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10 Steps to Create a Successful Stay-at-Home Mom Budget

May 22, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Do you dream of becoming a stay-at-home mom but your family depends on your income? Your dream may not be impossible. It starts with a plan, a lot of self-compassion, and determination. I know from experience. Our most effective tool on our journey to a single-income family with an at-home parent started with a stay-at-home mom budget.

I’d like to show you how.

In 2014, I gave my notice at my job just a few weeks before having my second child. With only my husband’s income, we now had less than $2,000 per month to live on. That may sound impossible, but we spent years preparing for that day. It’s amazing how little income you can live on when you don’t have a car payment or student loan debts. It’s amazing how free you feel when you make such an empowering decision like staying home with your children. I

It’s amazing how little income you can live on when you don’t have a car payment or student loan debts. It’s amazing how free you feel when you make such an empowering decision like staying home with your children.

I wish that for you.

This list of steps will show you exactly how we beat the odds and successfully transitioned into a single-income family of four.

10 Steps to Create a Successful Stay-at-Home Mom Budget

Let me just say we stunk at budgeting before my husband and I got married. Like really stunk at it. I even worked as a teller and couldn’t keep my finances straight. I can laugh now, but it caused its share of anxiety in me at the time. I dreamed of staying home with my children someday, but our debts and sloppy spending made it felt unachievable then.

These 10 steps revolutionized so much more than our budget. It reshaped my mindset about money, my role in our marriage, how we communicate, and how we plan for the future. Check ’em out:

Take a financial snapshot.

Look at what you’ve been spending, how much you owe in debt, what you have in savings, and what you earn each month. It takes time, but this is a great starting point for anyone looking to improve their finances.

Before you ever write another budget, make sure you’re aware of where your money is really going.

Calculate how much you NEED to live on each month.

This number is vital. It’s not how much you spend on cable or fast food or extra clothes for the kids. This is the total you need, absolutely need, each month to keep the lights on, put gas in the tank, and feed the family.

A great way to calculate that number is to add up your monthly bills. They’re typically a set amount. Then, include things you typically buy in a month like food and gas. This is the baseline for you to plan your stay-at-home mom budget. You know this much needs to come in. If you and your spouse currently bring in more than that, then let’s talk about some ideas for that extra money next.

Build up a buffer.

When you reduce your family income, it’s paramount to have an established savings account for unexpected expenses. Millions of families live paycheck to paycheck with no clear financial plan for the next blown transmission or trip to the ER. You can set yourself apart from that statistic. Choose an account today and commit to putting away $1,000 for emergencies only as fast as you can.

Demolish debt.

Eliminating as many monthly payments from your life as you can before you become a stay-at-home mom is huge. If you’re already home with the kids, it’s still as important as ever.

For example, my husband and I started applying more and more of my paycheck toward student loan debt. What we thought would take seven years took less than two. Intentionality will bring about big results in your life.

Meet regularly with your spouse or accountability partner.

While my husband and I were paying off extra toward debt and saving for emergencies, we met regularly to discuss our budget. We still do. It isn’t always easy, but carving out a 15-minute window once a month to make sure you’re on the same page will reduce your stress and set up your stay-at-home mom budget for success.

Need some help creating a budget? Here are several free downloadable budgeting forms.

Sleep on big financial decisions.

Give yourself a 24-hour window before you make any purchase more than a set dollar amount. This is especially important for houses, automobiles, furniture, and the like.

Leave room for fun.

Even though you’ll have less money in the budget once you’re a stay-at-home mom, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. If it’s in your spending plan (and preferably not on a credit card), plan for fun outings or date nights or taking the children to the zoo. I even recommend a little fun money for you and your significant other to spend however you wish. A little freedom helps you life when finances tighten up.

Don’t compare yourself with others.

With social media, it’s almost impossible to not compare your life with others’. Remember this, though: It’s entirely possible they’re in debt up to their armpits and you don’t know it. Remember your reason for wanting to stay home. It may mean you have to live in a smaller house for a while, but the trade-off is more time with your kids.

Employ self-compassion when you fail.

