didn't fit her or complement her, she took the ones that she liked and there were still some left!
• An aunt of mine was going to sell her clothes in a garage sale and let me pick through them first and buy anything that I liked.

Free - Cheerios Coupons

Here is a coupon offer from Cheerios with a chance to win a free box.
My son went through cheerios like crazy until we made the mistake of introducing him to goldfish.....

Thanks West Michigan Mommy!!

Free - First Aid Kit

Head over to the Good Samaritan Hospital website and click on the right side to get a free first aid kit. This is a good thing to have handy now that our son is walking!

Thanks The Thrifty Couple!!

Baby Stuff - Where should I shop?

Here are my favorite places to shop for stuff for baby:

Please remember that I live in the midwest, so there may be different options where you are.

Retail:

I try not to shop at retail stores unless I really need something right away or am not able to find it used.

• Babies R Us - I am actually pretty surprised at some of the deals that you can get here. I expected their prices to be higher than other places, but most (here is where your research comes in handy) items, if you need them new, are pretty comparable to other stores and sometimes even cheaper. I recommend this store if you are looking for something very specific because of their wide selection. Look at their sales racks and use their coupons as well.
• JcPenny - Occasionally this store has some great sales for clothes. We also get a $10 off any purchase of $10 or more coupon (read free $10) that makes a trip out there to look worth it!
• Kohls - I am luke warm about this store. I do shop there for myself when I need something and when my son absolutely needed some new sleepers (I totally underestimated the amount of newborn sized clothes he would need) I went here to get them. However, between the clothes I can get at a garage sales and what the grandmas buy him, I no longer have a need to buy him clothes.
• Meijer - This store may be getting an unfair mention because I am there a lot more than any other store. However, they can sometimes have good sales on baby things as well. There is usually an end cap at our store that I try and swing by when I am there. Even if I don't need something there, the prices are sometimes so good I will get something to add to a baby gift for a friend.
• Target - Target was one place that I was surprised to see that had many items that were much more expensive than other stores. However, they do have some good clearance items. I also LOVE their dollar spot for socks and educational items that have stocked up on. Most recently I bought a nice pair of dress shoes for $3 in their shoe aisle for my son.
• Ikea - This is THE place to go to buy big baby things. My husband and I were just not at all crazy about the furniture we found elsewhere, especially at Babies R Us. The prices seemed insane as well. They have a great website, so it is easy to see if you want what they have before making the long journey there. You could also order online for most things, but I like to see things before I buy them. My trip to Ikea was not my best budget showing ever, but we only had an hour before they closed, so we make some impulse decisions.
• We originally went to buy the Snigler crib, but it was not varnished and looked a bit dingier than the Gulliver crib. A huge price jump, but still pretty inexpensive compared to others. It has worked well for us other than the fact that I had to raise up up on block because we also picked out under bed storage boxes like these (ours are red and blue to match our nursery though) and only tested them under the Snigler. We also got our crib mattress from ikea and it was both cheaper and MUCH nicer than any of them we could find at babies R us. It is a good idea to buy your crib and mattress from the same brand so you make sure they fit snugly. Otherwise it could be a saftey hazard.
• Other things we purchased at ikea were a potty, baby dishes (LOVE bibs with pockets!), Kids silverware, bowls, plates and cups. Another implus that we bought and now is just annoying to have around is this leaf. I am hoping we will find a use as he gets older.
• I also bought a few Ikea bags for mom to mom sales and the are GREAT!

Used:

While you might find some great deals when buying used, the selection is not always the greatest. I have found that I will end up with way to many clothes in one size or clothes that, since I purchased them over a year ahead of time, don't quite fit in the proper season. However, I still think I come out quite a bit ahead by doing things this way, plus I am hoping that when my kids are grown, I will be able to easily sell them for what I paid for them.

• Consignment shops - I have not had great luck with consignment shops. I find that their prices are usually higher than what I would pay at a garage/tag sale and the quality is the same. However, if brand names are important to you, this may be the way to go. They are also open year round wherease garage/tag sales only happen a few months out of the year in this area.
• Goodwill - If my son needs some more clothes in his current size and there are not any sales coming up, Goodwill is usually the first place I will look. It is usually hit or miss though depending on how many goodwills I am willing to visit. Our stores around here usually put a $2 price on all baby clothes, so if you find something in new condition that is really cute, then you have a good deal, but if you are looking for onzies, $2 is a pretty bad deal. I have also not had a great luck finding anything other than clothes. I did find a very nice hiking backpack carrier that was marked for $5 there once, but they didn't want to sell it to me at the price it was marked. I was about 8.5 months pregnant at the time and pitched a fit, so I got it at that price though. I guess no one wants to mess with a very pregnant and very crabby woman.
• Garage Sales - I LOVE garage sales. I have recently had to cut myself off from them for a time because I am pretty sure my son is set for the next year of his life. He simply does not need anything else right now. Again, these can be hit or miss. There are times when I will spend a whole Saturday driving around and find nothing but houses with garages full of christmas items and bras purchased in 1945 for sale. However, some Saturdays I will come home with an Ikea bag (a must have for sale shopping) full of things for only $10 total. I think it is the rush of finding something you need and can use for pennies on the dollar.
• My favorite garage sale story every is from my neighbor. She went to a house that had a complete bedroom set: Crib, mattress, changing table, dresser and bedding, all in excellent condition. She asked the lady how much she wanted for it and she said $20. My neighbor replied that she was interested in all of it, not just once piece. The lady repeated that $20 was what she wanted for everything, she was just happy to get rid of it. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?
• Mom 2 Mom sales - I saved the best for last on this one! Mom 2 mom sales are a pretty new thing. They are typically hosted by churches or schools, but some have grown to fill stadiums. They usually charge ~$20 for moms to bring their used baby/child/mom items to sell and ~$1 for other moms to come in and see what is available. The great thing about these is that you are not driving around a city looking for sales and you definately will not find any garages full of christmas decorations or bras from 1945. I would say that most of his clothes, toys and other things such as his bumbo seat that I have purchased have been from Mom 2 Mom sales. Quite often, you can can also find things that still have the tag on them, so you can give them to other moms as gifts.

