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Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

The Difference Between Being Cheap and Being Frugal

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There's a big difference between being cheap and being frugal. Here are three areas that makes this differentiation pretty clear!The other day two of my patients were arguing in my room while I was treating their daughter. The parents were arguing about their upcoming house purchase and what they needed to finish up before closing. The conversation quickly turned from excitement to a full-blown argument about how cheap the wife was. The husband wanted to buy all new furniture for one of their rooms while she wanted to use what they had for a while longer. Her argument was that she wasn’t cheap, but rather frugal, and had the family’s best interest in mind.

This differentiation is one that many people confuse. Though they may seem like similar terms, they’re actually quite different in their meaning. To help clarify the issue here are a few instances concerning being cheap and being frugal.

Dining Out

A cheap person may eat out frequently but elect to never tip. If you can’t afford to properly tip when dining out, don’t bother going, it’s cheap to not tip service.

A frugal person may elect to not eat out at all, or much more infrequently, as they would rather spend their money elsewhere. When they do make the decision to eat out they pay for everything, proper sized tip and all.

Product Selection

If a cheap person needs a new mattress for example, they will go out and buy the first cheap mattress they find, the deciding factor being the dollar amount. Even if this mattress falls apart in a few months they see nothing beyond initial dollars spent.

A frugal person will elect to not buy the mattress until they have saved up a dollar amount that will allow them to buy a quality product that will last them years. While they are saving for their upcoming purchase, they may elect to forgo other activities they don’t feel are as important as buying the mattress they need.

* This was the argument the wife in my office was trying to make. She didn’t want to buy the cheap couch her husband wanted but wanted to wait until the new year and buy a better quality one even if it meant moving into a brand new house with ‘crappy old furniture’.

Socializing

When it comes to socializing with friends and family, a cheap person may elect to go to events where they know (or assume) someone else will pick up the tab, or avoid going out, ever, because they don’t want to spend the money. This eventually leads to alienation from friends and family.

Someone who is frugal will go out but will likely be pickier about when and where they go but they won’t avoid socializing all together. They will also likely come up with alternative social ideas like taking turns hosting a nice dinner in, rather than spending money at a restaurant.

Frugality is a way of life. It can be very advantageous when used wisely and lead to many more opportunities in your life. Being cheap however usually ends up in wasted money and missed experiences. Only one of these ways of life knows the true value of a dollar earned.

Frugal Summer Fun For Your Toddler

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frugal summer activities for kidsIt’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?

Saving on Family Fun

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Saving on Family FunOne of the biggest changes in our budget is the need to account for an additional person when it comes to family outings.

Everything from plane tickets, to dinners out to attending our local hockey team now have three people instead of two. Though this is something we obviously expected with a child, it was nice to enjoy the early days!

Gone are the newborn days when she would quietly sleep through the odd dinner out or stay snuggled in my arms, usually asleep during a local hockey game. The little girl is a full grown toddler who now demands her own meals and requires her own seat and if we’re not careful, it can get crazy expensive.

While there are certain things we can’t do anything about, like extra seat for airplanes there are many other areas you can save on.

Meals Out

Eating out isn’t a huge part of our lives (I’d much rather entertain at home) it does happen occasionally. When possible, we opt to look for restaurants that not only have a kids menu but offer discounts for kids such as kids eat free.

Growing up we would go to a restaurant where they offered free Shirley Temples for kids and my parents had to pay $0.10/pound of body weight for kids under 12.  Though restaurants probably can’t get away with literally weighing kids in the restaurant anymore, there are still many places the have kids eat free with the purchase of a regular entree.

Online Deals

Online sites such as Groupon can be a great place to find coupons and deals for a family that makes an otherwise unattainable event, possible. This can include things like buying discounted restaurant (I often buy gift certificates for our favorite restaurants when they come up at 50% off) or deals on ticked events.

Take Advantage of Specials

Our local movie theater caters to families during regular school breaks such as spring break and Christmas break by putting on discounted days and promos like buy one ticket get one 50% off. During the rest of the year they offer a cheap ticket price on Tuesday. Going to the movies on Tuesday if the only way I pay, especially with children. If you don’t know, call and ask!

Friends of ours always take advantage of our local stage theater by taking their kids to ”pay what you can” night. Basically you show up on the first Tuesday of the seasonal performance, stand in line and pay whatever you can. Tickets normally start at $40 per person but on this night you can pay as much or little as you want.When you have a family and a budget this sort of event is perfect. This is something the theater has always done but never makes a big public announcement.

Good deals usually require some digging!

Membership Discounts

Sometimes it pays to have a kid (in terms of savings acquired).

If I wanted a membership to our local rec center I would be looking at $600 per year as an individual or I could get a family price (no limit on children) for $750 for the year. My husband, daughter and I can all capitalize on the gym, pool, rink and hundreds of classes for only $150 more per year and as our family grows the price stays the same (as is it locked in as long as you renew annually). This membership also gives us some ”free” events to partake in during the year when we’re looking to have a little family fun without breaking the bank.

