3 Money-Saving Tips For Birth Mothers

Not every birth mother chooses adoption because of a lack of money, but for many birth mothers, finances are an important consideration. The problem is, if you can't afford to take care of a baby the way that you want to, you may also have difficulty affording the expenses associated with a pregnancy. Financial difficulties can make your pregnancy much more stressful than it needs to be. Luckily, there are things that you can do to save money and make your pregnancy easier to handle. Take a look at some money-saving tips that can help you get through the next several months.

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When you're eating for two, the food bill can get out of hand pretty quickly. What's worse, attempting to reduce your food bill can lead you down the path of inexpensive junk food that's low in nutritional quality. That's a problem, because your baby not only needs you to eat, it needs you to eat healthy food as much as possible to encourage optimum development.

You may need to rethink your entire grocery shopping routine. Start clipping coupons. Hit several different grocery stores to find the best deals in each one, instead of doing all of your shopping in one store. You should also find out if you have a local farmer's market nearby. Farmer's markets are great places to get fresh produce – which is good for your baby – at a much lower price than you can find at the grocery store.

Learn to Make a Budget

Budgeting is a good idea for anyone, regardless of whether or not they're pregnant. The problem is, many people don't learn how to do it until they are faced with more expenses than they can easily handle – like when you have expenses relating to a pregnancy that you need to cover. So, if you haven't yet learned how to make a budget and stick to it, now is the time for a crash course.

Start by writing down all of your fixed monthly expenses, like rent and utilities, and their due dates. Then calculate how much you spend on things like food, medical expenses, entertainment, and clothing (don't forget that you will probably need to buy maternity clothes soon). Finally, write down all of your sources of income, how much you make, and when you get paid. This will help you work out the best ways to make your money last through the month while still getting everything paid. If your expenses exceed your income, you may have to cut back on something nonessential, like cable television service.

One method that works well for many beginning budgeters is the envelope system. This is how it works: label empty envelopes with the names of each of your bills or expenses. One for rent, one for power, one for food, and so on. Whenever you get paid, divide the cash into the envelope. So if you rent is $800 a month and you get paid weekly, you might put $200 a week into the rent envelope, so that you have the full $800 after four weeks. When you pay a bill or go to the store, take the money out of the envelope that's meant for that expense. This is an easy way to develop a clear visual picture of what you're spending and what you have to work with each month.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help

It can be easy to fall into the trap of being too proud to ask for help when you need it. But the truth is that if you're struggling, sometimes asking for help is the best thing that you can do. Your baby deserves good prenatal care and a healthy birth mother, and you owe it to your child to make sure the baby gets what it needs.

Depending on your income, you may qualify for state-funded insurance, housing, and food assistance programs. However, if you don't, the adoptive parents that you choose for your child may be able to assist with these expenses. There are rules in each state about what an adoptive family can pay for in regards to the birth mother – they are limited to certain "customary and reasonable" expenses. Typically, the adoptive family pays all of the legal costs associated with the adoption, so you should be able to work with an adoption agency or lawyer at no cost to yourself. If you do not qualify for Medicaid, the adoptive parents are usually allowed to pay for your medical expenses.

In some states, adoptive parents can give you temporary assistance with your living expenses, which include things like housing, transportation, and food. Check with your adoption agency or lawyer to find out if this applies in your case – you may need to reach a certain point in your pregnancy or have your doctor certify that you're unable to work before adoptive parents are allowed to give this kind of help.

This may be a trying time for you, but there are many things that you can do to reduce the financial burden. A good adoption agency or adoption lawyer will be able to steer you in the right direction and ensure that you have what you need to have a healthy pregnancy, birth, and recovery. 

For more information, talk with an adoption agency or visit here.