Looking for some feedback on my budget (sell, sale, items)

[katestar]

We are expecting a baby in March, our first. There will be the three of us and a small dog (Morkie, 9 months currently).

I've budgeted everything to the penny and left $1200 a month for food, entertainment, baby expenses and dog expenses. We live in Orlando. As far as the puppy, her food and meds are about $300 a year which I buy in bulk. We have been on the PetSmart Banfield plan for her wellness which runs $30/month and will run $20/month once she turns one. I don't know if we will keep it after she turns one. We also need $40 every two months for her for grooming. I'm predicting she will cost us $600-800 for the year in regular expenses.

Aside from that, I'm thinking $100/week ($400/month) each for food and entertainment. I lumped going out to eat into entertainment. Not sure how much entertainment we'll be able to enjoy once the baby is here. We do have free babysitting for outings. Entertainment will also included activities such as swimming lessons which are relatively cheap ($40/8 sessions). Food also includes household stuff (toilet paper, shampoos etc). I'm thinking the other $400 will split half and half between baby stuff (clothes, diapers etc) and misc expenses.

Obviously there is no way to know for sure what we will spend, but anyone in a similar situation think I'm close, over/under budgeting? My goal is to get it to $1000/month, but I'm thinking that our expenses will increase not decrease. I shop the sales for food and try to get a coupon or a deal on anything that I buy. I do not use coupons and am not sure where to start on that or even if I will have time for all that.

Any tips or techniques for keeping on budget? I plan to sign up with Amazon to get diapers cheaper and other household items. Thank you in advance.

[Sarahsez]

As you already know, your budget is going to be a matter of trial and error. Do you have a contingency budget for when you overrun your allowance? For instance, we don't have monthly budgeting for vet bills on our dog. I only take him him when he needs his annual shots and exam or if he somehow gets sick. This past year, he caught kennel cough when I took him in for shots. He had a ~$600 bill for treatment of a bite from another dog. And we moved into a new house with a fenced yard where we have left the gate open twice. Microchipping was another $75. None of those bills were planned, but don't necessarily fit into regular budgeting.

It has been a few years since there has been a baby in the house. I signed up with all of the diaper companies and formula companies for the coupons. For the most part, I used generic diapers, but it takes a while to figure out which diapers don't leak and don't cause diaper rash. Coupons were always nice. I mainly nursed my babies, but kept formula as a backup. One thing I learned then that I assume is still true is that formula is so highly regulated that it really didn't matter what brand you used. I remember there being a recall on formula and several name brands and generics were recalled because they were all the same product by the same manufacturer. That is something to look into if you plan to bottlefeed.

[katestar]

Originally Posted by Sarahsez

As you already know, your budget is going to be a matter of trial and error. Do you have a contingency budget for when you overrun your allowance? For instance, we don't have monthly budgeting for vet bills on our dog. I only take him him when he needs his annual shots and exam or if he somehow gets sick. This past year, he caught kennel cough when I took him in for shots. He had a ~$600 bill for treatment of a bite from another dog. And we moved into a new house with a fenced yard where we have left the gate open twice. Microchipping was another $75. None of those bills were planned, but don't necessarily fit into regular budgeting.

It has been a few years since there has been a baby in the house. I signed up with all of the diaper companies and formula companies for the coupons. For the most part, I used generic diapers, but it takes a while to figure out which diapers don't leak and don't cause diaper rash. Coupons were always nice. I mainly nursed my babies, but kept formula as a backup. One thing I learned then that I assume is still true is that formula is so highly regulated that it really didn't matter what brand you used. I remember there being a recall on formula and several name brands and generics were recalled because they were all the same product by the same manufacturer. That is something to look into if you plan to bottlefeed.

We will have money left over at the end of the month which I plan to split between retirement and regular savings. If we get unexpected vet bills as you did, I would either take it out of that monthly surplus, cut back the payment on my student loan (I'm paying more), cut back that month on regular expenses and/or set up a payment plan over the next few months. We also have the emergency fund, which is tucked away in an online savings account and I don't really like to go into it. Worst case and the sky falls down, I always have my parents (but that is absolute worst case).

