HOW WE'RE AFFORDING A BABY | budgeting for baby

[@anaspann3707]

My baby was in the NICU for 2 weeks which was an unplanned $7k medical bill. Not all L&D go according to plan. Keep an open mind but I’ll be praying yours goes smoothly!

[@TheBudgetingWife]

Totally! Praying for a smooth and healthy delivery but I am aware that it could not go as planned. We'll keep saving to cover additional medical if needed. :)

[@evrydaykris]

great to know about the insurance as a dependent

[@kaitlynngrone2672]

It’s nice to hear from people in similar situations as my husband and I! I am due with our first baby May 31st and we have been making sure our budget is all set before baby time! We have been saving, saving, saving and building our emergency fund since before we got married and feel really blessed to be where we are now. It’s been great to follow along with your pregnancy/budgeting journey as I’m only a week behind you in this pregnancy! Praying for a healthy next few months for you and your baby boy!

[@Hopingfor1more]

My doctor was able to bill in monthly increments for the ob cost of delivery. We found it helpful to take care of the doctor costs ahead of time.

[@hannahhensley8497]

Totally agree with wanting to splurge on a stroller! The stroller we got when I was pregnant isn't convertible and it stinks knowing we'll have to buy a double when we have another! Didn't even consider it with our first lol. Not sure if you'd consider if but I've heard people rave about cloth diapers. I didn't do it with my first but I want to with my next one! For reference, my son who is now over 2 still uses about $20-40 worth of a disposable diapers a month (depending on brand), so it definitely adds up! And yes! On the breast pump! Thank you ACA!! I believe you also get pumping supplies (at least I did with Tricare through the first year I believe). It's so interesting to hear about healthcare costs and how different they are for every plan/employer. It makes me so thankful that we have Tricare as a benefit of my husband's service, I can't imagine how stressful it is financially for families that don't have a solid financial footing.

[@kiaraandcooper]

Poshmark is a great place to get cute/cheap maternity clothing! There are some used and new!

[@christyflores5338]

Did you have a separate bill for baby?

[@kayteefarren2475]

Hey! So excited for you - I’m due in the next few weeks with my first as well!! Sounds like you are doing a similar route as us in terms of emergency fun/baby fund. Quick tip - check with insurance if ultrasounds are covered under prenatal care. My OB visits are fully covered as well but I only had 2 fully covered ultrasounds and ended up needing way more in the third trimester just to monitor baby growth. HSA has been amazing!!

[@yojs17_]

Figuring out medical insurance can be so confusing but it is so important. Just a few question about your current plan: once you meet your deductible what percent does your insurance cover? Please get the uppababy vista! I bought it 2.5 years ago because it converts to a double, it has a bassinet, and it is just an awesome stroller! We honestly don’t use it that much because it’s hard to get out of the house with kids sometimes, lol. Now I am pregnant with baby #2 and for the first few months all I need to buy is the adapters for about $40 so we can use the bassinet and the current toddler seat until the new baby needs to the Rumble Seat which I believe is ~$200. My husband always teases me because he says I bought the stroller as my “toy” and not for the baby, lol. Also, I know you aren’t sure if you are going back to work after the baby, but there is the dependent care spending account that you can use for childcare and it is taken out tax free!

[@TheBudgetingWife]

Hey Joy! My deductible is $500 and then insurance covers 80%. My max put of pocket is $3,500 so I’m not sure if I’ll reach that for the delivery if everything goes smoothly!

[@kacilindsay8880]

That is an awesome plan! It's definitely smart to swap the insurance plan baby will be on from a high deductible plan to a lower one for their first year at least because some kiddos(mine) have to go to the doctor much more frequently due to illness, especially if they will be around other kids their age constantly. Also, go ahead and plan to hit your OOP max when baby is born and budget for pictures if you want them taken as well :) I agree with you on the stroller thing too. It doesn't have to be the most expensive one but get one that will hold up through a kid or four. I too wanted a stroller that could transition to a double but we needed one that had rubber tires over plastic ones since we knew we'd be using it on rougher terrain than smooth concrete. We landed on the Baby Jogger City Select because it had those features we wanted. I actually bought mine and all the extra parts for it through Amazon's Warehouse, so check there for great deals on that kind of stuff. Really, the only thing you should buy brand new is a carseat and a crib.

