This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of 1 Natural Way, a TRICARE breast pump provider. All opinions are entirely my own.

It’s no secret that being in the military most likely won’t make you a millionaire. A lot of us are making it work on a smaller, often one, income.

A large percentage of military families have children, and thankfully there are a lot of amazing resources to help us out!

1 Natural Way saves the day!

As an exclusively pumping mom, having a breast pump machine is kind of essential. Whether you plan on Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or both you definitely should take advantage of having a breast pump! Thankfully, most military families have Tricare making obtaining one so much easier.

Not only does 1 Natural Way offer the best pump brands like Medela, Spectra, and Kiinde through Tricare; they also make signing up a breeze!

1. Go to this link and fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

2. Select your breast pump model (you can read about my fave here).

3. Enroll in their “Resupply” program to receive Breastfeeding accessories monthly.

4. Provide them with a prescription from your doctor (I just asked my doctor during one of our check ups). Or you can input your doctor’s information and they can do it for you!

5. All done! Your breast pump will be delivered to your doorstep!

I love how simple they make it all and the fact that they give you extra accessories and postpartum supplies. Tricare offers breast pumps to us Moms, so why wouldn’t you take advantage of that? This is a huge money saver.

Shopping second hand can save you lots of money, and keep you from wanting to cry when that adorable outfit is ruined.

I can’t tell you how many blowouts we experienced in the first few months. Babies are tiny but mighty, and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay so much money for those little pieces of fabric! I love going to consignment stores or shopping online for more affordable outfits. Seriously, compare the prices and you’ll see how much you can really save. This doesn’t just go for clothes. You can also find toys, carriers, activity seats, and even nursery furniture at most consignment stores. Great thing about being in a military community: someone is always doing a PCS and looking to downsize!

Being in the military community, definitely has its perks. Take advantage of all the programs available to us!

If you don’t have a chance to do your own baby shower, or heck maybe you just want to do a second one, Operation Baby Shower is there! You can apply here. If you can’t make it to one, you can participate in their BIBB program! (Note: this is currently closed so just check back periodically!)

Programs like these exist to not only show support and love to military families, but also because they understand how it can be to have babies on a military salary. It’s so wonderful to have support from a community and get to enjoy all the joys that come with a new baby!

Ask a new mom and they probably couldn’t tell you how many times they ate fast food in the last month. It’s fast, easy, mess free, and expensive. Creating a menu cut our costs in half. Are you constantly asking each other “what do you want for dinner?” And then deciding on pizza? We did this all too frequently. When you have a menu set up for the week, it eliminates the deciding because it’s decided for you. We’ve slowly worked our way up to having a menu for the next two weeks at a time, and having that planned out keeps our eating at restaurants to a minimum!

We do a lot of our shopping at the commissary because it’s affordable and I can use the Commissary Rewards (if you don’t have this card already sign up for it. It’s free and the cashier can give it to you!). It is tax free, so even saving a few extra bucks on top of that can help in the long run. It’s pretty cool and easy to use, you can just log into your rewards account on your phone and add coupons by clicking them. Then before you start checking out your food, swipe the card and all the coupons will register!

Create a budget. UGH. This was the last thing I wanted to do when thinking about saving money, was actually sit down and write out a budget. You can use excel or google sheets (super handy, because you can use the app and share it between you two!) to keep track of everything. Write out your income and then track all bills. Groceries, utilities, dog food and vet visits, cable and internet, and of course baby expenses.

If you are still expecting, this will be a little more challenging, we started by giving a monthly budget of $100 for baby.  This allowed us to stock up on diapers, and slowly build our supply of baby gear! Is someone in the relationship spending a little much on wants and not needs? Set an “allowance” for you both and stick to it. Looking over your expenses, evaluate what can be cut. If you are paying a lot for cable, cut it out and opt for a monthly subscription tv service. There will most likely be a purchase or two that you could live without!

The military creates a lot of challenges when it comes to the family unit, don’t let finances be one of them. Surviving on one income doesn’t have to be stressful and deemed impossible. You just need to figure out what are your wants and what do you actually need. When you begin growing your family your needs shift, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Be smart with your money, take advantage of amazing resources that exist like 1 Natural Way, and remember what is most important in life! Having your sweet family is something no amount of money can buy, so don’t stress!