Living Well on a Budget
submitted by Moms like You
If it’s Good Enough for Cleopatra
Add milk to your bathwater. I like to use Sea Salts or Bath Therapy and then add about a cup of milk to my bathwater. It feels wonderful. If it’s good enough for Cleopatra, then it’s good enough for me! – Nicole Dean
Make your own Sugar Scrub
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup vegetable oil such as sunflower or something like that
1 tbsp honey
essential oils such as rosemary, mint or grapefruit
Use about one tablespoon, Especially good on rough dishpan hands, elbows, and feet.
Michele Calpito
Benefits of Lavender
Lavender has been widely known to aid in calming nerves and tension as well as aiding in the relief of headache and migraines while easing your drift off to sleep. Enjoy a lavender scented eye pillow with the lights low to ease your headache away, the scent soothes your mind and body. – Christina Lunceford
Lip Gloss Recipes
Take care of yourself with these recipes for lip gloss you can make from home.
Making your own lip gloss
Cranberry Lip Gloss
1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
10 fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon honey
1 drop of vitamin E oil
Mix all the ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave for a couple of minutes or until the mixture just begins to boil.
(Bowl may also be heated in a pan of water on a stovetop).
Stir well and gently crush the berries.
Cool mixture for five minutes and then strain through a fine sieve to remove all the fruit
pieces. Stir again and set aside to cool completely.
When cool, transfer into a small portable plastic container or tin.
Honey Balm
3 oz. Almond Oil
2 Teaspoons Honey
1/2 oz. Beeswax or Beeswax Pellets
1 Vitamin E Capsule (as a preservative)
1-4 Drops Essential Oil
Aloe Vera Lip Gloss
1 tsp aloe vera gel
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp petroleum jelly
Mix the ingredients in a glass bowl, and microwave for 1 – 2 minutes.
Pour into container.
Heal Sores Balm
3 oz almond oil
2 tsp pure honey
1/2 oz beeswax
1 tsp tea tree oil
Melt all together and stir while cooling.
Fruity Lip Gloss –Made with Kool-Aid!
2 tbsp. solid shortening
1 tbsp. fruit-flavored powdered drink mix (Kool-Aid)
35 mm plastic film container
Mix shortening and drink mix together in a small microwave-safe container until smooth.
Place container in the microwave on high for 30 seconds until mixture becomes a liquid.
Pour the mixture into a plastic film container or any other type of small airtight container.
Place the fruity lip gloss mixture in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes or until firm.
Chaele is a WAHM annd a mother of three. She owns MSU
Free Bath Salt Recipes for a Spa Experience at Home
As Moms, we know the meaning of stress! And, we know the meaning of wanting to relax with a spa bath experience. Take care of yourself with these recipes for bath salts you can make from home.
Cocoa Bath Salts De-Stress Recipe
Ingredients:
1/8 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup Epsom salts
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Optional: 2 to 3 drops lavender essential oil.
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined and then add as the bath water is running.
Check out this site for more free Homemade Beauty Recipes.
Simple Bath Salt Experience
Add plain old Epsom salts (the kind you can get at Kmart or any discount store) and milk to your bath tub with hot water.
If you have any favorite essential oils that you enjoy, drop a few drops into the bath for an aromatherapy spa experience.
Check out this site for more free Homemade Beauty Recipes.
Foot Soak Recipe
As Moms, we know the meaning of stress! And, we know the meaning of frugality. Take care of yourself with these recipes for foot soaks you can make from home.
Home Lemon Foot Mask
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vodka
1 egg
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 drop lemon essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Soak your feet in the mixture for
about 15 minutes.
Massage the Mask into your feet if you’d like.
Rinse with plenty of warm water.
Take some time to pamper yourself. You can find more homemade spa recipes here.
Home Facial Recipes
As Moms, we know the meaning of stress! And, we know the meaning of frugality. Take care of yourself with these recipes for facials you can make from home.
Home Facial Cleanser Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp powdered almonds
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
Combine the honey, almonds and lemon juice into a paste.
Rub on your face. Rinse with plenty of warm water.
Take some time to pamper yourself. You can find more homemade spa recipes here.
Blueberry Facial Toner Recipe
You’ll need:
3 tablespoons steamed, crushed blueberries
1/2 C. sour cream or plain yogurt
Directions:
Purée ingredients in a blender at low speed until well mixed and fluffy.
Apply to face and neck. Let penetrate for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with
tepid water.
Take some time to pamper yourself. You can find more homemade spa recipes here.