You will fail. Your spouse will fail. Rather than give up and quit budgeting, give yourself some grace and try again. I’ve derailed more budgets than I can count. Working through that frustration and stress was like working a muscle. You will grow your abilities, too.

Focus on your behavior, not your numbers.

Ever read that quote about personal finance being 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge? It was true in my case. When I stopped chasing my credit score and started chasing a debt-free mindset, my account balance changed dramatically. What are some behaviors you can focus on that’ll help you establish a functional stay-at-home mom budget?

“What’s my next step?”

Hopefully, this article gave you some ideas on how to begin this journey. It’s meant to inspire and educate, but one blog post can only offer so much.

What I needed on my own journey toward staying home was a financial roadmap. Much of my husband’s and my experiences were trial and error (and more errors and some more errors). Beating the odds in 2014 lit a fire within me to help other women achieve this dream.

That’s why I created a companion eBook to this article called “The Stay-at-Home Mom Blueprint.” It’s packed with 150 ways to chop debt, save money, earn a side income from home, and implement a financial plan that WILL enable you to spend more time with your kids.

This eBook contains everything I wish I’d known when I started my journey, from surviving our first messy budget as newlyweds to figuring out coupons to earning my first $10,000 with my at-home writing business.

If this is your dream to spend more time at home, then I wrote this for you. Look, it’s not easy. We spent years making this transition without a guide like “The Stay-at-Home Mom Blueprint.” Even so, it was worth it. Your journey will be, too.

May this resource empower you to take these steps to achieve what matters most to you.

Ready to grab your copy? Find “The Stay-at-Home Mom Blueprint” available here.

What’s your number ONE hurdle that prevents you from spending more time at home? Tell us about it in the comments below!

This post contains affiliate links.

Are you a stay-at-home mom? Make sure you bookmark or pin some of these resources for later!

How to Save Money – 35 Top Ways for Parents to Save Money

May 15, 2017 | 2 Comments

No matter what you earn in a year, if you’re raising a child, then saving money is going to be a huge part of your life. You’ll save for diapers, school supplies, soccer cleats, and college. To help in your frugal efforts, here is a master list of how to save money.

Many of these tips came from real parents discussing this important topic via SavingAdvice.com.

How to Save Money – 35 Top Ways for Parents to Save Money

This is one of those articles that can be a useful resource for you, time and time again. As you read through, there will be things you can apply to your life today, but some tips may not apply til later. I suggest you bookmark or pin this post to ensure you have access to you it later.

