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Should I Give into ‘’Elf on the Shelf’’?

December 24, 2014 | Leave a Comment

When my husband was a child he had this old tree ornament on his Christmas tree that was a gift from his grandfather when he live in Germany. It was a quirky little elf that his mom would use during the Christmas season to keep the kids in check.

‘’The elf is watching’’, she’d warn them.

My husband and his sister grew to love the weird little elf, and as an adult he wanted one of his own, for our family tree. Then a little phenomenon called ‘’Elf on the Shelf’’ started.

While it isn’t the exact same thing, it’s sort of similar. We have tried to find a small elf ornament like my husband had growing up, always coming up empty handed. After all, his was purchased by his grandparents in the country with a mecca of all things Christmas. Until ‘’Elf on the Shelf’’ started in North America, elves weren’t a very popular Christmas decoration as a whole. I see way more Santa’s and Snowmen than I do elves, even to this day.

I think I am the only one of my friends and family, with a child, who is not yet partaking in the ‘’Elf on the Shelf’’ phenomenon. Most of me thinks it’s weird and creepy, while part of me thinks it could be really fun. I don’t know if we should give in and buy one for next year or not.

I struggle with using something like this as a ‘’threat’’. I expect my child to always behave well, not the last month of the year and not because an elf is watching her. So I don’t know in what manner I would use the elf if not for this reason? How would I explain his (or her) arrival and why they’re there if not to ‘’watch her’’?

The other issue I have is that I have friend who has children who have developed a huge fear of the elf. One little boy was having problems using the washroom thinking the elf was ‘’always watching’’. He was a bit better after mom explained he didn’t watch all of the time but it still instills a bit of a creep factor to me given that it is a physical presence in the house and not a hypothetical (like Santa).

In having said all this, I really love Christmas and the magic that kids bring to the season with their beliefs. I love seeing their eyes when you even speak of Santa and the sheer innocence that comes with it all. While part of me thinks this Elf capitalizes a bit too much on this unassuming innocence, part of me thinks we could have fun with it as a family. That, and it’s cheaper than flying to Germany in search of the perfect elf tree ornament!

So if you have an Elf do you like it or do you wish you’d never bought into the insanity? I want to hear everything before I decide if it’s worth buying into! Are you for or against the Elf on a Shelf?

How to Plan a Family Friendly Christmas Party

December 17, 2014 | Leave a Comment

While some people dread them, one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the parties. I love socializing with all of my favorite people at the same time. It’s a great way to reconnect and often reminds me to make a point of seeing some of these people more than once a year!

Hosting and attending parties pre-kids was easier I won’t lie, way fewer logistics to worry about. Remember that, generally speaking, only the people’s names on the invitation are those who are invited so if you receive and invite lacking your children’s name(s), it’s likely that it is an adult-only party so don’t ask if you can bring them (unless you know them well and think it was an honest oversight).

I personally enjoy parties where families can come. While a good adult-only night out is fun, Christmas is about celebration with family so my husband and I have made a point of hosting a great Christmas party that people of all ages can enjoy. We never want our friends and family to feel like they need to make a choice between their kids and a good time!

Here’s how to plan a family friendly Christmas party.

Start the party at a respectable hour

If your friends and family plan on bringing their children, especially young, it can probably be assumed they will likely need to leave early so to maximize time together, start the party at a decent time, late afternoon or early evening works best find. This gives guests their entire morning to themselves, and allows afternoon naptime for younger kids attending. Any time after 3-4pm usually works well.

Think of the kids when planning the menu

If you love calamari that’s great, but I don’t know many kids (regardless of age) who do. Try to plan a generally accepted menu. I personally prefer to do buffet style foods since this gives a large variety of food and most people can find something they like. I have distinct memories as a child attending these parties with my parents and me leaving hungry because I didn’t like anything beyond the cheese plate. Never again. If kids will be there, think of them!

Give the kids something to do

I remember one party in particular when I was a kid where the hosts set up a movie theater in their loft/attic. It was amazing. They had popcorn, treats and pillow for us. The age range of kids was probably 2-16 years and we all hung out looking out for each other watching Christmas movies. Last year my husband and I went to the local dollar store and bought the kids at our party each a coloring book and box of crayons, this way they were all with us but hung out together coloring in each others books (we bought them all different ones and let them decide). It cost us less than $10 and was a huge hit with parents.

