Any married couples or single parents can give me advice on preparing for a child?

Recently, I left the military in january, then got married in February. We took a bumpp for a lil bit and stayed with her parents for a month and then moved out and got our own place. Unfortunately, i lost my job, and I been outta work for 3 months. she's been obsessed with having a child and she want us to concieve in feb 08. i want to be a father and a loving parent too, but we have a huge heap of bills and i would like to save more. plus, i just started a new job. should we go head or wait? can anyone add expenses on having a baby too? thank you, for listening.Any married couples or single parents can give me advice on preparing for a child?
If she isn't working, then she should get a job for a while, even if it's just at McDonald's. Pay off your debt, get a little emergency fund built up, and start scoping out friends and relatives.


If anyone you know has a baby, ask if you can have, buy, or borrow, their baby items when they are done with them. She can do the same with maternity clothes, if any of her friends or relatives are a similar size to her. I hope your wife isn't a diva who has to have the best of the best, and brand spanking new. Maternity clothes and baby things are used for such a short while, they have a lot of life left after their first go-round.


If you have to buy new baby furniture, think convertible. A crib that converts to a toddler bed, changing table that converts to dresser, etc. Get more mileage from it. Purchase from a discount store, thrift shop, etc. for maximum savings.


You need to strategize and budget. Write down your take-home pay. List all your fixed monthly expenses, rent, car payment, etc. Then your approximate expenses, utilities, etc. Then your variables, groceries, entertainment, etc. See what's left.


It's hard to change fixed expenses, unless you move to a cheaper place, or get a cheaper car.


You can lower your car insurance by choosing a higher deductible, or less coverage, but that has to be weighed against the added risks.


Your best bet is to cut down where it's easiest to cut down. Get frugal. Like utilities, entertainment, and extras. Be very careful with your utilities. Turn off appliances when they aren't in use. Adjust the heat and air to where it's almost uncomfortable but not quite, and strip down to shorts, or add a sweatshirt to make up the difference. Wait to run the washer or dishwasher until you have a full load. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth, and take shorter showers.


With the price of gas, cut down on using the car when possible. Utilize mass transit, walk or bike if you aren't going far. If you use a full service car wash, don't. Start doing it yourself. Get your haircuts at a barber shop, beauty school, or quick cuts type place, instead of the mall. Eliminate unecessary expenses, like big-ticket items, and new clothes until they are really needed. Instead of dinner and a movie, have popcorn and a DVD at home.


Eat hot dogs or spaghetti more often, instead of pricier meats. Buy store brand everything, instead of name brand. It's usually just as good. Make your own salad, instead of buying prepackaged. Banish ';convenience'; foods. You pay for that convenience.


Take your own coffee from home, instead of stopping at Starbucks. Get a filter for your faucet and stop buying bottled water. Don't take the newspaper if you rarely read it, or just take the Sunday paper, that's where the coupons are. Use them for items you would buy anyway. Make a shopping list and stick to it.


Following these tips and whatever else you can think of to save money will add up more quickly than you can imagine! First pay off your debts, then sock it away in your emergency fund. Once you have enough to cover 3-6 months of living expenses, you can start counting the savings towards the baby fund. By then, you should be secure in your job.


All her wages should go in the bank, to make sure your wage covers the budget with some left over. Your goal is to able to support a wife and baby, without draining your savings, and still be able to save towards things like a down payment on a home, a college education for your child or children, and retirement. Also take into account if your health insurance will take a drastic leap changing to a family plan.


Have a heart-to-heart with your wife. You're going to need her to be on the same page. Tell her you want to have a child just as much as she does, but you don't want to rush into it without being financially prepared. Ask what she can do to help. If she can sew, she can make the curtains and bedding for the nursery, and baby clothes. She could scour yard sales for baby furniture. Make things from scratch instead of depending on convenience items. Lose the fake nails (if she has them), and do her own manicures. We all did it when we were teens! Stop spending on anything unnecessary. If she really wants a baby, she should get used to making sacrifices now, she'll be doing it the rest of her life.


Sorry my answer is so long, but I wanted to give you all my best suggestions. By reducing, reusing, and recycling, and being frugal, you can save a lot more than you think. Just look at everything you spend money on and ask yourself if you really need it or just want it, and how you can get it or do it cheaper. Practice this skill now, and it will come in really handy when the baby comes along.


Be aware, if she's in control of the birth control, there's a really good chance she'll get pregnant when she wants to. It's so easy to forget to take that pill! Good luck to you!Any married couples or single parents can give me advice on preparing for a child?
get rid of as much debt as you can before having a baby cuz I tell ya.... the expenses start right with pre natal care and doctor, hosptial costs, and then it is cha ching cha ching... and carry on forever. And let's not even talk about teenagers, saving for university, and on and on .


