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Archives for May 2013

How to Save Money on Food

May 28, 2013 | 2 Comments

fresh foodOther than housing, food is probably the second largest component in a family’s budget. With food prices only rising, it is important to save as much money as possible without compromising the integrity of your family’s healthy diet.

Eating well and cheap is possible but requires effort and planning. When just starting, expect to set aside at least an hour every week if you plan on getting serious about saving money on food for your family.

Here are some tips for how to save money on food and still eat well:

  • Meal plan. This is the easiest way to save money on food. With a meal plan, you can shop for the items you need for the whole week ensuring not only that you have all required ingredients, but also that you don’t end up back in the grocery store. When you make multiple trips to the store unnecessary costs will likely occur.
  • Shop with a list! If you don’t have a list you’ll navigate the store aimlessly and put more things in your cart than required, as well miss items you may need.
  • Always shop the parameter first. Grocery stores are designed to have all the fresh and frozen items on the exterior of the store. Non-perishables are found on the interior. Fill you cart with the health items first then move to the interior aisles.
  • Shop late at night. Shopping late at night may mean you score daily mark-downs. At the end of a normal day (usually around 7-8pm) a lot of grocery stores will start marking down things like their meats in preparation for the next day. They need to make room for the fresh product and will start marking down older or near expired items. I have found this to be particularly true for meat and bread.
  • Coupon. I don’t have a lot of advice to offer on couponing since there are many restrictions on coupon use here in Canada, but I know if done correctly, you’ll be able to save a lot of money and even score free product.
  • Keep a price book. For items that you frequently buy, keep a log of the different grocery store prices. Compare frequently and watch for sales. This will help establish a budget for your weekly spending.
  • Freezer cook. Freezer cooking involves preparing multiple meals at once, freezing them and using them as required. I recently partook in a ”Big Cook” where we prepared over 30 meals at once, froze them and had dinners for over a month. Most freezer cooking meals can adapted for crock pot or oven. Thaw the night before, put in slow cooker in the morning and have dinner cooked!
  • Take advantage of your farmer’s market. Utilizing your local farmer’s market is an easy way to save money on food and get a great product.
  • Buy seasonally and freeze. We have a large blueberry season where I live so in the summer we’ll go to a local u-pick lot and pick berries to freeze. We eat some fresh then freeze them to use throughout the year for things like baking and smoothies. This is much cheaper than buying them frozen throughout the year.

With a little planning and preparation you’ll be able to save money on groceries for your family and still eat well. It will soon become a routine and take no time at all.

How do you save money on food for your family?

Catherine
Catherine

Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.

plungedindebt.com

Filed Under: Healthy Living & Eating Tagged With: Cooking, Easy Way To Save Money, Food, Groceries, How To Save Money On Food, money, Way To Save Money

Summertime Fun on the Cheap!

May 21, 2013 | 1 Comment

summertime funThough some areas of the world may have a hard time believing it, summer is just around the corner! Summer is full of temptations to spend money. From new clothes, to summer activities and family outings, the summer season seems to be looking for money everywhere.

 

Children’s Summertime Wardrobe

With growing children and drastic weather change from winter to summer, children often need new clothes. Before ever buying new clothes, I always check my local thrift stores. At the rate children grow, you can get barely worn or even new clothes at a fraction of the department store prices.

The other thing to check for if buying from a department store is to see if the children’s clothes comes with any guarantee. Some store brands will promise that the clothes last until the child outgrows them offering replacement or money back guarantee. Given how hard kids can be on their clothes, it may be worth the investment!

 

Summer Sports

I grew up on a soccer field. I know how expensive sporting events can be. Sure soccer isn’t necessarily an expensive summer sport to play, but when you start factoring tournaments and team outings, costs add up fast!

To keep costs down for tournaments, the family would camp for the weekend away rather than spending money on a hotel room. We saved money on food as well since we would eat campground meals rather than restaurants for the weekend. I loved this since it combined camping and soccer in one weekend. My two favorite summer activities. I never felt like it was a ”money saving trip” or that we were doing it because we ”couldn’t” afford the hotel.

