What Baby Wants, Baby Gets

JD and I went shopping for Beatrice's birthday gifts the other day. We were only going to get a few toys, maybe some books, an outfit or 2. We thought we'd spend $50 or so. 5 DVDs, 3 books, 4 outfits, 3 pairs of shoes, and countless toys later, we left. We spent over $250. We got a little carried away. But it is her first birthday and we just couldn't help ourselves. And in all honesty, we have bought very little for our girl this year. We have been blessed to have our mothers buy most of her clothes and aunts and uncles have supplied her with toys. This first year has been relatively cheap. 

Everyone told us that having a baby would be the most expensive thing we'd ever do but we have managed to raise a baby on the cheap. To date, here are the typical baby expenses we've encountered:

Natural childbirth with no drugs: $1000 (This is what we paid, insurance covered the rest).

Pediatrician visits: $100 (5 well baby visits at $20 a pop).

Milk: Free! (I make my own milkies and Beatrice thinks they're delicious).

Diapers: $200 (We use cloth so this amount includes the initial cost of diapers and detergent. Best parenting/budgeting decision evah).

Food: A bazillion dollars (Our child is a little piggy. She eats like a teenage boy).

Clothes: $200 (I have not had to buy her anything but having a girl makes not shopping for mary janes and smocked dresses impossible).

Wipes: $50 (There are cloth wipes out there but I'm not that green).

Toys: $250 (See above birthday shopping extravaganza). 

In a year, we've spent approximately $1800. When the average estimated cost of raising a child is $250,000 for 18 years, we feel pretty good about the measly 2 grand we've spent this year. I know it is only going to get more expensive as she gets older, but at this rate we can afford at least 3 more babies right away. Honey? Honey, are you there? Okay maybe not right away, but we can afford to buy a boat load of toys and books and clothes for our girl's first birthday in 3 short days. And maybe think about another baby soon......

Beatrice says, "I'm not ready to be a big girl."