Toddler Classes at Home
There are many classes available out there for toddler and preschool age kids, especially in urban areas. However, classes can be expensive and hard to fit into the budget of a single income family. If classes aren’t going to fit into your budget, here are some ideas of ways to do class activities and socialization at home.
1. Form a Playgroup. If you don’t know anyone in your area with kids, start hanging out at the park or another play area. If you already have some friends who are also stay at home parents, organize one or more day(s) per week to get your kids together to play. A park is an ideal place to start. When the weather turns bad, try a play area inside a mall or other free play area. This may not be a structured activity, but it will get your child playing with and around other children, an important part of early socialization skills.
2. Plan ‘Classes’ at Home. Plan an hour (or 10 minutes) every day (or once a week) to do some structures ‘class’ activities at home.
For Gymnastics: Put some pillows on the floor and let the kids do tumbling. Practice balancing on one foot, hopping and doing other stretching/tumbling activities.
For Art: Put a protective cover on the table and get out the paints. Use crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, scissors, glue, stickers and paper and simply let the kids explore different types of media.
For Music: If you are not a singer yourself, find a cd or dvd that has some good singing and encourage your kids to sing along. If you have toy musical instruments, get them out and have ‘band practice.’ Find songs that have a good rhythm for clapping hands and tapping toes. Sing songs that include movements like “Hokey-Pokey” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”
Family’s Best Friend on the Cheap
If you have a pet, you know how easy it can be to spend money like no one’s business on them. A new collar, chew toys, fancy food, plush beds, even clothes in some cases! All that can add up very quickly, you would think a tiny sweater would be $5 or so, not $20!
We have one 50 lb dog that we budget $50 a month for and that seems to work out fine. You will have months where the costs will be higher, the yearly checkup is one that comes to mind, but it will usually even out in the end. One way to save money is to purchase any medicine like Frontline or anti-flea soaps or sprays online and NOT at the vet’s office. They can be almost twice as expensive in some cases!
We do splurge a little bit in this food category, buying the slightly expensive Eukanuba pet food instead of a generic product. They are probably all the same but we have been with Eukanuba for the dog’s entire life so why switch now.
If you have a baller like we do, you can find huge lots of used tennis balls on eBay for next to nothing. They usually come from a tennis academy or school and have plenty of bounce left in them. You can usually get them in lots of 50 or more that will last for many many years. Don’t buy fresh tennis balls just for your dog to slobber all over and chew through.
Just keep in mind that pets are quite content with only a few things and really don’t need that plush velvet bed.
Allowances for the Little Ones?
Raising4boys gives some advice on when to start an allowance and a what amount to give them. He bases their allowance on a formula so they get automatic raises at certain intervals. He also stresses the need to have them split up their allowance, giving it to different sources. I think they should also pay taxes back to the House just to get used to the idea. 
Gift Giving, Revisited
We have written about inexpensive gift-giving before, but this seems like the right time of year to revisit the subject.
This is a great time of year to bake cookies, breads or other treats for gifts. The oven will help to heat your house and you won’t have to run the heater as much! Wrap up a nice loaf of bread or plate of cookies for your workplace, or your spouse’s. Give treats to your neighbors and friends. Wrap a paper plate with saran wrap, tie a festive bow around it and, voila!, you have a lovely homemade, inexpensive gift.
Break out those craft scissors and some tape to create homemade cards or other crafts. Use old magazines or calendars to do collages. Four greeting cards can be made from just 3 or 4 pieces of 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Visit websites or a local craft store for ideas.
Buy an inexpensive photo frame and paint it or embellish it in some way. Glue on beads or shells. This could be a lovely gift for a grandparent, especially if your kids helped with the frame.
Cross-stitch or embroider on fabric to make a bread cloth, table cloth or napkins. Knitted and crocheted gifts are treasured keepsakes in our home. Keep checking garage sales and rummage sales for unused cross-stitching sets.
Offer to babysit or pet-sit as a Christmas gift. Give another Mom a day to do her Christmas shopping by herself. You know I’d love a gift of time like that!
Your kids can help with most of these projects. This is a great time to teach them about creative giving. Maybe they will even have some gift ideas of their own.
