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3 Creative Ways to Save for Your Child’s College Education

August 27, 2014 | Leave a Comment

When my child was only five weeks old we opened a registered education savings account for her.

Neither my husband or I had any financial help for our education from our parents and ended up taking on significant debt to pay for it. While our intentions are not to pay for everything she may need for post secondary education we will be saving and contributing to it somewhat.

What we save is what she will have at her disposal, we won’t be compromising our own financial goals to pay for her education but that doesn’t mean we won’t still be able to contribute a decent chunk of money towards her savings. It just means we have to get creative.

Here are three ways we’re saving for our daughters college education.

Ask For Money

Given that she is the first child born into the family in quite some time, she is well taken care of.

People love to buy her little gifts and shower her with affection. There is very little she actually needs as so we have made it very clear that especially while she is still so young and doesn’t know, that rather than people giving her unnecessary toys or gifts, that they contribute to her post secondary fund instead.

We would rather the $10-$20 invested and gaining compound interest for the next 16-18 years than a toy she will play with for a few days before it gets lost in the shuffle. While some people aren’t comfortable with giving money (and that’s fine) most people are more than happy to not worry about what to get her and hand us a little cash to deposit on her behalf. This saves mom and dad on toy space and helps contribute to one of the best gifts she’ll ever receive, a good education.

Sell Their Stuff

Some things we’re holding onto for potential future children but other stuff we plan on selling. We just don’t have the room to store every item of clothing or every toy that enters our house. Given that these things were purchased for her, the money made from the sale should be reinvested into her. In our case we will be putting monies gained from selling her stuff into her education fund.

Have Them Save Their Own Money

While she’s so young we obviously manage her money now but in the not so distant future she will be managing her own. Birthday gifts, babysitting money and part-time jobs will give her a cashflow she will need to manage herself (with our guidance obviously).

Once she starts being responsible for her own money it will be important that she starts saving for things she wants, especially her education. We will teach her the importance of helping save towards her own goals, even if they seem impossibly far away. While she’s a kid living under our roof there will be very little that she will need so it will be expected that most of her money go into savings. I’m confident she will thank us on her graduation day!

Though not every kid pursues post secondary education it is money that needs to be in place in case they do because it can be a very costly venture if there are no funds in place, trust me, I know.

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.

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5 Smart Ways to Save on Back to School Supplies

August 20, 2014 | Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that we’re more than half way through August. Depending on where you live and the type of school system you’re in, kids may already be back to school but the majority of kids have a couple more weeks to enjoy before hitting the books again.

There is a local radio station trying to fundraise and gather a bunch of school supplies for local underprivileged children.

It’s funny, I always think about stuff like food and shelter but don’t often think about the necessity and cost involved with stuff like school supplies, after all it was something my mom always just took care of. The station has been quite successful and I’m glad too since having school supplies may be the key to getting out of poverty for some of these kids. There’s no doubt that proper school supplies are expensive but there are, like most things, way to save.

Reuse

I used to beg my mom for a new zipper closed binder every year and most times she’d say no since there was nothing wrong with my old one. Since she was buying I didn’t have much room for argument but she was right. If there is something that can be reused (zipper binders, book bags, math sets) do it! If you take care of your stuff there’s no need to re-buy everything each year.

Buy Used

At least this is the case with post-secondary kids. There is often no need to buy brand new text books. I never had any issue (in two university degrees) buying used books. Unless the texts were changed entirely, and they rarely are, I could always get away with using an edition one to two years old, the profs often giving the readings to multiple editions for this very reason.

Stock Up

If there’s a really great sale on an item you’ll know you’ll use (like paper and pens) stock up for a few years. I remember one year packages of loose-leaf paper were on sale for $0.09 with no limit. My mom bought enough for almost four years’ worth of education for my sister and I. Obviously this is space limited for certain items.

Shop the Sales

Pay attention to local sales and shop around. A lot of larger box stores will not only price match but beat by 5-10% with can add up to a large savings in the long run especially if you have more than one kid!

Buy Year Round

For things like school clothes, though there are good sales late summer pending fall return to school, I find the best sales for clothes to be after Christmas. Though this is often an expensive time of year anyway, if you can, it may save you money for upcoming school years to buy clothes then instead of August/September.

