Baby on a Budget: How I saved over $100 on our car seat and stroller (and got my stroller for practically nothing!)

When I was pregnant I spent a lot of time researching car seats, strollers and travel systems (ie buying a car seat and stroller together in one package). We didn't have a ton of mulla to spend but I still wanted to make sure we were getting something fairly good for our money. In the end, thanks to some money-saving tricks, we ended up getting a travel system for about the same price as it would have been to get the car seat on its own.  That's right, we got a car seat AND a stroller for the price of just the car seat.  

So how did we do it?

First off: We started our hunt early. I am a planner. When I was in high school I was already looking at possible graduate programs to attend. When I got pregnant there was so much to plan and research, baby gear suddenly became my life. And when I say when I got pregnant I mean when I got pregnant. Like first trimester. As in I slept, forced a handful of Cheerios down my throat, threw up and read and watched stroller reviews. While maybe I started my search a little freakishly early, in the end I know it saved us money. It gave us time to really weigh our options and look for good deals, coupons and promotions, saving us about $100.    

Second: We bought a travel system. Although buying a travel system can limit the variety of strollers you can get (for example, most high-end strollers aren't available in a travel system), it can also save you quite a bit of money.  We ended up getting a Chicco Neuvo Compact Travel System (more about that later).  If we would have bought the car seat and stroller separately (without coupons, promotions, etc) it would have cost about $360 ($190 for the Chicco Keyfit 30, $170 for the Neuvo Compact Stroller). Buying them packaged together in a travel system  (without coupons, promotions, etc) costs $280 -- saving you about $80 right off the bat. Another nice convenience and money saver -- with a travel system you can usually click your car seat right into the stroller (great with a sleepy newborn) WITHOUT paying an extra chunk of change for a car seat adaptor.  Now I'm not saying you absolutely MUST buy a travel system, just know you'll likely end up paying a bit more if you don't. 

Third: We settled for a mid-range stroller. After drooling over amazing strollers I couldn't afford (a BOB Revolution, a City Select, heck even a City Mini was a little too much for us when you add on extra costs like a car seat adaptor) we decided a Chicco was probably our best bet -- not too expensive but still fairly good quality.  I'd heard really great things about their KeyFit 30 car seat, too. Other more affordable brands include Britax, Graco,  BabyTrend, EvenFlo and Safety 1st.

Fourth: Coupons, coupons, coupons.  Never, ever, ever buy a car seat, stroller or travel system for full price. When I was pregnant I discovered I could get coupons for 20% off one item fairly easily. Both Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby accept coupons from Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Buy Buy Baby or Bed Bath and Beyond (and probably other retailers, too). I'd get Bed Bath and Beyond coupons in the mail regularly and once I'd registered, Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us sent coupons every now and then, too. You can also get 20% off coupons from Buy Buy Baby just for joining their email list.  They'll give you one for joining their SMS list, too. Although 20% off never seems like much when I'm buying a sweater (they call that a sale?!?!), when you're spending hundreds of dollars on baby gear 20% can save you a lot of money. In our case, it saved us $56. Unfortunately, these coupons often exclude some of the higher-end stroller brands (don't forget to read the fine print!) but they can put a nice dent in your final purchase price for a lot of the more budget-friendly brands.

Fifth: I signed up for the Chicco Club: Once you decide which brands you're interested in, see if they have some kind of rewards program or a promotional club. Once I decided we'd probably get a Chicco, I signed up for their Chicco Club, a free program where Chicco regularly offers members free promotions on some of their products.  I knew it was a long shot but I thought maybe, just maybe, they'd offer a travel system promotion at some point before my baby was born. Their first few deals didn't really apply to me but eventually (remember, I started my hunt early) my dreams came true.  They were offering a promotion for their (then) new Neuvo Travel System. If you purchased the Neuvo Travel System within their two-month time-frame, filled out a form and sent in your proof of purchase they'd send you a $50 Visa Gift Card in return.  