Switch to bank accounts with no fees.
Cancel unused memberships.
Cancel subscriptions. Examples include magazines, newspapers, online entertainment, dating, or networking memberships.
Skip the cafe and bring home brewed coffee to work.
Eat out less; cook at home more.
Save money on your electricity bill. Install a smart meter (some libraries loan them out for free) to measure how much electricity your appliances are using. You could be saving more by simply unplugging what you can.
Contact your cell phone provider to ask how to save money on your bill. They may have a discount plan to offer.
When other phone companies cold call you, ask if they can beat your current company’s price.
Are you looking at a phone for your child that’s only to be used for emergencies? Try buying a prepaid phone rather than something on contract.
Comparison shop. This is huge for every major purchase in your life – from cribs to colleges.
Don’t buy “convenient foods” when you can make something from scratch. Frozen meals are quicker to prepare but you pay for the convenience and they’re often much less healthy for you.
Buy in bulk versus smaller quantities at traditional supermarkets (Costco, Amazon’s Subscribe and Save).
Batch your meals on the weekends. By preparing a large quantity of breakfast or snack foods during the weekend, you’re setting up your week to be more frugal and freeing up a considerable amount of time.
Save those pennies and dimes. Designate a family piggy bank for all your coins. When it’s full, go do something fun together.
Don’t balk at used items. Yard sales, thrift stores, and online garage sales may have just the items you’re looking for at a fraction of the price. Children’s clothing is a prime example, especially when they’re very young. They grow so fast!
Whenever you can, shut off your heat or air conditioning and throw open those windows. You’ll save a considerable amount on your utility bill in the long run.
Get creative with transportation. Can you carpool, ride a bike, or even walk to work? These may seem like extremes, but they’re also fantastic ways to save money on gas as well as preserve the life of your vehicle.
Reconsider that credit card “deal.” As popular as it is to accumulate airline miles or to snag that 30% savings at Kohl’s consider the long-term drawback your experiencing.
Be mindful of your spending habits. If you’re bringing home a paycheck, but there’s nothing left at the end of the week to drop into savings, then it’s time to dig in and evaluate what you’re really spending.
Clip or download coupons. Apps like Cartwheel or Paribus or RetailMeNot can give you convenient methods for saving on weekly expenses.
Wait at least 24 hours before making a large purchase. Give yourself a chance to come down from your “fever” to make a more thought-out decision.
Check your wallet. By knowing how much money you have before you walk out the door, you’ll be aware of what you can and cannot spend throughout that day.
Pack your lunch.
Find some free hobbies.
Identify wants versus needs.
Lower your car insurance by combining policies or paying it annually instead of monthly.
Learn how to save money on child-related taxes. See a full run-through of your options here.
Launch a “No-Spend Challenge”. Choose a spending category (i.e. fast food) and set a time for not spending any money in that category.
Try the 52-Week Money Challenge. Learn how to save over $1,300 a year here.
Use a monthly budget. I know from experience that this will help you conquer debt more quickly and save money before you ever spend money elsewhere.
Find deep discounts on Amazon merchandise through SnagShout.com.
Don’t spend your tax return; save it.
Automate a monthly transfer into savings. You’re much more likely to stick with it!
Pay $100 extra on your mortgage each month. This doesn’t save money in the short-term, obviously, but you’ll save thousands in interest over time.
Get accountability. However you’re saving money for your family, one of your most powerful tools is support. Not only does my spouse hold me accountable on a continual basis, but I love feeding off the positive energy in a supportive Facebook group of like-minded savers called “Your Debt Freedom Family.” We only discuss things related to our families and our finances – no spam or marketing. If you’d like to join, you can do so here!

The biggest progress I made when I was trying to figure out how to save money as a parent was remembering my “Why.” In my case, it was the little one growing rapidly in my tummy. She didn’t know it at the time, but my first child gave me strength, every day, to cut back, live on the budget, and save. It was worth it for her.

What’s one money-saving tip you’d add to this list? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Are you a stay-at-home mom? Check out these bonus resources just for you!

Teach Your Child About Money – Free Savings Chart for Kids

May 1, 2017 | Leave a Comment

One of the most wonderful gifts you can give your children is a healthy understanding of money. Not a craving for it or an assumption that it will lead to happiness. Instead, you have the privilege – the responsibility – to teach children about hard work, the power of saving, the dangers of debt, and the gift of giving. To help your children learn, we’ll also set you up with a free savings chart for kids.

How to Teach Your Child About Saving Money

Many people are in crisis mode, financially. It’s impossible to know what they learned or didn’t learn about money at home, but would America look different if more parents taught their children the principles I listed above? If more parents led by example by communicating together about a budget, saying no more often to frivolous spending, and showed their children how to save up and pay cash instead of using credit cards?

It’s purely my speculation, but I’d go so far as to say we’d have less stress, less divorce, fewer addictions, more giving, and greater job satisfaction. Do you agree?

With the right steps, we can teach our children to live differently.

You’re probably thinking, “What about student loans? I was just trying to further my education and now I’m overwhelmed by debt as a result.” Totally valid point. I remember approaching high school graduation and hearing everyone discuss their reasons for choosing one school over another. NOT ONCE did my friends and I stew over the debt load we’d receive from student loans. None of us saw what was coming.

In fact, according to StudentLoanHero.com, outstanding student loan debt reached more than $1.4 trillion in 2017.

How can we teach our children to save money in the face of such a burden of debt?

Start the Conversations

A great way to educate your young tribe about the dos and don’ts of spending is to create an open line of communication. Encourage them to ask questions. Show them the process of paying for your groceries or a meal at a restaurant. Take them to the bank and show them how you make a savings deposit.