School definitely isn’t free, there are plenty of costs involved from supplies, clothes and projects year-round. If you have time to properly plan what, when and where you’ll buy certain things though, it could save you a ton of money!

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Is Private School Worth the Cost?

August 13, 2014 | 1 Comment

A lady I work with is paying for her daughter to go through an elite Catholic private school in the city. The other day at lunch she was telling me how stressed her and her husband were about now discussing paying for post secondary education.

Apparently the daughter announced that she was looking more closely at an expensive university in our nations capital, tens of thousands of kilometers away. The parents assumed she’d always stay close to home and live with them until university was finished, moving was never in the question.

I tried to remind her that she could still potentially get scholarships (she’s only in grade 11) or, worst case, get a student loan. Mom was appalled I had even suggested a loan. When I asked why, she said it was her ”duty” as a mother to provide 100% for her child, all education included. She would work full-time until she was 80 if it meant that her kid finished any and all post secondary debt-free. This, after paying $12,000 per year for the last 12 years for the private school.

While I agree that yes, it is a parents responsibility to provide for their child to the best of their abilities I am of the opinion that private school is a luxury and if my child choose to pursue a post secondary education beyond what my husband and I could help her with, then she’d be on her own to figure out the difference.

Private School Considerations

Our daughter is only two. We’re not yet thinking too much about where she will attend primary education, but I still think about whether or not we will enroll her in private school or public school. If we enroll her in private school there are many things to consider:

Arguable that she would get a better education and have a much more ”fun” time while in school since private schools have opportunities that public schools may not. However, both my husband and I, along with many of our friends who attended pubic school, had a very positive experience and many of us are quite successful. I have to wonder if, with our daughter growing up in an environment catered to nurturing her education, she would gain that much more in educational experience?
There’s the $12,000++ tuition every year for private school that, while a tax deduction for us parents, in my opinion may be much better used invested for post secondary opportunities (FYI: we already save monthly in a registered investment savings for post secondary for her). We could use the $1,000/month in many beneficial ways for our daughter in terms of extracurricular activities, travel, educational experiences as a family rather than for one member of the family.
Could be argued that if she is successful in private school, she may have more scholarship opportunities, combined with the arguable better education, may not need any savings from mom and dad.
Both private schools in the city are pretty far from where we would ever live and we’d need to deal with the expense of getting her to school everyday (gas, bridge tolls etc) in today’s dollars, based on our current location, would cost about $100 more per month in travel.

I’m leaning more towards public school and allocating a large portion of ”would be private school money” to other things for kiddo.

We couldn’t afford private school as well as many extracurricular activities. Both my husband and I will be very involved with her schooling, there’s no doubt she will be successful wherever she goes but we need to do what’s best for the family. If we have more than one child we certainly couldn’t afford two kids in private school, which is a whole other issue.

Did you/will your kids go to private school? Was it ”worth” it?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

The Importance of Reading to Your Child

August 6, 2014 | Leave a Comment

When we were in the hospital after I delivered my daughter one of the things that was given to us was a cloth bag with a few children’s books in it. When I asked what it was she explained that the hospital gave out this package to all new families as a way to encourage early reading. I thought it was crazy that they would need to even need to implement such a program (thinking about the cost of the program) but the program coordinator was the first to open my eyes to the growing issue of children simply not being exposed to books anymore.

Reading in the Digital Age

Kids aren’t getting read to, out loud, as much anymore. With the growing use of electronics especially, digital programs are replacing time with mom and dad and reading good old fashion books. Most pediatric societies argue children should have zero screen time until at least age two, some even older citing kids should have zero screen time until the age of five to seven. Screen time including television, computers and all other electronic devices.

While I do agree that screen time should be seriously limited, my daughter, being two years old is allowed to watch an episode or two of her favorite show. Where I draw the line though is introducing her to a computer or tablet device, especially to replace time she reads books.

Reading Aloud – The Old Way

My house is overrun with children’s books. We have hundreds of them, and it drives me crazy sometimes but listening to my just two year old run around the house yelling her ABC’s at the top of her little (ok, not so little) lungs makes me happy and reminds me why we have so many books.

