Frugal Parenting

These days, parents are under a lot of pressure to hold lavish birthday parties for their children. Some parents are spending $5,000-10,000 on a birthday party for a small child! While this is hard for me to believe, it is happening (and not just for children of celebrities; these are ordinary families we’re talking about.

Where is the pressure coming from? Mostly from other parents, and then from kids who have been desensitized and think it’s completely normal to have a limo or a band at their birthday party.

Are you facing that kind of pressure?  If so, check out the site Birthdays Without Pressure .  It’s a great resource for parents who want their children to feel special on their birthdays, but don’t necessarily think that it should cost a lot of money. The site gives examples of the kinds of out of control parties that are happening, and also gives tips and ideas for keeping your children’s parties simple .

Check it out.

I found an interesting concept that I’m thinking about using for my baby shower - the Alternative Gift Registry . If you care about frugality and buying things used, this registry is pretty awesome. I’m not sure how my friends and family would take such a registry, but it sounds like a neat idea.

Some of the things that can be added to an alternative registry include - used baby clothes, babysitting, dinners, cloth diapers, etc. Here is a sample baby registry , so you can see how it works. You can also use it for a wedding registry as well. Pretty interesting concept, huh?

I like it. Because sometimes I think that all this new stuff we’re getting for our baby really isn’t necessary - we would be just as happy with used items. (In fact, just about every item of clothing we have for our baby is either used already by cousins or bought at a yard sale.)

Whether or not I use the Alternative Gift Registry , I really like the concept. What do you think?

If you’re a young parent, you might worry about being able to provide for your child through college and beyond. After all, college is terribly expensive, and it only makes sense to want to help. However, there is something to consider: Studies are showing that adult children who receive monetary help from their parents are ultimately being financially crippled.

Adult children of parents who routinely give them money actually accumulate and have less wealth than those whose parents don’t do this. Check out the article here .

I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t help your child in college or whenever you feel you should. There are times when children struggle and can use a boost. I know my parents helped me as much as they could while I was in college, and I was always very grateful for it. But I also worked during the summers and took a part-time job during the school year. I helped myself, too.

What I am saying, though, is that it might not be necessary or even wise to save up hundreds of thousands of dollars so that we can make sure our children have every luxury while in college. The message I’ve been getting is that if you don’t have $100,000 for your child’s college education, your kid is screwed. But that article is easing my mind a bit. Our children need to learn to make their own way, too.

Oh my goodness! I have found one of the BEST resources for parents of infants or young children  who are looking to save money by making their own products. Make Baby Stuff .  If you are hoping to save money by making baby food, baby wipes, cleaning products, or a variety of other things - this is the site for you!

Make Baby Stuff shares tons of simple projects you can do to save money. I want a baby wrap for my baby, but they can cost from $25-$60. Guess what? Turns out you can make your own with a few yards of fabric. You don’t even have to know how to sew.

That’s just one project that will save you money.  Check out  Make Baby Stuff for tons of other money-saving baby projects.

I don’t yet have a baby (though I will very soon!), but I’m putting a lot of thought into the things I would like to do when the baby arrives. One of those things is to make my own baby food. Not only is it the more frugal choice, I feel that it is also healthier. I get to control the freshness of the food, the types of ingredients that go into the food, and other things like organic, locally grown, etc.

But let’s get down to the fact that it’s cheaper! Because from everything I read, making your own baby food is much cheaper than buying the jars from the store. I read an article today on Baby Fit that gives tips for making your own baby food . The article is worth a read, but this is what I got out of it:

• Cleanliness is paramount, so keep your kitchen clean and sterile when making baby food. This includes thoroughly washing the foods before processing them.
• Make nutritious choices and follow doctor’s recommendations when making your food. Choose fruits and vegetables that are fresh or frozen.
• Choose foods and textures that are appropriate for your baby’s age and development. For example, a younger baby won’t be able to handle anything more than puree.
• Make sure to store the food properly. Homemade baby food can be refrigerated for up to three days. To store it longer, fill an ice cube tray with the baby food, and then once frozen, store the frozen pieces in a zip lock baggie. Pretsto! You’ve got baby food whenever you need it.

The article also includes some easy baby food recipes, so check it out and give them a try.

Back to the topic of saving money on food. Rachel, at Antithete , recently did a post on how to eat on $250 a month . That amount would be amazing to me, as I am sure we easily could spend double that amount on food.

Rachel gives detailed directions on how to do it - it involves a lot of planning, some trial and error, and spending 1/2 day at several grocery stores. That may be too much for you, but I think it’s worth giving it some thought. I would love to reduce our food bill, so I may give some of her tips a try.

Her method involves making a menu for the whole month, and it also includes remembering to budget snacks in, which is something I don’t always do. Anyway, if you’re curious, take a look at her post here , and then tell me what you think. Is it doable? Do you have a method that works well for you?

Do you ever send away for free samples? The way it usually works is that you enter some basic information (name, address, email, phone number, date of birth, etc.), and in exchange, you receive a free sample of shampoo, cereal, or whatever it is you signed up for. It’s pretty simple, and you get to try out a new product for your minimal effort.

There are other sites which require you to fill out surveys or do credit card applications to get your freebie. While the free stuff is usually a lot better, I don’t generally like this type of freebie, because I don’t want yet another credit card, nor do I want to waste tons of time on surveys.

I like freebies! They’re fun. And while they may not save you tons of money, it is fun to receive a freebie in the mail. Here are a few of my favorite sites for scoring free stuff:

Walmart Free Samples - This one is my favorite. Walmart always has good freebies. Check them frequently.

That Freebie Site - Usually has a few good freebies.

Totally Free Stuff - Lots of freebies. Not all of them are awesome, but a few are usually good.

Totally Free Crap - Another pretty good site for finding free stuff.

For the ambitious among us, browse through this post: The Top 100 Blogs to Help you Find Free Stuff . You’re sure to find some great freebie sites on that list!

WORD OF CAUTION:

1. Not all freebies are created equal. Be careful when giving out personal information.
2. Create an email address that you only use for registering for freebies. Because they often sell your email address, so it WILL get spam. Create a throwaway email address for this purpose!
3. If a telephone number is required, you may want to consider getting a temporary phone number as well. I’ve used numbr . It works great for that.

With that said, hunting for freebies can be fun. Good luck!

Whether you’re helping your children pick out the perfect Mother’s Day gift for your wife (or you!), or you are trying to decide what to do for your own mother, why not think about a homemade gift or something that shows you put a little thought into it?

Not only can homemade gifts mean more to the recipient, an added bonus is that they are usually quite inexpensive. And if you’re looking to cut expenses, this can be quite important! I found a great post on Cash Money Life that shares inexpensive ideas for Mother’s Day gifts .

One of my favorites: A day off. What mom doesn’t want a little time off from the job? I also like the breakfast in bed and coupon book ideas. There are several others, so check the article out.

What gift would you like to receive on Mother’s Day? Are there any inexpensive gifts you’ve given to your mom in the past?