How do you save on family fun?

3 Easy Ways Busy Parents Can Be More Frugal

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frugal busy parentsAs a parent your to-do list can seem endless.

Go to work. Drop the kids off at school. Take the baby to daycare. Pick up the kids. Cook dinner. Take the kids to soccer practice. And, the list goes on and on.

As a busy parent it can be hard to focus on frugality when you can barely keep your head on straight. In these instances it’s the small things that can have the most impact on your financial situation.

Here are three ways busy parents can be more frugal.

 

Prepare Simple Meals

Keeping your meal planning simple is not only a cost effective strategy but it can free up a ton of time for you. Stock your pantry and freezer with some go-to, simple, and healthy meals that the whole family will enjoy.

What I often do is prepare several meals in advance that I can throw in the crockpot for those busy days. To do this simply gather all of your ingredients, put them in a freezer bag, and toss in the freezer. In the morning simply empty the bag into the crockpot. You’ll have a delicious meal waiting for you when dinner time comes around. Clean up is also extra easy, which is an added bonus!

 

Use Frugaa When Shopping Online

I tend to do much of my shopping online since it’s a huge time saver. And, every time I do I make sure to check and see if there is a coupon code to go with my purchase.

Frugaa makes this process even simpler. You simply visit Frugaa select your budget and the category or store you want to shop at and Frugaa will show all the available coupon codes that fit your chosen criteria. You won’t have to spend time weeding through different sites or searching for codes that coincide with your budget.

This is another easy way to save time and money.

 

Maximize Free Activities

As parents it can sometimes be hard to resist buying the latest toys or signing up children for every after school activity – but really, most of this is unnecessary.

You shouldn’t feel obligated to buy everything you see for your child. Free activities, like spending time outdoors, can be the most fun and memorable things you can do together.

Here are some ideas:

  • Have a “fancy” dinner in which you and your children dress up, use your good dishes, and eat at the table.
  • Take a walk through the woods.
  • Visit parks and watch your children play.
  • Have your kids put on a play for you.

There are endless free activities you and your children can enjoy, you just have to be willing to use your imagination.

 

One Small Step at a Time

It can be hard to stretch your frugal muscles when you’re always strapped for time. However, if you take a couple minutes at the start of the day to plan things out you can save time and money.

Start by making a few small changes. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to easily identify opportunities that will benefit your bottom line.

Use Chippmunk to Reduce Your Valentine’s Day Costs

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Valentines DayValentine’s Day is right around the corner.  While it’s a time to show your love to that important person in your life, it can also be a very expensive day.  The traditional Valentine’s Day might include a meal out at a nice restaurant, perhaps a movie, and don’t forget gifts for one another.

Besides the expense, if you opt for this route, you’ll be spending a lot of time simply waiting.  If you eat out on Valentine’s Day night, you  may wait several hours just to get a table.

Instead, consider having a quiet Valentine’s Day at home.  You can have a romantic dinner in and give each other gifts.  Better yet, use a site like Chippmunk to get nice gifts at a deep discount.

 

What Is Chippmunk?

Chippmunk is a unique site.  Rather than simply looking for coupons or coupon codes that can save you money, Chippmunk first asks you to choose your budget and what you are shopping for.  Then, the site chooses coupons for you based on your budget.

If you enter a department that you’re looking for such as “chocolate”, the site will find you the retailers who have the best deals.  You might be thinking of buying Fannie May candy, but you might find a better deal for Godiva Chocolate or Cherry Moon Farms.

Say you want to spend $30 on chocolate for the sweet in your life.  Fannie May Berries can give you 25% off boxed chocolates.  Or, you could save 20% off your order of $29 or more from Shari’s Berries.

Not sure which retailer you want to go with?  Chippmunk also offers ratings measuring the customer experience provided by the store.  In the above example, Fannie May Berries earns 4 out of 5 stars while Shari’s Berries earns 5 out of 5 stars.

In addition to searching by department, you can instead choose to shop by retailer.  If your significant other loves Lindt Chocolate, for example, you can search by that store.  There is currently a coupon there for 50% off.  That sure beats paying retail!

 

Other Chippmunk Features

Chippmunk also shows what discounts are available if you spend a bit more.  For instance, in some cases, if you spend $50 instead of $30, you’ll get free shipping or be able to unlock a bigger discount.  You’ll have to do the math to see if increasing your budget is worth your while.  Sometimes you save more when you enter a larger amount to spend.

Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to show those in your life such as your spouse and kids how much you love them.  However, you don’t have to wait 3 hours for a table or rob your wallet to do so.  Plan a romantic meal at home and take advantage of deal sites like Chippmunk.  You’ll have a fun day, and you’ll be glad you didn’t have to fork over so much money to have a good time.

