Our Budget With a 6-Month-Old

We've written before about how much a baby costs, but not in this much detail. I sat down and ran the numbers the other day, and it really surprised me.

• $150 on formula (32 oz/day)
• $50 on diapers (six/day)
• $704 on day care
• $30 for chiropractic care
• $277 for health insurance

Total: $1,211/month* *Based on 4.4 weeks in a month

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But what about...

• Wipes? Day care provides wipes during the day, and we got so many wipes at our showers that we haven't bought any.
• Clothes? We haven't bought any clothes yet, thanks to gifts and hand-me-downs from my sister.
• Trips to Babies 'R' Us? I spent $18 this week on bibs, a Razbaby teether and Boogie Wipes. I can't remember the last time I did this. We really try to keep these trips to a minimum. I don't have an accurate number for how much these items cost us per month, but maybe $5-10/month.

Miscellaneous/non-monthly costs:

• At this point, our hospital bills are paid in full ($4,013).
• Decorating the nursery cost about $1,100.
• Birth announcements ($120) and thank-yous ($42) are done.
• We've paid $275 so far for well-baby checkups and other doctor visit co-pays ($25 each).

Upcoming costs:

• Additional car seats as she grows.
• We still need to do our estate plan.
• I haven't figured out yet how baby food will affect our budget (we've made some and bought some).
• Etc...

Let me know if you have any questions. There is probably something I am leaving out...

--- P.S. You can do better on formula prices but we have chosen to use Earth's Best Organic, as discussed in a post about the ingredients in infant formula.

P.P.S. A baby is a huge blessing and totally worth the costs that come along with it! I wanted to add this up for those of you who are planning to go from a family of two to three - it can be unclear about how much it will affect your budget.