Check out this site for more Homemade Beauty Recipes.
Living Room Organization Ideas
photo credit: tifotter
The living room or family room tends to be the center of family life and, therefore, it’s also the center of family clutter. This is where we go to unwind and just enjoy being a family together. A lot of stuff ends up strewn all over the floor, tables, and any surface you can find that’s not already occupied. The kids bring toys in, the grownups bring work in, and it piles up everywhere. Your family wants to feel relaxed in the living room, after all it is for living, but no one is happy with the resulting mess. So, where do you begin to make the change from chaos to clean?
Step One: Decide How Your Living Room Will Function
In order to eliminate the mountain of debris, we have to first decide how we want our family room to function. What types of things do you do in the family room? Do you watch movies, play video games, and music? Does anyone pour through magazines while they’re sitting with the family? Is someone always reading books and stacking them in a corner? Is the family room your children’s only play area? How about knitting, needlepoint, or sewing while listening to music? Do you keep a treadmill in your living room and exercise while watching television? Do you play board games or put together puzzles? Is your family room also your school room, catching up on homework, and working on school projects? Do you use the computer in your living room? Be thoughtful about what you WANT to use your family room for, and not just what you are using it for now. Get your entire family involved because you’re going to need their cooperation when it comes down to the execution of your plan.
Step Two: Choose Furniture And Storage For Your Entertainment Pieces
If the majority of your family’s leisure time is spent in front of the television, watching shows and movies, playing video games, or listening to music, an entertainment center is a necessity. You can find models that not only store your equipment, but also all the movies, games, and music the family enjoys. However, these units can be expensive and they take up a lot of space. If you have the room, and your budget allows, and you don’t plan on changing the layout of the room, these entertainment centers can be a good choice. But, if you can’t fit a large entertainment center in your living room, or your budget won’t allow such an expense, or your room’s arrangement isn’t permanent, some smaller, more modular pieces would be a better choice. An inexpensive option to consider for both equipment set-up and storage are dressers. Taking a standard six or nine drawer dresser, place your audio/visual equipment on top, and store your media in the drawers. This is a great temporary solution, too, until you decide what to do permanently. There are many other options for storing the movies, games, and music outside of an entertainment center. Do some research and you will find many different styles of storage racks, from simple wood cabinets or bookshelves, to modern metal units that have a sculpture look to them. A closet with added shelves can make a great place to store the media out of harm’s way, especially with young children in the house.
Step Three: Manage The Toys
Allowing your kids to have a few favorite toys in the living room can ease the stress of organizing. I know you want to reclaim your living room, but your children will feel better if they are not excluded. Give them each a container, in their favorite color, and write their names on it to personalize the bin. Each child is allowed to keep only toys in the room that fit in that bin. Any toy that does not fit in the bin must be put in another room, or stored. They can always change which toys are in their bin, but they still have to follow the rule that if it doesn’t fit, it can’t stay. At the end of the day, their toys need to go back in their personal bins.
Step Four: Manage The Reading Materials
Create a home for the newspapers, magazines, and books that will invariably accumulate on any surface available by using cute baskets or decorative bins and boxes. Place baskets or pretty boxes with covers next to the chairs and couches that your readers tend to lounge around on. When they throw their current printed material on the floor, gently remind each of your readers that their magazine or book now has a home. Shop the big clearance stores for good deals on covered baskets and boxes that stack. This is an attractive way to store those magazines, catalogs and newspapers that you are done with but don’t want to recycle quite yet. Another great storage idea, if your budget allows, is a storage coffee table. But, even a little basket on top of your existing coffee table or end table will help in corralling all that miscellaneous stuff that clutters up your living room. Also, if you can find it in your budget, purchasing a bookshelf will make all the difference in the world when it comes to organizing your reading materials. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy. Even a simple little three shelf unit will help.
