The pregnancy test came back positive. You are going to have a baby. After the happy dancing and calling everyone, you've probably come to the realization that every other parent reaches: babies are expensive. From the moment they are born, they start racking up the bills. You are probably wondering how you are going to afford all of this.

Well, do not worry. There is plenty you can do to help save money while enjoying your new arrival:

Food:
"Breast is best" as the saying goes. Read any parenting magazine or website and you will see the many health benefits of breastfeeding. Best of all, it is free!

If you must use formula, buy the powdered stuff in the cans. Why pay for the water in the "ready to use" items when water comes free from your taps? Make sure to follow the directions and do not try to stretch a dollar by watering down the formula. Your baby needs every bit of nutrient he can get!

When baby is ready to try solids, skip the canned or bottled baby food and make your own. Yes, it takes time to chop, boil and then mush your own carrots, but the monetary savings are huge when you consider that a 3 oz bottle of mashed carrot costs the same as a pound of fresh carrots. You can find many books and websites out there to help guide you in this endeavor.

Also, try to graduate your baby to table food as soon as he's ready to, to help save time and money. Making your own baby food means you can customize your child's food, making is as chunky or thick as necessary to help him get used to eating different foods. Even if baby will only eat purees, you can still toss baby-safe items from your dinner into a blender to make junior his plate.

Diapers:
Warehouse stores (Costco or Sam's) typically have the cheapest disposable diapers, followed by the big discount department stores. There is nothing wrong with generic diapers so try them out first before you put out the extra money for a brand name. The same goes for wipes.

If you have the time and a washer and dryer, cloth diapers are great alternatives to the constant output of money for disposable diapers. Yes, there is a large investment at the beginning but it pays for itself over time, especially if you plan to have more than one child.

Clothes:
Buy across the sizes, not just newborn and three months categories because, well, babies do not stay small for too long. Kids grow quickly and can jump from size to size in a few weeks or months, leaving you with a lot of

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