Plan Your Shopping to Save Gas
This is the time of year when we’re always remembering one last thing we need to run out to the store and get. A box of semi-sweet chocolate, some ribbon, more stamps…
In the spirit of conserving gas and money, we are trying to cut down on those daily trips. Here are some tips:
-Keep a running shopping list near the door. Check it each time you go out to see if there are any errands you can combine.
-Look through your pantry and cupboards before running out to buy something. How many times have we come home with pasta or beans, only to find that we already had some in the cupboard?
-Shop with a friend when possible or have your friend pick something up for you when she goes out and vice versa.
-Plan out your shopping excursions. Take the most direct, sensible route. We live in a small town, so we try to drive the 20 minutes to the bigger city with major shopping areas only once or twice a week.
-Walk when you can. Park between Safeway and Target and get a little exercise instead of driving one parking lot over. *Remember to park in a well-lit area and to be aware of your surroundings, especially when shopping at night.
Reduce Waste this Holiday Season
According to Use-Less-Stuff, a waste-reduction website, “Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week.” They go on to list 42 Ways to Trim Your Holiday Wasteline. Some of the helpful hints include
-During the nation’s busiest shopping season, bring your own shopping bags. Paper, plastic and cloth are all good; the latter two can be folded easily into purses and pockets until used.
-Rather than piling up “stuff” under the tree, think about what friends and family really want or need. Try giving gift certificates if you don’t know what someone wants, or simply make a donation in his or her name to a favorite charity.
-Get the kids to make their own tree ornaments out of things you already have around the house, or from materials they might find in the backyard: twigs, bark, flowers and herbs, pine cones, etc.
-Send e-greetings to family, friends and business associates who are on-line.
-Turn down the heat before the guests arrive. You’ll save energy while the extra body heat of your guests will warm up the room.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has another good list of ways to reduce, reuse and recycle this holiday season.
Following the three Rs of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle will not only help our planet, but will also help your budget!
Gifts that Matter
Instead of giving useless knick-knacks to relatives this year, why not make a charitable donation in their name.
There are plenty of worthy causes out there. Charity Navigator is one website devoted to helping you determine what charity is best for your own giving.
Our personal favorite charity is Heifer Project International. HPI has over 800 projects in 50 countries. They offer livestock, education and other resources to families facing hunger throughout the world. With each gift comes the requirement of ‘passing of the gift.’ For example, a family may be given a gift of a pregnant goat along with the education of how to care for the animal. This family, would, in turn, be required to give the next female goat born to another family, creating a positive ripple effect. The goat will provide milk and manure to be used as fertilizer. HPI focuses on sustainable agriculture development education for all gift recipients. There is a donation level for everyone. From a $10 donation toward a ’share of rabbits’ to a $500 Heifer, you can help make someone’s life better. For each $10 donation you may receive an honor card to give to your relative or friend if the donation is a gift in their name.
There are many worthy charities out there. Find one that works for you. Here are some more ideas: Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Toys for Tots, Cancer Research, Wildlife Conservation.
Or keep your donation local. Donate to your local Zoo, Animal Shelter, Library or School.
Teaching Kids Charity
With the shopping season upon us, many parents will be dreading their kids demanding everything under the sun. Lifehack has some great tips about teaching your kids charity and tidyness with a pre-holiday cleanup. They can start to understand that giving their unused toys can be a great thing and at the same time, they can clean their room!
Easy Steps to Teach Your Kids About Finances
You may want to wait until they are at least 2 or 3 ;), but teaching your kids financial skills will be one of the most important things you do. Here are 9 easy steps for teaching them about saving and investing.
Spending Too Much on the Grocery Budget?
We’ve been overspending on our grocery budget lately, so I was surfing around, looking for some inspiration. Get Rich Slowly has an article about (one person) eating on $15 per week. It has some good tips: eat up all your leftovers, eat in-season produce, and avoid junk food and pre-cooked food. I also found the Hillbilly Housewife’s $45 emergency menu for 4-6 people for one week.
I am determined to be better about planning my meals for the week and only grocery shopping 1-2 times per week. For me, that is the key. If I go every day (and without a list), I tend to spend more and buy impulse items that we really don’t need.
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