Aside from the heartburn, difficulty getting comfortable and getting up to pee every hour or two, the to do list is keeping me up at night. Lots of decisions to make... I could use your wisdom and advice dear friends!
First, Bill and I looked at our soon-to-be budget the other night (with my income reduced to part-time) and it wasn't pretty. It really didn't add up. We are probably going to have to put baby boy in day care 2 days a week (or every other week but they would still charge us each week), and as reasonable as it is, it's still adding a strain to the budget. Without getting into too much detail, we are looking for ways to trim. Our grocery budget is the first on the cut list. We do spend a lot right now just because I'm not necessarily paying attention to prices on everything. I'm not a big coupon clipper b/c often it seems like the items on sale are processed foods or stuff I don't usually buy. I do like to buy organic when I can but am not religious about it. So... who out there has some tips for how to cut back on the grocery bill? (This will now also include diapers, and includes toiletries, cosmetics, etc).
I'm also starting the search for a pediatrician. Where to even begin? I don't know anyone who lives in my neighborhood or city. Probably because I spend all my time in Tacoma or Seattle and I pretty much disdain the city I live in. My doc is in Seattle but I've decided for the little one it would really be more convenient to have his doctor close by. How do you go about choosing a pediatrician? What questions should I ask/what should I be looking for? What do you love or dislike about your kids' doctors? Any websites that would be helpful for reference?
I know these posts without pictures are getting kind of boring. I am working on the baby's room and will take some pics when it all comes together. I just ordered the crib bedding and I hope I like it as much in person as I did online. Oh yeah, and have a baby shower coming up! Other than that not a lot of photo worthy activities lately.
Anyway, bring on the advice!
Yeah! I cannot wait to see your nursery and the crib bedding you picked out! You have such good taste - I'm excited.
ReplyDeleteGirl, I hear you about the budget. I was really nervous about that too. I don't know if you shop at Costco now or not (I've never been a big Costco person), but I looked at the most expensive things we buy and priced them out per pound, and they were much cheaper at Costco. i.e., cheese! At our Costco, sharp cheddar is $2.49/pound as opposed to $4.99/pound at my local Albertsons! So, instead of buying everything at one shop (convenient), I now break it up and go to 3 stores - Albertsons, Costco, and the local Persian market which has really cheap produce.
When I stopped nursing, I also did a comparison of Kirkland brand formula vs. the other major brands and decided to use that. It was exactly the same nutrition-wise. That was a huge money saving decision and worth a Costco membership on its own!
We also started doing a lot of date nights at home - which are pretty fun. Cooking something special and getting a nice bottle of wine.
For us, I realized I spend the most money at the grocery store when I bought things that are really convenient - i.e., pre-shredded, pre-chopped, frozen, or from the deli. So, I really try to avoid that all together. Easier said than done if you're working and have an infant! So, for us, the crockpot has also been a huge lifesaver because I can make bigger meals for less $$ and not a lot of work. I also invested in a huge set of good tupperware so I make meals that are 4-5 servings at a time so Tony has leftovers and doesn't eat out at work.
As far as diapers go, I had to test quite a few, but when Oliver was very little I had GREAT luck with the Target brand diapers (which are really cheap). They are more rigid/firm which my friends with boys like more than my friends with baby girls (because it keeps all of their hmm.mmm parts in the right place). And of course, Luv's! SO much cheaper than Huggies or Pampers! I find Target to be the best place to buy diapers since at least once every month or two they offer a "Buy 2 boxes and get a $5 (or $10) gift card".
I think you're wise to choose a pediatrician close to home. I went to the Ladera Message boards for referrals and reviews - not sure if your community has something like that? Then, I called and set up an "Interview" - basically telling them that we're thinking of using them once Oliver is born and can we ask some questions and meet. They were really open to it and it seemed they did that pretty frequently. I didn't know what to ask and so I Googled it and came up with a list similar to this: http://assets.babycenter.com/ims/Content/first-year-health-guide_doctor_interview.pdf
For us, the main 3 points were: 1) they didn't have an answering service, so if I call them at 2am, the doc will answer, 2) they have exam rooms ready for newborns so you go right in for your appt and don't sit around in the waiting room with sick kids, and 3) they have privelages at our local hospital (where I delivered) which also has a children's NICU.