Also, a conversation is a great way to tackle topics like:

Work ethic
Getting a job
Planning for the future
Saving for a major purchase
Saving for college (tell them about the ways you are saving for their college while they’re young)
Integrity
Greed
Envy
Contentment
Generosity

You don’t have to run down this list every night at the dinner table, but the more conversations you do have about these topics, the more seeds your planting in your child’s mind. You’re teaching her how to think about money, not what to think.

Put them to work.

We’ve covered the important step of talking about money. Next, it’s time to apply what your child has learned. If he’s old enough to hold a broom or to straighten up his room, your child is old enough to get paid for chores.

It’s important that he knows the money isn’t just for spending. Saving is a difficult concept for young minds, at first, unless they have something for which they’re saving. For example, if your daughter sees a Belle doll in the toy aisle and begs for you to buy it, you have some choices. You can purchase the doll, you can discuss the cost and why it’s not in the budget, or you can write down the dollar amount on a paper, head home, and help her calculate how many chores it’d take to save for the doll.

To aid in that endeavor, here are some free tools you can use with your child.

Free Savings Chart for Kids – and Other Great Savings Tools

Printable “My Savings Goal” Visual Poster – via Educator101.com

Downloadable “Share, Save, Spend” Chart for Kids – via iMom.com

52-Week Money Challenge for Kids

Printable Play Money for Kids

Combine these tools with some great conversations and hard work around the house and your child has a recipe for a bright and well-balanced financial future.

Got some tips for teaching children to save money? Share one below!

Are you a stay-at-home mom? Check out these bonus resources we created just for you:

How to Teach a Child to Count Money

April 17, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Counting money is one of the most foundational skills children must learn. Counting and making change are critical skills that many entry-level jobs require. When you apply the following lessons on how to teach a child to count money, you challenge his or her mind to grow in other ways, too.

To give you a thorough array of options on teaching counting skills, I sought out advice from experienced educators and parents. Here are my findings.

How to Teach a Child to Count Money

Create a play store.

One of the most common responses from parents who have taught their children the basics of money was to set up a play store. Together with their child, they created a fake shop with household items or toys listed for sale. Use a sticky note to indicate the price of each item, then give your child change, and open the shop for business.

Depending on your child’s age, you can vary the degree of difficulty. For example, for a 3-year-old, you could say, “This costs one quarter,” and teach her to identify that coin. For older children, you can pay with a dollar bill and walk them through making change.

Teach them to count by fives and tens.

Kids need to have a good understanding of place value and number sense before they count money,” says a third-grade teacher with I spoke via Facebook. “Start with one coin and teach them how to count it and how many it takes to make a dollar.”

She goes on to describe a great money game involving two dice. Give the child as many pennies as the number he or she rolled. Have the child then exchange it for the highest value possible.

For example, if the child rolls a ten he or she can trade in pennies for a dime.

Bonus Read: “6 Fun Money Games for Kids”

Let them see real transactions.

Many people have had great success with giving their children real world experience.

Here are several examples:

Earn money through chores. Help them understand that “work = pay” and help them count their earnings. If there’s something they want to buy, help them estimate the cost.
Lead by example. Allow your child to watch you pay for something in cash. This will help him see how money works and how it requires lots of it to pay for his needs and wants.
Study the history of real money together. Hand your child the coins you received in change that day and quiz her on some coin facts. Not only can learning to count money teach your children better math skills, but you can also create an impromptu history lesson. For example, did you know that the nickel used to be called a “half dime” up until 1883? Half dimes were made of silver which became scarce during the Civil War. After that, they were made of copper and nickel, and they finally were made and referred to entirely of nickel in the 1880s. Click here for more U.S. coin facts.

Final Thoughts

The overall theme of how to teach a child to count money is YOUR involvement. Set aside time to sit at the table and talk about how many nickels are in a quarter or how many pennies are in a dollar. Talk about how much money you earned at your first job or something you saved up for, like a bicycle. That will help your child apply what he or she has learned.

How did you learn to count money? In school? At home?

