Frugal Mania

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.