[Nerys52SoSilver]

Some sites for tips Frugal Village - Frugal Living by Sara Noel and allthough a UK site still lots of general tips from the british folks over on www.moneysavingexpert.com/
One thing about babies they grow fast so when people give like clothes for gifts ask/exchange for several sizes. Do you have some savings for unexpected costs. Like mentioned coupons, USA has lots of freebies, samples. Even if you plan to breastfeed a can of formula is needed just in case. If you have surplus things you can sell on ebay like jewelry, clothes, bags etc you can put that money away to cover items you will need.
Keep a small notebook about al lincoming money and write down daily all you spend. Keep looking this over on a weekly basis.
When going to shop use cash for small things just swiping a cc you do not see the money. Think about what you buy do you need it want it really have to have it. Stop and think before buying. Keeping a budget can be done.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

You can't always plan expenses for a baby until they're born. You may plan on breastfeeding to save money and it may turn out to be impossible, for example, or you may want to use generic diapers but find that they leak and you end up doing much more laundry with them. I think you'll have plenty though.

You could buy a pair of clippers and learn to groom the dog yourself, that would save a little bit of money.

[katestar]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

You can't always plan expenses for a baby until they're born. You may plan on breastfeeding to save money and it may turn out to be impossible, for example, or you may want to use generic diapers but find that they leak and you end up doing much more laundry with them. I think you'll have plenty though.

You could buy a pair of clippers and learn to groom the dog yourself, that would save a little bit of money.

Yes, this is on the list of things to do. We are thinking of trying it.

I do realize it's hard to plan expenses and maybe I'm getting ahead of myself with all this planning.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by katestar

We are expecting a baby in March, our first. There will be the three of us and a small dog (Morkie, 9 months currently).

I've budgeted everything to the penny and left $1200 a month for food, entertainment, baby expenses and dog expenses. We live in Orlando. As far as the puppy, her food and meds are about $300 a year which I buy in bulk. We have been on the PetSmart Banfield plan for her wellness which runs $30/month and will run $20/month once she turns one. I don't know if we will keep it after she turns one. We also need $40 every two months for her for grooming. I'm predicting she will cost us $600-800 for the year in regular expenses.

Aside from that, I'm thinking $100/week ($400/month) each for food and entertainment. I lumped going out to eat into entertainment. Not sure how much entertainment we'll be able to enjoy once the baby is here. We do have free babysitting for outings. Entertainment will also included activities such as swimming lessons which are relatively cheap ($40/8 sessions). Food also includes household stuff (toilet paper, shampoos etc). I'm thinking the other $400 will split half and half between baby stuff (clothes, diapers etc) and misc expenses.

Obviously there is no way to know for sure what we will spend, but anyone in a similar situation think I'm close, over/under budgeting? My goal is to get it to $1000/month, but I'm thinking that our expenses will increase not decrease. I shop the sales for food and try to get a coupon or a deal on anything that I buy. I do not use coupons and am not sure where to start on that or even if I will have time for all that.

Any tips or techniques for keeping on budget? I plan to sign up with Amazon to get diapers cheaper and other household items. Thank you in advance.

As far as your dog goes, it looks like the Banfield plan is pretty good as far as covering office visits. The total is $240/year and looks like it includes vaccines, too. The clinic I take my dog to charges $55 for an office visit. Since you have such a young dog, it's not impossible you would take the dog several times to the vet. And you could do it without worrying about how often you go under this plan. So, I think this is a pretty good value.

I would also add some pet insurance, though. I know that increases your budget, but would give you peace of mind. I just did a bunch of research on pet insurance. I originally signed up for ASPCA, but after looking closely at the policy, was really unhappy with the limits. So, I switched to Healthy Paws. There are threads on the dog forum about others' experiences with other insurance companies. I know I read that others were happy with VPI, but I chose Healthy Paws because I thought the coverage was better.

I chose the plan with the lowest annual deductible, and the highest payout. (I am on a very low fixed income, and can't afford giant surprise bills, so I pay for insurance for everything lol!) I also wanted to be sure my dog would be covered for any long term illnesses. She was still barely under the 6 year old limit for long term coverage. Anyway, I pay just under $50 a month for the peace of mind. This is for a $100 annual deductible, and 90% reimbursement. I did this because I can budget $50/month, and believe I can handle a 10% bill. This plan does not include wellness, but she's 5 1/5 years old, and just really needs a yearly exam and annual vaccines. You could cut that monthly amount significantly by changing the deductible and percentage of coverage.