We'd been going back and forth between whether we wanted the Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 Travel System or the Chicco Neuvo Compact Travel System (we thought there were pros and cons for each), but this sealed the deal for us. We drove down to Babies R Us and bought our first travel system!  We ended up spending $239.33 (with tax) and received our $50 Visa Gift Card in the mail a couple months later. That means including the $50 gift card, we only spent $189.33 in total, saving over $100 and paying less than what the Chicco KeyFit30 car seat alone ($190 w/o tax) would have cost.

Okay, okay, so what if you can't get a smoking good deal like a $50 gift card? I go back to my first point -- start early and keep hunting.  Look for sales, collect coupons, consider buying last year's model, check out garage sales for strollers (it's strongly advised NOT to buy a used car seat but a used stroller is fine), and make sure to shop around.  I follow deals bloggers on Facebook, too (some of my favorites are Baby Cheapskate, Freebies2Deals and FabuLESSly Frugal), just in case one of them shares a deal I'm interested in. Sometimes it takes some research time and a bit of luck but there are deals out there.

***This post contains affiliate links. I make a small profit when you buy products from these links at no additional cost to you.***

I love you today because...

My husband's love language is, without a doubt, acts of service. He is an incredibly kind and giving man who shows his love by serving others (especially me). As wonderfully kind as he is, however, he hasn't always had the easiest time identifying and expressing his feelings. This can sometimes pose a problem for a words-of-affirmation-love-languager like me. I know my husband loves me but it's still nice to hear it out loud sometimes, ya know?  To help remedy this we decided to start a little tradition we call "I love you today because..." shortly after we got married. It's a quick, simple nightly tradition that makes it easier (for both of us) to express our love and appreciation for each other every day.

So what do we do?  Well, it's pretty straightforward. Before we go to bed each night we each tell each other at least one reason (often we give a whole list!) why we love each other that day, always starting with "I love you today because...." For example, an average nightly conversation might go like this:

Hubby: I love you today because you sent me pictures of the baby at work

Me: I love you today because you were patient with me when I was being grumpy

Or

Me: I love you today because you made dinner and let me rest.... and because you're incredibly sexy

Hubby: I love you today because you're such a good mommy and you love your family and because you're so nice to snuggle with

(told ya we end up with a whole list some nights!)

You can say whatever comes to mind. It can be sweet, funny or even a bit silly, just take the time to let the other person know how much you love and appreciate them and why.  I personally love this little tradition because not only do I get a nice warm, fuzzy affirmation of love (with a reason why!) before falling asleep each night (who doesn't like that?) but it also gives me a reason to look for wonderful things I appreciate about my husband and reflect on all the wonderful things he's done that day. It's also helped both of us to be more open and honest about our feelings, giving us a daily opportunity to express love in an easy, semi-structured setting. I think it's something we might share with out kids as they get older, too! I don't want them to have any qualms about expressing their love for others.  It could also work with siblings, friends, roommates, etc -- basically anyone you want to regularly make feel loved.

So readers, what's one reason you love that special someone?  Share in a comment below and don't forget to share it with the one you love, too.  

Baby on a Budget: How to turn cereal boxes into wall art (for next to nothing!)

This post is part of our Baby on a Budget series.  Click here for more from this series.

When women are pregnant, they tend to go through a "nesting" period. For most women, the insatiable need to nest kicks in towards the end of their pregnancy (the last month or so?).  I think I started nesting as soon as I started actually eating real food again, somewhere towards the beginning of my second trimester.  I would lie awake in bed for hours, stressing about the baby's room.  At the time, we were in a tiny 550 square-foot 2-bedroom apartment. The baby's-room-to-be was where we stored a lot of our junk. I knew we wouldn't need to put a baby in there for a while (heck, she's four months old and she still sleeps in our room), but the whole thing just sent me into a tizzy. I needed a plan. I needed to be ready. I needed a cute, happy, decluttered room where I could sit in and smile instead of stare and sob.  And oh, I needed to do it as cheaply as possible.

So I started planning. And pinning, And pining.

