Rant.....be warned.

Lately it seems that there are many pregnant people around, both online and in my real life. And this rant is over baby gear, or stuff.

I feel like I am the only person left out there in the world who is being economical, and cost efficient and not buying the best of everything brand new for our babies. Does this make me a bad mom?

My husband works and makes a decent living. Enough for me to stay home with our babies for at least the first year, and possibly beyond. I haven worked since September when I was 8 weeks pregnant with the twins. But even when I did work, I have always sort of been a non-elaborate person. I never had the nicest clothes or my hair done at a salon. It was just never me.

It is no secret that babies need a lot and cost a lot, and with twins, it's double that. Certain things were important to me, and certain things not. Most of all, I didn't want to waste money. I didn't mind looking on craig's list for used stuff, stuff that they would only be in for a short while. I don't mind shopping for clothes for them off clearance racks and using coupons, and in fact have so many clothes up to 12 months that I love from Carters and OLd Navy by shopping smart.

But do you really need $200 baby car seats, or the $600 twin baby stroller. Does it make you not as great of a parent if you don't have that stuff? Do they really need $20 baby onsies, or will the gerber ones do?

How do people justify spending that money? I belong to a twin group, and we live in a pretty well off county in our town, although we live on the boarder of this county and another lol, but I belong to the Fairfield County MOthers of Multiples and sometimes I feel like I Just don't belong, when they are talking about all the lessons their 1 year olds take, and the super duper strollers they have, and the nannys that they have, even though they are a stay at home mom.

I have a friend on facebook who is pregnant and works maybe 15 hours a week in retail..her only job, and the stuff that she is saying she "needs" for her baby is just ridiculous...yes, maybe it is cute, but is it practical or necessary? Not at all. How can she afford it and be okay with paying that, and me, who is married and owns a home, isn't. Am I just cheap, or am I too stressed about money.

I think this post is sort of all over and I hope you get the points I am trying to make. Does baby gear and the quality of it, make you a better mom. Is me not being willing to spend a small fortune on things for our babies a bad sign?

We were not blessed with a large shower, nor do our families have a lot of money. We have had to do it all on our own, and to me, that means being practical and sensible. We bought our cribs new, because so many safety concerns and recalls...car seats as well. I would love a new double snap and go, because the one were were given by a friend is older, but even there I can't seem to wrap my head around spending the $75 for a new one.

Anything and everything our babies need they will have. It may not always be the best of it, but they will have it. We don't plan to have any more children, so we don't need to pass our stuff down to 1 or 2 more kids. This is it.

So I don't know, I am feeling a little on the low side that maybe I should buy better things for our kids...I buy what gets good reviews, but on the lower cost side (thank you Baby Bargains 2010!).

On another note, the nursery is done, I will post pictures next post.