Step Five: Create A Work Space
If your family has agreed that puzzles, board games, and school work have a place in your living room, you’ll need to include a table and chairs. Trying to find the space for something like a standard table with four chairs may be difficult, and possibly not feasible. You may need to be very creative. Of course, there is the old standby… a folding card table. Although they’ve come a long way in comfort and looks, you still may not be too keen on them. They are, however, easily folded and stored, but consider that you still need to have the room to store them. A drop-leaf table is just what it sounds like. It is a table that, when you drop the sides down, it becomes narrow enough to slip against a wall without taking up a lot of space. You pull the sides back up, lock them into place, and you have a full-size table for four. If an extra table is not possible in your living room, you may want to consider a larger coffee table. Some cleaver folks have even gone to rummage sales, found inexpensive wood dining room tables, and simply cut the legs down until it was coffee table height. If you have the room in front of your couch for such a coffee table, it’s worth checking into, as it makes a very cozy place to gather. Puzzles may be a bit more challenging. In order to arrange a space where a puzzle can remain undisturbed is difficult, but there are actually puzzle mats that roll up with the puzzle inside, without disturbing the already completed portion. If your family room doubles as your work area with your computer set-up, you’ll need to create a space that’s both convenient and attractive. Your work space may best be suited by using a computer hutch with doors. Being able to close your computer and equipment behind doors may be crucial if your entire family is gathering in the living room for fun. You don’t want to get distracted by your computer’s presence, and you want it safely tucked away from prying eyes and fingers when the kids are playing in the living room.
Your living room’s function will change over the years, but one thing will remain constant. Your family room or living room is for your Family and for Living. You want a place to relax, have fun and enjoy your family. Yes, you want your family room organized, but you don’t want to create a sterile environment that no one can enjoy.
And now that your living room is organized, it’s time to move on to the next room… check back here for more Home Organization Ideas.
SIX STEPS To An Organized Refrigerator
You’ve been an absolute whirlwind, an organizing maniac, and your closets are getting whipped into shape like never before. Good for you! Life is so much easier when we’re organized. But, there is another “closet” in your house that’s not getting the same focus. Your “cold closet”… better known as your refrigerator.
Look at your refrigerator like a closet. It has drawers, storage bins, specialized storage spaces, and even a light. Your refrigerator already has everything that an organized closet should have. The drawback to any closet is the “dead” space. You know, the area in your closet that you can’t reach, or that things get pushed back to, never to be found again. The problem that is exclusive to your “cold closet” is that, unlike your clothes closet, when items get pushed into the “dead zone” and forgotten, they either freeze or spoil. How many frozen bags of lettuce and molding jars of diced tomatoes have you thrown away in the last year? Way too many, I’m sure. So, let’s get your refrigerator organized! Viewing your refrigerator as another closet, take these six simple steps and get your refrigerator working for you, not against you.
Step 1: Remove The Contents Of Your Refrigerator And Place In Cardboard Boxes
Collect some small to medium size cardboard boxes with top flaps still attached. Your friendly, neighborhood liquor store usually has empty boxes sitting around to give away for the asking. These boxes are heavy duty and small enough to handle. Now, sit down in front of your refrigerator and take the delicate perishables like fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, and cheese out and carefully fill your boxes. Put your larger items like gallons of milk or juice in a separate box. Put your smaller items, jars, and cans in a box. Put your containers of leftovers, cartons of cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. in a box. Keep a trash bag nearby and throw out, hopefully for the last time, anything that looks suspicious. If you don’t remember it, or it has definite signs of age or frost, don’t keep it any longer. Cover the boxes up with the flaps and slide them into a corner. Drape a blanket over the top of your pile to keep the food cold while you clean up.
Step 2: Wash The Refrigerator Thoroughly
If you’ve only been wiping up spills in your refrigerator as needed, now is the time for a full-out cleaning. I prefer mixing a half and half ratio of white vinegar and hot water. It’s safe, inexpensive, and it works. Some people prefer mixing a solution of baking soda and water which is an excellent cleaning solution, as well. What you don’t want to use is a strong smelling, heavy-duty industrial style cleaner. Your cleaning solution must be food-friendly. Start by turning your refrigerator temperature control off, since you’ll be working with the door open and you don’t want it to keep running. Remove the drawers and all the racks that you can, and place them in a sink or tub with dish soap and hot water to soak. Now, starting at the top, use a clean, absorbent cloth to wipe down the entire inside of your refrigerator, top, sides, bottom, and door shelves, rinsing out your cloth and changing water when you need to. Don’t forget the drip-pan underneath your refrigerator. Remove the grill in front of your drip-pan, wipe off the grill, pull out the pan and wash it as needed. If it’s been collecting dirt for some time now, you may want to add it to your soaking items. You’ll also want to wipe up underneath your refrigerator now, since the drip-pan has been removed and you can get at the floor. Scrub up your drawers and racks, rinse them well, and wipe each one down with a fresh vinegar and water mixture to remove any soap residue, and reinstall them in your refrigerator. Don’t forget to put your drip-pan and front grill back, then turn your refrigerator temperature back where it was and shut the door.