[@tmauntler]

The funny part about this video is seeing how many views there are to dis/likes lol we're all freaking out about our own situation switching between videos without dropping a reaction

[@Edbeatty91]

Great you guys are planning! The medical stuff isn't relatable at all as for myself & my friends we have to cover ourselves & have never had the privilege of being on a parent's health insurance plan. Personally my parents, most of my family, and myself have not had any health insurance at times over the years. Medical bills can be a big stress that most people have.

[@sonyabracho2347]

You will need to pay the individual deductible for baby as well per your husband’s policy. They get their own charges... I wasn’t expecting that. I saved enough for my my charges but didn’t know the baby got their own and I had to pay the $1500 deductible for baby at delivery too 😂

[@lmua8628]

What a great video and idea to save for your upcoming bundle of joy :-)! Def a smart plan to save for any foreseen medical bills and insurance! I wish i had these ideas and resources when i had my daughter but i bet you are helping a ton of expecting parents with your tips!

[@clarissaarroyo8775]

excited to watch 🤗

[@hopester9686]

Congratulation

[@coralnight4304]

Yes! Get the stroller best purchase ever. BUT if you do get it make sure you get all attachments you'll need / the 2nd seat. Incase they change models ext Canadian here and I never see any hospital Bill's ever....its crazy Americans dont have universal health care....I'm sorry you all have to worry about those expenses

[@nikolabenzie4202]

Hey I absolutely love your videos Marissa! So so helpful!! How much paid maternity to do you get with your job? What’s it like the US in terms of that kinda stuff?

[@syd-elbs]

Nikola Benzie I know she answered this in a past video! If I remember correctly she doesn’t get paid maternity leave (as many don’t in the US), but she does get unpaid maternity leave up to 8 weeks. And she has a few weeks of paid time off with her employer that she can use towards the 8 unpaid weeks of maternity leave.

[@TheBudgetingWife]

Hi Nikola. No paid maternity leave at all with my job. Some employers in the US offer paid maternity leave but mine is smaller and does not. But I legally get 12 weeks of unpaid time off and my employer has to keep my job for me. I can use up vacation and sick time I will have accrued. I should have around 6 weeks of sick and vacation time that I will drain when baby comes and the rest will be unpaid!

[@user-dl9or7oi1n]

Marissa Lyda hey marissa! I work for a disability / FMLA company so I’m always working with women who are pregnant and need time off. Please look into starting short term disability as well. You can get 6-8 weeks automatically with pregnancy of income replacement through your company. And if you have complications the max allowed time on it 26 weeks. I’ve seen companies pay out from 60%-100%. Let me know if you were able to successfully look into it. Most companies set it up when you set up the family medical leave (FMLA) 💕

[@mjgfam8778]

Ate marissa. Do the morning routine while pregnant. Please

[@naomiflores5933]

Marissa! Are you going to be putting together an online registry? I’m sure some subscribers would love to get a few things you may need, I know I would! ❤️

[@TheBudgetingWife]

Ahh you're so sweet! I do have a Target registry. :)

[@alexisburch9286]

Exciting!:)

[@nicolettecarpenter9863]

You’re affording a baby because you bring in 6k a month and have no debt...of course you can afford a child...

[@alexandriaw.3088]

They worked extremely hard to get to that point. Why discredit others for hard work that lead to success?

[@nicolettecarpenter9863]

Alexandria W. I wasn’t discrediting at all...working hard doesn’t always yield the results they’ve gotten...they’ve been privileged along the way to not have anything major come up as well

[@clothyoriginal]

It's all relative though, having a larger income means they probably have a higher than average mortgage, bills etc the % is probably the same. Having a baby doesn't have to be expensive but if you have the money to buy nicer things without stretching yourself then that's great, I know I'd do it if I had the money.

[@TheBudgetingWife]

I do realize that I'm very fortunate to be on my parents' insurance. Like I mentioned, though, it doesn't cost my family any extra to have me on their plan. I can get insurance through my employer (which is fully covered by them) but it's just not as good. We do pay for my husband's insurance with his employer though! Also, I am on my family's phone plan but I pay for my entire line. It was just cheaper to stay on the family plan than for my husband and I to get our own. And we lived with my parents for a year during our debt-free journey (and paid rent), which I'm very grateful for! Also, we live in a high cost of living area so our income is pretty average for our area. :)

[@mjgfam8778]

Ate marissa. Do the morning routine while pregnant. Please