Wednesday, February 21, 2018
10 Items New Parents Waste Money On
Let’s be real here, there is an epidemic of parent’s wasting money on useless crap for their children. A whole industry has emerged of baby wonder junk that will help you be a better parent overnight. Let’s be real about something else as well, kids aren’t cheap. Just keeping them alive at a bare minimum will kill your bank account. You must be vigilant when raising kids. They can become a grand excuse for you to be in debt and never accomplish the things you want to in life. It is always tempting for new parents to flood our Instagram and Facebook newsfeeds with pictures of babies wearing designer onesies. While you may smile and cheer, I immediately think of the waste occurring. The challenges of being a parent only get more complex and sadly even more expensive as they get older. You should start off being extra frugal when your child is a baby to set a trend for their childhoods. Today I am going to give you 10 items new parents waste their money on and tell you why these items are useless. Not wasting money on these things will create extra money for the important things like education, family trips and ummm retirement….
1) Fancy bedrooms
When your child is just a baby, they do not appreciate the subtleties of the room that they are in. They will not give you feedback in 10 years and say, “Hey, mom, really loved that gorgeous light fixture I had in my nursery. It really made my childhood better.” Do they really need wall murals, glitter paint, window adornments and all the other junk you fill their room with? By the time they are 7, they will want different junk anyway, so save your time and money.
2) Furniture
When I was a child we had an amazing change table with all the latest features. It was called the floor and it worked amazingly. It had a spill-proof finish, amazingly large surface area and easy access to the essentials nearby. Most parents end up changing their kids in their bed anyway, so why have a $500 change table in their room. The same goes for a super fancy crib. Why waste money on something that they are only going to use for the first couple years anyway. Some parent’s even let their kids sleep in their bed with them, totally negating the purpose of the crib. For centuries kids slept on a pile of straw and somehow, they made it to adulthood. Don’t get fooled, folks.
3) Clothes
Your child is going to be growing at an alarming rate. This means that you will be going through clothes very quickly. Don’t waste money on piles of baby clothes. If you keep up with doing laundry, you won’t need more than a week’s worth of clothing. Some onesies usually do the trick. Also, don’t forget to keep your child’s clothing because you never know when you will have another, usually soon after. There is nothing wrong with hand-me-downs. It builds character and a sense of resentment that will make your children work harder when they become adults.
4) Shoes
Just a quick heads up, babies can’t walk, so they don’t need shoes. Having shoes is solely for the purpose of walking. Do you wear shoes when you are sitting on the couch? Having socks on babies serves the exact same purpose. They definitely don’t need the newest edition Air Jordan’s. The fact that they even make these shoes for babies makes me want to puke. Having cute shoes on your baby is strictly for the purpose of taking pictures, so don’t be vain and waste money on fancy baby shoes.
5) Designer anything
Gucci diaper bag? You got to be kidding me. When you are spending your days looking after a puking, pooping, crying sleep stealer, do you really need high-end designer baby accessories? In fact, I would lay off any nice clothing until the poo/vomit years are done. Your dry-cleaning bill might go through the roof. These accessories are strictly utilitarian and to spend large amounts of money for a name brand is just foolish.
6) Fancy Gadgets
It may be tempting to buy all the latest and great high-end baby technology but resist the temptation. Things like diaper genies, video baby monitors, and wipe warmers might be cool but are definitely not necessary. Again, think back to when you were a kid. Did your parents use any of this junk? They had the super fancy diaper genie called a trash can. They also owned the latest high-tech baby monitor that sensed anything a baby would do. Their eyes and ears. As for wipe warmers, a little coldness never hurt anyone. It’ll get them ready for the real world. Don’t waste money on this junk.
7) Sanitizing everything
Now I am not a scientist or a doctor, but we ate food off the floor when I was a kid, and everyone lived. We got colds, and some got the flu, but I don’t think it was from rolling around in the mud during recess. Dogs licked our faces and we picked up frogs and I have all my limbs somehow. Is there a correlation between the “sanitized generation” and the explosion of childhood allergies? I don’t know. All I do know is that wrapping a kid in a bubble will hurt them in the long run. Wash your hands before dinner was good enough back then, I think it still works today. Try not to waste money on a massive amount of cleaning nonsense. We had the ultimate sanitizer when I was growing up. It was called bleach. It came in a big jug for 2 bucks. Worked like a charm.
8) Safety supplies
Going along with sanitizing everything, you will also not want to waste money on useless safety junk. Things like safety mittens and knee pads are completely useless. If you want your child to not scratch his face, clip their nails. As for their knees, crawling babies have an extra layer of protection all over them, it’s what makes them so cute. They haven’t developed knee caps yet, so they will be fine. They are not participating in the X-Games so don’t feel the need to waste money on protective equipment.
9) Toys
Do your little children really need massive amounts of toys? When I see what my little cousins get on Christmas it makes me sad. Dozens and dozens of toys that many of which will never get used. There are just not enough hours in the day to play with them all. Settle for a few things that they will enjoy and respect more. When they are still a baby, getting them a mass number of stuffed animals and playthings is useless. One teddy bear is good enough. Do you really want Noah’s Ark in your child’s bedroom closet? It will become a hassle over time believe me.
10) Duplicate items
The baby industry will try to get you prepared for 19 kids and counting if you followed their direction. You don’t need a lot of baby supplies. A couple pacifiers, a couple toys, a week’s worth of clothing is more than enough. Focus on keeping the kid alive and healthy in the first few years while keeping your sanity. There is also nothing wrong with getting things as you need them. You do not want to have to go hunting for stuff when you need it. If you have more than one closet full of your baby items, you have gone overboard.
The main point of this article is to bring attention to the financial issues new parent’s face. It is very tough raising a child, but even more so if you are broke. While you love your baby, you also have to be cognizant of the expenses that come with it. Our relationships when we get older become much more complicated. Security, compassion, communication all come into play with adult relationships. With babies all you really need is love. That and a clean diaper.
Thanks for tuning in as we continue Family Week here at Budget Boss. Tune in tomorrow as I discuss how to teach your young children about money. If you would like to start a new budget, please feel free to contact me at joe@budgetboss.ca. Have a great day Bosses!
“Make no mistake about why these babies are here – they are here to replace us.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Email – joe@budgetboss.ca
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