Babies... cute for sure... expensive... oh yeah! Setting up a room with a crib, change table, even if you are nursing and no formula required, diapers, clothes... they grow out of stuff every three months, toys, car seats for the cars, strollers, new bed at 2 yrs .... on and on.


Deal with your debts first... as much as you can.





Good luck.
With taking care of kids there is no way to really be prepared! No matter how much money you save there will be times it is still tight. You might out wait your child bearing years trying to get prepared.
First, ask yourself if you can provide for this child. Love is the most important thing, but money is the second in this case, as if you think that you are short on money now, wait and see, all the extra things that kids make us pay for. If you are out of work now, theres no way to look at having a child. You need to have a job that has benefits, or else do you want to be in medical debt to that hospital until the kid is 18? One other major thing to think about is, what if your child is born with problems, physical,down syndrome, etc. Are you prepared for that kind of challenge that will NEVER go away? On top of being a great parent, you will need to be able to support your wife even more than ever, as she might get seriously depressed as many new mothers are. Some mothers have a baby and never regain the great bodies and mental states they had prior to having that baby. Are you and her prepared to deal with that. It may soound like its not important, but it could definitely come up. Ask yourself, if you were a small child growning up in the situation that you are currently able to give that child, would you be well off?


If you answer No to some of these questions, I think you know you should wait. If you think you are ready, well... I wish you luck. Kids can be great and really challenging. Remember what Rodney Dangerfield said: The best part about kids, is making them. I wish you the best, but I say you should wait until you are more financially stable...I wish I could go back in time and wait
best advice: get financially stable before having a child. Talk to your spouse and see if you can't negotiate a 6 month wait. During those six months, work hard at getting more stable and paying off some bills.





Babies are EXPENSIVE!!!! Think of spending 75 a week, minimum, on formula, diapers, wipes, etc. Then - 125 a week for daycare. Don't forget clothes, doctors visits, furniture......





When you have a child, you find a way to make it work. But - starting off in the hole just makes it so much harder.
Start putting away a bit each month for the child to help prepare. Try to pay off your debts...having an extra mouth to feed will increase bills. Budget...make a list of costs/bills/extra/entertainment each month- each of you do this seperately and then compare...also do this with expected costs for an infant. and again compare.
Take that Heap o' Bills and make a list. List monthly payments, and the balances. Smallest on top, then largest at the end. Total them up. How much do you pay each month against them. What is your total debt?





Start putting some of your ';extra'; income each month towards your lowest balance. Figure out how long it will take to get a handle on these numbers.





Do your budget. How much ';extra'; do you have anyway?





Go to Wal-Mart (for a general idea). Price cribs, dressers, dressing tables, hampers, diapers, formula, clothing, walkers, car seats,high chairs and Toys. Also, maternity clothes. Figure out what it is going to cost to deck out baby's room. You can ask for some things at a shower. Some things you are going to end up paying for yourself.





Make sure someone is carrying insurance for maternity. Does your wife get a paid leave? How often does baby go to the pediatrician after he is born? (It's frequent with infants.) What is your co-pay? How much of the maternity bill will you guys be responsible for?





Is the car maintained? Gotta do that.





February may not be realistic, but if you work your numbers you may come up with a good time frame.





You can wait forever trying to get this one right, so be reasonable. Somehow, with kids, parents get by.





I wish you luck, son. Kudos for having a reasonable head on your shoulders.





God bless you and yours and those to come....
let me first say to WAIT!!! it's not only the bills to worry about but the emotional toll it will take on your marriage as well. if you are already worried about bills, then it will be worse when you have a baby. honestly i would wait and have a secure job and pay off som of what you have racked up first. honestly if you wait till you're ';financially secure'; you'll never have one. but you have to think about daycare, diapers, food. it's a lot!! but check into some state or county programs (like WIC--they provide formula and food based on income) and see what you can get to help you out. but take your time. you don't want to have a baby and just have more stress in your marriage.
You would do much better to wait until you're both on your feet. Besides the pre-natal care (hope you have insurance), the expenses of ';outfitting'; a baby can be quite enormous...crib, clothes, diapers, formula, bottles, etc.


Why not set a goal of two years from now? That would give you time to settle in to your new job -- maybe she could work also to help pay off the bills and set some aside for the new arrival.


It's great you are thinking ahead...not everyone does!


Good luck to you both.