Step 3: You Have Time For A Break
Scrubbing out the interior of your refrigerator takes some effort. Some would say it’s back breaking work. No matter how your muscles and bones react to this physical effort, whether you feel pretty sore or it wasn’t so bad, you deserve a ten minute break. And this is the time for a short break, since your refrigerator needs to come back down to the temperature you set. Your cold food will stay cold in the cardboard boxes for a few more minutes, so pour yourself some coffee, tea, a soft drink, or water, and put your feet up. Okay? Feel better? Great! Back to work!
Step 4: A Whole New View Of The Interior Of Your “Cold Closet”
Open your refrigerator and take stock of the interior layout just like you would with any other closet. Assigning specific spots for the food items you store most often will stop the constant shuffling around, and eventually discarding, containers of food. For instance, if you keep a couple gallons of milk on hand at all times, make a spot for them now. If you normally have a dozen or more eggs in your refrigerator, a narrow spot between a top drawer and a shelf might be just right. If you have an egg keeper in your door, it’s really okay to use it for eggs as long as you are not storing them outside their carton for long periods of time. Just like the other closets in your house, it’s all about “a place for everything and everything in its place”, using storage pieces specifically designed for certain items, and storing like-items together in bins. This is where it gets tricky… your “cold closet” has areas that may not be suited for all storage. If food freezes when it gets shoved to the back of your refrigerator, look for small plastic bins that fit in those Arctic areas to gather less fragile items together, saving the room in front for your more delicate food items. Now that you have gathered some little storage items together and assessed your needs, you are ready to organize your refrigerator.
Step 5: Putting Your Refrigerator Back Together
Drag your cardboard boxes back over to the refrigerator. Open the boxes of the delicate items like fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, and cheese and immediately place them in the drawers or areas where they are intended to be stored. Close the drawers tightly and continue. Grab the large items like milk and juice and place them in the spots that you’ve designated for their permanent home. If you store bread or other large items, put those in their spot. Now, you should be left with your smaller items. Close the refrigerator and have a seat next to your boxes of food and small plastic storage bins. Start sorting your smaller food items according to use and placement. For instance, if you have a collection of hot sauces or other condiments that you don’t use that often, place them together in a small plastic bin that you can push to the back recesses of your refrigerator. Continue putting less fragile and seldom used items together and placing them in either small plastic bins or directly in the back corners of your refrigerator, wiping each container with a damp cloth as you go. Gather those little leftover packets of seasonings together in a small food storage container and slip it in your door shelf. Place your salad dressing bottles in the door shelves, along with any other larger jars or cans. Now, you should have open space in front of all those little bins which were filled and pushed to the back. Your cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and all those leftovers stored in zip lock bags and containers now have a place to go where they will not freeze or get lost!
Step 6: Train Your Family
Now that everything is safely tucked away in your refrigerator, with a space designated for everyday items, you need to train your family to put the milk, eggs, etc. back where they found it. Simple concept, but if not followed, it can turn the best organized homes upside-down again. Bring your entire family on board and you will have better success.
Now that your “cold closet” looks and operates like the rest of the organized closets in your home, you should no longer be surprised by those fuzzy containers of who-knows-what that used to lurk way in the back of your refrigerator. With everyone’s cooperation, your newly organized home will remain neat and orderly, even the busiest closet in the house… your refrigerator.
Money Integrity: Teach Your Children Well
© 2004-2005 Darlene Arechederra
‘Live so that when your children think of fairness and
integrity, they think of you.’
— H. Jackson Brown, Jr.–
We think of integrity as doing the right thing when no one is looking. Does this hold true for money, too? Share with your children the money values you’d like them to carry into adulthood. We have opportunities to teach our children, even in unexpected ways!
Consider a few quick scenarios.
1. You find a $100 bill as you enter a local grocery store. Would you ask Customer Service if anyone has reported losing any money recently, and what amount it was?
2. You arrive home and discover a puppy sitting on your front doorstep. He has no tags on him. You bring him in out of the cold and keep him for the night. The next day, you discover his particular breed is worth $1800. Would you attempt to locate his owners as you might if he were a mutt?
3. You place a health & beauty order through a coworker, and she mistakenly thinks you’ve already paid her for it. Would you give her the money you owe anyway, or would you keep quiet?
4. You and your family have just eaten a meal out. Due to several factors, it was not as enjoyable as you had hoped. The bill arrives, and you notice some items were left off the bill. Would you pay it without saying anything?
