A bundle of joy and the extra expenses
Our family received a bundle of joy last Friday and it has been really great. Though the joy and happiness experienced is not measurable in monetary terms, it is inevitable that every addition will have a financial impact to the family.
Some of it include pre/ post natal check-ups, hospital bills, confinement care, change of mummy’s wardrobe (!), baby bills (clothes, nappies, diapers, wet tissues, nappy cream, milk powder, feeding bottles, sterilisers, teats, pacifiers, bottle warmers, flasks, baby bag, hankies, blankets, towels etc. ), paed bills, vaccination bills, toys, insurance, education fund etc.
While we are always on the look out for cheaper alternatives, these items do add up quite a bit over time. Some alternatives we are using include breast feeding, recycling the older sibling’s clothes and accessories and using past experience as a guide to buying things. For example, I would not go buy a rubber mat again to line the baby, instead, I will use a towel – does the job as well not so “cold” that it would startle the baby.
I know of people who have kids and say that we leave the future to the future and not fret about the costs involved, nor do they need to worry about education and insurance coverage. While I do agree to some extent that some things are better left to divine forces, there are still things that need to be managed and calculated. But then again, I may be over worrying.
And as a friend said to me – “We are going to be bankrupt for life!”. Haha, and yet, we still want to have these little bundle of joy running around.
