One of those moments that will be forever engrained in my
memory: the day we found out we were
having twins. My husband and I shot each other a look like
deer in headlights. We never entertained the possibility
of twins. We had just recently moved to
Hawaii, stationed here by the military, we were now living in one of
the most expensive places to live
(insert several frantic thoughts here).
Though I was thankful for my husband’s steady job, I wasn’t yet working,
and in just a moment my thoughts of continuing a career vanished. Twins?
On one paycheck? I knew that I
was going to have to be extra
resourceful, because we didn’t exactly
budget for a double blessing (I'm not even sure we budgeted for a single blessing)! Now that our twins are four, I thought I'd share some tips on how we've made a little budget go a long way:
1.
DON’T
OVERBUY. Walk into a Babies R Us and you
will suddenly find that you had all sorts
of needs you didn’t know you had! News
flash: you don’t need it all! You don’t! You just
don’t. Keep it simple: it’ll save you time and money! If you don’t have any little ones yet, ask
your mommy friends to create a list of the top five things they couldn’t have
gone without when their kids were babies.
But don’t stop there, ask them
to give you a list of five things they hardly used. Compile the list and bring it with you each
time you shop: you’ll be reminded of essential
vs. excess.
2.
WAIT TO BUY A BIGGER CAR. If the budget doesn’t allow for a bigger car
then consider narrow carseats! There are
several options for narrow carseats, Google’ll tell ya! Take measurements and consider your options
accordingly. We crammed three kids into the back of my PT Cruiser until my twins
were three, having saved money each month to dedicate to a bigger vehicle. People will marvel at how you’re able to fit so many kids into such little
space; let them marvel. Trust me: it’s better to have a car that you are
financially prepared for than a mountain of debt.
3.
BUY DIAPERS FROM BABIES R US ON COUPON. Sign up for their free Rewards R Us card and you’ll
start receiving their mailers. They
regularly have $8 or more off the price of their jumbo boxes. Their jumbo boxes are quite expensive, but
with the coupons, they often cost far less per diaper than the competitors. Yes,
I was the dork who would pull out my calculator to determine the price per
diaper every time I went to a retailer. When
you get them on sale, buy two boxes to help tide you over until the next
sale. Costco often has a sale on their
Huggies as well, offering $6 off per box. At
the sale price they are close competitors.
If you would like to save even more:
try the store brands! We tried
Target’s store brand and found they worked well! If you’re adventuresome and want to cloth
diaper: more power to you, it’s just
something I can’t speak to.
4.
JOIN YOUR LOCAL BUY, SELL, TRADE. One of the greatest benefits of Facebook are
the community Buy, Sell, Trade groups!
And if you’re extra lucky your
community may even have a Mommies Buy, Sell, Trade! Search these groups out so that you can start
scoring deals on high ticket items for very little cost. If you find that there isn’t one in your
area: consider creating one (and if you’re creating one- do the “Mommies”
version: it fits your specific needs)! It’s such a great way to buy entire wardrobes
for your kids, strollers, highchairs, swings, and more!
5.
ASK FOR HELP.
There are some costly purchases you will likely be making, and you’re
providing for two, so don’t be afraid to ask for help on these costly
things! Take heart: there is a tactful way to ask for help! If someone is throwing you a baby shower communicate
that you’re really needing help on some of the big ticket items and request
that they mention on the invites that gift cards and group gifts will be extra
helpful for you at this time. No one
will think twice about how they can be a blessing to you! Target’s registry has a “start a group gift”
option on the baby registry for big ticket items! I’m not sure if this is offered by other
competitors, but know it’s an option worth seeking out when you’re creating a
registry!
6.
START BUDGETING NOW.
Determine which items you would like to buy new, and which you’re okay
with buying used. Create a cost analysis
of what it’ll cost for those items and divide it over the course of twelve
months (some things can wait until after
they're born). This is what will keep you
on track and spare your marriage a few fights and stresses over money. Your energy will be better spent elsewhere.
7.
YOU DON’T NEED TWO.
Feeling like you need two of everything can weigh heavy when the budget
is tight. But you don’t need two. Every single mother to twins that I have spoken to have a set just like
mine: the twins have opposite personalities! One that is spunky and one that is calm and
mild mannered. One that likes to be
rocked, and one that likes to be bounced vigorously. What works for one of your twins likely won’t
work for the other! I had one that
wouldn’t sleep without being in a swaddle blanket, and one that would only
sleep if he could sprawl out without restriction. One that liked the front to back swing, and
one that liked the side to side swing.
This is another reason I suggest buying these things used… if they don’t
favor it, sell it for what you have into it, and you will have never lost a
dime!
8.
THEY DON’T NEED TO MATCH. There may be special occasions or times when you
want them to look like twins… but it’s not a requirement (contrary to popular belief). You’ll likely receive matching outfits as gifts (which I was so appreciated),
especially if you’re having identical twins.
So let your friends and family do the matching thing for you, and use
your money elsewhere. Know that dressing them differently will give them room
to express their own tastes and preferences as they grow too!
9.
HEALTHCARE COVERAGE.
Find out what your healthcare plan will cover. Several will now cover the expense of a nice
breastpump, which is a huge savings!
Also, determine what expenses they will/won’t cover during the birth so
you can plan accordingly! There are
midwives that have and can deliver twins:
don’t buy into the idea that you don’t
have options! Speak to a midwife to determine
if it’s a viable option for you and your babies.
10. WORK
FROM HOME. For us the greatest expense
in having twins was that it would cost more to have someone care for them than
I would have earned. Determine what
skill or service you can offer from home!
Being in the military and moving frequently has allowed me the
opportunity to meet a lot of great women that have found rather creative ways
to supplement their husband’s income:
cutting hair, doing makeup for photo shoots, tutoring, piano lessons,
teaching kids how to cook in the kitchen, or like myself: selling items online. I found a niche in selling used children’s
clothing online. And though it started
small, it grew quickly.
There you have it: ten tips for having twins on a shoestring
budget! These are things that I did to
help spare the budget when we were expecting our twins, and by doing these
things we actually managed to pay off a whole heap of debt! I am confident
that you too will find a way to make a small budget go a long way. Congratulations on your double blessing, you're going to do great!
XO,
Jackie E
