I think a breast pump is free with your insurance now?
As soon as the weather warms up, hit the yard sale circuit. Baby stuff is pennies on the dollar. And put the word out that you will take hand me downs, because everybody has a garage full of stuff to give away to a good home.
Honestly, we didn't spend anything extra the first year - grandma bought a crib, a stroller and a carseat, per family tradition. We ate at home and did what ever cleaning got done ourselves, because we actually didn't have any extra money. LOL
I completely agree with this. My post above was illustrative of top end costs if you went out and bought the best stuff new. Realistically aged under 1, they sleep half the time, can't move until they're about 6-9 months old so their ability to destroy your house is pretty low.. hence additional cleaning costs are pretty low (with the exception of endless laundry).
Really, don't be stressing about this first year, but I would recommend to start thinking about potential plans for when the baby becomes 2+.
Questions to be thinking of:
What size family might you want? (you will have different opinions on this in both directions over the coming years I'm sure)
What city do we want our kids to grow up in? Is work portable to that city? Does having family close by change work options for you and your wife?
What are costs and incomes like in that city? (the answer to these may well be stay where you are).
What neighbourhood and schools do you want your kids to go to? What i the vibe you want for where you live - "you are who your friends are" is very true I'd suggest aged 7-21.
What do houses look like and cost in those areas/region - is that what you want/can afford to spend?
Start thinking about childcare options and costs for ages 2-5.
These are all slow burn questions, but truly you probably don't need any material changes to your living arrangement and costs for the next 2.5 years so focus on enjoying life as you want it to look like and stashing away the cash.
One thing that may be a surprise is that at the moment, you may be happy living in a less desirable area that is cheaper and lets you stash as realistically, you leave in the morning and come back late and can always get to "nicer" areas of a weekend with ease. Your wife's view on this may change once she is at home all the time and her "release" is going for a walk and meeting other new parents in the area. In no way am I saying this will happen, but it's just a factor that may come into play - and talks to your question, how may I be surprised?
This may sound like lifestyle creep, and in some ways it is, but the realities of having to spend 24/7 in an area may be different to passing through it on the way to work. Equally, it may be an irrelevant point.
Good luck! .. but dont worry!