wow, there have been some great tips so far. Check to see if you qualify for WIC supplements; I save close to $50 a month in food with it. When you're pregnant, they'll give you extra food too. Definately stock up on diapers throughout your pregnancy. If you want to use a diaper bag, I second using the one they give you at the hospital.

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~~Amanda~~
Mommy to one Little Man (3 1/2 yrs old), FINALLY expecting #2!!! (due around Memorial Day 2009) *adoption has been put on hold*

My tip is that baby laundry detergent is a waste of money. My first DS was always breaking out and the specalist said it was because of polyester and "baby items". He said anything labled Baby is the regular stuff with added perfume. I would only use Tide Free. It lasts twice as long, because you only need 1/2 as much. Baby lotion is the same as well as baby shampoo. It smells nice, but not worth putting the extra chemicals on your baby. Buy natural,organic items, such as Burts Bees products. I spread the word when I was preggo with DS#2 and I recieved enough that I never had to buy any!

HTH
Alana

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What I have been doing...
- Make own baby wipes - I used real ones the first couple of weeks and have now switch to homemade. No big difference in the outcome and I like that I can decide the size of the wipe I need when I break it off from the roll
- Breastfeed
- Borrow - I have borrowed toys, clothes (haven't had to buy anything yet), bottles, co-sleeper, baby tub, and stroller
- Instead of stocking up on diapers, you can buy yourself gift cards to the place you want to buy diapers. You don't know what sizes she will wear and for how long and that way you have already "bought" them. You could buy a couple of newborns and then some size 1s and then some gift cards to fill in as you figure out how many diapers she needs of each size.
- I also like to buy mine in bulk. I like pampers, but I will probably try Walmart's White Cloud when I run out of my stockpile as I have heard they are great.
-Sign up for baby coupons and freebies. I have gotten lots of great coupons and I usually have a coupon for any baby item I need to buy.
-Keep an eye on Target clearance. I got some bottle nipples for .75 that are usually 4 bucks or so.

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Mom to Kaylee (10/2006)
Waiting on our second bundle of joy to arrive January 2009!

Buy everything used. And make your own food. They dotn need as much as we think. Use corn starch instead of creams.

I buy my diapers, wipes and formula at Sam's Club. I did the math on these compared to our Safeway and I am getting a way better deal. Plus, one case of diapers lasts an entire month for us or more, so I am not running to the store just for diapers and getting other things I don't need.
Of course, the baby food thing. One note though, I did buy some baby food, which was a life saver when we went to a restaurant that didn't really serve anything DS could eat...ie, too salty or spicy. The jars keep well for those "just in case" times. I just kept one or two in the diaper bag.
I still use the diaper bag I got from the hospital. Unfortunately, some hospitals are stopping the diaper bag thing. It has to do with being breastfeeding friendly or something. Our hospital quit giving the bags and formula samples, except for formula while you were still in the hospital. I was the last person to get one at our hospital. My next step is to clean out an old backpack purse that I have and use it as a diaper bag. It's smaller and since my kids are getting toward one year and older, I don't need as much to bring with me.
I use natural laundry detergent for our whole family, so I just throw the baby's clothes in with the rest of the family's. Same with baby lotion. I use natural lotion for me, so I just put that on the kids. I do use baby shampoo, but it is also natural and I can use it for me, too. Plus it doubles as baby body wash.
Baby wipes are great for cleaning everything. I've used them to spot clean clothing, clean marker off of hands, you name it. I've said it before, but I will probably continue to buy wipes even after my kids are out of the baby stage.
You can make a lot of the cleansers and lotions you will use. There are lots of places on the internet that have great recipes and how-to's.

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www.myspace.com/vioburn

Frugal is being wise with your money and resources and cheap is forcing everyone else to.

Check out my blog, I'm starting to add more to it, as I can...vioburn.blogspot.com

these are all great tips! I used most of them myself.

the only one that I do not see that I used was: Do not remove the tags from baby clothes until just before you plan to use them. I got so much at my showers that I had tons and as many people pointed out, you do not use that many of them when they are so small. I found that I could easily return things with the tags and get larger sizes as I needed them. I would return them and get gift cards at some stores so that I could use them later to get what she really needed. It was an added bonus when things went on clearance and I had a gift card to snag great prices too!

I used cloth for a long time with my second DD. and stopped only because i returned to work part time and it was kind of a hassle for dh and grandma. but if you do it the right way, it can be cheap. definitely check out ebay! www.greenmountaindiapers.com is a great place to shop, and has lots of tips on the different kinds.

I am having dd#3, and i am using different bottles with this baby than i did with the last one, because i used ones that needed liners last time, and today, it cost me 6.00 just for liner refills.

I am not breastfeeding, but i have already signed up for coupons with the different companies.