Ideas for moms w/young kids!?
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| Mon, 08-25-2008 - 3:39pm |
Ok, for all us moms - give us some pointers!!!! What ideas do we have for saving money and keeping costs low in the rising cost of daycare, school supplies and food.
I have two kids right now - a soon to be 5 yo and an 18 month old. I just sent an email around work to some women who also have little kids about doing a Halloween costume swap. Everyone bringing in their old halloween costumes and picking out new costumes. Some stores costumes can end up being a good $30 plus so I am excited about that.
I try to plan "free" things for my kids in the summer. The park, the library. Because we joined our library's book club (where you just write down the books you read to your children) we scored tickets to a local baseball league (minor league) and got to see them for free! That was wonderful and cost us nothing. Also, they did a weekly prize and my son got a free ice cream cone from McD's and a free shake from Steak N Shake one week.
I have some friends who have daughters a little older than mine who keep telling me they are going to go through their kids stuff to give me hand me downs. I know they are busy women so I offered to bring my kids over and watch all the kids so the mom would have some time to get the hand me downs together. Saves me a ton of $$ but also gives my friend some time to reorganize clothes and get rid of stuff. (into my open arms!)
I'm sure I'll think of more as it comes. Oh - I am taking my DD to the health clinic to get her 18 month shots instead of at the doctors office b/c we are maxed out from our insurance for "well" visits. This will save me a few hundred dollars.

Google your area for a local Mothers of Twins or Mothers of Multiples club. They have consignment sales twice a year. Our club does it every September and March. One night is held for members only, but the Saturday sale is open to the general public. These are serious sales, not some chintzy yard sale. If you figure that there are about 100 sellers (depending on your area), and each of these women are selling clothes from at least 2 children, it's HUGE and you get a great deal. The clothes that are sold here are usually higher quality than what you can find Goodwill and cheaper ($1.00 or $1.50 for a shirt as opposed to $1.99). At least 3/4 of my kids' clothing comes from the twins' sale. I spend about $100 to $150 on clothing per kid for the whole YEAR. And last year I was lucky enough that in my dd's size, one seller unloaded all of her Gymboree and Limited Too stuff. :)
They also sell Halloween costumes in the fall, winter snowsuit gear, baby gear like strollers, toddler beds, mattresses, booster seats, tons of books, tons of toys, etc.
Library story hours, free programs.
Hi there,
no kids of my own (yet...), but coming from a large and underfinanced family, I do remember quite a lot of what my mom used to do...
school supplies: Buy in quantity, when they are on sale, probably from an office supplier. 'Back to school' sales usually are not worth the word 'sale'. Needs some room to store (who needs ten scrap- or notebooks at the same time?), but usually a lot cheaper.
gifts and toys: same here. Kids get invited to birthdays and other parties and are supposed to bring a little gift. Always good to pick up 'giftable' things (probably even useful ones ;-) ) when you see them at a bargain.
daycare: tough question. My mother and her friends used to organize a kind of daycare club first, where taking care of the kids was rotated according to work schedules. We kids loved it! Later on they just threw their money together for aftre school day care and employed a nanny - for eight kids together instead of one for each family.
... not much, but what came to my mind as I read your posts.
Greetings,
who is a debt support group grad just peeking in :-)
ivy_jordis
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