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Necessary Expenses

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Our month of lower income has unfortunately coincided with lots of extra necessary expenses.

Sigh.

First, I had to pay for my annual life insurance premium. Remember, the full amount was $207. I was able to use some money from my “annual expenses” savings account, but I still had to spend $94 from my “other” budget (out of a total $150 budgeted for monthly “other” expenses). Note – my husband finally received his paperwork saying all his stuff has been approved, but he is STILL waiting on the final contract. I don’t know why there are so many steps involved in life insurance coverage, but we will owe another few hundred for his premium when the contract arrives. Even if we wait to pay it next month, its a big expense.

Second, my daughters decided to have a little developmental-milestone growth spurt this weekend. They already knew how to open some doors (depending on the door knob), but within a 12-hour span they have learned how to open ALL the doors in our house AND have learned to climb out of their cribs. Why does everything happen at once??? Gulp! We knew this would happen eventually, but we’ve just been putting it on the back burner. This weekend we went to Walmart and stocked up on the door knob handle things (like these) that make it difficult for toddlers to open doors. Those were cheap. Know what’s NOT cheap? The conversion kit that is used to convert a crib into a toddler bed. For those without toddlers who have no idea what I’m talking about….when kids start climbing out of their cribs, the conventional wisdom is that it’s time to convert to toddler beds. To do so, you take off the front part of the crib, and replace it with a small safety rail thing to keep the kid from accidentally rolling out of bed in his/her sleep. Here’s an example (image from this site)

bed

That little dinky piece of wood on the front costs in the range of 80-125 bucks! Times 2, since we have twins.

And our final extra expense = clothes. It was my goal to get through this full blogging year (March 2013-March 2014) without purchasing any clothing. I did get a skirt from Nordstrom Rack using a gift card, but I haven’t paid for an article of clothing during this whole time. Unfortunately, I don’t know how much longer that can last. I don’t know if any other women can relate, but I have a closet and dresser FULL of clothes that I don’t wear. A lot of these clothes are from my pre-pregnancy body (which I have mentioned was smaller than my current body, lol). Anyway, I only have a couple of things in my current size and, now that I’ve been my current size for 2 years, these things are getting worn out! It’s not as noticeable with shirts, but my pants/capris have seen better days. The pair of capri pants I am currently wearing have already been mended to fix a hole that had developed along the seam in the crotch. Wellllll, I have just noticed that the hole is back….right next to the area where I had mended them. I guess this means the fabric is just worn out. I could mend again, but I think it’s just a matter of time until I officially retire these pants. I have been making an honest, concerted effort to try to loose some weight (my hope is to get back to pre-pregnancy weight, which is why I haven’t sold my old stuff – I really want to get back to that place, and then I’ll have a full wardrobe I can pick from!). I’ve had some success in losing a little weight, but I still have a ways to go and I’m going to need pants in the meantime.

What to do, what to do….

Basically, the budget is blown. I’m really trying to avoid any extra spending this month because we’re living on last month’s income and only have a set amount of money to work with. But then all of these expenses get pushed to next month and the budget is going to be crazy-blown for October! Just the life insurance, alone, blows the budget. Add on the baby purchases and a pair of pants and we’re donezo!

I see the pants as the least immediate need, but the toddler crib conversion needs to happen asap. One of my girls has already gotten hurt by falling when she was trying to climb out of the crib after naps (one of my girls has it down, and her sister tries to copy but isn’t quite as adept at it yet). The life insurance thing is pretty important, too! Basically, I think all of these things need to happen. Maybe not today, but soon.

Fortunately, this month should be much better financially than last month (knock on wood), so I’m hoping that we’ll have a larger budget to work with when I’m allocating all of these expenses next month. But each dollar spent on these items is, necessarily, one less dollar spent on debt payments. And I look ahead toward the holiday season with worry. Ideally, we’d start buying a few gifts here and there so as to alleviate the financial burden of Christmas in the month of December, but it already looks like October is going to be a bust, so we can’t even think about Christmas gifts until November/December. Or perhaps Christmas gifts just get slashed from the budget this year entirely? One thing’s for sure – it’s gonna be a tough couple of months ahead.