Tips for saving even more:

• Bring small bills. You can often grab a few items and offer a reduced price for everything together. Holding out exact change for your offer can make it hard for the seller to pass up.
• Go at the end of the day if you don't need anything specific. Go to the sales in the last hour of their posted opening times. Many sellers will offer drastically reduced prices or an offer their items 50% off their originally marked prices.
• If you do need something specific, you may need to get there up to an hour before they open to be in the front of the line. Ask if they have a large item room and where it is and head there first if you are looking for a large item to get the best selection.

Quiz time: What are 3 things you need to bring with you when going to a mom 2 mom or garage sale??

Free - 6 Books from Pacific Learning

Go here to get 6 free books from Pacific Learning.

Thanks Who Said Nothing in Life is Free

Free - Kids toothbrush

Warning, this one will take some time and effort. You can EARN a free toothbrush if you log your child's bedtime routine and they earn enough points. You may only want to sign up for this if you have a child old enough to appreciate and understand rewards.

You can sign up here

Thanks Triplets Mommy!

Baby Stuff - Register Vs. Buy

This is a hard topic. If I see a good deal on something, should I buy it or wait to see if someone buys it from my registry?

Here are my hints:

• Be prepared. Print your registries and take them with you everywhere you go. Look at the cost of other things like storage (for clothes, toys diapers, etc.) as well. It is great to have a reference on how much something is new so you know just how good of a deal you are looking at. I have purchased something thinking it would cost a lot more new (my bouncy seat) and not purchased things thinking they were cheaper new (activity gym).
• Do you love it? We (meaning I, I don't think my husband cared either way :)) did a primary colors theme for our baby things and there were some items that you couldn't buy new in that theme. If I found something at a garage sale that was exactly what I wanted and not something I could still buy in stores, I was willing to pay a bit more for. If it is not something you care about the style with and you registered for the same thing or something similar, it might be best to wait and see unless it is a REALLY good deal.
• Is it a REALLY good deal? This means its in like new condition and at least 50% off the retail price, or it is in usable, but poor condition and 90-95% off and an inbetween % for other conditions.
• Be cautious of stores that like to mark things up before having a sale on them, use your research to decide what the true "Retail Price" is.
• Watch out for the garage/tag sale where they post the "new" price as well as their price. This may be what they paid for the item in 1982, but it does not mean that it is worth that today, especially if it is well used. 

What do people love to give?

From personal experience and seeing what others get at their showers people LOVE to give the following:

• Clothes - Clothes poured in after our son was born! - I am not sure if this was because his gender was a surprise or not though. Any other moms have comments?
• Blankets (receiving and otherwise) - We got a lot of personalized blankets from people.
• ANYTHING bath related - This was the first stuff to be purchased on my registry.
• Group gifts - I actually had quite a few people organize with others to purchase large items on my registry and I have seen the same with my friends.
• Because of this, I recommend thinking ahead for large things that you may not need now, but will need in the future. A good example is a convertable car seat. Registering for one ahead of time will save you the expense of having to buy one when they are older.

Free - Downloadable books

Go here to download free childrens books. There are many languages to choose from!!

Thanks Triplets Mommy

Baby Stuff - Where should I register?

Ah, its that time again. The time most women cannot wait for and most men dread. For the second (if you are married), and probably last time in your life, you will be headed to the store to register for everything (and more) that you need for baby.

But where should you register? How many places should you register? The answers, as always, come with more questions.

When should we register?:
When I found out I was pregnant, I could not WAIT to go pick out all sorts of fun baby things. Of course I wanted to at least wait until I was 12 weeks along so no one found out too soon, but when should you register? There are a few things to consider.

