It's a well-known fact at this point that the cost of raising a child is pretty significant. In fact, in the modern age, the cost of raising a child to adulthood can range in the hundreds-of-thousands! Because of this, it's pretty understandable that a lot of people work hard to try and save as much money as possible. One of the biggest challenges getting in the way of this is the fact that babies and kids need a lot of stuff, and pretty much all of that stuff costs money, whether you like it or not. However, just because you have to spend money doesn't mean that you need to bankrupt yourself. Here are a few simple things that you can do in order to save money on the purchases for your new arrival.

People can have a weird attitude towards buying anything second-hand and baby stuff even more so. The truth is that the vast majority of stuff for babies is perfectly good if you get it used or as a hand-me-down from friends and family. Sure, there are some things, like a car seat, that you really should get new. But there's nothing wrong with getting everything from the cot, clothes, and toys from charity shops or places like eBay rather than shelling out huge amounts of money for something brand new. Even the big purchases can be solved this way. If you need a bigger car then you may think you have to spend huge amounts of money. But if you look at the Vauxhall SUV range you may well find that there are plenty of deals on used cars. There will always be a debate when it comes to used vs new cars but if you’re trying to save money, it can be seriously useful.

One of the most frustrating things is when you've spent a lot of time trying to find the best possible deal on something for your baby, especially something large like a piece of furniture, and then you're suddenly hit with a huge extra expense when it comes to getting it delivered. In order to save money on your delivery, you can use companies like Shiply, who connect you to delivery companies and couriers at a fraction of the price that you'd normally pay. Of course, if you want to save even more money you can just go and collect the item yourself. Just be careful the last thing you want is to buy something and then realise that you can fit it in the back of your car.

It's fun to buy things for your new baby. It's the kind of thing that a lot of people really enjoy because baby stuff is adorable! However, a lot of it is, to put it generously, pretty much useless. Babies have very simple needs, and as long as those needs are covered, you don't really have to worry. Just focus on the essentials, and you'll not only be able to save yourself a lot of money, but you'll also be in a position where your home is a lot less cluttered!

Of course, it's important that you're able to recognise the difference between things that you need and things that you want. Babies aren't especially complicated, and outside of the necessities, you really don't need to be shelling out huge amounts of money. It's far better to put that money aside for a rainy day instead.