We started reading to her as part of her daily routine which we implemented from a very young age. While she was really young, and not so active and on-the-go, we would read and look at books all day long, I mean what else could she do?! Now that she’s a very active toddler and outside playing and with other kids, we still set aside time to read every day.

She gets quiet time and books at a minimum before her nap and bedtime which, given how busy we are, is more than sufficient for me and much more than most kids are getting unfortunately. In a recent study, parents who did not read to their children on a regular basis (almost 50% of children by the way) cited not having enough time in the day to do it. To which I argue my husband and I both work full-time, have other responsibilities and side jobs, there is no way I could ever justify not having five to ten minutes a day to read to my child.

I’m not totally hating on technology but studies have shown that reading (old school) books out loud with pictures and words develops children much more than any electronic. Children who are read aloud to every day are stronger academically and have a much broader vocabulary. Benefits aside, I wouldn’t trade my evening reading and cuddle time for anything in the world, it’s my favorite part of our day!

For more on reading, and how to make sure you spend the best time with your children doing so, check out these great articles.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Wants To Give Your Child a Free Book Every Month
A Fun and Economical Way to Get Kids Interested in Reading: Comic Books
Here are 8 of the Best Kids Books On Audible
4 Best Mini-Safes to Protect Valuable Comic Books

Do you read aloud to your children?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Will Having Another Baby Be Cheaper the Second Time Around?

July 30, 2014 | Leave a Comment

In the last few months my husband and I are coming closer and closer to the conclusion that we will likely have another baby. Not for a few more years but if we have any control over the situation we would like to have another. More for the fact that we want our daughter to have a sibling. Both my husband and I are very close to our sisters and we want our daughter to have that relationship too. Though not the only reason, a big reason we’re choosing to wait to have more kids though is that kids aren’t cheap!

I really don’t think kids have to be as expensive as some would make them out to be but they’re still far from free. The two biggest expenses we need to consider is me being on maternity leave for upwards of a year (and losing some of my income) and daycare.

Preparing the Monthly Budget

Ideally we have another child at the same time our older daughter is preparing to start school. Once our daughter is in school she will no longer need full-time care and likely just a few hours in the afternoon until my husband and I are off work. This will save us hundreds of dollars a month for her current daycare cost. Having an older child in school while the younger is in daycare will definitely be the cheapest option in terms of saving on daycare costs initially.

As we come closer to preparing for me to be on maternity leave our monthly budget will look much better as we will have a significant amount of debt paid off as well. The peace of mind that comes with not having additional debt payments while on a reduced income will be great!

Saving on Baby Stuff

Most of the toys and baby items we bought and received as gifts for our daughter were very gender neutral which will save on upfront costs (and even if they’re not I have no issue with my potential son playing with his older sisters pink toys). There are very few baby ‘’items’’ we would need if we have another child. If we have a son we would need some clothes (most second-hand) as our daughter’s wardrobe is very girly and I draw the line at riding her pink motorcycle.

If possible, I will breastfeed again saving on formula and because we already own a pump and storage bags I wouldn’t need to re-purchase these.

Other than things like new savings account for post-secondary which will come with any future child, the other costs will be very limited. We will eventually need a second bed for him or her and some clothes, but because we have chosen to keep all of our current child’s things there is very little we actually need. Paying off our debt will also ensure I have a stress free maternity leave!

Did you spend less on your second baby than you did buying things for your first child?

Catherine

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3 Life Skills Every Child Needs To Learn

July 23, 2014 | 2 Comments

With a two year old at home I won’t have an empty house for a number of years but that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about the skills she will require to be a self-sufficient young lady when she does eventually leave.

A kid I know is getting ready to move out in a few weeks and I’m fairly certain he couldn’t boil water if his life depended on it. Though he is brilliant academically he is seriously missing main life skills. Something I hope to avoid with my child.

Cooking

Teach your children basic cooking and baking techniques.

They don’t necessarily need to know how to whip up an apple pie from scratch but they should know how to confidently prepare a few key heathy recipes. Getting children involved in the kitchen at an early age is a great way to instill their skills. Though having my two year old cooking with me sometimes can be extra time consuming and messy she is having fun and learning some basic skills.

