Financial Fears With a New Baby

If you’re making more money than you imagined, or you’re both out of work, you’re still probably wondering how you will afford the things you want for your baby.  While food and clothes (and diapers) are essential, we all have dreams for our little ones that can include anything from a cozy nursery to private school. Dads aren’t the only ones worrying about how to support his family.  When we have a baby, we’re ready to drop almost everything just to provide for them.  We want them to have everything we had, and more.  How are you going to pay for it??

Getting pregnant can up the ante on fears like this.  Especially in economic times like these, most of us are concerned about our financial situations.  But there is nothing like getting ready to bring your child into the world to fill you with some pretty serious financial fears.  So what is it that you think you need?

1. A house that’s big enough for all of you
2. Clothes
3. Toys
4. Shoes
5. Doctor appointments / medicine / health insurance
6. Airfare / gas / bus tickets for trips to visit family
7. Daycare
8. School
9. Diapers!
10. College fund

If you’re like most of us, you probably don’t have all the money you need to make every dream a reality.  So you worry about it – maybe every time you go to the bank; maybe with every paycheck (or lack thereof); maybe every time you pay your rent / mortgage; maybe every morning when you wake up.

We usually let our lifestyles match our finances, instead of the other way around.  This means that if you were able to make the amount of money you ideally want to make, you would probably find more things you want for your baby.  So no matter how much money you have, you’ll always wish for something you can’t afford.  And this leaves us with the almost unattainable ideal for living with life: to want what you have, instead of having what you want.

But what if you’re reading this thinking, “We don’t have enough money to live, let alone buy toys and pay for school!”  It will all work out.  If need be, you sell everything and move in with your parents.  They’d probably never be so happy to have you move back home as when you’re bringing their adorable grandchild to stay with them.

And if all else fails, stand by the freeway off ramp and offer people photos with your exquisite baby for five-bucks a pop.