February 2016 Expenditures And A Baby!

February 2016 will be forever a cherished memory for us because our little family is now a family of 4 with the arrival of little Joel! Ta-da! It has been a roller coaster ride of an adventure for us as parents caring for another little human being and a major adjustment for Chapati. He is now the big kor-kor! (big brother)  It has been really awesome and at the same time really exhausting for us but we are so ready for our new adventure as a family!

 Little Joel at two weeks old, sleeping contently after a feed

It was also an out of this world month for us in terms of expenditures, we spent a lot of money this month, but it's all good because we were ready for it and Hubby had already planned for the medical expenses which made up the bulk of our spending. It has also helped that we have started spending more prudently over the last 6 months and saving more. Whilst it looks like a lot, we managed to spend a lot less than what we did for Chapati's birth two years ago. Experience does help! We did it once before and I was determined that we would do it cheaper and just as good this time around.

That's us having a blast of time at the playground taking photos! :) 40 weeks preggie!

I also decided to encapsulate my placenta to try and see if my recovery after delivery would be better and faster. Most importantly, I am hoping it will also stave away any kind of post natal blues. Based on a friend's recommendation, I decided to confirm the encapsulation services from Gift of Love. You can check out their FB page from the link.

A few things that we did right:-

• Register my pregnancy with KKIA and do all follow up at the clinic which was free!
• See our private Doctor who would be doing the delivery once a month. Usually when you reach your 3rd trimester you have to see the doctor once every two weeks and at your final month, once a week. We saved a lot of money on consultation fees! Hooray!
• Free pregnancy vitamins from KKIA
• Free jabs and compulsory blood tests at KKIA
• Take the hospital maternity package. We could have saved even more if we took the 4 bedded ward. Honestly the 4 bedded room was so much more pleasant and spacious than the 2 bedded one that I was in. 
• Staying in a confinement center for 28 days rather than hire a confinement lady for 2 months! 
• Joel's medical procedure after he was born was a lot cheaper than Chapati's. We saved about RM300.

Overall, February was so awesome and fantastic! The joy of having Joel is beyond what we could imagine and as a family we have so much to look forward to. We are healthy, happy, more energised and determined to make a difference in our family life, our finances and walk with God!

So here goes, this is how we spend our RMs in February!

Item/Vendor	Amount (RM)	Notes
Eating Out	973.10	Chinese New Year Yee Sangs! Huat ar! Prosperity! Health and Happines for 2016!
Fuel	590.04	Petrol prices dropped in Feb and since I was heavily pregnant and then delivered Joel, we haven’t been out gallivanting much. Can’t wait to be out and about after the 28 days confinement period.
Parking & Toll (TouchnGo)	129.28	Hubby’s TouchnGO Auto Reload Card
Parking & Toll (TouchnGO)	12.42	We are paying for Hubby’s parents using my TouchnGO Auto Reload Card
Mobile Phone Bills	595.25	We are paying for my parents, hubby’s parents and our monthly mobile phone bills
Specialist Consultation Fee	250.00	Two visits to see Dr Eee and one of them was when we did the CTG for Joel. Very reasonable
Placenta Encapsulation	600.00	From Gift of Love. 50 pills were vacuum packed, the rest were in a freezer safe bottle and the umbilical cord came back as a keepsake in a box molded in a heart shape.
Hospital Delivery & Ward Charges	2804.56	This was the Pantai Cheras Hospital 2 bedded maternity package. 3 days and 2 nights.
Baby Jaundice Treatment	1488.70	This was including the doctor’s charges, photo therapy and an additional two night’s stay for me in the 4 bedded ward so that I could be with him.
Joel Medical Procedure & Medication	1269.60	This was done in Gleneagles Intan Medical Center on Jalan Ampang. It included the specialist consultation, day procedure and medication.
Confinement Home (2nd Installment)	3000.00	We paid RM1,000 as a booking fee and now upon checking into the home, this second instalment. The rest will be in March 2016
Groceries	290.25	Mostly CNY cookies, Bak Kwa (dried meat snack) and yummy Mandarin Oranges
Gifts	2016.40	Chinese New Year Angpows for family and friends! Look at the amount! This year is 2016! Cool…
Kids (Misc)	10.90	Hubby bought another truck for Chapati from DIY
Total	14,030.50

 

New parents out there, how much did you spend on the delivery of your prince/princess? Any tips or ideas on how to save more?