1. Getting a list of "wants" ahead of time will help you know what you already decided on if you happen to see something similar at a garage sale for a great deal.
2. It is also good to have a handle on what things cost new, so you know a good deal when you see one.
3. Most baby brands are like cars and they come out with a new, improved "line" every year. You may fall in love with something only to find that it has been discontinued before anyone buys it. (like my highchair)

So, really any time after 12 weeks at at least 2 weeks before your shower. You may want to wait until you know the gender if you are finding out as well.

Your target audience:
Are your gifters all from the same region? If not, is the store you want to register at available to all of them?
How tech savvy are your gifters? Can they order things from online websites?

Your options:
Because I am from the midwest, I cannot speak for all areas, but here is what I found available when I started looking:

• Babies R Us - This is probably by far the most popular place to register where we live. If I need to get a baby gift, but I am not sure where the family is registered, I check here first. As far as prices go, I have found some items to be much higher in price than other stores, but some items to be the same or lower. Babies R Us also offers ton of coupons at the register and in the mail. Many people at our showers would include their register coupons with the gift at our showers!
• You also will get a 10% off coupon to use once on anything left on your registry.
• Their return policy is quite good. Not a good ad Bed Bath and Beyond, but they are relitively hassel free.
• Freebie Alert: Babies R Us also typically gives you a gift bag with a couple of samples when you create a registry.
• Target - I was not super impressed with targets registry. We did register there, but only added a few things that we could not get at babies R us. I also found targets prices to be higher for most things than elsewhere.
• When you register at target you also get put on their baby coupon list and they send out high value baby coupon booklets.
• You also will get a 10% off coupon to use once on anything left on your registry. 
• Freebie Alert: I was told that they had gifts when I registered, but they were all out the day I was there :(
• JcPenny -I did not register here and do not know anyone that has, so I cannot comment too much, but I know that they do have some great sales where you can get really cheap baby clothes.
• Sears - It is important to me to keep this blog as unbias as possible, but this in an area that I cannot do that as I am NOT a big sears fan. I have had too many bad experiences between my Wedding Registry, Dryer and Portraits (see future post for this one) at sears. I don't think their baby selection is that hot either. 
• Walmart - Walmart does have a decent selection and decent prices. I do know quite a few people that have ethical issues with the store however, so if you want your gifters to stick to your registry, you many want to register in another place in addition to here. Of course, at walmart the prices are in most cases low, but I have seen a few things that you can get cheaper elsewhere.
• Burlington Coat Factory - Like target, I also registered here, however I didn't end up actually putting anything on the registry. They didn't have anything that Babies R Us didn't and their prices were about the same. If you want to put clothing on your registry though, they do have some cute things, but I think the inventory turns over quite quickly with clothes, so you may only want to go a few weeks before your shower.
• MyRegistry.com - I did register here and I did use it. It was a great catch all because most of the things I wanted were at Babies R Us and it seemed like there was one thing in every other store. The down side? Only two people actually used it. My gifters were mostly older (our parents friends and family) who either didn't know how or were too scared to use their credit card online. 
• Amazon - Amazon has recently allowed users to add items that are not available through amazon to your registry with them. I am so bummed that this option was not available when we were registering!
• Baby Registry Locator - In case you still want more options.

How many places should I choose: 
In my option 1 or 2 places is a good number. Try to pick places so that everyone on your gifter list has access to at least 1 store.
 
Tricky Tricks

• Display your registry password in the info and tell gifters to feel free to remove items if they find it cheaper elsewhere or used (if you are ok with that). You also run the risk of someone being mean and deleting the whole thing, so you might want to make a hard copy. - Thanks Becky C.
• If your store has a good return policy, register for items in the $30 range or duplicates, even if you don't want them. You can return them to get other things that were not purchased on your registry or other things you didn't know you needed until after baby was gone. This one may be a tricky one though as it could really hurt the feelings of someone who purchased the item for you and doesn't see it being used when they come visit the baby, so proceed with caution. This is another reason why duplicates may be a better option.
• Return and re-purchase items when the are on sale or when you have a coupon.

What did we do?
We choose Babies R Us and MyRegistry.com. If we could do it again, I would probably do Babies R Us again because we did do well with our coupons there. At first I was angry we could not get cash, only store credit, but in the end, we had no problems spending the store credit. I think I would try for the Amazon registry in place of myregistry.com if we had to do it again today. I think it has a better reputation for those sceptical of buying online and it was nice to have a catchall.

Experienced moms, where did you register/are you registered? Would you do it again?

Next Week: Buy Vs. Register

BABY STUFF!!

We are finally here! This post starts our next (long) series on what and where to buy for baby.

1. Where should I register?  - Places to register for baby
2. Register vs. Buy  - What thing should I buy now and what should I wait for and hope people buy for me?
3. Where should I shop?  - Places to find good deals for baby
4. What about me? - Where to get maternity clothes for a good price
5. Where can I get free stuff? - Resources for getting things free for baby and mommy
6. New vs. Used - What things should I buy new and what is ok to buy used?
7. What can I make? - Ideas on things you can make yourself and save!
8. What does baby really need? - Does baby really need ________?
9. What is a good price for.....?  - Where can you get it, what is a good price? Is there a cheaper alternative?