Considering hiring a babysitter

Though this was something I don’t think I would ever do, my sister was recently hired to be a babysitter at someone’s party (whom she didn’t know). She replied to a public add looking for someone to help. There was a large party going on (100+ people) and they wanted an adult supervisor for a kids room they set up at the event, about 15 kids of all ages. She stayed for five hours, made some extra money and basically just made sure the kids were safe and not bugging the adults too much. The room also had some cribs/beds/highchairs for use.

I personally sort of enjoy the insanity of having the young kids run around high on sugar they stole, the older kids usually finding a spare television and everyone being together under one roof!

How do you make your parties kid-friendly?

3 Ways to Pay for Your Christmas Expenses

December 10, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Christmas can be a very expensive time of year. For most, waiting until November to deal with all the impending expenses won’t work and cause undue stress.

The easiest way to manage Christmas expenses for most is to start early. That is, immediately following Christmas! Yet after saying this, I find most people have a hard time thinking about the following Christmas before this one is even finished but arguably the easiest way to manage your Christmas cash is to set aside the money every month beginning in January.

An alternative is that you actually buy presents every month until December by taking the number of people you have to buy for and divide by 12. I have done both and personally prefer to save the cash every month.

Here are some other ways you can keep Christmas from blowing your budget.

Sell your stuff.

Opening an account where you can save any extra money is a great way to not interrupt your daily cash flow and still save for Christmas. Again if you start early and save year-round you may be surprised how much extra money you can come up with, especially if you hold a yardsale(s) in the warmer months!

Get a second job.

Though I never actually did this, plenty of my friends did. They would pick up a seasonal job that allowed them to bring in extra money and get discounts at some of their favorite stores. Conversely I had a friend who would get a second job at her favorite clothing store every year and buy almost her entire year wardrobe during her employment there, saving all of her clothing spending money year-round for Christmas.

Use extra paychecks.

My husband and I are paid bi-weekly but budget monthly. This means there are two months of the year where we’re actually paid more. Rather than budgeting this extra money in our monthly cash flow we opt to use it for one-off expenses, Christmas being one of them. One of our pay-periods is October or November depending on when payday falls and of that extra pay we take out our extra money and use a portion of it for our Christmas expenses. While this works well for us I understand it’s not for everyone! Point in case, we won’t be completing our shopping until middle of December this year. For some that may stress them out but we’re so used to it we’re both very organized and are able to go out in one to two trips and get everything accomplished.

Whatever method you use to pay for your Christmas expenses, the point is that you do whatever you can to limit stress on you and your family. Please also remember that not doing gifts can also be perfectly acceptable and don’t be afraid to suggest it!

Though I prefer our current method to all other suggested I’m curious to know how other people manage Christmas expenses. Where I’d rather not even think about it until at least November I feel like most people in my life prepare year-round, what do you do? Do you use different ways to pay for your Christmas expenses?

Why I’m Asking for Cash for Christmas in Lieu of Gifts for My Daughter’s

December 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Christmas is fast approaching and almost every day I get phone calls and text messages asking about gifts for our daughter. Everyone wants to buy her something. Friends, grandparents, cousins, neighbours. She’s only two and half years old! There isn’t much of anything she actually needs and really she’s still too young to know if she wants anything. While we as parents can get away with it (i.e. before she’s old enough to ask for stuff) we’re asking that people limit or exclude physical gifts for her.

We as her parents take care of her wants and needs and I think we do a pretty good job. She has all her needs taken care of and more than enough ‘’extras’’ in her life in the form of toys, books, treats and special events. Selfishly I don’t want a house overrun with her toys and ‘’stuff’’ either. I think it’s important to keep the level of ‘’stuff’’ she’s surrounded with at a realistic level. While I accept that people like to buy things for her, she doesn’t need much and so I would rather have the cash instead.

