Maternity leave is when you leave your job for a few weeks to take care of your newborn and spend quality time with them. However, not every career offers moms-to-be paid leave, which can throw a massive wrench into your plan. This is why it's critical for you to save up your own money to prevent any issues down the road. In this post, we'll be covering ways for new moms to save, and budget for their maternity leave timeframe.
Verify with HR
Once you notify your place of employment of your pregnancy, your next step is to swing by the HR department. They'll help you confirm what their policies on maternity leave are. In addition, you'll also want to go over the details of their health care coverage, paid leave, vacation time and short-term disability. Short-term disability is a way pregnant mothers can financially secure themselves. If you meet your state's requirements, you shouldn't have too much difficulty acquiring coverage.
Pay Down Debt Immediately
Saving money, regardless of the occasion, has always been a difficult thing for many to do. When it comes to saving more for maternity leave, you want to have as much breathing room as possible. Debt, however, is something that eat up a lot of your hard-earned funds. Student loan payments can take up a good portion of your budget. How much you pay each month can be different each time due to the interest rates. Interest rates can change at a moment's notice, which makes budgeting more difficult than it must be.
However, there's a way to circumvent this problem in a student loan refinance. Refinancing your student loans is when you take what you currently owe and turn it into a new one. This method comes with helpful benefits such as reducing your monthly payments to lowering the interest rates. Another important benefit is how you can turn your student loans into another one, like a personal loan. There are a few requirements to be considered eligible, so make sure to do your research before applying.
Get Used to Clipping Coupons
Tackling debt and checking your job benefits aren't the only ways moms-to-be can save money. Clipping coupons is a timeless method people have used to save money grocery shopping and get some amazing deals at the store. Using the store's digital app, you'll be able to find a wide variety of deals that can take a large percentage off your initial purchase. What's more is that some of these deals combine with ones in house. You can potentially turn a $120 into $40 or less.
Purchase Everything You Can in Bulk
You know how you see families buy those huge boxes of diapers, baby formula, and even industrial-sized toilet paper? That's because it's cheaper than constantly rushing out to the store and buying multiple packs. This is especially true when it comes the first two items. Raising a baby costs an average of $15,000 to $20,000 for their first year alone, so it's best if you buy these products in advance.
WRITTEN BY
Sophie H.