What would you do? Put off all purchases until October? Try to hold out on the pants? Maybe ghetto-rig the crib conversion somehow for the time being? Maybe I can go donate plasma to make some extra money (I half-joke, but I have totally donated plasma in my younger days as a way to supplement my income. If you didn’t know, it’s a real thing you get paid real money to do…)


58 Comments

  • Reply Nora |

    Ashley, it won’t win any decorating awards, but I simply put my girls crib mattresses on the floor while I was transitioning them. I didn’t want to spend that much on a piece of furniture (toddler bed) that’s only used for such a short amount of time.

    • Reply Juhli |

      I did the same thing with both boys. Crib “conversion” kits didn’t exist then and weren’t necessary.

      • Reply Deeanna |

        Ditto. Our little one constantly moves in her sleep. So we actually felt much safer with the mattress on the floor.

        • Reply Ashley |

          That’s a really good point! I don’t know where we’d store the cribs in the meantime (the back and front can be used as headboard/footboard for twin sized beds down the road, so I want to keep them), but that’s a small problem to tackle. Mattresses on the floor solves the safety issue, which is the bigger thing.

          • MW |

            My husband painted a 2×4 (with all the edges sanded) to match our crib and attached that to the side of the crib. It worked fine and didn’t look bad.

    • Reply hp |

      Same here. My almost two-year-old sleeps on his crib mattress on the floor. He NEVER slept through the night in his crib but almost always does now that the mattress is on the floor (or he plays and doesn’t wake me up. Either way, it is good). We have a twin bed for him but he actually prefers his bed on the floor.

  • Reply Theresa |

    Wow those kits are pricey. Honestly I would just put the mattresses on the floor and call it a day. Then I would start immediately saving for twin beds. Those are expensive too. Costco has them in the middle section of the store in January and may have a deal on them then.

    Pants. Goodwill or another thrift store? Take some time to try them on and you may get a couple pairs for $20.

    • Reply Ashley |

      Good point about shopping thrift stores! I’m not looking for a whole new wardrobe (the hope is still to lose more weight!), but just a pair or two to hold me through would be perfect.
      Thanks for the tip about Costco beds in January! I’ll have to start stashing some money aside!

  • Reply Walnut |

    When it comes to gifts for the girls, start watching ebay. I’ve purchased tons of legos, blocks, books, etc for rock bottom prices. If you start watching now, you’ll likely get better pricing than in December.

    Is there a way to DIY that little piece of wood for the crib? $80 seems like highway robbery!

    • Reply Walnut |

      On the pants front, I like to check Kohls during one of their big Kohl’s cash promotions. Then you can turn that Kohls cash into some nice dish towels, pot holders or spatulas to give as Christmas gifts.

    • Reply Ashley |

      I was thinking about if DIY would be possible for the wood piece. I need to do some googling – surely others have done this before!

  • Reply christy |

    We just converted our crib to a toddler bed. My husband took off the front panel and then we just attached a bed rail that claps onto the mattress. I think it is made by Safety First and cost about $40. I’ve used it with 3 toddlers, and it has worked great.

  • Reply Heather |

    I had the same issue justifying a $100 conversion kit for the “convertible” crib. They have mesh bed rails on Amazon for $20-$30 each (similar to this http://www.amazon.com/dexbaby-Safe-Sleeper-Convertible-White/dp/B003ULP592/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1410789235&sr=1-1&keywords=crib+rail). You just need to take off the front of the crib, install this on the bottom of the bed (under the mattress) and voila! Instant bed rail! My son has had this on for over 6 months and has never fallen out!

  • Reply Andrea |

    I agree with the others – mattress on the floor and start saving for real beds. My crib included the conversion, but even so, it was used as a toddler bed for about 3 months total between two kids.