Cash for Christmas

With a cash gift, instead of another stuffed animal or doll, we can do more for her. First we could invest it her post-secondary savings account. I would much rather have $20 invested for the next 16 years than a toy she’ll play with for a few days which we’ll then end up donating or throwing away depending on its condition. We could also put it towards a special event or experience for her. This coming year we have plans to enroll her into a few dance classes for example. I would rather see her experience something new and exciting that can really help form her as a child than a simple toy she won’t have much interaction with.

I’m not a total scrooge. I understand that for her toys are fun and we will be buying her some new fun toys and books to play with but if I allowed everyone person who has inquired our house would be littered with too much stuff. Too much stuff can lead to unnecessary expectations for her too. I don’t want her growing up with extreme Christmas expectations either. Gifts, though fun, are not the main focus of the season.

In me explaining that we would rather have cash (and/or books) in lieu of gifts has been very well received by people who have inquired. Once I explained what our plan was and why we wanted to limit the volume of gifts she got people seem more than happy to give cash in her name instead (one less gift for them to buy too!). People loved the idea of contributing towards something much ‘’larger’’ in terms of post-secondary or experience such as her dance classes. I have also accepted that some people (aunts and grandparents) genuinely enjoy buying things for her and that’s ok, as long as they don’t go too crazy 🙂

It is too easy to go overboard this time of year. I don’t want people feeling like they need to get her anything and if they do I just want to give the option of contributing to something more.

How do you manage request and gifts for your children for Christmas?

Dollar Store Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

November 26, 2014 | Leave a Comment

With Christmas being less than a month away, the stores are in full Christmas swing and filled with busy shoppers from open to close.

I hate Christmas shopping! I do what I can to avoid the mall at all costs. We’re fortunate that our daughter is still young and doesn’t want for much in terms of gifts. That doesn’t mean we won’t buy her a few things though. We do a good job at keeping our Christmas shopping within a budget and when we can get away with buying something for cheaper, we will.

I made a list of gift ideas for friends and family who insisted on buying our daughter ‘’something small’’ and realized most of the things on the list could be purchased at the dollar store. It’s cheap, and in our case, we can avoid the mall, bonus!

Here are a few gift ideas that you can buy for the kid(s) in your life all of which you can likely get at a local dollar store:

Coloring books and crayons. Our daughter loves to color but I cannot justify paying $5+ for a coloring book where she will insist on ripping every page out to color individually. I’m much happier with the $1-$2 book and a box of Crayola crayons for the same price. It doesn’t sting as much when she snaps the crayons in thirds either.
Playdough and cookie cutters. We love to play with playdough. I have actually made my own in the past but when I found a box of it at the local dollar store for $2 I stopped making it. Our daughter loves to roll the dough out and cut it with plastic cookie cutters, again which I bought at the dollar store for cheap.
Books. At my daughters age I still prefer to buy books over using the library since she’s still learning the concept of being gentle (it stresses momma out to keep track of books we don’t own!). Given the volume of books we purchase I always buy on sale, used or from the dollar store. Some of our favorite books were only $1 at the local dollar store, always worth checking out. I have been surprised.
Craft supplies. Aside from the playdough and coloring books, I purchase all of my craft supplies (paint, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, sparkles…) at the dollar store. Making up a cheap fun craft kit from dollar store finds would make a great, cheap, gift!
For the little girl in your life: Hair stuff. I always check out the local dollar store for fun hair things like sparkly hair clips and elastics. I can’t justify spending too much money on these things since they’re lost into the abyss hours after buying them…
Toys. Like books, the dollar store surprises me sometimes with the toys they carry. My daughter loves dinosaurs so we bought her two bags of little dinos for $1.50 each. Worth checking out to see what you find before hitting the mall!
Stocking stuffers. When it comes to helping Santa, the dollar store can be a Mecca for stocking stuffer ideas for kids of all ages.

Until I go there I always forget how stocked the dollar stores actually are. If you’re not sure if you think they’ll have something, it won’t hurt to check, it may just surprise you!

What other Dollar Store Christmas Gift Ideas can You Think Of?

