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Archives for October 2011

A Brief Look at Some Pre-Christmas, Post-Halloween Traditions

October 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment

All Saint's Day

(via Photodocks)

We are nearing the end of the month of October, known in a lot of parts of the world as the “spooky month”, and we have been reveling in horror movies, ghostly and ghoulish costumes, and sugar overload.  It has been a lot of fun for those that take the time out to celebrate this kind of holiday, this kind of tradition.  Little is known though about the two days immediately following October 31, and the fact that, again for some groups of people, these days hold some significance.

The Meaning of All Saint’s Day & All Souls Day

To be specific, November 1 and 2 signify something in particular mostly for Roman Catholics or for followers of Western or Eastern Christianity.  I took the time to look up the simplest description of the two days (other than my own words) and here is what I found in Wikipedia:

All Saints’ Day (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas[1]), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.

In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Roman Catholic Church and many Anglican churches, the next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven (the ‘church penitent‘ and the ‘church triumphant‘, respectively), and the ‘church militant‘ who are the living. Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints in different ways.

Does it sound like a lot to take it?  I can understand that it would.  Especially for those who choose not to look at days or traditions that are religious in nature, these two days and what they appear to mean is a lot to adjust to.

All Saint’s Day & All Souls Day in the Philippines

In my country, which is known to be very Roman Catholic, these days are observed and are also often declared holidays so that families have time to make arrangements in the other provinces within the country.  But this tradition has also changed in practice and in meaning to a lot of people.

Before, these two days really did mean that families all went to cemeteries, in the Metro and in other provinces, where close relatives are buried, spend time around gravestones, light candles, pray and reflect on the dearly departed.  Today, this holiday is also used as just general time to get some rest and to spend time with the family.  Yes, people do still go to cemeteries to pray for their dead.  They still light candles or bring flowers.  But some families also bring food and drink as a form of celebration for the life or lives of loved ones who have passed.  It sounds morbid, true, but a lot of people find more comfort in remembering their dead during the good times, retelling stories of past achievements, funny moments, memorable events.

Others choose to remember and pray in a different way.  They go to church, light candles there, and pray specific prayers for their dearly departed.  Then they retreat to family homes and have dinners or lunches, not parties with revelry, but more of gatherings with food where family can spend time together, maybe catch up with relatives and friends who live far and who are only seen at this time of the year, and just remember good times and good people; To remember, to reflect, to be with family.

So, I bet you are wondering why I chose to blog about this.  Well, aside from the fact that these days a few days away, being a single mom has made me more aware of the traditions I would like my kids to be exposed to and the meaning of family, death, the importance of life, memories, and making sure you live to the fullest, strive to be happy and good.  So close after Halloween, the days of witches and ghosts, and a month away from Christmas, it seems to me a good time to pause the partying and to think about the people that matter the most and the meaning of death and life.

I don’t know if you all have similar traditions but it would be interesting to find out the ways in which you celebrate life, reflect on death, and emphasize family.

Do you observe All Saint’s Day?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Holidays Tagged With: All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Christian, Halloween, Religion

Christie’s Favorite Halloween Movies

October 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment

I like Halloween. It’s not my favorite holiday but I do think it’s pretty fun. Between ages 19-33 I could have cared less about it to be honest but now that I’m a Mom I do enjoy it. Plus, there’s candy involved so it’s got to be a good one right?

Brian’s post Best Halloween Movies for Kids got me thinking about the movies I have enjoyed over the years. I thought his list was great!  It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Escape from Witch Mountain and of course any of the Simpson’s Halloween episodes are awesome!

So, today I am going to share some of my other favorite Halloween movies. These may not have a Halloween theme but I like them and most of them are good if you only want to be semi-scared. I usually don’t go for full blown guts, blood and gore but every once in awhile it’s okay. Again these are MY favorites and not family friendly movies. If you have teenagers they might be okay — other than that ,wait until you put the kiddos to bed,  pop some popcorn and enjoy! If you dare ~ muahahahahahahaahaha (that was my evil laugh if you were wondering).