    And as far as the clothes, I’m right there with you. I’ve lost quite a bit, but still not into my skinny clothes. Then I noticed how few of those I would wear now even if I could fit into them. 🙁

    For work clothes, I’ve been doing good with Land’s End’s Clearance and On The Counter sections. No kidding – with discounts, free shipping, extra 20% off, I just received three complete outfits for just under $60.

    • Reply Ashley |

      I totally agree about “how few clothes you’d wear even if you could fit.” I’ve gotten rid of a TON of shirts that I no longer find to be appropriate (too low cut, too “young”, too impractical, etc.), but I have a ton of jeans/work pants that would be totally fine if I could just squeeze into them!!! I’ll have to check out Land’s End – I’ve never even shopped there before!

  • Reply Amanda |

    I completely forgot about those mesh bed rails. We never did toddler, beds, just moved right to the twin, but you’ll probably need the mesh bed rails either way, so I would get those.

    Pants, especially capris, you can probably find a couple pairs on clearance right now if you didn’t want to thrift them.

    Christmas gifts, I would slash what I could. Basically anyone you won’t see during the holiday I would not get a gift for. Your kids will not know the difference, so you can easily get them something fun for $20 or less. Husband, I would not exchange with.

    • Reply Ashley |

      Great tips! I totally agree about the kids’ gifts, too. I see so many people go overboard (in my opinion) with young kids but they don’t get it. There will be YEARS and YEARS of them begging for expensive gifts down the road. No need to start that nonsense early.

  • Reply Mariah |

    I was going to suggest putting the mattresses on the floor, but I’m late to the party! 🙂 it’s a good temporary measure.

  • Reply Kristen |

    We recently did the front of the crib off, mesh rail on. My son was 13 months when he started climbing out. We just moved him into a twin (he turned 2 in July). If they can handle it, you might just go the twin route. Are you planning on converting the crib to a regular bed? We decided against it so we can use it for the next kid and found a twin frame at the as-is section at IKEA. As far as money wise, the cheapest might be to use the crib mattresses on the floor, save up for the twin mattresses from IKEA and then save up for the frames.

    • Reply Ashley |

      We are planning to eventually convert to twin beds (using the headboard/footboard from the cribs). Of course, it’s different since we’re not planning on any more babies ; )

      • Reply Kristen |

        Ours converts to a full size… If you are using the biggest sides for the head and foot board, yours probably is the same way. Not sure, but those conversion kits probably also cost a pretty penny. But there is no rule that says your girls can’t go into a full size bed as long as you have the room. My son stays in the full sizes easier because he can roll around more.

  • Reply Shaun |

    Totally agree on cribs, just get a bedrail (mesh) to use with lowered crib mattress. There are a lot of PB kids twin beds on CL. You can get a deal on twin beds and just move them right in to those when you find 2 you like.

  • Reply Den |

    Sounds like the bigger issue is whether your budget is too tight. EVERY month there will be something unexpected (especially with kids). I tried for years to do the Dave Ramsey “tell every dollar where to go” and failed….when I finally realized that my budget was too tight I started a “slush fund” that I contributed to each month. It was a life saver! Something to think about adding to your budget.

    I agree with the mattress on the floor advice and moving directly to twin beds – maybe a good Christmas present to the girls? Grandparents may be interested in contributing to this purchase or might consider buying each girl a special sheet/comforter set?

    • Reply Ashley |

      ooooh, I like the idea to get the grandparents involved in buying sheet/comforter sets! Even for basic stuff (they’re not into special cartoon characters or anything), that stuff is expensive!!!

  • Reply Mysti |

    Personally, I wouldn’t put the mattresses on the floor….but you can buy a toddler bed for less than the cost of the conversion kit. Not sure how you feel about used, or if they don’t match….but you could probably get them on CL pretty cheap, or a consignment shop. We got a white, nondescript type at Kmart for about $40, and a friend gave me one….so we spent $40 in total for 2 kids.

