On-Campus Childcare

One of the hardest thing for a fulltime college parent or even a fulltime working parent is managing childcare while in class or at work. Many colleges offer on-campus childcare or are affiliated with volunteering services that care for students' infants or toddlers at no cost or at reduced rates.

Be sure to see if your college has or is partnered with childcare services in your community.

Here are a few examples of colleges that support campus childcare:

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, AL (Child Development Centers)
University of Alabama, AL
Edmonds Community College, WA
Central Washington University, WA

photo credit - http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/bbb/images/preschool_teacher.jpg

Free Prenatal Classes

Prenatal education can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. It can help:
✩ Decrease preterm deliveries
✩ Decrease low birth weight and very low birth weight
✩ Reduce NICU admissions
✩ Increase early and consistent prenatal care

If you enrolled for a state health care plan for pregnant women, like the one I presented [ here ], then you will have access to classes offered by hospitals or women's wellness centers. Cost is covered for you and many times you are offered incentives to attend (giftcards and coupons for baby items). The state WANTS you to have a healthy baby :), otherwise the costs for them would be astronomical and they are trying to avoid that. Preterm babies cost an arm and a leg to care for. I think its great that they offer prenatal classes and I think if you have the opportunity you should definitely take advantage of it. It will be beneficial for you, your baby, and your state.

If you don't have time to attend a class in person, here is a great online option that is also free and highly comprehensive (offered by babycenter.com):

✓ Other FREE online pregnancy classes:

Childbirth Class Online from About.com

Health Insurance for Pregnant Moms in College

If by any chance you are not covered by insurance, regardless of the reason, pregnancy is not the time to neglect much needed medical care. If you had any ailment (cancer for example) that put you in the pre-existing condition category, you know how frustrating it is to be denied over and over again, or be offered private insurance at astronomical premiums that you would never be able to afford on a college budget. For example, I was offered private insurance for $1000 a month.

In addition, from what I know from personal experience, the health insurance you buy through your school does NOT cover any type of pregnancy related medical care. Maybe your school's insurance covers more so be sure to check!

I have some good news for you if you cannot afford health insurance while in college! Each state should have a state run health care program specific for pregnant women. Virginia has FAMIS, New York has Prenatal Care Services through Medicaid, etc. All you need to do is google search health insurance for pregnant women followed by the state you are in.

The first thing you will need in terms of paperwork is proof of pregnancy. Once you know you are pregnant go to your local Planed Parenthood Center or any free clinic in your community. They will give you a pregnancy test and a piece of paper that is certified/signed by the attending physician or nurse practitioner. This paper is needed to begin your application for health insurance that covers your pregnancy.

Next, you will need to fill out the application for your state's health insurance program online. If you are a college student all you need to do is provide proof of enrollment and proof of income. The process can take from 2 weeks to 4 weeks maximum. So make sure you get started early!

Once you get approved, you will get a temporary letter with a member number and later you will get an actual card. If you card has not arrived yet, you can take the confirmation letter with you to the doctor and they will see you even though you are not officially enrolled with a specific insurance company (you get to chose one later based on what benefits you want, they are all very similar however some of them offer free prenatal classes that you may want to attend).

The insurance plan will cover routine visits, ultra sounds, gender determination, and almost all the services a person with private insurance would have access to.

If you have any specific questions go ahead and leave it in the comments section. I will do my best to find an answer for you.

Nursery Essentials for $40 or Less

Craigslist.com has been my savior this pregnancy. The key to getting excellent quality items for your baby ~ at a fraction of the price ~ is to begin early. As soon as you know you are pregnant, go ahead and bookmark two very resourceful pages: the baby section and the free section of craigslist. I set my homepage to the free section of craigslist, that way every time I opened my browser I would see if anything interesting was available. It may take a very long time till something noteworthy pops up, however, nothing beats free and the wait is well worth it. 

Tips:

☆ Start early.

☆ Be patient.
☆ Set a maximum price you are willing to pay for any one item. My limit was $40.
☆ Be PICKY. You should have a total of 9 months to gather the things you need for your little one, hence there is no need to rush into buying something you are not absolutely in love with.
☆ Don't be afraid to say NO if the item is not in the condition you were expecting.
☆ Do check to make sure that what you are purchasing is perfectly safe and functional.
☆ Feel good about any purchases you made. After all, you saved money and did something good for the future home of your little one (buying gently used items is one of the best ways to reduce pollution by reducing trash and carbon emissions).

My Personal Experience with Craigslist:

☆ $40 Sleigh crib restained by previous owners.

☆ $25 Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing by Bright Starts. Retails for $109.99
Total savings $84.99.

☆ FREE! Graco Pack 'n Play and Bassinet. Perfect condition, some good lady wanted to make space in her attic and put this and several other items on the curb! It came neatly packed and a little dusty since it's been stored in the attic. After a good wash, it smells like lavender and it is everything I need for when Lyra is little. I love the fact that it is tall and my pups will not be able to bother her. The minimum price I've seen these on Amazon for is $70.

☆ $40 Baby Trend Expedition LX Jogger Stroller - Vanilla Bean. Retails for $160 online. 

Total savings $120.

☆ $35 Changing table/dresser. Has the functionality of a Storkcraft Beatrice Dresser that retails for $239.99. What more can I ask for? <3

☆ $40 Nursing chair with ottoman glider (reupholstered by the previous owner). 

☆ $15 Summer Infant Co-sleeper "By Your Side Sleeper". Retails for $39.99.