Favorite Halloween Movies

The Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera

Available on: Amazon

Price (at time of posting): $7.91 sale — $14.99 Regular

I love The Phantom of the Opera in general.  I actually like the newest (2005) release of the movie better than the 1993 release. However, I feel that this particular version is much better for Halloween. I mean really, it stars Robert Englund – aka Freddy Krueger – as the Phantom, so it is going to be scary and have some gore associated with it. If you want to see a handsome phantom and enjoy all of the wonderful music you associate with the Broadway musical — go with the 2005 version. However, if you want to see a terrifying phantom, the 1993 Robert Englund version is the one for you! Of course, if you are like me, you will love watching both!

The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs

Available: Amazon

Price (at time of posting): $12.91

This is one of my favorite scary movies. I have seen it a million times and it still creeps me out everytime! Jody Foster’s determination and strength almost made me want to be an FBI agent — almost. Anthony Hopkins role as Hannibal Lecter promptly talked me out of it!

Interview with the Vampire

Interview with the Vampire

Available: Amazon

Price (at the time of this posting): $6.05 Sale — $19.99 Regular

I so enjoyed this movie but I haven’t seen it in ages. It was scary and surprising. The young Kirsten Dunst played her role brilliantly and Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were excellent as well. It may not be the scariest movie of all time but it’s certainly one of my favorites and a good one to watch on Halloween.

The Shining

The Shining

Available: Amazon

I have only seen this movie once and it scared me half to death — so I would be remiss if I didn’t include it. Someday when I am braver I will watch it again. If you haven’t seen this classic horror film you should pick it up this Halloween and watch it! The movie may be old, the special effects are a bit outdated but I am sure it will still give you nightmares — if you like that sort of thing.

Scream

Scream

Available: Amazon

Price (as of this posting): $6.49

So apparently all the Halloween type movies I have seen were in the 90’s or later. This move was a little more gory than I like but I was surprised by the ending and terrified while I watched it. I enjoyed it and think it makes a fantastic Halloween movie.

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween whatever you decide to  do!

 So what are your favorite movies? Do you like to be terrified or only a little scared like me 🙂

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Family Time Tagged With: Halloween, Interview with the Vampire, Movies, Scary Movies, Scream, The Phantom of the Opera, The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs

8 Fun Fall Activities for the Family

October 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Fun fall activities for the family include jumping in the leaves

Copyright Albert Bridge and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons License

Do you love the fall? Can’t get enough of changing leaves, warm sweaters and the smell of soups and baked goods coming from the kitchen? Me neither! I adore autumn. So, if you’re like me, you’ll want to seize the season before it goes by as fast as summer seemed to. The fall is a wonderful time to get in some good old fashion family bonding time!

8 Fun Fall Activities for the Family

Not sure what to do? Ahhhhhh, well then my dear you’re in luck you have come to the right place! Here is a list of some fun fall activities that I’m sure the whole family will enjoy.

1. Visit a pumpkin patch.

Sure you can get pumpkins at your local grocery store and that’s all fine and dandy but there is something really special and fun about visiting a farm and picking your own pumpkins. After all, it is one of the popular things to do in Downingtown PA and a plethora of other areas during the fall. There are usually hay rides, corn mazes, hot apple cider, animals to pet and/or ride, bags of fresh apples and a ton of opportunities for great photos. My family and I look forward to our visit to the pumpkin patch all year long! It’s one of our favorite fall activities.

2. Make some spooky Halloween or festive harvest treats.

The fall is a great time to get cooking with the kiddos. I actually have Rice Krispie Surprise Pumpkin Treats™ on the agenda for the boys and I next week. Should be fun and easy. Should be.

There are tons of yummy things you can make and kids are almost always eager to help. No matter how small or how great their role is, you can be sure they will be so proud of their creations. Check out FamilyFun.com for some easy fall recipes!