 

Summer Vacation Alternatives

A summer vacation that your kids can’t wait to tell their friends about doesn’t have to include a lavish trip away. Capitalize on your city and all that it has to offer! A staycation can be just as fun.  Exploring your city with the mindset of a tourist this summer will open your eyes to many new opportunities. Check out that event/restaurant/museum that you’ve been meaning to get to, but haven’t yet. We often take advantage of places within our hometowns since we live there. Don’t delay anymore and explore! Even checking out a local hotel for a family night away will be cheaper than burning gas or airfare to leave town.  

Picnics are another fun summer activity. Have everyone pack their favorite foods and drive to a favorite family spot for the day. Spending time together and eating the foods everyone loves is sure to please. A picnic beach day is always fun too!

If you do travel, remember our tips for travelling with children on vacation.

Summer goes too fast every year. Don’t stress about money, try to enjoy it or it will be over before you know it!

What are your favorite ways to save money while not compromising on summertime fun?

Catherine
Catherine

Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.

plungedindebt.com

Filed Under: Family Time Tagged With: Summer Fun, Summertime Activites, Summertime Fun

A Look at Baby Carriers

May 8, 2013 | 1 Comment

beco butterfly carrierThis weekend I finally bought myself a good baby carrier. I like to take walks with baby when the weather is nice and we’re big on camping in the summer, sometimes a stroller isn’t always a great option. A stroller is not ideal in some situations (campground) but for me, most of the time it just bothers my wrists. I suffered from sever carpal tunnel in my pregnancy and still feel some of the effects today, pushing the stroller can be a pain, quite literally.

 

Ring Sling

When baby was a newborn I used my ring-sling religiously. Though I still like the ring-sling, it was never a great option for any real movement like hiking. I still throw it in my bag when we’re out and about in case baby girl gets fussy and just wants to be held. The ring sling can do multiple positions but again isn’t an option if you plan on breaking a good sweat.

 

Infant Carrier

Aside from my ring sling I had an infant carrier that accommodated babies up to 18 pounds. Though my daughter is only 17 pounds, she is much too heavy for me to use this carrier comfortably. This was nice option though in her early days when we would go for our hour-long walks around the neighborhood but as she started gaining weight the carrier wasn’t offering enough support for the front carry position. After a few minutes I would begin to feel the discomfort in my back from lack of support and the straps digging into my shoulders. I knew I needed to look into a better quality carrier that offered more support if I wanted to continue to carry her while we walked.

 

Thank You Online Classifieds

The carrier that I had my eye on was the Beco Butterfly. The price range was anywhere between $150-$180, not cheap, but after much research I had decided it was the one I wanted. Knowing I would use it often, I started saving my pennies to buy one.

This past week one popped up on our online classifieds listed for $80, only a year old. The pictures looked great. I emailed and asked if she would accept $65. She did and I picked it up on Friday. I am so happy with it. It has totally lived up to my expectations.

I did a 5k trail hike today and the carrier was perfect. With this carrier, you have the option of doing a front or back carry depending on what you and baby are feeling. Today baby girl is suffering from a bit of a sinus infection so I put her on a front carry so I could watch her, attached the hood that comes with it to protect her from the wind and sun, and let her nap our hike away. She sleeps while I hike, winning for both of us!

The Beco can accommodate infants as small as five pounds (using an insert) and toddlers as heavy as 45 pounds. The shoulder straps are very well padded and wide to help distribute the load. There is also a thick padding around the waist/back depending on what position you carry. I also like that there is a small pocket that I can stick my keys in.

If you’re in the market for a good baby carrier I highly recommend this carrier. The Beco Butterfly design was re-branded in December 2012 and replaced by the Beco Soliel on the Beco website but you can still buy the Butterfly (new) from stores like Amazon.

I’m very happy with my purchase, more excited that I stole it for $65 and looking froward to many more years with it!

Have you ever used a baby carrier? What’s your favorite?

Catherine
Catherine

Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.

plungedindebt.com

Filed Under: Baby Stuff Tagged With: baby carrier, Beco Butterfly, ring sling

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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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