    Twin mattresses are significantly more, and we moved them into Twin beds about 5 yrs old. Start saving NOW if you are going to put this off until they are a little older.

    Pants…I also have limited items in my size, and they wear out. You are going to have to replace them….have you tried Plato’s Closet?

    Christmas….for your girls, you can go pretty minimal, as they probably will also receive gifts from aunts, uncles, grandparents. They won’t know what is from who. I would NOT forgo gifts between you and hubby. We have done this, and it is miserable. You need to at least get SOMETHING. Keep a cap of $25 or something like that…but you need to be able to open something. If you don’t, the pendulum will swing….as soon as you have a little extra, you will justify a purchase “since I didn’t get anything for Christmas.”

    Start saving for the holidays as soon as Christmas is over. Even if it is $25 a month….it adds up and then you already have it waiting for you when you are ready to shop.

    • Reply Ashley |

      So many good points! I feel like I am learning a LOT from the comments on this post! Thanks for all the good tips!

  • Reply Mel |

    Cribs – agree with everyone on the mattress on the floor idea. Worked with both my boys.

    Pants – agree with the person who mentioned Kohl’s. Go on a % discount day, scour the clearance racks; you can get new clothes for rummage sale prices. (And I am right there with you on the weight…I have SO MANY clothes because they range in size from 6 to 12. Wish I fit in the 6’s right now! Ugh.)

  • Reply Mel |

    Your ability to donate plasma may have changed from having the girls. I tried to donate for some easy money, but after my first time they gave me the run-around for a while every time I tried to go back. Turns out my body developed antibodies against other blood types during pregnancy, so they could no longer use my plasma…dangerous to the recipients.

    • Reply Ashley |

      Whoa, I’ve never even heard of this!!! Last time I donated plasma was years ago, back when we lived in Austin (soooo, like 8 years ago?? Can’t believe we’ve been gone that long!) We have a brand new donation center being built pretty close to us, though, so I’ve been thinking of going in when it’s complete. Doesn’t hurt to try – worst they can say is no.

      • Reply Mel |

        Exactly. It doesn’t happen to everyone, I’m just one of the “lucky” ones. I was really bummed!

  • Reply Alexandria |

    Good ideas already.

    Just wanted to say that you could also sell their cribs and buy used toddler beds. I think I picked up a toddler bed for about $50 (& sold the mattress that came with it with the crib – kept the better crib mattress for ourselves). & when we were done with it several years later, we sold the bed for $50. This is what I love about baby stuff!

    • Reply Ashley |

      I’ve thought about this – our cribs are really nice so they’d probably fetch a decent return (they were gifts, one from my mom and one from husband’s mom), but I want to hang onto them. Even though we’re not planning on more kids, the cribs convert into twin-sized beds (using the back as a head board and front as a foot board). You still have to buy a twin-sized mattress (the crib mattress is obviously much smaller), but I’d like to hang onto them for that reason.

  • Reply Jessica |

    Instead of converting my sons’ cribs I just bought the toddler bed. It’s actually cheaper to do that than to get the conversion kits.. My oldest son’s toddler bed was purchased off of Craigslist for $30. We were saving this bed for my youngest; however, our basement was flooded with sewage and it had to be thrown out. I found a toddler bed for my youngest on Amazon for about $60. Putting the mattress on the floor is a great idea, as well. Best of all, no money spent!

    • Reply Ashley |

      Someone else said this, too! I can’t believe that a full new toddler bed is cheaper than the conversion kit! Craziness!!!

  • Reply Meghan |

    Ashley-

    I know none of these really qualify as an emergency per se, but if I recall you have a pretty sizable emergency fund set aside? Rather then worrying about where to find the money and passing the buck from month to month maybe you could dip into this and then spend the next couple of months replenishing it?

