Pregnant Women are Money Gold Mines

Wow!  Out of all the things women think about when they’re pregnant, have you ever considered yourself to be a money target for retailers? Here’s why they target women & money, and how to stay grounded with disciplined money behaviors during this new phase of life.


It’s hard enough to manage money throughout our busy, disruptive, exhausting days.  And good money habits might be anchored by other behaviors.  You might pay bills during Sunday morning coffee, or on pay day right before bed.  But what happens when your whole world changes?

Behavioral_Cents_Baby

Willpower is a Hard-to-Find-Commodity

In Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, he discusses that Target considers pregnant women and new parents the “holy grail of retail”.  Parents and parents-to-be are more price insensitive, busier, and tired so they rely on one-stop stores to minimize their time, and buy what they need.

Your previously-known life has been disrupted by a sweet, little bundle, and so have your disciplined habits.  You’re fair game for developing new shopping habits, new spending behaviors, and just spending more than you should, period. Charles Duhigg refers to a survey conducted in 2010 that estimated a parent spends on average $6,800 on baby items, before the child’s first birthday!

3 Tips to Maintain Fiscal Sanity

Of course we all want the best for our little ones. Just beware the budget.  You won’t feel human again until you find new routines, so use your energy and hard-earned cash wisely while you’re in a lack-of-sleep auto-pilot mode:

* Engage your analytical brain (versus the emotional, auto-pilot side) when buying expensive baby equipment.  “You get what you pay for” isn’t always true, so shop around.

 * Compare the price of high volume items you’ll need early in the pregnancy process. Retailers know diapers are an anchor product. They may price these competitively with higher margins on other baby products.

 * Understand willpower will be low.  Saying no to every cute piece of clothing and toy will be difficult. You need someone practical shopping with you who has been through it all and knows what will realistically be used.

 This blog is particularly helpful for Hera (Obsession), Demeter (Pursuit) and Athena (Status) money profiles.

Get My Money Habits

Information shown is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended as investment, legal or tax planning advice. Please consult a financial adviser, attorney or tax specialist for advice specific to your financial situation. Behavioral Cents, LLC and any third parties listed, linked to or otherwise appearing in this message are separate and unaffiliated and are not responsible for each other’s products, services or policies.

BehavioralCents.com is a web site for women focused on how the mind naturally drives money behaviors. We hope to inspire women to understand their own automatic and emotional reactions to money, and better prepare them for financial independence. Thoughts always welcome: carrierattle@behavioralcents.com.

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By Carrie Rattle

Carrie Rattle is a Principal at BehavioralCents.com, a website for women focused on mind and money behaviors. She has worked in the financial services industry for 20+ years and hopes to inspire women to better prepare themselves for financial independence. Read More

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