The Economy of New Baby - 5 Tips

Having children is fantastic. It is also expensive at the same time. A survey shows that the most necessary for a newborn child costs at least $150 per month and that the cost then only increases. You may also need to change your car several times during your toddler's life. In addition, income goes down for some time during parental leave.

Counting on the kroner and the penny may feel a bit jarring, but it is a reality that one, as a parent, has to assume when planning the economy. To make the fantastic trip with the child or children as smooth as possible during the first years, you can take a closer look at our 5 tips.

1. Plan your economy well before 

During pregnancy, you should not only prepare yourself mentally that you will soon be more in the household. You should also start planning for a worse economy. No matter what the economy looks like today, and no matter what the parental allowance will look like, it will be tougher from before.

An excellent tip is to start driving around the household early on a lower total income. Why not try to live on what you will have together when the baby is born? What remains when you live more sparingly, you can put away a buffer for the first year. Expenses, both small and large, are guaranteed to be more than you expect! Also try to review any private loans and the like, and if possible pay a little extra.

2. Plan the economy on an ongoing basis during the toddler years

In the midst of leaving, picking up, jobs, possible leisure time, horrible November evenings, mortgages and other things that belong to the toddler's life, it is trying to get time and energy to plan the economy on an ongoing basis. This is easier said than done, but it is necessary to keep the economy resilient to unforeseen events.

Our tip is to perhaps review the costs in the household once a month and make priorities. It can be anything from a subscription to a mortgage. Does the household need both Netflix, HBO and Viaplay? Do you have the lowest mortgage rate you can get, or is there a place to negotiate? The basic idea is to erase everything that does not provide the quality of life you are looking for for you and your new, larger family.

3. Put the child and family happiness first

Toddler life goes away faster than you think. One day you wake up and discover that the period of small children at home is over! When you are in the midst of it, toddler life can many times be perceived as, to say the least, troublesome, but at the same time, the joys are many.

Try to make the joys as many as possible, both for you and the child (s). One way to do that is to focus both energy and economy on what is most important. For example, list all expenses and see which ones support a happy toddler's life and which ones do not. The latter you can completely and completely demolish.

4. Get support from family

Getting help from family and friends with childcare is one thing that can really help in the hectic toddler life. Spending a moment with your partner or spouse without children can provide much needed energy and a much needed respite. These moments can also be used to go through the economy and make any changes to make everything work the way you want.

You can also get support in the financial life with small children through smart apps that present your finances to you black and white. Apps that categorize your income and purchases can make it easier when you want to keep track of where your money is going. In addition, if there are built-in budget functions and opportunities to pay bills directly in the app, it is of course even better. In short, there are good opportunities to put the economy on autopilot, saving you both time and energy.

5. Smarter purchasing and reuse

As a child, a child costs very large amounts every month. Therefore, it is not foolish to think about how the purchase of things for the child should go to. Buying second hand is always a good tip. Many times you can find clothes, toys, trolleys and other equipment at very low prices. The block, groups on Facebook, contacts from friends and acquaintances as well as flea markets are great ways to find used things for the child. The great thing is that clothes and trolleys, for example, are often in very good condition. Young children grow out of clothes and equipment very quickly - which is precisely a reason not to buy new.

Once your / your children have grown out of their things you can get back some of the money by selling them second hand for example on Facebook Marketplace or flea markets.