Feeling the cash crunch on maternity leave? How to cut costs

Feeling the cash crunch on maternity leave? How to cut costs

The early days after you have a baby are sleep-deprived and very busy. They can also be a challenge financially if you’re on maternity leave with a cut to your income.

Here are some tips on how to survive a maternity leave cash crunch.

Be ruthless about needs and wants

If you are finding that money is tight, eliminate unnecessary spending from your budget. It’s not forever, and it can really help you stay on track with your budget during your leave.

Be energy efficient

You should always be energy efficient because of the cost savings, but if money is tight, it’s even more important. Turn lights off when you leave the room, turn the air conditioner up a couple of degrees in the summer and turn the heat down a couple of degrees in the winter. Take showers instead of baths. Get plumbing leaks fixed to reduce water waste.

You’d be surprised at how much “green” you can put in your wallet, simply by adopting green practices in your home.

Stockpile

When you’ve got a newborn at home, there are certain items that you are going to use a lot of. Take advantage of bulk buying and savings (as well as avoiding the need to run out to the store in a panic) by stockpiling certain items.

Stock up on laundry soap and diapers. If you’re buying a bunch of diapers, don’t forget that you may need a couple of different sizes as the baby grows. Paper towels and other paper products are a good idea as well.

Stock your freezer

If you are tending to your newborn, you probably don’t have a lot of time to cook, which leaves you reaching for the takeout menus more often than your budget would like.

Friends and family are always eager to help after baby is born, and this is something that they can do for you. Ask people to cook meals and stock your freezer. Conversely, if you’d like to cook yourself, ask them to watch the baby while you fill your freezer up with go-to-meals over the coming weeks.