I totally understand feeling like you have so much to do, but you will get it done and it'll go awesome!
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ReplyDeleteGreat questions! I am afraid I won't be able to share any piece of wisdom, as I am not a coupon girl either and am not good at grocery shopping (you should see the sorry state of my fridge right now...).
ReplyDeleteI mostly go to Trader Joe's for fruits, veggies, and lunches because they're cheap and I think better quality than most stores. I go to Costco for toilet paper, paper towels and such. I heard that indeed Target diapers were excellent (my neighbors love them) and that brand formula is as good as expensive formula. I buy make up and any bath-related item (shampoo, soap, etc) at Target or Walgreens. I know people use coupons and double coupons, but frankly I don't have time to look at it, so I just make sure I don't buy the most expensive stuff when I go to the store (I know that sounds basic, but I didn't use to do that so it's a new and improved behavior for me!).
As for the pediatrician, the questions I will mainly ask are related to their availability in case of emergency, their philosophy regarding breastfeeding/bottle feeding and their view of parents-doctor relationship (I want to have a say in my child's health and I want them to explain what they're doing or why they prescribe some meds). I think mostly I want someone whom Joe and I will get along with, someone easy going but who takes my baby's health seriously. I do not want the baby to be a number. I want them to know the baby and remember his health history. We're going to go to the Polyclinic to choose a doc (the office right next to my ob/gyn) because my OB recommended a couple of doctors from there.
Good luck figuring everything out! And, like Heidi, I can't wait to see pictures of your nursery -or maybe see the real thing soon (hint-hint. Whaaa).
I remember the sleepless nights... questions swirling. I don't envy you! But here's what I've found going from dual-income-no-kids to no-income-one-kid...
ReplyDeleteThere are some great ways to save money. Groceries... I am a coupon girl too. But I am also very excited about the new changes at Walmart. They are supposed to start focusing on cheaper/healthier food. And we buy our wipes and Huggies diapers in bulk at Costco with coupons. They don't have newborn diapers, but once Baby F is beyond that it can save you a lot of money.
I have been searching for money saving ideas myself and if you have time you should look through my blog. Some of the ideas may help you! Search by key word "Frugal Friday".
The Ped. search was one of the hardest for us. We liked the ones farthest from us, but in DC it came down to distance and hospital coverage. With the baby going every week at first it was so much easier going to the place that was closest and the one who covered the hospitals we'd be going to if there were an emergency. We also asked about vaccinations (we are pro-vaccines) and their views on antibiotics (I didn't want them to prescribe antibiotics unless it was really necessary).
Thanks you guys! I knew you all would have some really good advice. I am definitely going to look into more shopping @ Costco, cheap diapers and other ways to cut back (like date nights at home and Stacy's Frugal Friday posts - those are really helpful).
ReplyDeleteThe questions to ask pediatricians are also really helpful - gives me a lot to think about. Is it bad that I want to pick a particular Dr. just because his name is Dr. Blessing? Ok, I'm joking partially but that is really his name and I love it.
As far as saving $ on food, I would say hands down the best thing you can do is PLAN your meals each week. This is hard and takes some time but in the end, it will save you money. If you go to the store and only buy what you need for the week and you stick to it, you will save money on food. Be careful of Costco..when I go I always spend more than I intend and I often don't consume the food I buy before it goes bad b/c the bulk items are often too much for our family of 3. Target has a lot of cheaper food items than your major grocery store so I often do a trip there as well as the grocery store (again, time consuming but saves $ in the long run).
ReplyDeleteAs far as pediatrician shopping...that's a hard one. Since B was in the NICU for so long the hospital pointed me to the "cadillac" of pediatricians and she was amazing. A lot of my friends used her too so that helped. I only take B to female drs (if I can help it) and although that may not be "fair" I have found that they are warm and can relate to mothers so well that it automatically makes me feel more comfortable, just a thought. Good luck my friend, I know it all seems overwhelming but it really does all fall into place. xo
P.S. I was a total diaper snob and only put B in pampers swaddlers (they really did work the best), BUT typically in each package there was a $2 off coupon that I would use every time toward the next bag. Just a fyi!
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