11 Best Plus Size Maternity Swimsuits

Best Plus Size Maternity Swimsuits in 2023

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How to Have a Healthy, Stress-Free Pregnancy During the Recession

Discover ways to handle common pregnancy-related expenses and reduce stress during tough economic times. Includes tips for grocery budget, nutritional supplements, medical needs, maternity clothes, homemade household cleaners and anxiety relief.

Groceries: Pregnancy requires healthy, balanced meals and more of them. For frugal grocery shopping, coupons are lifesavers! Before heading to the store, check online coupon sites-just make sure they're legitimate-and buy the Sunday papers. Scour these resources for coupons on items you would normally buy, then check the ads for the competing grocery stores in your town. Mark on your shopping list which store will have the best deals you can combine with the coupons. This method takes more time at home, but is worth it in savings. I was able to make my $150 grocery budget stretch the whole month, a feat that was impossible before coupons and sale ads. Also, try going half vegetarian! If you replace expensive meats with beans, cheese and high-protein vegetables for many of your main meals, you'll slash your grocery bill without sacrificing nutrition. Check your library's selection of vegetarian cookbooks for satisfying entrée ideas.

Supplements: Taking your vitamins is essential, but good supplements can get pricey. Many grocery stores with pharmacies run specials on prenatal vitamins, and some stores will give them away free if you meet their qualifications. However, if you prefer a more natural, health-food store vitamin, check into programs like Nature's Sunshine. You can become a member through one small order, and you get major discounts on any subsequent orders. Also, they offer incentives and gift cards if you want to be a distributor.

Medical: Call your local health department, since pregnant women receive premium care. My health plan covered everything but dental, and they offered to fill extra needs post-pregnancy, like breast pumps and diapers. They put me in touch with a breastfeeding support group, and I received an electric breast pump for the duration of breastfeeding my daughter. This saved me the expense of a pump that I would have used for less than a year!

Diapers: Pregnancy help centers often give away diapers if you attend child-care classes. If you're willing to put in the time, it can save you a considerable amount of money after your baby is born. Check your local pregnancy resource centers, or your WIC clinic for information.

Midwife/Doula: Most health plans, including Medicaid, will not pay for a midwife expense. If you choose an alternative, non-hospital birth, ask the midwife or doula of your choice about payment plans. They usually will try to work out an agreement with you, especially if you have a good reputation for paying your bills on time.

House Cleaning: During pregnancy, the fumes of common household cleaners can be nauseating, not to mention dangerous. This is a great time to make your own cleaning products without harmful chemicals. You have the added advantage of preparing your home to be environmentally safe and more child-friendly, and you will save bundles of money! Find coupons for the ingredients and double your discounts! Here are just a few of my favorite recipes:

Laundry Detergent: 1 bar Fels-Naptha, grated, 3 cups Borax, 4 cups washing soda. Combine the ingredients and store in an airtight container. Use 1/8 cup per load. Add several drops of your favorite essential oil for a pleasant fragrance.

All-Purpose Cleaner: ½ cup vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons Borax), ½ gallon water. Mix all ingredients and store in spray bottles. Add lemon essential oil for scent and extra cleansing power.

Baby Wipes: 2 ½ cups hot water, 2 T baby bath, 2 T baby oil, 1 roll of Bounty paper towel cut in half, and a baby wipes container or airtight cylindrical container. Remove cardboard center from paper towel, so you can pull the wipes out from the middle, or tear apart and pre-fold the towels. Mix the ingredients together and pour over the paper towel. After ten minutes, flip your wipes so they are evenly saturated, and store in the plastic container.

Wardrobe: Spending a fortune on a boutique maternity item was out of the question, but I didn't want my budget constraints to force a sacrifice of my personal style and sense of individuality. Thankfully, fashion favors the pregnant right now, and most of the trendy stores such as Charlotte Russe, Rue 21, and Deb run fantastic 75% off sales on flowing baby doll tops, long knit shirts, and pants and skirts with stretchy waistbands. Kohls has a juniors' line of jeans called the Lounge fit that are perfect for under the baby bump. Dresses are hot right now, and the maxi styles show off that feminine baby bump for super low prices at stores like Old Navy and Kohls. Check for end of season clearances, and sign up for all of the mail out and email offers. You can usually combine coupons with sales for extra savings.

Pre-pregnancy T-shirts:don't pack them away, even when they rise over your belly and settle at your rib cage. Just throw a sleeveless baby doll style top over them and you have a layered look with tanks or tees you already own. Nobody will know they don't fit around your bump! Add fun jewelry or scarves and you'll look fashionable without going over budget. When you see an item you like, think about how to layer it, slash it, sew it and accessorize it to fit your pregnant body. Knowing you look good makes you feel good, and feeling good is priceless during pregnancy.

Customize: check resale shops for half-off maternity pants, and take them home to modify. You can turn discounted pants into fun skirts with contrast fabrics and trims. Don't be afraid to adapt anything to your style! I purchased skirts with elastic knit waistbands for $3 each at Walmart, and added cream lace to the bottom of a khaki cargo style for a funky, feminine appeal. Then, I frayed the edge of fabric trim from a pair of old jeans, and stitched it to the hem of a denim skirt. In less than an hour, I had two maternity skirts that were one-of-a-kind, and looked like I paid big money for them at a boutique! Search for online tutorials on how to turn pants into skirts, add length to skirts, fray and decorate denim, and many other ways to customize your clothes. Some ingenuity and effort pay off big time when you're feeling cute despite your size.

Dates: Quality time with your mate is invaluable, and it is worth planning around your budget. My husband and I frequent a local coffee shop that emails coupons every week, sometimes with offers as good as buy one get one free! Check restaurant.com and bradsdeals.com for more discounts on local eateries. Dairy Queen and other ice cream shops often put their coupons in the Sunday papers, and you can save them for a nice dessert date that will cost you less than $8. Plus, the calcium in ice cream is good for you!

Personal Time: this is perhaps the most important part about having a healthy pregnancy when your monetary situation is stressful. Go to the library, check out a book that interests you, and put aside time every day for reading and relaxing. Pregnancy is often spent in preparation and worry, so carving out some personal quiet time will keep your stress level even and your relationships stable.

Finally, realize that there is never enough money and never the perfect time to have a baby. With a little creativity, you can overcome your financial challenges and enjoy an anxiety-free, healthy pregnancy.