Sunday I attended a baby shower and they had some really cute pacifier favors and pink confetti decorating the table.  I thought the pacifier favors were so cute (and inexpensive) that I had to share them with you.  These are made using white peppermint lifesavers, mini jelly beans, melted white chocolate, and ribbon. 

Directions:

Unwrap your peppermint lifesavers and set aside.
Precut your ribbon and set aside. (You can use your craft store coupons to save money on ribbon.)  The ribbon should be about four inches long. 
Melt the chocolate.  Put a little dab of melted chocolate in the center of some of the peppermints.  …read more

Right now Sweet Grass Farm is running a pretty kick-butt deal on their natural products just for special readers. Sweet Grass Farm just launched their new Facebook fan page and if you become a fan on their Facebook Fan page you can receive 20% off your order! (see code details below).

This is a pretty sweet deal, because Sweet Grass products are healthy products for home and body. They carry a multitude of items like Hand Cut Soaps, Bath Oils, Natural Cleaning Products, Laundry Detergent, baby products and more. Most of the ingredients used by Sweet Grass Farm are natural and …read more

One major way to cut down on baby costs is to borrow like there’s no tomorrow. However, some items are better purchased new, like a car seat and some research notes that baby crib mattresses are safer new. You can likely buy both a car seat and crib mattress used (or borrow one) but if you’re going to save money by borrowing other items you may as well buy these new.

Baby items you can safely borrow:

Baby clothing
Blankets, burp cloths, and other baby textiles.
Cloth diapers. If washed and dried these are perfectly safe and clean, even used.
Baby toys, books, and other …read more

Everyone says, “Babies are so expensive.” I don’t totally agree. I also know folks who put off having a second tot due to perceived costs. First of all, babies are less expensive than advertised; not to make them sound like cars, but you can get a good deal on your baby (see the end of this post for tips), and secondly, siblings can be even cheaper than the first baby.

What costs do come up with all kids:
Food + health care + school (if you pay for private) + time (if you consider time is money).
How siblings don’t cost as much …read more

This is actually a great secret way to save not only money but time on baby gear – and we all know time is money.
It’s pretty simple. NEVER tell people the baby’s gender. Keep your baby’s gender under lock and key to save both time and money.

How it works:
Friends and family will buy you plenty of baby gear. This rocks because, well, you need baby gear. You’ll get clothes, toys, and all kinds of extra goodies. However, what I’ve noticed is that as soon as you tell people your baby’s gender, people loose their flipping minds when it comes to …read more

One of the  baby-raising costs that many parents budget for is toys. The big secret is that you can almost entirely scratch this cost off your budget plan. Why?
Toys are the most fun baby gift (maybe besides clothing) for folks to give, so plenty of people will give your baby toys. Wait until after your baby shower, AND after your baby arrives to even consider buying a toy. Some folks will likely give you toys when the baby arrives.

Also, babies are actually not that into toys. I’d wager that my son Cedar played with about 10% of his toys before …read more

If you’re expecting, one major worry is likely maternity or paternity leave, and if it’s not a worry, it should be. Maternity leave rights in the U.S. and maternity leave pay seriously lag behind when compared to the rights and pay of many other developed countries. That said, if you plan before hand you may be able to afford to stay home with your baby.

PLAN AHEAD: While 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned, there are still many families who do plan their pregnancy, and this offers a nice chance to save. If you know you’re going to start a family …read more

Babies can cost a lot – in theory. You read plenty of reports that say things like, “It costs X amount to raise a baby” but those numbers aren’t all that accurate in my opinion. If you cut out specific large baby costs you can save loads and raise a baby on the cheap.

Baby items you can ditch to save money:
The crib: Cribs, bassinets, and other sleeping items (sheets, mobiles, music boxes, etc) can all be eliminated by co-sleeping. My son co-slept and went straight from my bed to a futon on the floor (not some waste of cash …read more

In a word – NO.
In many more words, here’s the problem with baby life insurance…
According to Smart Money and Consumer Reports life insurance for a newborn makes little to no financial sense unless your little one happens to be the sole bread winner in the family. Obviously this is rare unless your tot is big time Hollywood, so skip that insurance.

In the Smart Money piece, an actuary with the consumer advocacy group Consumer Federation of America, notes that baby life insurance is not only unnecessary but that, “It’s never a good idea.“
Why you don’t need baby life insurance:

The main reason …read more

If you’ve got a little one, you know how expensive they can be. Diapers, clothing, toys, and all of that adds up quickly. If you’d like to save some cash, and learn about the best current baby deals visit Baby Cheapskate.
Baby Cheapskate is a blog run by mama Angie. This mama locates all sorts of nice deals to help out other parents. You’ll see all sorts of posts designed to save you money like…

Top 10 Most Useless Baby Items
Free Huggies Diaper and Lotion Sample
Printable Coupons: Seventh Generation Baby Products
Two FREE Years of Parents Magazine
And …read more