I think... generally the cost of raising a child depends on you and your lifestyle. It’s also a matter of what you value. I think as you go along, you will see what matters the most to you and what doesn’t, and spend (or not) accordingly.

I think when people talk about babies costing so much, they are referring to formula, disposable diapers, buying brand new clothes for him or her, a crib, playpen, stroller, etc. A mama who breastfeeds, cloth diapers, babywears and cosleeps is able to spend significantly less than a mama who chooses to formula feed, use disposables, and purchases a brand new stroller and crib. Really, though, when my oldest was a baby I received $400/month between welfare and child tax. I didn't have any expenses except for his needs. I smoked, so about half of the money went there and I spent at least $50 a month on things for myself. The rest was more than enough to get him what he needed, and that included buying formula, diapers and wipes, and new clothes and toys often. Medical care/cost of prescriptions if baby gets sick can get expensive and tend to be unexpected. The only other routine expenses I can think of are baby food if you don't intend to make your own, which can add up a bit, and vitamin D drops if you plan to use them while nursing.

I think the biggest cost is that for most people, they either can't work full-time or have to pay for childcare. (There are subsidies for childcare, as well as some people can work at home.) Because my child has a chronic medical condition, I have a considerable amount of out-of-pocket medical costs, unfortunately. Mostly, though, infants need very little and most of it can be gotten used. Some things to think about: you said you got a manual pump. Are you planning on working or going to school? If you're regularly pumping, really consider getting an electric pump. You can get one from WIC. I know some people who have said that they prefer manual pumps, but a lot of people simply can't get enough milk through a manual pump. Also, consider trying to get clothes through the first year if you can swing it. My kid went through the first clothing sizes extremely quickly and clothes shopping when your kiddo is two months old because you only got up to 3-6 month clothes sucks. We pay for laundry, and especially when she was still in diapers, that was a huge increase (and even without diapers, you will still end up paying for a lot more. Other than that, I can't think of any necessary, routine expenses I had after the upfront cost (of getting cloth diapers, a sling, clothes, pump, etc...)

Definitely, if you do daycare that is by far the most expensive thing. For clothes, my son was so big when he was born and he barely wore 0-3 month clothes for 3 days before they were too big. I had a manual pump and it was great for me, I pumped at school and at work but it is different for everyone. If you are getting a crib, stroller, and stuff like that I would look at second hand stores for those, but they suggest to get a new car seat. I did disposable diapers and that was pretty expensive. If you are doing disposables, I wouldn't buy a ton right away because again, he/she could be too big for the size you buy or you might find that a different brand works better.

I got almost everything handed down, including cloth diapers. I only paid for laundry. I made his food when he switched to solids and nursed up until then. The first cash I directly spent was for a diaper pail when he was like 4 months old and his diapers started smelling.