Saving Dough for the Fun Stuff

Giving birth and raising a child is intimidating enough, WITHOUT worrying about the financial ramifications. We were concerned about money, but that’s really not any different from how we were before, and we knew that we would make it work. Our little bundle was worth every bit of the struggle. I am a die hard bargain hunter, and pretty darn good at stretching a buck, so I knew I could help save in places that Cris wasn’t familiar with, without much trouble. Besides, if we could save a little on things like toys, clothes, and diapers, we could have some extra for memory making trips.

Here are some of the ways we have come up with thus far.

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Maneuvering Through Maternity Leave

HR Speak is Confusing. It’s a whole different language full of options, but never advice.

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My particular HR person at work is very good but still is not legally allowed to tell me what options I SHOULD choose, or even what would most benefit me, only what options there are available. Unfortunately, even she gets confused wading through the company benefits, VS the California state options VS the federal options sometimes. Especially since our home office is across the country from where I am located, and laws are different in many states.

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