I wanted to spell out my daughter's name on the wall with 3D letters but with a long name like Elizabeth it would have been expensive (at least for my tight budget).  Instead, I figured out a way to make letters for next to nothing. Out of cereal boxes of all things.

I didn't take many pictures when I made letters for my daughter's room but I made sure to snap along as I made letters for my nephews later.

You will need:

• Cereal boxes (1-2 per letter)
• Ruler
• Exacto knife/scissors
• Cutting board/mat
• Pencil 
• Newsprint (I used all the pesky ads we normally just recycle)
• Flour
• Water
• Sandpaper
• Paint 
• Foam paintbrush
• Glue/tape
• Scrapbook paper, buttons, fabric, etc (etc = whatever else you can think of to decorate your letters!)

    

Step 1: Start hoarding cereal boxes. Lots of boxes.  I probably used one or two boxes per letter.  I also used boxes from frozen pizzas and cookies -- it just needs to be that thin, flexible cereal-box-type-cardboard.

Step 2: Find a font you like. You can use the fonts you already have installed on your computer or if you're feeling adventurous, it's pretty easy to find and install free fonts online.  For my nephews' letters I wanted a comic booky feel to the font so I just googled "free comic book font," found one I liked (Action Comcs Black), downloaded and installed it.  In Word (or you could use Microsoft Publisher), I blew each letter up as big as I could make it and have it still fit on one page (400 pt font size worked with this font), clicked print and the cut each letter out. For bigger letters you could also print them out over multiple pieces of paper and tape them together.  When you're done, your paper letters will act as a guide for cutting out your letters in cardboard.

I'm crafty-impaired so I like to use my ruler and exacto knife (with a cutting board underneath) to cut out my letters.  It helps make sure I keep my lines nice and straight

***insider tip*** 

If you want to make things easier on yourself use a sans serif font. For my daughter's letters I used a pretty font with a serif. It was a little tricky getting everything lined up correctly. My nephews' letters with a sans serif font were a lot easier to line up and keep straight without all the little extra "bumps" around the edges. I recommend taking some time to study your font to make sure it isn't too complicated before you get started.

Step 3: Cut out your cardboard. Using a few pieces of tape, secure your letter guides to the cereal box. Using a pencil, you can either trace around the letter and then cut it out or if you're lazy like me, just use your exacto knife to cut along the side of your paper guide.  Again, I like to cut against my ruler to make sure my cuts stay straight. Once you've finished cutting the letter out, peel off the paper guide and repeat, making a front and a back for each letter.

Make sure you cut out a front and a back for each letter!

Step 4: Next, cut 2-3 inch strips (depending on how thick you want your letters) out of your cereal box.  I'm a lazy crafter so I just used the width of my ruler as a guide to make it easier on myself.

Step 5: Construction time! Using tape, secure your strips between the top and bottom parts of your letter.  Make sure to shape the strips around any curves or angles.  If your letter has holes on the inside (like with a B or an A) make sure to line those parts first. When you're done, it should look something like this!

Step 6: Paper Maché.  Cut (or just tear) your newsprint into strips (approximately 1-inch wide but you don't need to be exact).  Mix up some homemade paste by combining about one cup of flour with one cup of water (you can add a few shakes of salt, too).  Next, dip your newspaper strips into the paste, wipe off excess paste and adhere to your letter.  Continuing doing this until you've covered the entire letter, front, back and sides. 

Let your letter dry completely and then repeat the process, paper machéing the entire letter again.  I'd stick my letters in front of a fan (so they'd dry faster!) and then I'd get to work cutting out and taping together my next letter while I waited.

Step 7: Sand.  Once both layers of paper maché are completely dry use a piece of fine sandpaper to sand down some of the rough patches.  This just helps make it a little bit more smooth.

Step 8: Apply a couple coats of paint. I just used some white paint I had kicking around from another project

Step 9: Decorate.  Trace the front face of your letter on a sheet of scrapbook paper you like, cut it out and attach!  I just used masking tape to attach mine and it's held just fine.  You could also get out the big guns and actually glue (hot glue?) the covers on if you want something more robust than tape. Instead of using scrapbook paper you could use buttons, fabric, glitter, lace, pebbles, feathers, heck I even thought about using old comic books.