3. Go on a nature walk.

I mentioned this in a previous post and we like to do these a lot. Recently, the boys’ preschool teacher sent them home with a bag they decorated at school. Their homework was to go for a nature walk and put items they found along the way in to their bag. When they took their bag of fall treasures to school the next day, they made a place mat which will be used during their Thanksgiving Feast at school. It was a pretty simple craft and if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I do love simple crafts!

After the nature walk it’s just 3 easy steps:

  1. The kids chose the color paper they wanted for the base.
  2. Then they emptied out their bag and selected flat items to go on the paper. They arranged them just the way they thought looked best. There were leaves, flowers, grass, pine needles, small twigs, etc.
  3. To finish off the place mat a clear piece of contact paper was laid on top and the kids pushed it down as flat as it would go and…

Voilá! A beautifully unique place mat all their own. Easy peasy!

4. Rake up a pile of leaves and jump in them.

Okay, I’m not into jumping into leaves but my boys are. You can be sure that as soon as our big tree drops her leaves, the boys will be begging me to make a pile for them to jump into and I will do so happily. My grandparents had several big trees in their yard when I was growing up and my brother and I had hours of fun making piles upon piles to jump into. I want my boys to have fun memories like that too!

5. Feed the birds (and squirrels).

It’s time to make sure your bird feeders are full because soon it will be harder for the birdies to find food. Also, you may have noticed that the squirrels are busy collecting food for the winter. They are all over our yard and driving my dog crazy!

My boys and I do another simple (but slightly messy) craft using pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed. You just coat the pine cone in peanut butter and roll it in bird seed. I usually tie a piece of yarn or string to the top and then we hang them in the trees where we can see them. I’m not sure if any birds ate from them but I do know our squirrels LOVED them. It’s a fall activity that even the animals can share in!

6. Splash in some puddles!

Just put on some old clothes and rubber boots and go for it! It’s fun…

7. Play some games.

I didn’t know that their were really any “fall games” other than football but I decided to search anyway. I didn’t have to look far because once again one of my favorite websites FamilyFun.com had just what I was looking for. Some of the outdoor games that I thought looked interesting were:

  • Gourd Games
  • Toppling Towers
  • London Calling

8. Make some s’mores.

If you have a wood burning fireplace or a fire pit in the backyard, you can still enjoy some yummy s’mores! You can even make them in your microwave but they aren’t quite the same and don’t put them in very long or the marshmallows will explode. Believe me when I say, don’t try it just take my word for it. I’m not trying to be bossy or anything but I just want to save you from having to clean up a super gooey mess.

There are really so many really fun things to do in the fall! What are some of your family’s favorites? Today our family fun activity is yard work. Not my idea of fun but once this is done we can get to the good stuff!!!

What fall family activities do you enjoy?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Family Time Tagged With: Autumn, birds, Fall, Fun Activities, Games, leaves, nature walk, puddles, Pumpkin Patch, smores, treats

Best Halloween Movies for Kids

October 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Halloween is such a great time to be a kid.  It’s a great time to be an adult for that matter but a certain part of the magic is lost as we get older.  As Halloween approaches, I always try to get into the mood by watching some scary movies but most are way too scary and graphic for my children.  So, to get my kids in the spirit of things, I started looking for scary movies for them that they could watch leading up to Halloween without scaring them half to death.  I am sure many of you reading this article could come up with a list of your own Halloween Movies for your kids.  They would probably consist of some great movies you saw as a child and watched as you grew up, but I thought it would help some parents if we came up with a comprehensive list.

This is where the caveat comes in!  When it comes to holiday movies, most families have their favorites.  If your movie didn’t make the list, don’t be offended.  I probably just didn’t know about it.  Please help us make the best list possible by posting your favorite Halloween movie in the comments section below the article.  We will do our best to add it to the list.