5. You’re living a frugal lifestyle. You agree to join family members for a meal out to celebrate mom’s birthday. Do you order frugally, yet chip in a fair share for mom’s meal? Or do you skip contributing to mom’s meal and have others cover the entire portion?
6. Your last paycheck was $600 more than it should have been. While deciding whether to notify Payroll at work, your spouse spends the entire $600. Do you call Payroll anyway, knowing they’ll probably deduct the money from each of your next few paychecks? It will leave you no money for several weeks.
7. You’re selling your old clunker. Do you disclose any problems you’re having with it? Does your answer remain the same regardless of whether your buyer is male or female?
8. You discover that someone you dislike at work received a much bigger raise than you. Do you share the amount of his/her raise with your friends and family?
9. You purchase an ebook online — it was exactly what you were looking for. A week later, you’re feeling a money pinch. Do you ask for your money back on the ebook, even though it more than met your needs?
Children notice the decisions we make on a daily basis. Why not teach them how to develop money integrity — through your own interactions and decisions!
Do you have a scenario you’d like to share? Please email it to me. I’d love to hear from you.
Author and ezine editor Darlene Arechederra inspires busy women to put the fun back into saving their money. Her complimentary newsletter serves up heaps of motivation with a unique, down-home style of writing.
Frugal Books by Darlene Arechederra
Frugal Family Fun: Making Memories on a Budget
Written by: Nicole Dean
Web Site: www.ShowMomTheMoney.com
What childhood memories do you hold dear? For me, it was all the times “life happened”. The little things like playing outside, riding my bike with the wind in my hair, playing at the park, swimming in the lakes, giggling with friends. None of those moments cost a cent, yet they are some of my most treasured memories.
Frugal Family Fun is very easy to do. Choose any of the 31 ideas below and you’ll have a fun-filled time without breaking the bank!
* Garden – Plant flowers, fruit trees, herbs, or vegetables. Your child will learn science, responsibility and have fun!
* Snip-it – Give your child old toy catalogs or magazines and safe scissors. Watch them cut all day.
* Diggin’ It – Send your child outside with a bucket and small shovel. Shoveling snow, sand, dirt or rocks — it’s all good fun.
* Sing – Turn up the radio and sing! Teach your child the music of the 70s, 80s, or 90s.
* Play Catch – Throw different items (balloons, tennis balls) to your child. Roll balls to young children.
* Sidewalk Chalk – Lay on the sidewalk and take turns outlining each other. Decorate your flat selves.
* Cardboard Boxes – Make towers, build cities, design play houses, airplanes, trains, forts and more!
* Bubbles – Blow Bubbles. Take turns chasing and popping them.
* Masks – Create Masks from Paper bags, paper plates, foam, or anything on hand.
* Cards – Introduce your child to all the classic games — UNO, Crazy 8, Go Fish, Old Maid, Memory Match.
* Scavenger Hunt – Give your child a list of clues and send him out to find them. Clues can be simple (find a rock) or very advanced (find a piece of granite).
* Throw Rocks – Go to a pond, creek, or lake and throw rocks. Try to skip them or aim for different targets.
* Bath Time – Bring kitchen utensils into the bath tub. Bubbles and water can become an imaginary gourmet dinner.
* Office – Give your child Junk Mail, stickers, a calculator and pen — they’ll have their own office!
* Photography – Let your child use a disposable camera or a digital camera and witness their creativity. They may surprise you!
* Picnic – Make some sandwiches and eat them outside.
* Cooking – Find age-appropriate recipes and let your child help in the kitchen.
* Tag – How many versions of tag do you remember from your childhood? Teach the oldies to your children (freeze tag, TV tag, etc.)
* Write a Story – Younger children can write wiggle-worm sentences (much scribbling and
pictures). Encourage older children to write chapter books — your child could pen the next Harry Potter or Magic Tree house.
* Charades – Toddlers can act out and guess their favorite animals (usually with many sound effects). Older children will enjoy acting out movie titles.
* Flashlight – Turn off the lights & make shadow puppets. Or get two flashlights and chase the light beams.
* Wildlife – Feed the ducks, squirrels, birds, turtles or fish near you.
* Abundance – Every day, have your children tell you what they are thankful for.
* Dress Up – Give your children your clothes and watch them imitate you.
* Treats – Make cookies and decorate them.
* Dance – Turn up the music and Dance!
* Play Games – Teach your child all your favorite board games.
* Journal – Present a notebook or diary to your child and encourage them to express their feelings with pictures and words.