 And voila!  You've made cute wall art for practically nothing!

***This post contains affiliate links. I make a small profit when you buy products from these links at no additional cost to you.***

Dreams for my Daughter

About a week and a half before we found out I have a little girl budding inside me, I took my journal to a park about five minutes away from our apartment. It's a pretty simple park really, not much more than a small playground, a field and an outhouse, but it's high on a hill and you can see the mountains in the distance and the valley below. Sometimes I go there just to breathe, to taste the air and feel the sun on my skin. I go there to listen, to heal.

As I sat and gobbled down the crisp air around me, soaking in the mountains and the sounds around me, my thoughts and soon the scribbles of my pen drifted towards the little one I'd been dying to meet. At first I tried to be gender neutral as I wrote but within two sentences I'd given up. I was pretty sure this was a little girl I was dealing with. I let my pen take flight and out flowed my questions and my dreams for this little baby.  Below I share a slightly edited version of what I wrote.

Sometimes I wonder what this baby will be like. What she will love? What will make her giggle with delight? What will she feel like - my baby - in my arms? What will her cry sound like? How will it make me feel? What will it feel like to love her? What will it feel like to have her love me?

I hope she loves the sun. I hope she loves the way it feels as it licks her skin. I hope she loves the feeling of cool grass as it squishes between her toes. I hope she loves trees and thanks them for their shade. I hope she loves the water in whatever shape it takes -- oceans, lakes, rivers and raindrops. I hope she stares at the the moon and the stars and wonders how they found their home in the sky.  I hope she tastes the world - with all her senses. I hope she feels its peace. Its love. Its majesty.

I hope she loves to dance - in that cute little diaper-wagging way. I hope she loves to laugh and to run outside and play. I hope she loves to twirl, watching her little skirt swirl out around her with delight. I hope she loves dress ups and jewelry. I hope she treats her dolls as her daughters (like I did when I was little).

I hope she has dreams - of being a princess, an astronaut, a magician or whatever else she can think of - I just want the dreams to be hers. I hope she loves to create - everything from mud pies to witches potions, castle forts to snow angels. I hope she strives to create smiles, laughter and love everywhere she goes, that she creates her own beautiful world and invites others (myself included) to come in.

I hope she tells stories - with her grandmother's gift for words and her grandfather's gift for exaggeration.  I hope she loves to cuddle and that she has her daddy's smile and her mama's dark hair.

I hope she learns to share - to share her toys, her joys and even sometimes her sorrows. I hope she loves to hug and tries to wrap the whole wide world up in her little arms. I hope she loves to sing. Any and everything. I hope she finds music in everything she encounters. I hope she makes up games and gives everyone a good part.

I hope she loves her cousins and has good friends.  I hope she loves her siblings (however many there may be) and trusts her parents. I hope she wants to tell us everything and that she'll always run to her mama for comfort for all of life's scrapes and heartaches.

I hope she follows her heart - wherever it may lead her. I hope she follows her head, too -- wherever it compels her.

I hope she finds love and beauty, even if both may look differently to what the world would tell her.  I hope she loves others and has a giving heart. I hope she wants to heal the world.

I hope she loves God and feels His immense love for her. I hope she learns that mistakes are a good thing - they teach us how to grow. I hope she knows that she has a Savior who loves her unconditionally, forever and always. I hope she sees her life as a gift and what she does with it as a gift back to her Father in Heaven.

I know this little girl will teach me every day. I know she'll make me smile, laugh, worry, cry, dance, play, tickle and sometimes even scream. But she will always be my baby - no matter what she says.

Learning to be her mother and her friend will be the most important thing I can do with my life. Teaching her to love God and follow Christ, to find hope, embrace beauty and to learn continuously - there is no better way I could spend my life and my love.

And there is no other way I would want to.