Best Halloween Movies for Kids

It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $14.99

This one is such a time honored classic, how could we not start the list off with it. I was a big fan of the Peanuts when I was a kid and mourned the loss of Charles Shultz when he died. It is one of the best Halloween movies around as Charlie Brown gets rocks in his trick or treat bag, snoopy falls asleep and Linus waits patiently (kind of) for the great Pumpkin to arrive in the pumpkin patch. Like all of the Peanuts movies, it sends a great message to kids and is a great kids Halloween movie. You can buy it by clicking The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Casper the Friendly Ghost

Casper The Friednly Ghost

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $9.99

I grew up watching the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon and it was always one of my favorites. I was ecstatic when they created a live action movie. The actual movie is just called Casper, I always add “The Friendly Ghost” because that is how I always think of him. It’s a perfect movie for Halloween and your kids are sure to love it. You can buy it by clicking Casper

The Monster Squad

The Monster Squad

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD and Blu Ray
  • Price (at time of article): $8.99 – $14.99

I couldn’t possibly make a list of the best Halloween movies for kids without including the Monster Squad. This was my all time favorite monster movie when I was a kid. I first watched it on a Boy Scout camp out and just fell in love with it. It’s a movie with Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolfman, The Mummy and The Gillman all seeking out a powerful amulet. Only the Monster Squad, a group of determined kids, can stop them. You can buy it by clicking The Monster Squad on DVD or The Monster Squad on Blu Ray

Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $11.99

This movie is actually a fairly new addition to my families collection of Halloween movies for the kids. The movie makes up two shorts, The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was originally released on the big screen in 1949 but until recently, was not available on VHS or DVD. It was the 11th animated feature that Disney released and we love it. You can buy it by clicking Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Monster House

Monster House

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD and Blu ray
  • Price (at time of article): $12.99 to $19.99

The 5th movie in our Best Halloween Movies for Kids list is Monster House. It’s about a group of kids who believe a haunted house that is planning on eating all the little kids that come to trick or treat at it’s door. They do an amazing job making the house one of the actual characters in the movie. It can be a little intense and scary at times so I don’t recommend this for younger kids. You can buy it by clicking Monster House on DVD or Monster House on Blu Ray

Escape to Witch Mountain

Escape to Witch Mountain

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $7.99

Here is another movie that I loved as a kid. By today’s standards, the effects are nothing special but back then they were amazing. It’s another classic from the brilliance that is Disney. It features two little kids, a brother and sister, with mysterious powers, who are on the run from someone trying to exploit them as they make there way to witch mountain. All sorts of adventures happen along the way as the movie builds to a great sci-fi ending. You can buy it by clicking Escape to Witch Mountain

Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD and Blu ray
  • Price (at time of article): $14.99

While not strictly a Halloween movie, I LOVED Wizard of Oz as a kid and it has Witches in it so C’mon! This move absolutely belongs on the list of the best halloween movies for children. Not much explanation is needed for this classic, it’s a musical that just about everyone loves no matter what there take on the musical genre is. It’s a must watch for Halloween and is typically the one we use to start off our Halloween season. What better way to get into the Halloween season then watching a witch get crushed by a house! You can buy it by clicking Wizard of Oz on DVD or Wizard of Oz on Blu Ray

Simpsons Treehouse of Horror

The SImposons Treehouse of Horror

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $7.99

Okay, so we all know this isn’t for younger kids. Heck, it’s not something I would let my own kids watch but I have sat down with my nephews (much older than my kids) and watched it with them and it was great. I love the Simpsons. More accurately, I love the older Simpsons which is what this is. It’s a collection of some of the best Treehouse of Horrors episodes. You can buy it by clicking Simpson Treehouse of Horror

Nicktoons Halloween Tales of Fright

Nicktoons Halloween: Tales of Fright

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $11.99

In this day and age, there is just no getting away from Spongebob and some of the uber popular Nicktoons cartoons that our kids just can’t get enough of. We bought this DVD for our kids last year and they love it. It’s packed full of Halloween themed episodes from my kids favorite cartoons. You can buy it by clicking Nicktoons Halloween Tales of Fright