The Need to Take the Disgust Out of Halloween

October 22, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Growing up I loved Halloween but not for the regular ”kid” reasons. I just used to love the excitement, the crafts and the fun movies, which as an adult, I still do. I was never, and still am not someone who enjoys dressing up, Halloween night was fun to be with friends but I was always terrified I was going to get jumped by some ”high school kid” and they’d steal my candy (an unnecessary fear), this resulted in me not venturing too far from home and coming back fairly early from my trick-or-treating ventures.

As I got a bit older my best friend and I would watch scary movies together leading up to the ”holiday”. Classics by Hitchcock usually. I also had a soft spot for the old Ernest Scared Stupid but growing up I was never exposed to really gruesome stuff and I was scared as much as any child or young adult should be. I didn’t need decapitated babies, bloody pick axes or zombies with trachea’s hanging out of their mouth to scare me. Exposing me to Freddy Krueger was enough. At what point have we as a society become so desensitized to everything that the movie Psycho is a casual weeknight family movie?

I am by no means prudish in any way but as I approach my daughter’s first Halloween where she will be trick-0r-treating, I shudder to think about how I am going to explain some of the over-the-top decorations we’re bound to see. Dead bodies, bloody body bags, severed limbs… What happened to spooky skeletons and witches? There is line with Halloween that often gets crossed.

My sister-in-law is one who has always loved the goriness of Halloween, the bloodier the better in her eyes, but she contains the over-the-top decorations for the inside of her house where, when kids come to the door, they cannot see anything but if you’re an adult attending her annual party, be prepared for plastic, bloody, severed fingers to be served with your appetizer. My point is that there is a time, place and appropriate audience. If you and your friends enjoy said decorations, by all means share them together but don’t expose the rest of the world to them.

It’s not just kids that worry me. There are many people going through many varying personal issues where Halloween decorations could be upsetting. While I’m willing to bet a scary witch or ghost on your front porch won’t bother many people, hanging a noose around what looks like a bloody, plastic body bag and hanging it off your roof (real thing in our neighborhood last year), likely will.

Halloween has the potential to be a really fun ”holiday” (a term I use loosely). There are some amazingly fun Halloween movies that despite my Grinchiness with dressing up, I really love to watch every year. The over-the-top gore just takes away the fun of it for me and my family and makes us not way to do anything at all which, let’s be honest is no fun for kids.

Young children don’t have the life experience we adults do, and someone who is dealing with personal issues shouldn’t have to avert their eyes or have memories flared up because of a neighbor’s decorations. Be sensible and aware of your audience and have a fun and safe Halloween!

Do you think Halloween Decor has gone too far?

8 Quick and Cute Halloween Costumes for Children

October 18, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Halloween is a special time of year, the streets are framed with fluttering golden leaves, Jack-O-Lanterns perch on every windowsill, and there is an air of excitement as people plan their festive costumes. However, the thought of Halloween can also make parents anxious as fashioning a full Halloween outfit can take up a lot of precious time and money.

Savvy parents have a few tricks up their sleeve to quickly put together an amazing Halloween outfit. Read on for eight quick and cute Halloween costume ideas for children.

Wicked Witch

A Halloween classic is the witch costume. It is possible to purchase some wallet-friendly outfits that will leave you with more cash to spend on Halloween treats. Some costumes even incorporate things like pretty twinkling lights for a modern twist on the traditional witch outfit. Many of the pre-made costumes will include all of the accessories that you need to quickly transform your little one into a wicked witch for Halloween, such as an oversized pointy hat and a fun broom.

Pirate

Little boys will absolutely adore dressing up as a pirate for Halloween. With a pirate get-up, eye-patch, and a fun plastic sword they will be sure to steal the show. The great thing about a pirate outfit is that it can be quickly thrown together last-minute with ready-made costumes, plus outfits are available for all ages from toddlers to teens.

Duck Dynasty

One of the most hilarious Halloween outfits this year is the Duck Dynasty inspired outfits. You can now dress your baby up in an Uncle Si themed costume which comes complete with a camouflage vest and hat, gray wig, beard, and glasses! A Willie Duck Dynasty outfit is also available with a wig, American bandanna, and a cute detachable beard.

Spooky Ghost

If you’re really strapped for time then try out the old classic of being a ghost. A simple outfit can be put together in minutes by using a trusty sheet. To add a little pizazz you can customize with a cute Halloween inspired trick or treat bag and themed goodies. These Halloween costume ideas on Pinterest might help to give you some inspiration.

