How We Adjusted Our Budget for a... BABY?!

It's true! A baby is swiftly on the way, and not without a few... massive tweaks to the budget. Follow along as Hannah candidly recalls all the ways she and her husband have slowly adjusted their budget since learning the life-changing news of welcoming their first child!

Learn how Ernie budgeted to adopt his three sons:

See every penny Laura spent from conception through her baby's first four months:

Where to start when budgeting for a new baby:

Three different ways to create a baby budget in YNAB:

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:59 When Google failed us...
1:27 ... we turned to the budget.
1:43 Step #1: Create a category group for all things baby
2:08 Step #2: Add categories as they come up
2:40 Step #3: Increase current categories that will naturally increase
3:07 Step #4: Collect baby money in one catch-all category (for now)
3:40 Step #5: Plan a baby budget overhaul date
4:31 Step #6: Trim down current plan and reallocate to new priorities
5:18 Step #7: Cry — change is hard
5:58 Step #8: Usher all extra inflows toward baby
6:38 Step #9: Make it easy for others to help us (registry)
7:07 Step #10: Create more specific baby categories
8:58 Step #11: Give big-ticket items their own category/target
9:51 Step #12: Acknowledge any new basic needs
10:30 Step #13: Create categories for your own unique values
11:11 Step #14: Add post-birth categories
12:02 Other expenses you may want to consider...
13:08 For those pursuing IVF...
13:24 For those pursuing adoption...
13:39 Other helpful resources on budgeting for baby
13:59 Outro
14:51 Bloopers

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[erinmcaleer]

Congratulations! My budget advice: Add an "Easy Button" category. You can call "uncle" and press the easy budget button when you need to. Maybe it's dinner delivery, a one-time deep clean of your house, a car detail after a 💩 explosion, or lawncare for a season. Whatever it may be, give yourself the grace to press the Easy Button. 😉

[janineadams]

Congratulations, Hannah! I'm so happy for you! You might want to budget for a dog trainer to help you help Julep adjust. A trainer might be able to help you before the baby comes to help you make the transition easier for Julep.

[spookybell]

My twins are 6 and I feel like I need a catergory for orthodontics now… to prepare. Because of you, I don’t have a savings anymore… I’m planned through August… almost September ❤️❤️

[tlplante]

Meal planning and freezer cooking have been a huge help. I'd suggest a meal planning category to pay for one of the services that does a lot of the planning for you after you pick your recipes! Huge time-saver 😊

[VioletEmerald]

7:29 -- to whoever your professional captioner is, I could understand her. She said "A little dresser, for his little clothes" ;) I doubt they'll see this and add it in but just thought I'd give that info just in case.

Congratulations Hannah! So happy for you and this step on your journey. And oh cool, you linked an adoption budget resource. I'll definitely check that out! That's more relevant to my goals for the future.

[staceyklausner]

Congrats on the happy news! My suggested category... formula. This stuff is priced like liquid gold, and despite the best and extraordinary efforts made by lots of moms, breastfeeding doesn't always work out. Be prepped to take on that expense (even if just for supplementing), and then if you don't need it, you've got a great bonus ready for Baby Bingus' other categories.

[nancyrowe]

I'm going through a big time (and even a no spend month!!) for quite the opposite reason - and this video really helped! I never had kids but my 3 dogs and 2 cats ARE my kids. It hit me recently that they are ALL now seniors at the same time, and I need to seriously invest heavily into a expense category. And p.s. love love every video - I even clicked on this one bc it was HIFH, even without any (human) babies in my life! You are very talented.

[JDFrancis]

Yay! Congrats. Diaper subscription service is a solid idea. My main advice for people who are having kids is: The answer to the question, "Should we stop and get some diapers?" is always "YES!" So you've got that taken care of. Oh, and make sure you get a rocker/glider that is comfortable enough to sleep in.

[teresakelch]

Congratulations 🎉 Think about planning for a house cleaning service during the first months post birth. So much stress removed!

[smstnitc]

Congratulations! As the father of three adult children, I can tell you, they are EXPENSIVE. And the new unplanned expenses are never ending.

[MusicmanNow]

Hannah has set a new record for me…she had me laughing under 12 seconds.😂😂😂 Congratulations, Hannah!

[deniselittle]

This is so exciting! Congratulations Hannah - you are going to be an amazing mother! One thing I can think of that you may want to budget for is professional photography. When I had my son so many years ago we received a package for a free photo shoot in our home of our new little bundle. When it was all said and done; we spend a few hundred on photo's because we just couldn't say no.

[jennivanhart]

Congratulations Hannah, big exciting and daunting changes are afoot! Parenthood is wonderful, hard, fantastic, draining, exciting, and bewildering all at once and often within just a few minutes of time. Don't be afraid to accept help, especially as you find your way as a new Mum.

[rubyrocks]

Congrats!! 🎉🎉 I’m not a parent, but in addition to all the things you mentioned (and based on things I’ve observed my siblings spending on their kids), you may want to set a bit aside for things like a maternity photoshoot, baby photoshoot and/or the baby’s 1st birthday party. This definitely doesn’t fall in the perimeters of 100 years ago, however. Since new baby is a whole insane industry these days, those kids of things can have a shocking price tag (and you may want to find more budget friendly options), but those photos can be priceless

[angeljuarez]

Congratulations Hannah & Mac!! Y’all are gonna be great parents 🥳💕💙

[joeschmoe]

Congratulations Hannah! Best wishes for this exciting new chapter for you and your husband -- and child.

[bestcee]

Congrats! My favorite purchase, and the one I give to most people is a Pocket Nanny. Sure, your cell does timers. But for $20ish? It makes it so much easy for both partners to keep track of baby's needs, with 4 times together. Especially when you are half awake trying to remember when Bingus last ate, or if Mac fed him or gave medicine, and when did he fall asleep again? Was it 1 or 2? And, surprisingly, it's something we still use on occasion with the teenager, so it lasts!

[honrablmsj]

Aaahhh! Congrats!
I would consider budgeting for formula. Even if you don't plan to use it, you can't predict the future; your needs or physical ability may change.

[ErinRose]

Congratulations!!!! My advice would be to trust your instincts, you have them for a reason. Wishing you and your growing family all the best. Thanks for sharing your wonderful news with us followers! 💜

[TheDan]

congrats Hannah and Mr Hannah! Made up for you both ❤❤❤