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This article was not reviewed by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) or any other relevant authorities.
We all know the cost of living in Singapore is constantly rising. It is not cheap to have a baby: to care and support the child, their needs, wants, education and many more.
It is important to have a rough gauge of the amount of savings you would require before starting a family. It would not be cheap but there are always hacks to save up!
- Attend pregnancy conference (free goodies and samples)
Who doesn’t like free stuff right?
Every year, there are actually tons of pregnancy conferences being held for parents! This would be great for first-time parents to help you ease into parenthood. You’ll learn about eating the required nutrition, how to prepare for labour, what to expect during labour, how to deal with labour pains and others! Most of the time, there would be free goodie bags at the end!
An example would be Thomson Medical’s pregnancy conference where the ticket price costs roughly about $3-$5!
- Create a baby fund/get insurance
It is important to start planning ahead. In the early years, babies are extremely prone to injuries and falls. By creating a baby fund early for education, emergencies or any situation, you would be able to ensure there are savings for those situations (even as they grow older!). This allows you to plan earlier, deciding on how much you would have to save from your salary.
- Subsidies/tax reliefs from the government
Singapore’s birth rate is on a decline and the government wants to improve it. There are subsidies and tax reliefs for parents, especially working mothers and if your parents are caregivers for your child.
Do refer to the IRAS website for more information!
- Embrace pre-loved items (from carousell, relatives/siblings/etc those who already had a baby) OR shop during sale seasons
There is no shame in using pre-loved items, be it buying from Carousell or getting it passed down from relatives or siblings’ whose babies have already outgrown the items. Most of the baby items would be in fairly good condition as babies outgrow clothing very quickly.
If you’re not comfortable with pre-loved items, the next best alternative is to shop during sale seasons which occur frequently. During sale seasons, there are always great bargains which saves your cost.
- Go to polyclinic rather than private clinics
For Singapore citizens, vaccinations are fully subsidized and provided free of charge for babies.
Summary
The most rewarding thing about being a parent is to see your child grow up healthy and happily. In preparation to start a family, it is important to start planning for the long run so that you would not have to worry about any financial issues.