What other tips do you have for a frugal Valentine’s Day?

Planning a Frugal Family Feast

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frugal family feastThis weekend I will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving by spending time with my family and stuffing my face with turkey and pumpkin pie. There’s something about Thanksgiving that I love. I think it’s the family gathering that isn’t already around another busy holiday such as Christmas or Easter, or maybe it’s just the fact that we get pumpkin pie, regardless, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year.

Depending on where you live putting together a family feast can get very expensive. By the time you factor in meat prices, dessert and all the fixings, costs add up quickly! Today we will talk about how you can have a family feast without breaking the bank!

 

Skip the Meat

No where does it say your family feast has to include a turkey, ham or ”turduckin”. During Christmas, we would traditionally have a large family turkey dinner on Christmas eve after mass. Over the years though the family began to grow, a lot. Through marriages, new relationships, births and friends what started at three people blossomed into many, many people. Asking my mom to cook a turkey dinner large enough for everyone would have got very expensive, during an already expensive time of year.

Instead, she decided to skip the meat all together. A few years ago she decided to take a poll of everyone’s favorite pasta dish. A big winner was fettucine alfredo, so that year instead of turkey, she made a huge batch of pasta. Even buying all fresh ingredients from a specialty store, it was substantially cheaper to make pasta than it was to make a large traditional meal involving meat and everyone enjoyed it.

 

Pot Luck Style

If you’re hosting a family feast, divvy up the cooking responsibilities. Especially if you provide the meat, there is nothing wrong with asking each of your guests to bring a dish that accompanies the main course. To make sure you don’t get repeats, you tell them what to bring or you may end up with five versions of potatoes and six pies.

For Thanksgiving dinner, where will we have approximately 20 people to feed. Hubby and I are on ”dinner roll duty”. His granddad will be making a turkey and every family member has an item to bring to the meal from dinner rolls to pumpkin pie, we all know our dish.

 

Sometimes It’s Cheaper to Buy Pre-Made

I was going to bake a pie to bring in addition to the dinner rolls we were required to bring. My baking supplies are dangerously low so I knew there would be quite a few ingredients to buy. I went and priced out the ingredients to make my pie given what I had and it was going to cost me almost $20 to make from scratch, about $10 less if I bought a pre-made crust or $4.50 total if I just bought a pre-made pie. While people would have appreciated the effort and taste of my delicious pumpkin-apple pie, I simply don’t have the extra room in our budget this month for $20 in baking supplies. The store-made pie will be delicious, I’m sure, especially with a $4.50 pricetag.

So much about large family meals are more about spending time together rather than the food itself. While traditional meals around meat may be the norm, don’t be afraid to try something new. At the very least, new memories will be created.

How do you cut costs with family gatherings?

Living Great On Less

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Turn your money around with these 8 money saving tips

Image from Pixabay

This week has been hectic to say the least. My daughter and her fiancé have just bought their first home and the moving is about to begin. And yes, I am still on piglet duty! As exciting as it is to buy your first home it is also expensive. Each and everyday most of us think about our finances. With the economy the way it is we are always trying to think of ways to save money. There are of course big steps we can take but starting to save in little steps will make things much easier to handle.

8 Ways to Give up Little Things

Here are a few tips that I have dug up on how to save money giving up a few of the little things:

  1. Instead of buying coffee at the coffee shop on the way to work or while out doing errands make a pot at home and take it with you.
  2. Many of us have fallen into the habit of getting “fast food” lunches. Start packing a lunch and bringing it with you. Instead of eating out cook food in larger batches and then freeze individual portions.
  3. Buy in bulk when possible. Of course if you do not have a lot of room to work with buying the 100lb bag of rice may not work. But, buying the 10lb. bag would work.
  4. Make a list BEFORE going shopping and plan your meals for the week. This is such a great thing when implemented. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have stood in the grocery store staring at a product and trying to remember if I had it at home or not.
  5. Hang laundry on drying racks instead of using the dryer. Even hanging towels on the racks and then popping them in the dryer for 5 minutes will soften them and save on electricity.
  6. Buy store brand instead of brand name. This does add up to savings on your grocery bill. I really did not realize that until I really was poor and counting the change.
  7. When buying in bulk try to store what you can in the freezer. Having a full freezer takes less energy to run than one with just a few items. When I do buy things such as rice and we have room in the freezer I just put it in Ziplock bags and pop it in.
  8. Ask yourself if your next purchase is REALLY needed. I was looking at the notebooks in the store the other day and then I remembered I have a whole box of scrap paper I could use. The front of the paper was used but I could certainly write on the back.

Each little step we take in saving does add up. Over time you will notice a difference even taking baby steps.

How do you save money on things? Any ideas you have to add to help others save?