Frugal Mania

Editor’s Note: Here’s another guest post for you - this time from JM who loves the written word as much as I do. See the guest post I wrote in exchange (and get a rare opportunity to see an excerpt from my upcoming novel) on her site Write Anyway. My piece is called “Calling All Angels - Part 1″

It has recently come to my attention that I want to have a baby.

Yep. A baby. Crazy stuff.

While it’s very exciting to have finally made the decision that I want to bring another life forth onto this planet, it doesn’t take long for reality to slap you in the face with how much babies cost. Any parent will tell you that nappies and formula are the big expenses, but it certainly doesn’t stop there.

However, having grown up in a pretty poor family and learning to appreciate the little things, here are a few tips on how you can save money and become a frugal mama-to-be:

• Move to Canada. Or Australia. Or pretty much anywhere in the world that has a decent medical system. You don’t have to pay for check-ups and all the other fun stuff associated with pregnancy. (Unless, possibly, you are very high risk and need all sorts of specialists.)

Once you have moved…

• Breast feed. Not only is this excellent for the baby’s health, it can save you a lot of money.
• Skip the nursing bras. Just get a nice bra that you can pop your breast out of to feed the baby when needed.
• Make your own baby food. Since when is mashing up stuff too hard for you to do. Be careful about what you do it with – mashed cheesecake probably isn’t the best (hello sugar!) – but we have mashers, blenders, and all kinds of other fun kitchen gadgets for a reason.

And most importantly:

• Start saving money now. Even if it’s just a little bit every now and then, it adds up. I already have enough for a pram and car seat just by throwing some coins in a jar every now and then.

About the Author: JM has been writing stories since she was a little girl and has always had a love for well written books. She has experience as a professional blogger, an author, an interviewer, and a book reviewer, and currently writes for many personal and professional sites including FictionScribe.com, TheBookStacks.com, and LongRelationships.com.

Editor’s Note: Today we have a rare treat - a guest post from Randi Morse, a fellow 451 Press writer for the excellent blog Parenting Toddlers (among several others). Stop by her blog to tell her how much you’ve enjoyed this post and maybe we can get her to stop by more often!

When you’ve got children, saving money takes on a whole new level. Suddenly you find yourself wanting to buy your child every thing that you didn’t have, and may spend more money than you can afford to spend on a weekly budget. Here are a few ways to keep your costs down while raising your children.

State Parks Rock!
If you’ve never experienced camping, you really should. It’s extremely inexpensive to camp when you have all of the gear (and you can always borrow some from a friend or family member), but stay away from commercial campgrounds if you can. Most states have wonderful campgrounds that cost less than $20 a night to stay at.

The Old Cardboard Box.
Cardboard boxes are extremely entertaining to children of all ages. Get the biggest cardboard box you can (hint: many department stores and grocery stores have plenty of boxes on hand, don’t be afraid to ask the manager if you can take some off of their hands), get out some paint, markers, or crayons, and go wild! It can become anything you want it to be, from a sock puppet theater to an impromptu secret fort.

Clothing.
I can’t believe how expensive clothing for children is. Fortunately there are ways to save money. The first is to use hand-me-down clothes. Get handy with some stain removal tips and you can make any hand-me-down look brand new. The next is to find used clothes at yard sales, which can be tricky. I, however, tend to use the hand-me-down trick along with Ebay lots. If you take a bit of time, you can find huge lots on Ebay that features used children’s clothes in your child’s size for next to nothing.

Eating.
Breakfast for dinner is one of my personal favorite tricks. It not only is inexpensive (making your own pancakes or French toast is cheap, cheap, cheap!), it is also something that the kids are guaranteed to eat. Throw in some scrambled eggs, toast and peanut butter, and a glass of milk and you’ve got a filling meat.

Grocery Shopping.
All kids ask, or beg, for things when they’re at the grocery store. I think it’s in the DNA. It’s hard to say no to them sometimes, so, instead, use the idea of a treat as a way to keep them well-behaved. Explain to them that if they are good while they are in the store, they can have a treat that equals $1. Chances are high that the things they wanted you to purchase in the store cost much more than a dollar, saving you money and sanity.