Image Credit: slgckgc (Creative Commons)

Are you a full-time stay-at-home mom? We’ve got loads of financial resources just for you:

How to Launch a 52-Week Money Challenge for Kids

April 10, 2017 | Leave a Comment

As you set your goals each year, it’s fun to include your children in the process. Involvement helps them learn to set goals of their own. In the interest of helping them develop strong savings habits, why not have them participate in a 52-week money challenge for kids?

Similar to the well-known 52-week money challenge for adults, the kids’ challenge helps kids to save more money by determining a set amount of cash to put into a savings account, and then increasing that amount each and every week.

How to Personalize Your Child’s 52-Week Money Challenge for Kids

Based on your child’s age and his or her ability to access money, you can pick the weekly money amount that works best for their particular situation.

Even with the smallest weekly contribution, the savings will add up. If your child is younger, you can start with a small amount – for example, a nickel – each week. Here’s how the challenge works:

$0.05 contribution – WEEK 1
$0.10 contribution – WEEK 2
$0.15 contribution – WEEK 3

And so on. If you choose to use a nickel for the challenge, your child simply increases each weekly savings contribution by one nickel. By the end of the 52 weeks, your child will have saved $68.90.

Here is a breakdown of other coin values and potential savings amounts:

Dime = Save $137.80 by the end of the 52 weeks.
Quarter = Save $344.50 by the end of the 52 weeks.
Dollar = Save $1,378 by the end of the 52 weeks.

Why Teaching Kids to Save is Important

We’re living in a time where it’s easy to not save money. Clever marketing and social pressures encourage kids to spend rather than save. Therefore, they start to believe they can have the latest and greatest of everything on the market – without the hard work of earning it.

Saving money is becoming less and less important to people as generations go by. America’s declining savings rate proves it. In May of 1975, the personal savings rate in the United States reached a high of 17%. At the end of 2016, it was 5.4%.

By teaching our children to develop a habit of saving money, we give them a head start on the road to financial responsibility.

Other Ways to Teach Kids to Save

Besides using a 52-week money challenge for kids, there are other ways you can teach your children to make saving money a consistent habit.

Require your kids to save a percentage of all money they earn or receive as a gift
Boost your child’s enthusiasm for saving by committing to match what they put into savings dollar for dollar
Create a savings contest between you and your child (or between your children) to see who can save the biggest percentage of their income for the year

The 52-week money challenge for kids is a great way to encourage children not just to save money, but to challenge themselves to save more than they initially thought was possible. So, give your kids the gift of making savings a habit starting today.

Bonus Reading: “6 Fun Money Games for Kids”

Would you ever do a 52-week money challenge with your child? Have ever done one on your own? Let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Nathaniel_U (Creative Commons)

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4 Creative Money Challenges for Kids

March 20, 2017 | 2 Comments

One of the biggest – and most important – hurdles parents face is that of teaching their kids to save money. In today’s instant gratification world, kids are often led to believe that spending is more beneficial than saving. It’s our job as parents and caregivers to teach them the benefits of saving over spending. By utilizing these money challenges for kids you can help your child learn the importance of saving money.

4 Creative Money Challenges for Kids

The 365-Day Money Challenge

The 365-Day Money Challenge has flexibility in both the amount of money you can use and when you earn it. The first step is to print out a chart that has 365 days of money amounts on it, starting with $.01 up to $3.65. Then, post the chart somewhere where your child will see it every day. Each morning when your child gets up, they pay their piggy bank or money jar an amount from the chart. When they pick a money amount to save, they then cross that amount off on the chart. Each money amount can only be used once throughout the year. By the end of the year, they’ll have saved $667.95!

Wants some ideas for how to help your child earn money? Check out these chores here.

The Matching Money Challenge

This money challenge will involve parents and/or grandparents as well. The first step is to have your child decorate a jar with a lid, such as a large canning jar. They can also use their own piggy bank. Each week your child will put in their bank the money they’ve earned through different sources. Money earned for chores or allowance, or money received from gifts are some ideas for finding money to save.

