Having a baby certainly makes you spend your money more wisely. With the additional costs of hospital bills (only have one left to pay…yeah!!), child care, and other accessories, we’ve tried to cut out the extra expenses. Of course, there is also the economy…who can forget that.

I had the realization that our family isn’t the only one making some big changes, money-wise. I was talking with someone at work who jokingly called her soup lunch a “Depression Lunch.” She said, “You know, I have a stable job, I make money, but it’s hard not to be a little worried with the economy the way it is right now. I just don’t need to go out to lunch anymore.” So, here are some things that we have been doing to help us save money:

  • I am addicted to PaperbackSwap. I have a goal of expanding Jude’s library with lots of books he can enjoy now and as he gets older. For every book that you trade, you get a credit to request a book that you want. So far, I have added about 12 books to Jude’s collection (and according to PaperbackSwap, saved almost $50). But, I do limit myself on the number of trades per month, so I am not spending a lot of money on postage.
  • Disposable diapers are expensive! But I never pay full price for them. I save coupons and used extra care bucks from CVS to buy my diapers cheap.  Occasionally I will buy one of those big boxes if Target has a good price.
  • Netflix has helped us with our entertainment budget. I read an article that Netflix has been making a lot of money in this economy because people are cutting back on buying movie tickets, but people are willing to pay $9/month to rent movies. It also helps us since we don’t have any major movie rental chains out in here, so Joe and I get a great selection without having to drive anywhere.
  • I always hated leftovers as a kid. Remember when your mom would do “leftover night.” I would always groan. But now, I like when I have leftovers so I can take them for lunch at work the next day. It’s better than eating sandwiches everyday.

We try to do all the pennysavers, like keeping the thermostat on 77 and using the fancy lightbulbs. But, I would love to hear what others do!