If there’s one topic of conversation that’s likely to bind parents together, it’s the cost of childcare. Scratch that – it’s childcare in general! How difficult it is to find, how much it costs, and how important quality childcare is. With more and more families requiring two incomes to cover their mortgages, and more women wanting to continue on their career paths after having children, childcare is a hot topic. Statistics South Africa recorded babies born for the year 2011 as being more than 950 000 – only 50 000 lower than what was recorded in 2006. Our birth rate may have gone down, but the topic of the cost of childcare will always be there.

Pregnancy is a time of joy.We tend to focus on the excitement of a new baby. There’s anxiety, too, but it’s mostly around what kind of parent we’ll be. Most of the time, we’re not thinking about how much a pregnancy will cost us. But should we?

On the face of things, pregnancy doesn’t cost much. It’s not until the baby arrives, we figure, that the costs will start to add up. The truth is, though, that if we don’t think about the expense of having a baby right from the start, or even before conception, the costs could add up. When people talk about planning a pregnancy, they usually don’t have this in mind – but maybe they should!

When you have a baby, you have a lot to think about – sleepless nights, how to put a nappy on, or whose eyes he or she has. What you’re probably not thinking about is how much raising this child is going to cost you. But perhaps you should be.

There’s no doubt that feeding the family eats up a significant portion of any family’s budget. Saving money can seem a distant ideal when the cost of groceries seem to increase every week, while your kids continue to get bigger and eat more! But with the cost of everything from home loan interest rates to electricity on the up, it makes sense to save money where you can. And it’s surprisingly easy to cut the cost of feeding your family once you have a little know-how.

Once upon a time, a girl could get through pregnancy by wearing her partner’s shirts and a smock dress. Not anymore. Now it seems as though you need an entire new wardrobe of maternity wear to stay in fashion as your belly grows. And a whole range of fabulous maternity fashion lines have sprung up in the last few years to tempt you.

Women in South Africa have babies all the time. Many of these women are working while they’re pregnant. But what are you to do when the time comes to have your baby? Your life is going to change radically over the next few months and you don’t need extra worries to cloud your beautiful expectations.

Not sure who and what you will need for the birth? Is there a possibility that you might prefer a home birth, or a private hospital even though you are not a member of a medical scheme? Don’t leave it too long to decide. Whatever you decide, you’ll probably need to be part of a medical aid to cover your pregnancy and birth – and you can’t make that decision at the last minute!

The annual filing of a tax return is a task that can be handled with minimal stress involved if you plan for it properly. If you are planning on doing manual submission, you will need to set some time aside to prepare your paperwork properly and to gather together some key documents.

There’s no doubt that babies can be expensive. Nappies, childcare, clothing, equipment – it all adds up, particularly if you’re a one-salary household. When you’re in the midst of those busy few years of your child’s life, chances are that the last thing you’re thinking of is your child’s education. But perhaps you should be.