10 Best Pet Insurance 2014 | Consumer's Advocate

I make my dog's food, (I look for meat at $1/lb or less, add rice and veggies and broth). Good packaged dog food can cost over $2/lb. I have a good friend, though, with a 1 year old dog, who prefers store bought dog food, as she doesn't have time to deal with cooking for the dog. You won't either, likely, with a baby. But, you can find really good dog food for cheap at places like Grocery Outlet. You just need to swing by the dog aisle on a regular basis, and when they get a shipment in of the good stuff, buy a bunch of it.

For grins, I looked to see if you had a grocery outlet type store in Orlando, and you do:

Sacks Grocery Outlets, Inc.

Maybe you already shop there, but you can save soooo much money on groceries and other random things at these types of stores.

Another option for dog food is Costco. They carry a really high quality food without grains, etc., at a fantastic price. My friend doesn't buy her food at Costco because she has no room to store a giant bag of food. But, this would be an option for you.

For flea and worm medicine...

I found this online source to be the cheapest for worm medicine. They faxed a form to my vet, and my vet faxed it back to them. I made sure my vet was okay with this and they said, no problem.

Pet Medications, Pet Supplies, Flea And Tick, Heartworm | PetMart Pharmacy

Ask your vet which type of worms your area gets. The different medicines don't all target the same type of worms. My area has a problem with tapeworms, so I chose the heartworm medicine that will kill tapeworms, too.

Iverhart Max | PetMart Pharmacy

For flea medicine, the cheapest option is to buy the Advantage (or whichever one you prefer) for large dogs, then dose it down for your dog. You can save a huge amount of money this way.

For instance, the largest dog tube of Advantage contains 4 ml. You figure out how many ml that is per pound (don't have my chart in front of me.) My dog only requires 1 ml for her size. So, I can get 4 months of treatments out of one tube. One large dog tube costs about $12, so I can treat my dog for only $3/month. You just get a 1 ml syringe and a little vial. Pour the medicine into the vial, and suck out what you need for your little dog, and squeeze the medicine onto it's back.

Those are my money saving tricks for dog costs.

You mentioned Amazon. I always look at the "used" items for whatever I'm shopping for. Often, there are Amazon Warehouse deals listed, where something was returned, or the packaging is messed up. You can get something that's absolutely fine for way cheaper than even the Amazon price.

[mainebrokerman]

looks pretty good to me,,,good job!!

id like to suggest coupons,,, use coupons for what you use,,,cheaper diapers/toilet paper/drinks/foods

it does work..

[MrsMac]

Do you live near a Costco? Costco diapers and wipes are the best and they frequently have coupons (which is the best time to stock up. If you end up with a size the baby has grown out of you can always exchange the unopened package for the right one). We also buy the Kirkland brand toilet paper and paper towels. They often have Carter's clothes for a great price, too, though signing up for the Carter's mailing list you get awesome coupons to use in the store. Definitely do that if you live near one! Using the coupons on top of clearance pricing to buy ahead means you can get great quality outfits for just a few dollars. (It's not a budget tip but after a year or so you can also sign up for one of the big baby/kid consignment sales - here it's Just Between Friends - and sell your old good condition outgrown clothing. Babies outgrow things so fast and everyone loves to buy baby clothes as gifts so it's easy to end up with lots of things to sell.) Congratulations on the upcoming addition to the family!

[no kudzu]

Every major area has a Mothers of Multiples Club. They are terrific places to get sale clothes and all the gear you need. You take your own laundry basket or roll around bag and load up. Go early. Once you have things to sell yourself you can be among the first to shop before the general public. I bought absolutely everything I needed for my 4 kids and saved a huge amount of money. books, toys, gear,sheets, baby gates, games, monitors, clothes. everything child oriented there. My kids always looked clean and fresh. I never bought used shoes. not healthy. a sale every spring and fall. look into it.

Bathe your dog yourself and if you aren't comfortable clipping him yourself splurge every 8 weeks or so taking him to the groomer. Get quality food-no grains and not from grocery store to keep dog healthy and you save on vet bills.Watch that gate.