Recent Articles
Check out all the latest articles from Shoestring Baby — name ideas, baby gear reviews, savings tips and more!
March 2020: Monthly Baby Spending – $86 Saved
March saw very little baby spending due to the current pandemic. If you’re interested in more representative months they’re available here: Monthly Baby Spending Reports. In March 2020, we spent $45.91 on baby items. I also highlight how much we save off retail by opting for secondhand goods. This month, I made a thrift store…
5 Best Costco Baby Items to Save You Money
Have you been wondering about Costco baby stuff? Then this is the list for you. Before having your baby, you may be thinking does Costco even have baby stuff? Indeed, many of the baby items are tucked away in store near the pharmacy so they’re easy to miss. But yes, Costco is a great place…
7 Tips for Coping with Morning Sickness & Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Learn 7 morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum tips and tricks from a two-time hyperemesis survivor. Within weeks of getting my first positive pregnancy test, I was very suddenly, horribly nauseous. I felt sick all day, every day. At first, I did not realize that unrelenting extreme sickness was not normal morning sickness; or, recognize that…
How to Clean a Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Bottle Warmer
How do you clean a Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Bottle Warmer? That was a question I was asking myself after I couple failed attempts to eradicate a weird spoiled milk smell that turned up in our kitchen a few weeks after our baby was born. I didn’t even realize the smell was emanating from the bottle…
How much does pregnancy cost?
How much does pregnancy cost? Figuring out the medical costs associated with pregnancy and deliver in the United States is nearly impossible ahead of time. The costs vary widely by insurance and state, with the average out-of-pocket cost for a vaginal delivery estimated to be over $4500 for those with insurance. In a group of…
Play Mats & Play Gyms: Do You Need One for Your Baby?
As you work on your baby registry, you may be asking yourself questions like “do I need a play mat for my baby?” Or “do I need a play gym?” While many people like having a play mat or play gym, they are definitely not required baby items. As a mom of two who has…
Feb. 2020: Monthly Baby Costs – Saved $240.16
How much does a baby cost per month? To help answer that question, I report all our baby expenses at the end of each month. In February 2020, we spent $119.33 on baby items. I also highlight how much we saved by using secondhand baby gear when possible. This month, we saved roughly $240.16 compared…
Jan 2020: Monthly Baby Costs – Saved $663.91
Back again reporting on all our monthly baby costs in a Monthly Baby Spending Report. In January 2020, we spent $108.97 on baby items. We saved roughly $663.91 compared to retail prices by getting items secondhand. I started tracking our pregnancy and baby costs while on modified bed rest. The goal of these monthly reports…