After the jar is filled up, parent and child bring the jar to the bank to deposit the money. When the money is counted, parents or grandparents match the amount the child has saved. The final deposit into your child’s savings account will be double what they have saved!

The 52-Week Savings Challenge

Similar to the 365-day challenge, this challenge requires kids to save money on a regular basis. First, they print out this chart. Each week has a money amount – payable in quarters – listed on the chart. Your child chooses which amount he or she wants to save each week, crossing that amount off as they go. By the end of the year, your child will have saved $344.50.

The Make-it-Your-Own Money Challenge

This challenge can be implemented in a number of different ways. The goal is to help kids improve their lives in some way or teach them that work produces income. The first step in this challenge is to determine a dollar amount payout. Parents can work with children to help decide how much they want to earn in a given time period. The challenge can be modified to work for every family’s budget and specific goals.

For instance, some kids may have a goal of earning $10 in a week. Others might want to earn more over a longer time period. It also helps to determine with your child why he or she wants to save. Having a reason for saving helps motivate kids to save more.

After you’ve determined how much to save and in what time period, parents create jobs or tasks with coordinating payouts. The “jobs” can consist of several different options, such as:

Doing chores around the house that are outside of normally assigned chores
Doing learning challenges such as reading books or completing math worksheets
Implementing healthy habits such as exercising or making healthy eating choices
Choosing to cut down on screen time in favor of reading or spending time with loved ones

The challenge can be customized to fit whatever goals your family or your child may have. As a bonus, your child will earn a reward them for achieving those goals.

Teaching kids to manage money well is just one of the things we can do to prepare them for independence. By helping our children develop a habit of saving money, we can prepare them to be financially responsible adults.

Got any money challenges for kids of your own to add? Drop it below!

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How Much Are Senior Pictures?

January 23, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Along with the costs of college, graduation parties, and other high school senior expenses, parents everywhere are asking another question: How much are senior pictures?

That depends on several variables, such as where you live, what type of portrait package you choose and on the type of pricing system the photographer uses. Here are some helpful tips to get the best deal on senior pictures for your high school graduate.

How Much Are Senior Pictures?

The Photographer Element

Professional photographers generally work in one of two ways:

They make their money off of the time spent at the photography session.
They make their money off of the photographs a client purchases.

The first type will charge a higher fee (usually between $500-$1500 depending on where you live) for the portrait session itself; however, the session generally includes all rights to the photos. The client is given a photo book contain proofs of the photos along with a CD or MP3 format of the photos (or online access). They can have pictures printed anywhere they choose.

The second type of photographer will have a lower fee for the portrait session (often varying between $50-$200). One key difference is the photographer retains all rights to the photos until you’ve purchased a portrait package directly from them. In that case, the printing of the portraits is usually a lot more expensive. The quality of the printed photos will likely be better as well.

Determining Which Photographer is Right for You

There are several steps you can take to determine which photographer is best for your child’s senior portrait needs.

Shop Around

It’s smart to call several different photographers and get the details on their pricing before making a decision. When shopping around, be sure to ask to see samples of their work and ask if there are references you can call as well. Getting suggestions from the parents of your child’s fellow classmates can be helpful too.

Decide How Many Printed Pictures You’ll Need

Knowing how many printed pictures you’ll need can help you decide which type of photographer to use. If you’ll be printing quite a few copies you may want to go with someone who includes rights to pictures as a part of the portrait sitting session.

If you aren’t expecting to print many copies of pictures it may be more cost-effective to go with a photographer who prints the pictures themselves and charges a smaller sitting fee. Add up the cost based on the photographer’s printing charges before making any decisions.

Discuss Portrait Venues

It’s important to discuss with your child and with any potential photographers where you’d like the senior pictures to be taken. Is there a favorite park or other location your child wishes to be photographed at? Do they want to include a family pet in some of the pictures? Some photographers charge an additional fee for including pets or for taking pictures at off-location places such as parks.

Alternatives to Professional Photography

If there’s someone in your life who has a knack for photography but isn’t a professional, you may benefit from hiring them. They would most likely provide a more affordable rate for a portrait sitting session.

