About 2 weeks ago ago we were still stuck in a rut of not knowing which stroller to get. The amount of money one has to spend, different brands on the market and the shock of knowing that they take about 10 weeks (!!!) to be delivered bogged us down.
We went to various stores to have a hands-on feel of the different strollers and compatible carseats available. A very helpful saleswoman at Hofmeister (the German equivalent of Ikea) gave us an 1.5-hr introduction to all we had to know about the leading brands - which I must add were mostly made-in-Germany!
The prices were another story altogether. Nobody prepares you for the amount one has to spend on such things! We decided to buy our stroller and its accessories brand-new because we figured that when we have more than one child, the price would be worth it in the end. Besides, things like warranty and repairs were some of our top priorities.
At home, we spent hours reading customer reviews of our favourite brands, comparing and contrasting different models of the same brand, as well as seeking out the opinions of friends. It finally boiled down to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a "perfect" one-size-fits-all stroller for everybody.
For us, we wanted a stroller that was:
- Lightweight,
- Easy to maneuver,
- Sturdy enough for use in 4 seasons
Our final decision was the Concord Neo Ion Scout stroller (picture above) which original price was 1,000€ including carseat and a baby basinette.
We placed a deposit at Hofmeister and thought that was it.
However when I wanted to blog about it, I searched online for a picture of the stroller set that we had purchased and came across a pretty reliable website that was offering the exact same thing at a discount of 100€.
Needless to say, we cancelled our first order and decided to order it online. However, before I could even do so, a friend of mine sent me an Email-newsletter of a baby store that was going to have a 20% on all products from 8 to 10pm 3 days later!
I called the store to confirm that the Concord was one of the brands that was going to be on discount and decided that we were going to get our stroller there instead!
So yeah! From 1,000€, the price went down to 900€ and was further reduced to 800€!
We really felt God's guidance the whole way! And oh boy, did we feel so blessed! So THANK YOU GOD!
I shall decide to continue to rely on God to help us make the right decision for baby's furniture. We had in mind what we wanted, but were told 2 days ago that all furniture stores would be having a 2-week summer break! That meant that even if we placed our orders now, our baby furniture might only come by mid-September! Our baby's expected in end August and could come up to 2 weeks earlier. So this could mean that we might have to survive for 4 weeks without any baby furniture.
So we still have to make the decision if we're going to go ahead with this baby furniture set and make do for the first few weeks or if we should go to good-old Ikea and get some nice baby furniture at the cost of quality. Hmmmm.....decisions decisions.
But we continue to trust that God who has been good to us, will continue to be good and shower us with His favour. :)
"The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11
9 comments:
Hi Pris,
So interesting .. EUR 800 is still SGD 1,400 - woah! That's a lot of money! Maybe a good thing about investing in new and good baby stuff is that you can use it for your next few kids next time.
Have a good Friday!
:) andrea
I'm sure God hears your prayers and will guide and provide for you, your hubby and baby all the way. Just like how I prayed and trusted God for tolerable pain during my recent medical procedure and that all will be well with the biopsy and after taking the meds. Although I wavered initially when God didn't provide comfort and I still felt sick after taking meds, I told myself I had to continue to trust in Him and it is only a matter of time before I get well since the meds are not miracle pills. True enough, my prayers were answered and didn't feel fearful when I was wheeled into the procedure room and I can safely say I'm on the road to recovery. :) So pray continually :):)
Beautiful stroller system! And praise God indeed for the discount :) Re baby furniture, have you considered getting it 2ndhand? The cot we're using for Enoch was bought 2ndhand, and it works fantastically well. And we didn't really need any other baby furniture aside from that and a changing table, so don't worry too much. Trust me, baby shopping will increase once baby is here! hee :D
Hey dear Andrea! :)
Yeah, it sounds like a lot of money hor! But guess what? Its wayy more expensive in Singapore. We paid S$1,400 right, but in Singapore they were selling it at about S$2,000+!! So we did make a bargain after all, heehee.
Enjoy your weekend and we'll talk soon!
Luv,
Pris
Thanks Cyn for sharing your testimony! :) Great to hear that you're feeling better from your experience at the doctor.
Yeah, I believe that prayers spoken in faith can move mountains!
Hey Sarah!
We did consider that. But our church's baby / children fleamarket is only in mid-Sept. We actually have a second-hand baby cot from hubby's cousin. So its mainly the changing table that we still need for now.
But we did think of getting a children's bedroom set because we need more storage space anyway. So we could use the cupboard when baby's too young to use it.
Wao this baby 3 in one stroller seems very nice and sturdy!
What a coincidence. I have been a silent reader of your blog, and am 20 weeks pregnant, and was researching for strollers too. It has been finalized to either the Bugaboo Cameleon or Concord! If we end up with the Concord, we will not take the travel system, as we want just the stroller minus the bassinett (baby carrier) and infant car seat, but will go for the Concord Ultimax, which is a car seat that is suitable for a newborn till 4 years old. The price of the Concord travel system where I live is around the 900EUR mark too.
Whimsicaljottings,
Hello! Thanks for saying HI!!!! I love hearing from my readers!
Firstly, congrats on your pregnancy! I'm going to pop by your blog too! So have you decided on your stroller yet?
I wasn't aware of the Concord Ultimax that you talked about. But I think that once baby outgrows the infant carseat, I can buy any other carseat, since by then the carseat wouldn't be able to fit into the stroller any longer.
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