    While I agree with all the that there must be cheaper ways to get the girls into safer beds than the cost of those conversion kits, if they are climbing out then it really is time for a new sleeping situation. What would be the cost both financially and emotionally if one of the girls falls and needs a middle of the night trip to the ER to check for a concussion or to get stitches? (I’m not trying to scare you but I have been there!) In our area there is a large moms of multiples group and they regularly do pop-up consignment shops, perhaps you could check your area for one of those?

    As far as clothing, I agree that if the few pairs of pants you are wearing are becoming unwearable then it might be time to start checking the clearance racks and sales flyers. I have also recently found that if you register for certain stores email listing or like their facebook page then you can get free coupons and deals not made available to the general public. Better to start the search now then to suddenly get a job interview or need to attend a meeting at work and need to scramble to find appropriate clothing to wear.

    Another thing to consider is going through your pre-pregnancy clothes. Yes, you are hoping to get back into them, but how many would you wear even if they do fit? Are there any you can get rid of because they have gone out of style or you would not wear them now?

    As far as Christmas gifts go, there are lots of great ideas for gifts you can make with enough time. Last year, we made hand print ornaments with the kids out of salt dough. We just rolled out the dough, the kids put hand prints into them and then we baked them. Then after the kids were asleep I painted the hand prints to look like Santa, the palm of the hand is the face, the fingers were a beard, and the thumb was a red hat. I got the idea from Pinterest and the grandparents loved them! I also agree that the girls will probably get lots of gifts from family so you could probably get away with just getting them one or two things. I agree that you and hubby should provide a small budget to exchange gifts, but don’t forget that you can get creative there too! (One of my favorite gifts ever: a coupon to sleep in on a Saturday morning!)

    Cheers,

    Meghan

    • Reply Ashley |

      I’ve thought about dipping into the emergency fund to cover some of these expenses. Although not true emergencies, I like the idea of just paying for the needs and being done with it (instead of passing the buck from month to month). I do think that I need to alter some of my savings categories, though. It sounds like twin beds can be pricey and several commenters have suggested to start saving asap.
      In terms of the pre-pregnancy clothes, I actually got rid of most of the stuff I wouldn’t wear again last summer (e.g., too revealing, old style, too “young”, etc), but they were mostly shirts. I still have a ton of jeans & nice work pants I would LOVE to be able to wear again one day!! : )

  • Reply Julene |

    One thing to remember is that your budget is tight because you are putting so much towards debt. Don’t get me wrong – that is wonderful! But it is a relative thing too. Maybe you could reduce your debt payment by $100 or so and have it help you get through these tougher times. You are still doing great. You are still rocking it! The main point here is that you are paying attention. You know where your money is going and you are working hard to not waste it. Congratulate yourself, pat yourself on the back a bit and realize how good you are doing. And then push on. Great job!

    • Reply Ashley |

      Thanks Julene, this made me feel a lot better! I owe you guys a debt update post soon! I think seeing the numbers is what makes me feel like I’ve GOT to keep the pedal to the medal because my student loans are just so exorbitantly high (and while they were in deferment the interest just kept growing and growing and growing….). Very depressing! Ugh!

  • Reply Kristina |

    Are you sure the cribs convert to twin sized beds? My 10 year old daughter is using her crib converted into a bed but it’s a full size bed, not a twin. Unless you have smaller than standard cribs, they probably won’t convert into a twin sized bed. Double-check – I woudn’t want grandparents buying sheets/comforters/etc for beds they won’t fit! Also, full sized mattresses will be more expenses than twin sized mattresses too.

  • Reply Meghan |

    Another thing to consider is that there are publications out there that do listings of the best time of year to get the best deals (Consumer Reports comes to mind). If I recall correctly, January is the best month for beds, mattresses, and clothing, and February is when all the department stores have their “White Sales” putting bedding, towels, etc. on their biggest discounts!

  • Reply Juhli |

    You might be better off financially to sell the cribs and have twin beds on metal frames with no headboard or footboard.