* Tea Party – Grab the stuffed animals and treat them to a delicious cup of imaginary tea.
* Keep in Touch – Write a letter to Grandparents, Aunts or Uncles. Teach the importance of family.
* I Spy – Come up with age-appropriate clues and let you child guess what you are thinking.
Be sure to print out this list and keep it handy for the next time your children say “MOMMMMMM — we’re bored!”
Frugal Living and Kids
Copyright 2000/2001 Deborah Taylor-Hough
All rights reserved. Don’t transmit, copy, reprint, post to other webpages, or use in any print media without written permission from the copyright holder. Thanks! 🙂
Frugal living and raising kids. Is it possible for those two phrases to fit together? Here’s a quick list of simple ideas for saving money on regular child-related expenses and/or fun activities.
SAVING MONEY ON CHILDREN
1) Give older children and teenagers their own reasonable clothing budget. They quickly learn that the money only goes so far. If they want designer jeans, fine, but they’ll have to cut back somewhere else or earn the extra money themselves.
2) Check for children’s clothing, especially infant sizes, at yard sales in expensive neighborhoods. Name brand items in excellent condition can often be found for less than a dollar a piece.
3) Always say “yes” to hand-me-down clothes from friends and family. If you really need help financially, a refusal of clothing could indicate to someone that you no longer have need for clothing so they might stop offering all together. Give what you don’t need to someone else who could use a hand. Hand-me-downs are not only free but are usually in better condition than garage sales or thrift stores.
4) Sell children’s clothes you’re finished with at a children’s resale/consignment store. You’ll get a better rate of return than at a yard sale.
5) Get free video rentals at local libraries.
6) Be patient and wait to see new movies when they come out in video.
7) Check to see if there are any discount movie theaters in your area. Many of these places show movies just before they’re released on video. A family of four can go out for an evening at the movies and spend around $10 for a fun family outting (watch the candy, popcorn and drink purchases however — that’s where the bill can go sky-high). These theaters often play the movies for only a week or two, so keep track of which movies you want to see and check each week for what’s playing at the discount theaters.
8) Go to the first show of the day at first-run theaters for the best price of the day.
9) Rather than buying separate admissions to different educational or fun family destinations, buy one yearly pass to either the zoo or the aquarium or a theme park. Go repeatedly to that one place each time you want a family outing. You’ll easily save the cost of the family admission, plus you’ll have the benefit of not feeling pressured to see everything in one day. You can always see what you missed the next time you come. Next year buy a pass to somewhere else.
10) Check for free concerts, plays and other live family entertainment at local parks during the summer months.
11) Call and find out if your local college stage production group, ballet or orchestra will let you quietly watch them rehearse for free.
12) Go fly a kite (literally!).
13) Learn to juggle. It’s entertaining, creates family cooperation and it’s great exercise.
14) Make the most of available student discounts. Show your child’s school ID at museums, zoos, galleries, etc.
15) Instead of an expensive day of professional sports, go to a high school or college game.
16) Borrow high-ticket baby items from family and friends: car seats, baby swings, playpens, strollers, bassinets, cribs, high chairs. Remember to take excellent care of borrowed items … and don’t forget to return them!
17) Purchase high-ticket items at children’s resale or consignment stores. Look in the Yellow Pages. These stores sort through the junk so the merchandise they sell is often in “like-new” condition.
18) Buy retired diapers from local diaper services. These are still serviceable and sold for a fraction of the cost of new cotton diapers. Even if you have to replace them now and then, the monetary savings are still tremendous.
19) Put your baby’s tiny socks into a zippered lingerie bag when you put them in the washing machine. They won’t get lost, so this cuts down on unmatched socks and the subsequent replacement costs.
20) Consider using a Certified Nurse Midwife for routine pregnancy and childbirth care. The cost of a hospital birth using a CNM can be nearly a third less than the same birth attended by an OB/GYN. Check to see if there is a CNM associated with your local hospital or birthing center. Most medical insurance companies offer coverage for CNM pregnancy/childbirth care (check with your insurance carrier for specifics).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Deborah Taylor-Hough (free-lance writer, wife and mother of three) is the editor of the Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters. She’s also the author of the bestselling book, Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month, and A Simple Choice : A Practical Guide to Saving Your Time, Money and Sanity.
Wonderful Books by the Author of This Article:
A Simple Choice : A Practical Guide to Saving Your Time, Money and Sanity
Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
Frozen Assets Lite and Easy: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
Cook for a Day: Eat for a Month : Frozen Assets Readers’ Favorite