Cleaning

There is a difference between tidy and clean. If kids clean it usually involves tidying and putting things away. Though this is a good start, by the age of moving out, kids need to learn how to appropriately clean. The nitty-gritty of getting and maintaining their space clean. They need to know how to effectively clean things like toilets and ovens. Too many of my peers don’t bother to do things like clean the bathroom taps, it just gets yucky!

Budget and Money

This is a skill everyone needs to know but before your child is sent out on their own, they need to know how to budget and control their money. I have seen (and experienced) too many cases of mismanaged money simply because they didn’t know what they were doing.

If they’re ready to move out and control their own finances they need to know how to do it! Money skills are something that are learned and built up over time but even if they’re not it’s never too late to teach them! Establishing open communication about money is necessary too. Let your child know they can come to you for help if they need to. It’s much easier to help them in the beginning and help get them back on track then find out they’ve racked up a ton of debt and are in over their head.

Life skills are something that are established over time. Sometimes we as parents get so worked up in things like making sure they succeed academically or make the team that we forget the importance of very basic skills, skills that will take them very far in life!

How are you preparing your children for moving out?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

4 Tips to Prepare Kids for an At-Home Emergency

July 16, 2014 | Leave a Comment

The other day while my husband was at soccer, I was home while my daughter was in bed sleeping. I was prepping meals for the next day which included cooking up some bacon. I always cook my bacon on parchment paper in the oven. When it was done, I removed the greasy tray only to have the parchment paper slide on the tray splashing hot bacon grease down my forearm and hand.

Though it hurt, a lot, I wasn’t in any immediate danger but it did get me thinking about me being alone with my daughter and what I may do if it was a bigger deal. How prepared would she be? In our specific case, she’s only two so there’s not a whole lot she can do but as she gets a little older there will be things she needs to learn and understand to help prepare for emergency situations.

First Aid Help

Every home should have a first aid kit in an easily accessible location. Not just for the kids but in case of actual emergency you’ll want to get to it, fast! Our first aid kit is in a bright red zippered bag in our hall closet. It is sitting on the lowest shelf where, if I needed my daughter’s help she would be able to understand based on simple commands like ‘’get red bag’’. I’ve already started explaining that we don’t use the bag unless we absolutely need to if we’re hurt (to limit how often she attempts to access it).

Emergency First Aid and CPR

I think it is important that both children and adults take an emergency first aid and CPR course. This was part of my babysitting course when I was eleven years old and have maintained it since. Not all kids take this course, nor do they necessarily maintain their certification. More and more employers are requiring this upon employment and rightfully so, you never know when you may find yourself in a situation that may need either CPR or emergency first aid and being equipped will only help the situation.

Fire Exits

Children should know where to go in case of fire. Stress how important it is that they get out and not attempt to take anything should they find themselves in a situation.

911

When I was in the fourth grade, my friends thought it would be funny to prank-call 911. Yeah, we learned our lesson really fast. I seem to recall my friend’s mom (the chaperone) making us to yard work for her to pay the fine she was charged. To be fair, I really didn’t understand 911 or the real importance of it. When children are young, talk to them about what it is and how and when an appropriate time to use it is. As they get older explain the difference between true emergency and non-urgent care (911 vs. a call into a family doctor).

Having an emergency at home can be a scary and stressful time, more so on children because they often don’t understand what’s going on. If you prepare them for such situations it can make a stressful situation much better.

How have you prepared your children for an emergency situation at home?

Catherine

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What to Get The Graduate in Your Life

July 2, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Semesters are coming to a close all across the world. Soon school hallways will be emptying out and summer activities will be ramping up.

If you enter any store this time of year, there is zero shortage of graduate related gifts but the sheer volume of options does’t make the gift hunt any easier, if anything it makes it more difficult! Here are a list of ideas what may be appropriate for the graduate in your life.

Young Child

While I personally don’t agree with rewarding young children for ”graduating” to the next grade some people feel it necessary. At this age, and really, lack of major milestone, it doesn’t have to be anything too fancy.

A card, maybe a dinner out. There really shouldn’t be too much emphasis on this age. (note: If the child overcame a major milestone such as doing really well in a subject they’ve really struggled with and worked extra hard, I may argue a bit differently).

