Yahoo Finance 4 Money-Saving Tips for Pregnant Ladies in Singapore
Once upon a time, you thought that if you could only give up cocktail hour and nights at the club, you would save a ton of money.
But now that pregnancy has effectively turned you into a teetotaler, you’ve discovered it wasn’t true—you’re spending even more money, and the baby hasn’t even arrived yet!
Many of my pregnant (and formerly-pregnant) friends spend a heck of a lot of time and money shopping for baby items, from milk bottles and strollers to cute outfits that will be outgrown in 6 months. Here are a few tips for saving during pregnancy.
Buy prenatal vitamins online on overseas websites
If you’ve decided to take prenatal vitamins, avoid purchasing them from a regular pharmacy in Singapore or, worse, just picking them up directly from your doctor. You might not have noticed, but vitamins in Singapore are incredibly expensive compared to other developed countries like Australia and the US.
Your best bet is to get your prenatal supplements from an online store—my go-to for vitamins is iHerb. The mark-up in Singapore is so huge that you save big by buying online even after paying for shipping.
Buy baby items online
As a pregnant lady, being on your feet for hours on super-crowded Orchard Road can make you throw in the towel and head to Mothercare, paying inflated prices each time you need to buy something baby-related.
Add to that the fact that you’ll have to pay taxi drivers to take you there and back (unless you’ve got accommodating family members who drive or you can stomach taking public transport home) and it’s just not worth it.
Buying online also lets you comparison shop much more easily, so here are some popular online stores that deliver in Singapore. Thanks to lower overheads you’ll often find their retail prices cheaper than those at brick and mortar stores anyway. Many offer free delivery if you spend above a certain amount.
Pupsik – Wide selection of everything from baby carriers to nursing supplies.
BabyOnline – Good selection of everything from maternity wear to wall stickers for the nursery.
FortyTwo – Their baby section carries furniture products like safety bed rails and high chairs.
Babygogo – Carries strollers, high chairs and cots.
DearBaby – Focuses more on toys and nursery items.
First Few Years – Wide selection of all sorts of items, from strollers and car seats to nursery items and strollers.
Little Lara’s Shop – Affordable baby clothes.
Don’t buy milk powder and diapers from supermarkets
Virtually every mother-to-be checking out the prices of milk powder at supermarkets has gotten the shock of their lives. One tin of milk powder can easily set you back $30 to $70—ouch! To make matters worse, most mothers don’t want to buy the cheapest available brand.
While you can get a significant discount by buying in bulk online, not everyone has the space at home to store six 1.8kg tins of milk. Luvbabies by Kim Sang Medical Hall is a favourite of mothers in-the-know, and one of the most cost-effective options for those who don’t want to purchase excessive volumes of milk powder or diapers. You enjoy free shipping on orders over $200.
To compare, a 1.7 kg tin of Dumex Dugro S4 Growing Up Milk costs $43.90 at NTUC and $41 on Luvbabies. A 1.8 kg tin of Friso 3 Gold costs $68 on Luvbabies and $73 at NTUC (on sale at both stores at the moment).
Diapers are also cheaper—Drypers Wee Wee Dry 88S costs $18.55 per pack, or $29.55 for two, which works out to $14.78 per pack. At Luvbabies, it costs $39.90 for three, or $13.30 per pack.
You’ll be buying a lot of these, and the dollars saved add up. More to add to Junior’s university fund then.
Don’t buy maternity clothes
Unless you plan to have multiple kids and are prepared to wear the same clothes while you’re pregnant with each of them, maternity wear is a very bad investment. Your wear these clothes for two or three months before you pop, and then they join that section in your closet reserved for old school uniforms.
You can get actually get away with not buying any maternity clothes at all, or upgrading your wardrobe with flowy or loose items that can be worn after you give birth. The Bella Band or similar waist extenders let you convert your existing pants and shorts so that they’re wearable even with a pregnant belly (hint: it’s cheaper on Amazon).
Do you have any other money-saving tips for pregnant ladies? Tell us in the comments!
The post 4 Money-Saving Tips for Pregnant Ladies in Singapore appeared first on the MoneySmart blog.
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