What you can expect to spend more (or less) on in the first year of parenting

So it’s been a year and its time to take a look back. Not at all the cute photos, sleepless nights or special moments. No, it’s time to look at the financials. As a parent you fully expect to be broke from the time your child pops out to the time they are done school and on their own (and sometimes not even then).  So I have listed the obvious and not so obvious  things that will be eating up a larger chunk of the yearly budget:

  • Medical bills (duh)
  • Clothes (not for you)
  • Food bill (formula, baby food and those tasty little snack puffs aren’t cheep)
  • Stuffed animals
  • Shutterfly
  • Grooming products (for the baby)
  • Toys
  • College savings account
  • Heath care (how you get hosed before your medical bills)
  • Diapers (roughly equal to the price of a KIA Sorento)
  • Gas (trips driving around to get your damn kid to nap)
  • Electric bill
  • Water bill
  • Heating bill
  • Paper towels
  • Advil
  • Coffee
  • Dog treats (as you inevitably feel guilty for spending less time with your pets)
  • Christmas
  • Stamps
  • Batteries
  • Frozen pizza

But don’t let the list above get you down. There are plenty of things you will be spending less money on and while this may not tip the scale the other way, it at least helps to soften the blow:

  • Eating out
  • Clothes for you (no point in looking nice if you’ll just be thrown up on)
  • Movies (I saw 1 in the last year)
  • Concerts (no Mumford)
  • Grooming products (why look nice, no one will want to go out with you anyhow)
  • Gym memberships
  • Vacations (haha – where do you think you’re going)
  • Books
  • Ski/snowboarding trips (see vacations above)
  • Beer (either by drinking cheaper or drinking less, thought you may want to drink more)
  • Meals that take 30 minutes or more to prepare
  • Hockey/baseball/football tickets
  • Take out pizza

 

 

Pat Lemieux

About Pat Lemieux

Pat has it all, family, big old house, dogs, a young son and a quarter-life crisis. He blogs about trying to be who he has always been and be who he now needs to be. He enjoys 90's grunge metal, tasty local brews and the outdoors.