A new child on the horizon can be an incredible thing. There’s so much to look forward to, from first words to first steps, and even a first day at school. However, before you can start getting really excited about your impending arrival, you need to make sure that you feel comfortable from a financial perspective.

Babies might be a lot of fun, but they’re also very expensive. As soon as you find out that you’re expecting, it makes sense to sit down and think about how you might be able to prepare your budget for the change in your lifestyle. Let’s take a look at just some of the ways that parents can save cash when they’re expecting.

Look for Quick Fixes

Before you begin searching through your budget for things you can remove from your lifestyle, it’s worth seeing if you can stop paying too much for your essential bills. For instance, if you think you’re paying an excess amount for your broadband and utility bills, simply calling your provider can be a great way to see if you can get a better deal. There are comparison websites out there that offer an insight into whether you can cut costs on things like insurance too. Even your loans can get less expensive. A student loan calculator could show you that you can have potential savings just by refinancing your old loan.

Get Rid of Waste

Often, we’re not aware of just how much money we waste until we’re trying to improve our budget. Sit down with your bank statements and ask yourself how much you waste on things that you don’t really need or use right now. For instance, maybe you’re paying for a gym membership that you’re probably not going to use until after the baby arrives. Now’s a great opportunity to cancel and start saving some extra money. Waste can also come in the form of buying things that you don’t really need when you’re out and about.

Next time you go grocery shopping, try writing yourself a list based on the items that you actually know you need, so you’re less likely to pick up things that will just end up getting thrown out when you’re browsing the aisles.

Commit to Healthier Living

Finally, you want to get healthy for your new arrival, so why not do that, and save some money at the same time? Committing to walking more often, rather than using the car for wherever you want to go will save you petrol costs and ensure that you don’t spend as much on things like vehicle maintenance too.

You can take a bottle of water with you to work, rather than buying expensive coffees and sodas throughout the day. This will help you to avoid unnecessary caffeine, and it will also put some cash back in your wallet. You can take the same approach with your lunches, taking pre-made healthy meals into the office so you can avoid buying from a café.

A healthier lifestyle could even help your finances long-term by lowering your health insurance premiums.