Elsa from Frozen

It’s been the Disney hit of the decade, and little girls all around the world want to look just like pretty Princess Elsa. Purchasing a replica of Elsa’s infamous dress along with all the accessories will probably cost more than investing in a complete ready-made outfit. To finish the look, style your child’s hair into a cute side braid, add a tiara, and sprinkle on some glitter.

Clown

There are sweet clown costumes that include colorful clown coats and tops, some silly oversized clown shoes, and a bright wig. A clown outfit is sure to get some laughs this Halloween.

Elegant Brides

Little girls love to play dress up and you will often find them trying on a pair of grown-up shoes or badly attempting to apply lipstick. Their dress-up dreams will come true when they get to be a beautiful bride this Halloween. Special bride costumes have been made for children, and some even come with bride accessories like bouquets, veils, and tiaras.

Turning a beautiful bride into a freaky bride of Frankenstein is easy too. All you have to do is apply some pale face and body paint, wear a messy black long-haired wig, and splatter the dress in some fake blood! Teens are more likely to go for a spooky bride option.

Mask of Zorro

For older kids, why not try the Mask of Zorro outfit? This costume features a slick black cape, black eye mask, studded belt and gloves. Teens will love looking cool in the all-black ensemble which makes for a great Halloween outfit.

For some more Halloween inspiration check out some of the great value for money and unique outfits from Mr. Costumes. Many of these ready-made costumes come with fun accessories to save you time, hassle, and money this Halloween. Happy Halloween!

Image via Flickr by lobo235

5 Tips for Planning a Cheap Family Getaway

September 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Last weekend I had the luxury of getting out of town with the family, even though we didn’t go very far it was so nice to just get out of our normal routine and boundaries. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to enjoy a family getaway. We managed a weekend away for less than $200 by finding some deals and capitalizing on cost savings, you can too.

Shop Around

We knew we’d need a hotel for the evening but weren’t interesting in spending a ton of money. I also knew we’d likely be spending a decent amount of time in our room given that we have a little on who is asleep fairly early so wanted it to be comfortable and spacious for my husband and I to enjoy while she was sleeping, without being overpriced. The internet makes searching for stuff like hotels a breeze. I found exactly what we needed for below the price we were willing to spend.

Look for Discount Options

We were planning to attend a specific event, if we signed up for notifications from the hosting vendor we would be granted a 25% discount on ticket price. Given that there we a total of seven of us traveling it saved us a decent chunk of money. We also saved on parking at the event itself because they considered us a carpool (more than 4 people), a nice surprise.

Enjoy and Seek Out Perks

I hate paying for parking at hotels, given the rate at which they charge you to sleep in a room I think it’s insane to charge upwards of $40 per day in some cities to park your car on top of room rate. I always look for hotels with free parking before ever paying. I also compare the room rate for breakfast vs. no breakfast included. At our particular hotel not only did we have free parking for only $10 more per night then the other hotel we were looking at, we got hot breakfast included. Our family of three certainly can’t eat (out) for less than $10. The hot breakfast is almost always worth the money to me.

Share Costs

A few family members were traveling with us to go to the same event to we decided to cut one of the cars out and share the cost in our vehicle instead. They save on wear and tear on their vehicle and we shared the cost of gas which was a help to both parties involved. We also shared a hotel room. Paying for the larger room and extra persons charge was still significantly cheaper than us each getting a room and it was nice to have the extra company!

Bring Your Own Snacks

Buying snacks on the road can get expensive. We always pack our collapsible cooler with drinks and light snacks for us and kiddo so we’re not tempted to waste money at gas stations and pit stop locations. We have a child who much prefers to graze throughout the day then eat larger meals so this works especially well for us.

With a little planning it is possible to plan a weekend away with your family and not break the bank. Proper budgeting will insure you can get away without worrying how you’re going to pay for it all when you get back!

How to Save For a Large Family Purchase

June 18, 2014 | 1 Comment

Having a family is expensive.

It doesn’t have to be as expensive as some stats would have you believe, but going from a married couple of two to a family of three plus will have added expenses.