The Little Vampire

The Little Vampire

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $7.99

This is a surprisingly good movie for kids and parents alike. It’s a movie we picked up for the kids thinking they would love it around this time of year but it’s not one we expected to enjoy ourselves. It’s not a movie we would watch without the kids but isn’t it always a great bonus when you can enjoy the move alongside your kids? I made this selection the last pick in our best Halloween movies for kids because it was such a surprise. You can buy it by clicking The Little Vampire

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Holidays Tagged With: Casper the Friendly Ghost, Charlie Brown, Escape to Witch Mountain, Great Pumpkin, Halloween, Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Little Vampire, Monster House, Monster Squad, Movies, Nicktoons Halloween Tales of Fright, Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Wizard of Oz

A Lesson in Humility, Understanding and Forgiveness

October 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment

I used a drunk driver crashing in my yard as lesson for my children

(via Pixabay)

This was absolutely not the post I had planned on writing this week. You see it all started on Saturday morning at around 12:30am. Everyone in our house was sound asleep but I started hearing the annoying beep of our home alarm system. I think I heard it twice — but I really didn’t want to get out of bed to find out what was going on. It was making the type of sound that occurs when it loses power — not like someone breaking in or anything.

Then Payton started barking. Oy! Now I had to get up. I figured she was just barking at a cat or something, so I hushed her and blindly made my way out into what seemed to be an exceptionally dark living room. I got Payton to stop barking but I could see lights moving around outside the window. It freaked me out and suddenly I heard a loud BAM BAM BAM on the door.

As you might imagine that freaked me out even more! I looked out the peephole in the door and saw a bright light shining straight into it. I headed back to the bedroom to get my husband and ran into what felt like — oh, I don’t know — Freddy Kruger or something! I was terrified and I’m pretty sure I screamed but somehow I didn’t wake the boys. Chris ran out and could see there was a police car outside, some of our neighbors and a lot of bricks and other rubbish.

The Drunk Driver

To make a long story short (actually this is going to be a long story, who am I kidding) a drunk driver had apparently hit our mailbox, plowed through the brick work around it, slammed into a powerbox and then hit our neighbor’s mailbox. Of course, it was no fun waking up in the middle of the night or being scared half to death by my husband but I am a pretty positive person, so of course I was looking at the bright side of the situation.

First of all, things could have been so much worse. No one was hurt. The driver and his passenger were not injured and thanks to that powerbox being hit — it saved our neighbor’s cars (and maybe even their house) from being struck. Though we were without power for a little bit, we did get a new powerbox – which I had been wanting anyway – I just didn’t know how to go about getting one. Also, we met some of our neighbors that we hadn’t introduced ourselves to yet — and they were super nice.

Poor Chris spent Saturday cleaning up the mess. We went to Lowe’s to get a mailbox and post and he – along with our neighbor – installed the newest mailboxes in the neighborhood. It was a pain but like I said before, it could have been so much worse — even tragic. Thank God it wasn’t.

Explaining Jail to Kids

The boys asked questions about what had happened and who hit our mailbox and all of that. We explained that someone had made a huge mistake and this was the result. One of them asked if the person responsible was put in jail — and we said “yes” at least for a day or so. Later in the day A asked what jail was – the boys know it’s where “bad guys” go like in their superhero books and things like that but I don’t think we have ever really explained what happens there. Frankly, I think they are too young to know all of that anyway. Chris told them “It’s like a really long time-out for adults.” That seemed to be easy enough for them to understand.

Look, I have done some stupid things in my life, so you aren’t going to see me throwing any stones! When I found out it was a young kid — it made me all the more sympathetic. Sure, I was irritated that it happened but I can’t even begin to imagine what it felt like for that guy to wake-up in a jail cell  first of all and then to realize he was being charged with DUI. My prayer for him was that he would learn from his lapse in judgement and would think twice before getting behind the wheel after drinking.

