This Year’s Toys, Next Year’s Trash
Before you go out and buy the latest and greatest toys for your kids, head on over to WiseBread and read why this year’s hot toys are next year’s trash.
The tech toys are the worst, you probably will need plenty of batteries and accessories. Plus, by this time next year they will be in the bottom of the toy box or even broken. Save yourself the hassle and try and get timeless toys that aren’t one dimensional.
Dressing Children like Children
Check out this article in the New York Sun about how skimpy clothes with names that would make our grandparents blush are being marketed to a younger and younger crowd.
We headed for our favorite department store, ready to take that leap into the world of 7–16. Bye-bye, 4–6X, I thought to myself with a tug of sadness. My baby was growing up.
And apparently into a prostitute.
Read on for more hilarity as one mother ponders just what is going on with her daughter’s clothes.
Are You a Bad Parent?
On Balance has a great article about how it is do difficult to be a parent these days.
It seems every other day a study comes out that changes the standard way of thinking that we got from a previous study! Baby Einstein is good, Baby Einstein is bad. Day care makes bad kids, day care doesn’t change your kids.
How do you keep your sanity as a parent?
Steak and Lobster on the Cheap?
GetRichSlowly.org has an article on how to eat at a nicer restaurant without blowing out your budget. One of my favorites is below.
Take food home. An excellent way to stretch your restaurant dollar is to actually plan to take home leftovers. Kris and I have done this for years, yet I don’t know how wide-spread the practice is. If you do this, keep it in mind when browsing the menu; some foods keep and reheat much better than others.
Plus it will save a little of your waistline if you don’t eat those huge plates of foods that are served in most places.
iPhones vs iamFrugal
Anya Kamenetz over at Yahoo Finance has a great article about staying frugal in the age of the iPhone. In addition to adding up the costs of an iPhone she lays out some great basic tips for keeping it frugal. One tip that I cannot recommend highly enough is:
2. Food: Cook It
Actually, I highly recommend all of her tips, also be sure to read her other articles, she has some good advice.