These every day added expenses such as diapers, food, paying for kids activities and possibly private school tuition can make it seem impossibly hard to save for large upcoming expenses that affect the whole family.

Large expenses that affect the whole family may include:

Home repairs, everyone lives under the roof and mom and dad need to keep it safe!
Family vacations
Family vehicle

All of the above are expensive. Right now we need to start saving for an upcoming family reunion next summer and though much less critical we’d eventually like to upgrade the appliances in our kitchen. In order to do any of these things we need a plan.

Come up with a list

We created a list of everything we wanted to do and purchase, then, together as a family, prioritized each item with a number 1-5.

Once everything had a number we ranked within each set of numbers (ie we may have had three #4’s) and ranked in priority until we had a detailed prioritized list. Once the list was ranked we put an estimated cost beside the item and recheck the list. This is the order in which we will tackle things.

Come up with a plan

A list without a plan of attack is nothing. We can say we want to attend the family reunion next year but if we don’t have a means to pay for it then it will never happen.

The plan has to include a more realistic budget for the item or venture as well as a plan to come up with the money by a certain date.

Come up with the money

Coming up with the money is the hard part. If you’re able to designate a savings line in your monthly budget this is an ideal situation but if the money needs to come out of funds over and above your regular monthly budget then you’ll need to get creative.

Are you paid bi-weekly? If so, it means you have two ”extra” pay periods per year that you could use for the family purchase.

Have a tax return that you could use (if not reinvesting)?

Start small. My husband and I have big dreams of attending the 2022 Olympics with our family no matter where they are in the world. Obviously this will require substantial planning and substantial money.

I figure we would need to invest at least $100 per month for the next eight years to make this happen but since our current priority is debt we won’t be starting to save for probably four years at which point we will be able to easily double up the payment to $200/month for four years.

Save all ”extra” money. Overtime, side income, found money. Any unaccounted for income could go towards paying for your family’s larger purchases.

How do you pay for larger family purchases?

Saving Money on Kids Birthday Parties

June 11, 2014 | Leave a Comment

This past weekend my daughter was invited to the birthday of a little girl we know.

She was turning six and all I knew was that there was a ”clown theme”. It was the first time I’ve actually attended the birthday party of a child (outside of me being a kid myself) and holy. cow. The party was over the top.

I certainly don’t remember ever having, or attending a party of such detail before in my life. It scared me a little into thinking there was some new expectation to have a huge party for kiddo’s upcoming birthday.

I was right, there was a clown theme which included:

Having a live clown perform or two hours making balloon creations for every kid present (at least 30 kids), a full kid-friendly magic show and all sorts of attention for the birthday girl.
Rented hall for event.
Full decoration (balloons, streamers, plates etc)
Toys for kids (clown noses, silly bowties, party hats)
Food (fresh fruit, candy in skewer form, cake, chips)
Multiple treat bags full of stuff for each kid.
And so many gifts!

Saving Money on Kids Birthday Parties

Kid parties certainly don’t have to be so over-the-top though. You can have all sorts of fun without compromising the child’s memory. To save on kids parties consider doing these money saving tips:

Only invite the child’s friends/family. There was simply no way this little girl was friends with every child there. Invite only kids that your child actually interacts with. There is no rule about mandatory invitation to every child in their class.
Don’t have it during a time when a meal may be expected. Only serve snacks and keep them to a minimum. Depending on how many people may be present, buying in bulk at a store like Costco or Sams Club may be the best option.
If you do serve a meal make or buy something that is inexpensive but can serve a lot of people (lasagna, pizza, pasta, BBq burgers/dogs) or consider a potluck meal.
Look into group party discounts at local attractions. I know the local movie theater here offers a pretty good price for a large group (movie ticket, snacks, room rental and cake all included). If you’re only inviting close friends and family it can be a reasonable option.

If you start with extravagant parties, especially so young, there will be an expectation for years.

I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t have fun and celebrate their special day but keep it within reason. This can’t be the new norm! I remember having my friends over for pizza and games, as we got older possibly a sleepover, not an all-out afternoon event with every kid in the neighborhood. Put the focus on your child having fun, not money spent.

How do you save money on kids birthday parties?

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