Then, I received a knock on my door the following day at around 4 in the afternoon. Anyone who knows me well knows that when Chris isn’t home I don’t answer the door unless:

1. It’s someone I know.
2. It’s an elderly person or a kid.
3. I think I could take the person in a fight.

I guess my mom was really good about teaching me about not opening the door to strangers. Plus – as  I explained in a previous post – I also watch a bit too much Dateline, which probably makes me a little paranoid as well. However, I answered the door without looking out the window or the peephole (again unheard of for me) and there stood a young man who I was sure was going to sell me on some kind of deal that I just couldn’t resist — but no. He simply stated his name and said he was the one who caused all the damage a couple of nights before. I was pretty shocked and I think he realized that. He asked if I could come out so he could speak to me. I told the boys to wait inside but they stood at the screen door and witnessed the entire conversation.

I’ll call him Walter because that’s the first name that came to my mind and I don’t want to use his real name. So Walter – with a spiral notebook in one hand and pen shaking in the other – sincerely and humbly offered me an apology. He explained that he had come over to see if he could help us clean things up but he noticed that we had already taken care of everything. He offered to pay me for anything we had to pay out of pocket. I thanked him and told him it was okay and we would just deal with the insurance company.

He looked me in the eye when he spoke but his head was slightly bowed. I knew that it took every once of courage for him to come and face my neighbors and I. I also know from experience how hard it is to admit your wrongs and try to make amends to people who know you — but to face complete strangers takes an exceptionally brave individual.

I was so moved by his gesture! The mom in me wanted to scold him and hug him at the same time — but I did neither. Instead, I got a little teary as I told him that it meant a great deal to have him come all the way to our house and apologize. I told him he was lucky that something worse didn’t happen — that he could have been seriously hurt or hurt someone else. I also let him know that I really appreciated him coming over to make things right. I shook his hand and thanked him again. As he walked away – A who had been standing there so quietly with his brother – said “Mom, was that the guy that hit our mailbox?” I told him yes and we went inside to have a talk.

Teaching Kids About Responsibility

I told the boys that sometimes people make mistakes — that Walter had made a big mistake but he was very brave to come and ask for our forgiveness. Walter’s actions may have caused me miss a few hours of my beauty sleep but he gave me a priceless moment to teach my children a valuable lesson. I explained to my boys that if you make a mistake in life, you should face it head on and make amends whenever possible even if you aren’t sure the other person will be willing to forgive you — you have to at least try. I also let them know that when someone wrongs you – especially when they approach you with such sincerity – and asks for your forgiveness, you should give it. I think they understood. I hope they did.

And as for Walter, I wish him all the best and pray that this was his wake up call — a reminder to NEVER to drink and drive.

Have you ever used an unexpected event to teach valuable life lessons to your children?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Parenting, Random Musings Tagged With: Drunk Driving, Forgiveness, Humility, Life Lessons, Scary Moments, Understanding

5 Lazy Couponing Strategies

October 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Coupon

(via capl@washjeff.edu)

Couponing is great! As I have mentioned before, I have been bitten by the coupon bug and I have had a great time learning the ropes from experienced coupon bloggers in my area. So far it it has saved my family and I lots of money — plus it’s really fun (and a little addicting). Even though I enjoy doing it, I simply do not have the time, energy or drive — to spend hours on end working as hard as some of these extreme couponers do. So as you might imagine, I am a HUGE fan of couponing shortcuts and that is what I plan on sharing with you in this post today.

If your goal is to get cart loads of items for free or almost free, or reduce you bill for grocery and household items by 80% or more, or you want insider information from an highly experienced couponing expert — this post is not for you. There are many awesome couponing gurus from all across the country who are sharing their tips and tricks and all kinds of great coupon information on blogs. I am what some might call a lazy couponer — or perhaps a better, nicer term might be a laid back couponer. I have only been couponing effectively for about four months but during that time I have learned a lot and I am excited to share what I know.