High School

This is the first big academic milestone for most. Sometimes it’s the only academic milestone since post secondary isn’t for everyone. There are the usual graduation ceremonies and proms that you could offer to help with. As part of my graduation gift my mom paid for my prom-day stuff (half day at the spa) which I would not have spent on myself and really was a nice treat (even if I left with eye shadow that would make any hooker jealous).

Another obvious option may be to offer money to be used for post secondary if you know they will be attending. If you know they’re going to university or collage go to the local campus (if you can get there) and buy a book store gift certificate or campus shirt or sweater. They’ll be excited to wear their new schools name!

Post Secondary Grad

Finishing a post secondary diploma or degree is a huge accomplishment. Years of hard work have finally paid off and they walk across the stage for a final time. They will be handed a piece of paper symbolizing so much about them, offer to have their degree framed as a gift. They will, after all want to display it proudly.

A watch is always a timeless gift too (make sure give the gift receipt though in case they need to exchange it). Sometimes the student is about to embark into a professional world which may require a new ”grown up” wardrobe. Offering to help or provide a gift certificate to allow them to start this collection is both practical and thoughtful (and no, there is nothing wrong with a gift certificate).

And sometimes the best gift is your time. Especially if you’re travelling from afar to see them graduate, your presence is the gift. Don’t feel required to give more than that! Sharing memories and time are the best gifts of all.

What is the best gift you either received or gave to a new grad?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

How Long Can We Maintain Being a One Car Family?

June 25, 2014 | Leave a Comment

When my husband and I moved into our first place, a nice one bedroom apartment, our lease stipulated one vehicle included, anymore and we would have to pay extra for an additional parking spot. Given that we were looking to save as much money as possible for our upcoming wedding, we decided to sell my little old car.

My husband had the more reliable vehicle and I opted to use public transportation instead of paying extra just to park my car. I work in a downtown core where parking is incredibly expensive as well so driving to work is quite the added expense, selling our second vehicle made sense for so many reasons.

Fast forward six years and we’ve been married, moved into a suburban home and had a baby. My job is the same, my husbands has changed slightly requiring more frequent out-of-town day trips. I’m still taking public transit which, to give our city some credit, has improved in the last six years. Though I thought it would be a temporary thing, six years later we’re still a one car family.

The only way this is possible is me either taking public transit or carpooling on some days. Though I could drive to work faster than me taking public transit I simply cannot justify this added cost right now. Monthly parking at my jobs location is $150 per month. If we bought a second car, not only would we have the upfront cost of the vehicle, we would need to pay for gas, maintenance and insurance. Even without paying for parking it would still cost us about $250 per month to own said car. With parking and bridge tolls, closer to $500.

I currently pay about $60 per month for public transit, a significant savings from the $500 we could be paying!

The inconveniences of being a one car family….

The biggest inconvenience we’ve encountered with being a one car family happened two years ago when our public transit went on strike. We ended up spending more than double our gas (almost $400 per month in gas) with my husband driving me to work everyday or us giving gas money to other people for me to carpool with. The strike lasted months and was a huge headache to deal with. My normal 30 minute driving commute was upwards of two hours some days with the sharp increase in vehicles on the road.

As our daughter gets older we’re expecting a few more inconveniences as she gets involved in activities and needs to be at places. Given that I now rely on my husband to pick me up from a major transit depot close to our house, if he needs to have our daughter (dance or soccer) at the same time we’ll be in a tough spot with me trying to get home. My work schedule is very rigid and can’t easily be changed so I foresee this being a challenge.

We’re lucky that we currently live in an area with public transit, I suspect our next home will be out of the city and away from major transit lines where owning two vehicles will be a necessity given our work schedules.

At this point in our lives, being a one car family works. We’re ”saving” almost $450 per month. Money we just can’t justify when we’re working to pay our debt off. Once our debt is paid off we will likely get to the point where having a cheap second car will be a necessity either because of where we live or the direction our lives takes us.

Are you a one car family? How is it working out?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

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?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Frugal Summer Fun For Your Toddler

June 4, 2014 | Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that June is here!

The weather is finally starting to warm up (the cold weather was dragging on forever here) and we’re venturing outside. This is the first summer that my daughter could really ”do anything”. She was born in June so last year, being only one, was just learning how to walk and explore.