Your own theater.
Movie theaters are expensive! I can’t go in with a husband and two children and spend less than $30 (and that’s a matinée). Instead, rent a DVD (or go even cheaper and use one of the ones you already own) and turn your living room into the ideal movie wonderland. Bring in tons of pillows and blankets – you can even make a tent with chairs and a comforter! Pop some popcorn, pour some M&M’s into a bowl, and your night will be much cheaper, and more relaxing, than any spent in a movie theater.

Get down and play!
Kids don’t always want expensive things, they want your attention more. You can save yourself a lot of money on toys and activities simply by getting down on the floor and playing with them! Markers and paper can go a long way (tic tac toe, hangman, etc.), and a game of hide and seek can while away an hour or more very quickly. Our children don’t need things that cost tons of money, they simply need our time and attention in order to thrive.

Desperate for frugal fun with your kids during the sweltering summer months when they are out of school, bored, and leaving you hangin onto the end of your rope by a thread?

Worry no more! Here’s a fantastic and completely frugal weekly diversion that will allow you to have a great time along with your kids while not busting your budget!

AMC Summer MovieCamp
AMC Theatres has a special summer program with movies for a dollar! You read that right; beginning on June 25 and continuing until August 6, 2008 you and your kids can enjoy movies each and ever week on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. for just a buck.

Not only is it seriously frugal (when was the last time you paid a buck for a movie in a theatre?), but the proceeds are all going to the Will Rogers Institute and Variety - The Children’s Charity. Frugal and charitable? Sign me up!

According to the website, this is the schedule (though it is subject to change):

• June 25: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
• July 2: The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
• July 9: Alvin & The Chipmunks
• July 16: Shrek The Third
• July 23: Bee Movie
• July 30: Surf’s Up
• August 6: TMNT

Head over to the website to check availability in your area by zip code.

Regal Entertainment Group Free Family Film Festival
Not to be outdone, the Regal family has been offering free family-friendly movies for 9 weeks each summer on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for the 10:00 a.m. showing. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Did I mention that it is free?

Visit the Regal website for details based on your location.

We all know that being a parent can put a serious dent in the plans of even most dedicated frugal maniac, but Erinn at Parenting Children recently made a post on “The Cost of Babies” that was a real eye-opener for me. It made me think seriously about the possibility in this day and age of raising healthy and happy kids without breaking the bank. It is possible, believe it or not.

Here are a few tips that can help you save big bucks on raising your little tykes:

Clothes

• It is a simple fact of life that kids grow out of clothes faster than they wear them out. It shouldn’t surprise you that thrift stores and yard sales almost always have children’s clothes that are still in fantastic shape and you’ll pay a fraction of what they would have cost at retail prices. I find it difficult to understand people’s fixation with “new stuff”, to be honest. I was brought up to believe that so long as I was clean and looked presentable, nothing else mattered. I even had a cheap knock-off version of a Member’s Only jacket when I was in school and it lasted longer than the fashion tragedy itself did. These days my name brand clothes come from a thrift store, and so do all of the clothes I buy for my adorable 1 year old nephew Malachi.
• While on the topic of clothes, there is bound to be someone in your circle of friends, family or church members whose child is just a bit older than yours. Ask them what they do with the clothes their kids outgrow. By the same token, be sure to ask around for families with new babies to pass your clothes on to.
• I’m not even going to get into the diaper debate, but if you use disposables, you really need to join your local Freecycle list. Mine always has people offering coupons for diapers and baby formula.

Toys & Recreation

• Talk to friends, family and neighbors with children about exchanging toys from time-to-time. It won’t cost you anything and your kids will be happy to have toys that are new to them.
• Arrange play dates at the park or even at your home, and make it a pot luck picnic. The kids will have a great time playing, the adults can socialize and you’ll save money by bringing the food yourself.
• What kid doesn’t like Disney? Heck, I’m almost 36 years old and I still have to have a tissue handy when I watch Bambi! I can sing every note from the Aladdin soundtrack, too. I recently found a way that You can get three Disney movies for $1.99 each and get free shipping to boot! Don’t believe me? See for yourself!

If I get enough comments, I’ll share some more frugal with children ideas, including my recipes for homemade baby food.