 TITLE: How to Budget Before and During Pregnancy CONTENT: How to Budget for Baby Costs\n----------------------------\nBudgets come as a breeze for some people; for others, there are strategies and apps galore to help you with the task. Regardless, add a baby to the picture and budgeting inevitably gets more complex. If you've never had a budget before, now is the time to start.\n1.  Map out your spending on paper. Begin by following where each dollar goes so you account for your spending. Go through bank and credit card statements and hold on to your receipts so you can physically see where your money goes each month. Apps like You Need a Budget can be particularly helpful during this beginning stage.\n2.  Find a budgeting method that works. It might be a good time to assign a job for every dollar with zero-based budgeting or divvy up your earnings into different accounts. The 50\/30\/20 rule divides your budget into necessities, discretionary items and a third category for debt payments and savings. Research a few strategies and choose one you'll be able to stick with long-term.\n3.  Check your health insurance. Insurers technically have to cover childbirth and maternity care, but coverage differs from one plan to the next. Check out the details for your provider's coverage, and add your spouse's insurance as secondary coverage if you feel it necessary. Adding a family member to an insurance plan will likely increase the cost, so find out what additional longer-term insurance costs you may be facing.\n4.  Spend and save wisely. For starters, buy diapers in bulk for significant cost savings (or consider going the cloth-diaper route), and use free samples and coupons. Beyond baby costs, come up with ways to save money daily and monthly, and be sure you have an emergency fund in place for unexpected necessary expenses.\n5.  Consider any income changes. If either parent plans to work less during child-rearing years, that will need to be a major factor in your number-crunching. END