$5000!? How much did you spend?

[Devon]

Thank you all so much for all that feedback.

I am really going to try not to spend $5000, and I only did a preliminary estimate last night (mostly using the Babyland catalogue and trying to remember other prices I've seen and from BB discussions), so I really need to decide what I actually want and then get real prices for it. I'm sure lots of my figures are overestimates, but then I'm also sure some are underestimates and I've forgotten some things too, so I figured it would probably even out.

I'm not set on buying everything new, but I'm a bit of a worryer and am starting to get fixated on safety. My mum has a cot from when my younger sister was born (1990) and has offered that to us, but then that was before the new Australian Standard came in so I'm not sure if I should use it. I think I might check it against the standard to see if it's OK, and then buy a new mattress.

Lis - $500 for cloth nappies!! I think I guessed about $300, and I thought that was generous, so I might need to bump that up a bit.

I'll post my list when I get home from work (don't have it here). I haven't even thought about what we might spend on decorating the nursery.

I know what I've done is to want brand new, expensive items for most things, and I will be able to revise my expectations downwards if needs be.

I do know that my mum is itching to buy us things for the baby, so I'm sure a couple of the big items will come from the grandparents-to-be. My PIL bought DH's brother a tumbledryer when they were having their baby, so I hope they might do the same for us (that's another cost that's not included on my list).

Thanks again, it's great to be able to see what everyone paid for each item and give me ideas how to cut it back a bit.

Devon
xxxx

[briggsy's girl]

It's no longer called the baby bonus, it is maternity payment, it will be paid in installment for everybody as of Jan 2009 and if you and your partner have a combined income of 75,000 in the six months after bub is born you will not be eligible to recieve it. Have a look in the finances sections there was quite a bit of debate about it around the time the new budget was handed down in government.

just want to correct this one - Ash - it is currently named the baby bonus, and has been for quite a while. the name is bound to change in January though

at this point, it's available to everyone who has a bub before Jan 1 2009, and is paid in a lump sum (unless you are under 18, or request installments). after Jan 1 2009, it will be means tested (so if you earn more than 75k in the six months after bub is born, you don't get it) and will be paid in 13 installments for everyone

[AnyDream]

I'm with Trish on this - no need to spend a fortune.

First time round things were very tight so we made do with whatever we could, ie $20 chest of drawers, $20 change mat (used it on the floor/kitchen bench/bed and therefore never needed a change table), did without the baby bath, were given an old cot which I checked against the Australian Standard and it was compliant. The most I paid was $150 for a safensound capsule, $60 for a tetra snuggle bed, $40 for an onkaparinga wool blanket (from the factory), $120 for a babyco pram (which was actually quite useful as it was light, yet had features like the longer handle that you could flip over so bub was facing me), and $30 for an ABA sling. Other things like a rocker, bouncinette, picked up for $10 here or there. They don't really need a high chair until they are sitting up and eating which is over 6 months old, we paid less than $100 for one that folds down for storage which was really useful even after DD1 outgrew it for all the little people who come and visit us for lunches/dinners!

This time round, we added a few more luxuries, namely a Boori Matilda cradle (which I loved because of the rocking action) which was $300 on ebay, and several hundred dollars for furniture (shelves, chest of drawers, toy/blanket box) from the pine warehouse place. We also bought a nearly-new Emmaljunga on eBAy for under $400. And I splurged on new slings too. Picked everything else up on ebay/at the baby & kid's markets, most of it was second hand and unused or nearly new. People buy/are given heaps of stuff that they barely even use so there's always masses of good stuff floating around on the second hand market. I'm very picky and everything we got was nice.