  • Reply Debbie |

    Are you able to leave the cot with the front panel in the dropdown position? This is what we did with our twins. It’s low enough that they can climb out safely (if you’re worried just put some cushions on the floor underneath) and the top of the rail is high enough to act as a bed rail.

  • Reply Cecilia@thesingledollar |

    Everyone else has already covered mattress on the floor, but let me add that I know several children as old as seven or eight who are still sleeping on a mattress on the floor (a twin, not a crib mattress, at that age!) They are perfectly happy; it’s cozy. A good friend I had growing up had never had a “bed” (that wasn’t a mattress on the floor) until she moved into the dorms in college. I used to love having sleepovers at her house. And come to think of it, as an adult I myself have spent many nights on a mattress on the floor in various situations with no harm done 🙂

    I guess what I’m saying is, the least of your concerns should be saving for “proper beds.” Embrace the bohemian lifestyle a little bit; the kids will be fine and when you’re more stable in a few years you can revisit the bed question. (Not only would it be expensive to buy beds now, but then you’d have to move them!)

  • Reply Jenna |

    I have discovered the under appreciated value of the the “church rummage sale” for clothing.
    You are often getting name brand items for a fraction of even goodwill or value village. At the one local one – a garbage bag of clothing is $5. I often get one for myself and two for a friend and her children that are having tighter times.

    The other suggestion for Christmas for family gifts is a $2 challenge – and challenge them to do the same! Or make it a monetary value that your find almost silly. It can be amazing and hugely thoughtful what people can make, yard sale, kijiji, barter, trade, goodwill, rummage sale and find for $2. It forces you to take a step back from consumerism and the chaos of the mall and think of the person and what you wish to give them.

  • Reply julie |

    garage sales are great for Christmas gifts for your girls- they won’t notice the difference and you can get toys for so cheap at garage sales they practically give them away (especially the garage sales in the rich neighborhoods), I also buy all my babies clothes at garage sales usually .50-$1 for name brand barely worn clothes and I often find some new with tags. Also might be able to find gifts for your husband for Christmas at garage sales depending on his interest- I have gotten some awesome bar signs and tools for the husband at garage sales for cheap.

  • Reply Angella |

    I’d sell the cribs and buy standard twin mattresses! That’s what I did for my son when he outgrew his crib. The crib-to-toddler conversion kit was $135…ha! Not happening. I sold the crib for what I paid for it, $300, and bought a twin bed frame on Craigslist for $100 and a new mattress & boxspring for $100. Then I simply put a thick pool noodle under the fitted sheet to keep him from falling out. Worked like a charm! I’m also a fan of the mattress on the floor solutions noted above.

  • Reply Lisa |

    On the clothing thing…I can so relate. But you need to get rid of the ones that don’t fit your body shape anymore (and likely won’t again), as well as get new. Goodwill (at least in our area) has a “card” now that provides discount points relative to your donations! So you could pay for new-to-you (and many items still have tags on them) items by donating what you don’t need anymore. Go inside first and ask at the service counter or checkout lane, before you donate outside. You might have to have the card first. I can’t remember exactly how I did it. But it’s an alternative to plunking down cash, for sure. And if you’re not into thrift clothing for yourself, definitely consider it for the kiddos. I’ve seen so many barely-worn or never-worn items for kids there.

  • Reply Ms. Mintly |

    Ashley, I didn’t see that anyone had already posted about this (but there are a lot of comments here, so I probably missed it!) –

    Have you thought about consigning your clothes that you don’t wear? Not the ones with holes, of course, but you mentioned having a lot of clothing you don’t wear. When I am in desperate need of clothing that fits, I take a bunch of things that I don’t wear anymore and consign them. (I have to drive over an hour to get to the store I like that gives me the most money back, but I don’t have to do it often!) Then I consign them, and when I get the money, I use that money to buy new clothes! You may not be able to get something 1-for-1, but if you consign 20 articles of clothing, you might find get enough money back to get some higher quality pants/capris and some good shirts…

    Again, sorry if someone else already posted this!

So, what do you think ?