How Can You Afford Everything Your Child Needs On A Small Budget?

As a mother, you, of course, want the best for your child. Nevertheless, when one knows how much it costs to raise a child in the UK – it’s around £230,000, from birth to the age of 21, if you’re wondering – it’s likely that the prospect of spending almost a quarter of a million pounds gives you cold sweat and manic attacks. After all, unless your last name is Rothschild, it can seem impossible to afford everything your child needs.

How to be a responsible mum who can afford what her children need?

Plan your expenses

Don’t worry yet. You can get to buy most of the essentials easily if you know how to make the most of financial opportunities. Indeed, it’s not what you buy but when you buy it that makes a great deal of difference. For instance, when you do your grocery shopping, choosing local and seasonal produce can save a lot of money without compromising on the taste or the nutritional intake. If you need a car to drive your child to school, you’ll find that payments are lower if you buy the vehicle at the end of the year. In short, plan carefully to spend smartly.

Can’t pay cash?

However, planning doesn’t mean that you can afford everything at the time of the purchase. But don’t worry, that’s what credit cards are for. Even if you don’t have a fantastic financial history, you can still find unsecured credit cards for bad credit. One tip to make things better, though: Make sure to repay money towards your credit card debts every month so that you can improve your credit score in the long term.  

Find quality second-hand items

We get it; you want the best for your child. That doesn’t mean that you should buy everything brand new. You can find excellent second-hand items from clothes to toys. As children grow very quickly, you don’t need to feel guilty for not buying first hand. After all, it’s likely that kids will grow out of their clothes in a few month’s time. Make sure to work with trusted sellers and to use a transaction platform where you have a way of getting back to your money in case of a negative experience.

Do it yourself

If you’re an enthusiastic crafter, what’s stopping you from making something for your child? If you like sewing, you can get your hands on easy tutorials to sew clothes for your baby or your child. Or why not build a custom-made shelf in their bedroom or prepare a colourful quilt? There are plenty of options to DIY your child’s favourite items, so what’s stopping you from trying it out?

Things your child doesn’t need

There’s a difference between wanting the best for your child and buying things they don’t need. A lot of parents spend far too much during the first year of having a baby because they buy items that are cute but not necessary. Remember how fast your baby grows: Don’t waste money on things that are impractical. In later times, you’ll need to know where to draw the line in your child’s demands.

The bottom line is that a good parent is not someone who buys everything in the shops for their child. A good parent is someone who plans their shopping, knows how to get the best value and how to avoid unnecessary expenses.