With a bit of research, the question, “How much are senior pictures” no longer has to be a mystery. Instead, it can be a fun and affordable experience for parents and students alike.

How do you save money on professional photography?

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How to Save Money On Birthday Parties (and Still Have a Great Time)

January 16, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Pinterest is a magical place for party planning, especially for kids’ parties. Due to the unspoken pressure created by social media, DIY-themed events can become a financial sinkhole quickly. That’s why I’ve put together how to save money on birthday parties, and still have a great time.I’ve seen

I’ve been the Pinterest mom, scouring professional cake designs and theme-consistent decorations, utensils, favors, mascots, and skywriting airplanes. OK, maybe not the last one. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun stuff; I’m just saying sometimes we all need to step back from the culture of excess that permeates the internet and reboot.

We all need to take a moment and remember how things were when we were kids. No Instagram filters. No professional photographer.

I’m talking homemade sheet cake with mismatched birthday candles. Party hats made from construction paper. Running around in the backyard with friends.

We didn’t have many elaborate birthday parties growing up. But every birthday, large or small, was great. Odds are, your kids will feel the same way, too.

So here are a few ways to lift some pressure off your shoulders, save money, and have fun.

How to Save Money on Birthday Parties (and Still Have Fun)

1. Scale back.

Not every year needs to include a birthday party with 20 guests, a main course, three dessert options, and a bouncy castle in the back yard. For example, my daughter turned four shortly after Christmas, so we had a simple celebration at home with her grandparents. She helped me bake a cake from scratch and got a kick out of sticking the four candles in the cake, herself.

She’ll have bigger parties in the future, but I believe it was good for her to have a simple celebration with family this time. She had so much fun, and it certainly saved us a small bundle.

2. Give experiences.

One of our gifts to our daughter this year was a playdate at one of her favorite indoor bounce house entertainment centers. There was a discount on Groupon, so we set the date, invited friends, and enjoyed an afternoon together. You could even do this at a later time instead of a large birthday party.

To learn of discounted events in your area via Groupon, click on their website and type in your city. These deals fluctuate constantly, so make sure you check in from time to time.

3. Utilize the power of the Dollar Store.

Perhaps you’ve chosen your party theme and it’s time to pick out decorations. When I threw a “Thomas & Friends” party, Amazon had bundle upon of bundle of great decorations. My cart was filling up quickly. I finally realized I could buy a few of those items in generic colors and they’d still tie into the theme.

That brings us to the power of the Dollar Store. If you want to save money on birthday parties, don’t force yourself to make every item match perfectly. You can have plain, white cups and napkins to go with your Frozen theme. Plastic table cloths are another great example where solid colors work well.

If you have a budget for party items and need to save money, try out a few of these suggestions and see how they go. Like I said before, it’s great to have a party and celebrate your child, but you don’t have to go all out just to make them happy. Kids come predisposed to love birthday parties.

How do you find ways to save money on birthday parties?

Image via Alvimann (MorgueFile)

Are you a stay-at-home mom? Make sure you bookmark or pin some of these resources for later!

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Wants To Give Your Child a Free Book Every Month

January 9, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Did you enjoy watching Reading Rainbow as a kid? Turns out, the popular educational show was much more than children’s entertainment; it was a movement. For 20+ years, the show did its best to inspire children of all ages and walks of life to pick up a book and read. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library picked up the same torch to inspire young readers all across the world.

How important is it for children to read?

We’ve all heard the saying that “leaders are readers,” but the importance of literacy goes much deeper than that. According to a study by the US Department of Education, 32 million adults in America can’t read. Another study shows that two out of every three students who don’t proficiently by 4th grade could end up on government assistance or in jail.

Statistics like that drove people like Levar Burton and Dolly Parton to make a change. With Reading Rainbow, kids learned from books read and discussed on TV. In Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, new books show up right on your doorstep.

What is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library?

In 1995, Dolly Parton cast a vision to grow children’s love for reading in her home state of Tennessee. Regardless of their family’s income, Parton sees to it that every child receives a quality, age-appropriate book to read every month.