Total savings $24.99

Stained Concrete Floors - Thrifty Alternative to Hardwood, Laminate, or Carpeted Flooring

Under $150 DIY easy to clean and allergen-free flooring.

Materials (all purchased at Home Depot):

BEHR Premium 1-Gal. Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain - $25.96 x 1

☆ I recommend using a solid stain rather than semi-transparent if the concrete slab you are staining has any blemishes you would not want visible.

☆ You get to pick the color of your choice at the store for no extra charge. They have indoor and outdoor concrete stain swatches that you can pick from. Ours was a stain with red tones, since I wanted the floor to look "earthy".

☆ BEHR recommends using a primer with it... We didn't and it turned out just fine.

BEHR 1-Gal. Wet Look Sealer - $26.98 x 2

☆ Love this sealer, the more layers you apply the glossier it looks.

Folk Art 30603 Large Painting Stencils, Large Leaf - $6.51 x 1

☆ Reusable laser cut stencil.

☆ I also had a Dragonfly Stencil set. Either way, accents are not required and if you wish to add any the options are limitless. Have fun and get creative!

Krylon Metallic Spray Paint 12 Ounces - $4.65 x 2

ScotchBlue 1.88 in. x 60 yd. Delicate Surface Painter's Tape - $8.97 x 2

Linzer 9 in. x 3/8 in. High-Density Polyester Roller Covers (3-Pack) - $8.34 x 1

SUBTOTAL = $122.01

You will also need a paint roller/stick (I hope you have one lying around the house, if not go grab the cheapest one you find, should cost no more than $15).

Procedure:

1. Move all the furniture into another room. 
2. Cut the carpet in sheets BEFORE you begin to pull it off the floor. This way it will be a lot more manageable when it comes to discarding it (especially if you end up tackling this project by yourself).
3. Pull the carpet off the floor and discard. 
4. Use a hammer to pull up any nails/tack strips.
5. Sweep the concrete slabs. Do this several times to make sure no debris remains behind.
6. Mop the concrete to pick up dust.
7. Let dry.
8. Apply the stain according to packaging instructions. You can use alternating strokes if you want to give your concrete an "artsy" look. If you don't feel very brave and want a fool proof technique to ensure that the slabs will look nice and even - I suggest you use a solid color stain and use the roller just as you would use it on a wall. We used alternating strokes and love the way it came out.
9. Let the stain dry.
10. Apply your stencils and spray paint them. Alternate the orientation of your stencil to create a "non-industrial" look. Make sure you sketch where and how you want the stencils to go, so you don't risk ending up with an odd-looking distribution.
11. Let spray paint dry.
12. Let everything dry according to label instructions and then apply the Wet Look Sealer.
13. Apply as many coats as you want until the desired look is achieved. I think we added 3 coats.
14. Let dry for 3 days just to be ultra safe. We have heavy furniture and I did not want to risk dinging the floors.
15. ENJOY! These floors are incredibly easy to clean, they are extremely durable, unique and personal! We had a blast redoing our bedroom and I can't tell you how happy I was to get rid of my "accident ridden" old carpet (my two lovely pups took some time to get potty trained).

Give up that office, make way for tiny human.

Got an office, your own work space? Forget about it! Time to give it up to the next generation. Rethink small spaces and de-clutter. You'll be amazed how much stuff you don't really use.

Bye bye nerdy office!
Hello, Lyra's room.

My take on carpets. I think they are the worst thing ever invented, ESPECIALLY if you have pets (we have two Papillons). If you can, I would suggest getting rid of old carpet.

The Facts
While old carpet is frequently considered an allergy trigger, the truth is that all carpets have the potential to cause allergy problems. New carpets sometimes emit chemical odors that cause headaches, dizziness and other allergy symptoms. Old carpets tend to cause allergy problems because they contain years of dust, dander and dirt buildup that, even with cleaning, has not been completely removed.
Read more: Old Carpet and Allergies | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6575433_old-carpet-allergies.html#ixzz2HLZmhjwH

• It just happened that we had some left over flooring from an older project, so it did not cost us anything to update the flooring. If this is not an option for you, make sure to check out my ~ Concrete Staining ~ post. We stained the concrete for less than $150, turning our bedroom floor into a beautiful allergen free, hand-decorated "piece of art" that both my husband and I can feel proud about. 

  

  
  

  
  

  

Non-traditional college students with a baby on the way.

The clock is ticking for us women and life does not always wait for that magical moment otherwise known as the best time to have a child. I wanted to have children as early as 21 years old, for some that may be too young; but for me it was a dream that quickly dissipated when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. All is well now, 8 years later. I did have an ectopic pregnancy but now I am pregnant with a healthy little girl.

So why this thrifty online resource? Till very recent, both my husband (32 years old) and I (29 years old) were full time college students. We both had careers before but decided to return to school in order to better ourselves intellectually. I just graduated this winter with 2 Bachelor of Science degrees, however my husband is still currently working on his Bachelor of Science degree (he started later than I).

So back to the baby issue. Whether your pregnancy was planned or unplanned, if you are in college, I am sure you are somewhat worried about how you will afford your bundle of joy! I am here to share tried and true tips that are making my journey affordable and manageable. I am due to give birth in 12 weeks and I already have 98% of everything I need! So far, my little girl's room is filled with all the essentials for under $250. Methodical scouting of exceptional items and a little elbow grease can go a long way.

If you are reading this blog, congratulations on your current/future little one!