So without further adieu here are some simple tips that you can use to save on your grocery bill:

1. Pay Attention

I had no idea how much things really cost. I know that may sound silly but I really wasn’t paying attention to the actual price of the items we were purchasing. I had a general idea of course but when I really started to look at the prices – and realize what was and wasn’t a good deal – it really opened my eyes. Prices on items can vary drastically. I thought all retailers were within a few cents of each other on most items, but boy was I wrong! I would have to say that this is one of the most important tips for saving money because even if coupons became extinct, you would still save just by being observant and shopping sales.

2. Do Your Research

I do not have time to spend hours on end matching up the coupons I have, with items that retailers put on sale. This was probably one of the biggest reasons I didn’t coupon before — I just didn’t have the time to commit to such a project. Luckily, there are people out there who do this for a living and I love them for it! I have three favorite coupon blogs that I visit. They do store and coupon match-ups, they alert me to other sales that I might find on the internet, they provide money saving tips and they do so in a fun and informative way. Oh yeah, and the best part is it’s F-R-E-E. Just be sure that if you decided to take advantage of any coupons or deals they tell you about, that you use the links provided on their site. This is how they can bring such valuable information to you at no-charge. I highly encourage you to seek out these sites in your area. Facebook is a great place to find these people and if you have any frugal friends, ask them who their favorite coupon bloggers are.

3. Get Organized

Before you embark on any shopping trip it is to your advantage to check out what sales are going on at the store you are headed to. I usually just check out one of my favorite coupon blogging sites, make a list of the things I need and the deals that are going on and then I compile my coupons. Sometimes I take my whole coupon binder but most of the time I just throw coupons in of things that I know will be a good deal. It would be nearly impossible for these sites to list EVERY sale item, so it’s good to keep an eye out for other store savings. You can always go back later when you have your coupons with you.

4. Stock Up!

When you see a great deal — stock up! This is really a money saver. Paying attention to sales cycles is a great idea because then you will know what items go on sale at certain times of the year. If you purchase these items when they are at their lowest and stock up until their next sale cycle starts you’ll save a lot! Most of the coupon blogs will make note of “stock up” prices which is helpful for folks like me.

5. Make it a Lifestyle

Saving money can be like a diet. You might do really great for a month or so — you might lose a few pounds (or save a few bucks) then you might revert back to the old ways. If you want to save money you really can do it simply and it really can make a difference. It is a relatively painless process. Sure there is a little hassle associated with it but no pain, no gain right? You don’t need to starve yourself you look like a supermodel, just as you don’t need to spend your every waking hour obsessing over coupons. Once you get into the swing of things you’ll be able to save some money and have a great time doing it!!!

My next post will be about how to save money other than using coupons…stay tuned 🙂

How much effort do you put into couponing?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Coupons, Money and Finances, Shopping Tagged With: Couponing, Coupons, Lifestyle, Organization, Research

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Basic Principles Of Good Parenting

Here some basic principles for good parenting:

  1. What You Do Matters: Your kids are watching you. So, be purposeful about what you want to accomplish.
  2. You Can’t be Too Loving: Don’t replace love with material possessions, lowered expectations or leniency.
  3. Be Involved Your Kids Life: Arrange your priorities to focus on what your kid’s needs. Be there mentally and physically.
  4. Adapt Your Parenting: Children grow quickly, so keep pace with your child’s development.
  5. Establish and Set Rules: The rules you set for children will establish the rules they set for themselves later.  Avoid harsh discipline and be consistent.
  6. Explain Your Decisions: What is obvious to you may not be evident to your child. They don’t have the experience you do.
  7. Be Respectful To Your Child: How you treat your child is how they will treat others.  Be polite, respectful and make an effort to pay attention.
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