Over 20 years later, more than 80 million books reached young readers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Author’s Note: I recently went through the sign-up process and discovered that my region is not currently eligible. Upon further research, I discovered that organizations partner with Parton’s foundation to fund the expense for books in their specific regions. Therefore, be aware that not all locations qualify.

What Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Could Mean for Your Family

In an age when children are parked in front of screens for up to 11 hours a day, a resource like this may tip the scale on that balance. Imagine a new book showing up in the mail for you to read each month.

If this is an initiative you’d like to support or you’d like to sign your child up today, check out Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for instructions on how to donate.

Other Ways to Save Money On Children’s Books and Promote Reading In Your Home

If your region isn’t eligible, don’t give up. Here are some more money-saving options for your young reader:

Weekly storytime at your local library
Reading contests at school or the library
PaperBackSwap.com – Trade your books with other members for a small trading fee.
Book swap parties – Invite some other parents to your home and ask them to bring any children’s (or other genres of) books they’d be interested in swapping. Lay them all out on a table, draw numbers, and take turns picking from the “new inventory.” Get your kids involved, too!
Consignment sales – Books are often sold for $1 or less.
Garage sales
Audiobooks – You can check these out for free at the library. They include a book for children to use as they listen along.

For more on reading for your kids, or reading to your kids, check out these great articles.

The Importance of Reading to Your Child
A Fun and Economical Way to Get Kids Interested in Reading: Comic Books
Here are 8 of the Best Kids Books On Audible

What were some of your favorite books to read as a child? Tell us in the comments below!

The Biggest Childhood Expenses You’re Likely to Face – Ages 0 to 5

January 2, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Children are a gift.They make us laugh, they make us cry and they make our lives worth living. On the flip side, children are also one of life’s greatest financial expenses. If you’re a new parent or will be soon, it may seem like you hear about a never ending list of things your child needs. Today I’m breaking down the biggest childhood expenses from age 0 to 5.

The Biggest Childhood Expenses You’re Likely to Face

Age 0 to 1: Diapers

Diapers are expensive. Not only is the price daunting ($20+ to $40+), the amount that a new parent goes through can be astounding. On average, a baby will go through over 2,000 diapers in his or her first year of life.

How to Save: To get a leg up on that expense, open a second checking or savings account just for baby expenses. Drop an allotted amount of cash in the account every month. You’ll soon have a steady cash flow for that expensive diaper fund.

Age 2 to 3: Day Care

I have known day cares to charge under $200 a week, to up to $1,000 a week depending on the region. For example, the $1,000 dollar a week

For example, the $1,000 per week day care in my area caters to the children of doctors, judges, lawyers and prominent corporations. However, no matter if you are a high-income earner or average Joe, day care can be brutal on a family’s budget.

The average cost of day care in the U.S. is $11,666 per year. However, the range can fluctuate depending on the area you are in between $3,582 to $18,773 a year.

How to Save: Sometimes you can offset the cost a little if you:

Consider working at a day care to receive an employee discount.
Find a center that offers a discount for siblings.
Price the cost of living and decide if it’s financially healthier for you to work less and stay home with your child.

Age 4 to 5: Preschool and Health Care

Depending on where you live and the quality of the school, the price for preschool could be very high. The average cost of sending your child to preschool is between $4,460-$13,158 per year.

Health care is another big expense, especially in the early years. Not only do little ones get sick more often because their immune systems are not built up, but other health care expenses can arise too. Things like special therapies (speech, occupational, etc) or disabilities may not be covered under some insurance plans. Special surgeries or uncommon injuries may not be covered, either.

This means parents have to pay outrageous amounts of out of pocket expenses for things not covered under their plan.

How to Save: Find out what your insurance plan does and doesn’t cover. Consider opening a Health Savings Account and stockpiling it for unknown health-related expenses. The great thing about an HSA is that its contributions are tax deductible.

In Conclusion

There are many things to think about when you have a new baby. Focus on the biggest childhood expenses and figure out how you are going to best navigate each one. This will help to ensure a financially sound first five years.

How do you save money for your family’s biggest childhood expenses? Share one or two ways with us below.

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