Book Review: The Baby Cheapskate – Guide to Bargains by Angela Wynne

Having a baby?

How to get everything you need—without breaking the bank.

When Angela Wynne started preparing for her baby’s arrival, she was overwhelmed by all the must-haves she supposedly needed. She quickly discovered that the average American family can expect to shell out more than $23,000 for the first two years of the baby’s life.

Daunted by the cost of having a baby, Angela soon realized she had a gift for ferreting out the best bargains—and decided to share her findings with other parents online, with her uber-successful blog BabyCheapskate.com. And now, in The Babycheapskate Guide to Bargains, she gives you must-have advice on buying the best for your baby for less.

No I am NOT having a baby, but I almost wish I was.  Ok, maybe not, but I DO wish I had this book when I was having babies.  This book would have been a life-saver to me and I am sure it will be to many, many pregnant and new moms out there.  Even though I am not expecting a baby, I learned something about searching on Google for products from this book.  

The book is not only full of advice from Wynne, but also full of reader tips from moms.  The best advice I ever got since I became a mom came from real moms and learning from their successes and failures.  This book is full of them.

One of the best tips in the book was what are the “Needs”, the “Extras”, the “Later-Ons” and the “Really Cool Things” to register for.  It can be so overwhelming going to Target or Babies R Us and deciding to what to register for.  If you are a first time parent-to-be it can be hard to know for sure what and how much you are going to need.  BABY CHEAPSKATE lays it all our for you.  

The book also includes a wealth of information about signing up for coupons, baby clubs, and getting those all important discounts.  With social media, you can also “follow” or “like” numerous baby related companies for discount opportunities.

One tip that I was thinking of when I read the book was related to the high chair.  Wynne also addresses the high chair debate: to get one or not.  If I was having another child I would NOT get a high chair.  I found the clamp chair (a chair that clamps to a table/counter) and booster chairs to work just fine when the baby had outgrown a bouncy seat.  The high chair takes up so much space and isn’t easy to clean or move around.  So, if you take anything at all from this review….save your money and skip the high chair!

Another great tip is to NEVER buy diapers without a coupon.  I still get coupons in the mail for diapers and my baby is 7 so I always pass them on to my friends and family who need them.  There are always diaper coupons out there and if they are close to expiring, stock up on the size you are using or the next size you will be moving into.  Don’t let those coupons go to waste.  There is no reason to ever pay full-price for diapers.  You have to buy them anyway and those $1 and $2 savings really do add up.

I think Wynne has thought of everything when it comes to baby shopping.  If you are a first-time parent, buying this book will save you hundreds of dollars!  I will be passing my copy on to my friend who is about to be a new mommy this summer.