This year, a full-fledged active two year old, requires strategic planning to keep her entertained. The good thing is that she’s only two so doesn’t really know how or what is out there unless we expose her to it. The bad thing is that she is very busy and requires me to be as creative as I can be to keep her entertained all summer.

After pursing the internet and talking to my mom and teacher friends, I have come up with a list of fun fugal outdoor activities for your toddler:

Painting with water. We did this the other day and it’s as easy as it seems. Bucket of plain water and a paintbrush! We painted the driveway and fence. This literally entertained her for over an hour and 100% mess-free!
Chalk/bubbles. Another favorite and cost less than $1.
Explore your neighbourhood. I like taking walks with kiddo before it gets too hot in the summer mornings. It’s usually not too busy traffic-wise and I can let her out of the stroller to just run ahead of me a little to burn off some energy herself.
Parks and playgrounds. When we’re on our walks we will often stop at a local playground to run around. Bonus if there are other kids present for her to play with otherwise mom is getting an added workout playing too 🙂
DIY Sandbox or dirtbox. Little fact: Kids love to dig and play in dirt. We plan on buying a cheap kiddy pool (less than $10) and filling it with either sand or dirt. We can hide a few toys within the sand/dirt and let them dig it out. I went to the local dollar store and purchased some little shovels and a toy dump truck for her to play with in said box.
Beach days. Great idea of you’re close to one!
Picnics. There’s something so fun about eating outside. You don’t even have to go anywhere, you’re own backyard will do. It’s the change in routine that will have them entertained.
Treasure hunt. Take objects (ideally kids toys) and hide them outside having them find them based on description such as ”eye spy something that is red”.
Garden. Kids love helping. Something like a garden is something they can help with (maybe something as simple as buying them a tiny watering can sort of thing). Have them help pick out flowers and I’m sure the first thing out of their mouths every morning will be ”flowers!”. They will love the added responsibility to help keeping it alive.

Keeping little ones entertained can be exhausting for parents. It’s so easy to run out of ideas especially with very active toddlers. I hope there are a few new ideas for you and your little one. Bring on warm weather!

What other frugal summer fun ideas can you think of?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

5 Tips for Eating Well on a Budget

May 28, 2014 | Leave a Comment

I have heard many arguments that one of the main reasons obesity is such a rampant issue is because eating well is so much more expensive than buying ‘junk food’. This is something I have always argued.

Buying convenience food is substantially more expensive than buying fresh, and I live in an area where food is very expensive. There are certain things you must do if you want to eat well on a budget.

Make it a Priority

If you don’t make eating well on a budget a priority the rest of your efforts won’t make any difference. I didn’t say it was easy to eat well, especially on a budget but it will be so worth it for you and your family.

Learn to Cook

You have to learn how to cook. If you can read then you can follow simple recipes and cook. The reason people shop for convenience food is often because they’re lazy, don’t know how to cook, lack time or simply don’t care. Basic cooking skills will go a long way in stretching your budget. At the grocery store this week I noticed a single-serve frozen entree on sale for $3.00 each. Instead I made a delicious pasta dish from scratch for $6.00. Double the price but provided 8 sizable servings. It definitely pays to learn how to cook!

Make Better Choices

This week I could have bought three large bags of chips for $6.00, instead I opted to buy the two-pound container of blueberries for $7.00. Though $7.00 seems like a lot for a single fruit it will accompany our meals for at least five days. There is often always a choice. Don’t waste your money on pop and juice, water is a healthier and cheaper option.

Canned and Frozen is Ok!

People often forget about both canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. I buy large bags of frozen fruit to make smoothies or add to yogurt at a fraction of the cost of fresh. We also stock up on canned goods when needed. Just make sure your veggies are not canned in salt and that your fruits are canned in either water or natural juices instead of syrup.

Grow Your Food

Even when I lived in a one bedroom apartment I grew some of my own food. I had a few small containers on our deck where I grew peppers, tomatoes and herbs. For a low upfront cost I was able to grow and enjoy a substantial amount of food.

Eating well is a challenge. You have to learn to meal plan and shop the sales. Putting the effort into learning or refining your cooking skills will go a long way for providing good food for you and your family. The better you eat now, the less complications you may experience long-term. Eating well may help keep your medical bills down afterall, living with obesity isn’t without its own costs.

What do you do to eat well on a budget?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

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