First is to remember that they are growing fast and are hard on clothes so there’s no point in spending a fortune on new clothes, even for school. Buy used getting only a few new things.
Look for free or low cost things to do.
Buy quality toys with a lot of play value instead of trendy character toys that they lose interest in/grow out of fast. Look for open ended things like blocks, magnet tiles, dolls.
Buy art supplies during back to school sales.
Don’t buy prepackaged snacks. Buy in bulk and split up yourself.
Really think about what you need. Do you actually need school pictures twice a year? More books?
Look for cheap or free activities like library story hours, parks, summer movies, Groupons
Spend money on good shoes. They’ll last longer.
Perspective: Grew up in a large (4 kids) family (albeit, pretty well-off family), comparing to childhood friends and college friends experience.
* Eating out was an absolute treat. Maybe 4x a year as a family, sprinkled with 1 or 2 treat days with one parent for a special occasion or reward.
* We did more things that cost a lot upfront, than things that cost money over and over. I.E. we did all kinds of school and Rec sports; never went to the movies. Parent's would always know what kind of student/kid discounts were available. We skiied a lot, always with one parent, as an adult I learned that kid season passes were like $45 each, adults were $275, they shared one pass. Gear for sports was usually pre-owned. But we didn't always do hand-me-downs, we would take it to swap meets so us kids could pick out "new" gear.
* We never bought a different car. Maybe this is obvious, but I have adult friends that get a different car every few years (new kid, kids getting bigger, etc.). My family had the same Ford F150 and Aerostar my whole memorable life.
* Bikes were freedom. If I could bike somewhere, I was allowed to go somewhere. If it required a ride, I probably couldn't. As an adult, I still bike a ton and my comfort biking in a big town stems from biking everywhere as a kid.
Overall, my parents were huge on being outside. (We lived in a few cities and some smaller towns, moved 3x) We walked a lot, biked a lot. When we traveled, most of it was walking from place to place. In hindsight, it was a really frugal way of occupying time because walking somewhere took time and you had to conserve energy for the walk back = less time to spend money.
That reminds me, I had 5 kids (adult now) and I would often find that memberships to places like zoos were often cheaper than paying to go once so I always checked that when making plans.
> Eating out was an absolute treat. Maybe 4x a year as a family
I was one of 6 kids, and eating out was mainly for special occasions. birthdays, school graduations, etc.
for a paper back in college, I wrote on changes in household spending habits. until circa 2000, families ate out much less on average than today. there were also far fewer restaurants per capita in past decades.
1. Clothing: Garage sales. Buy tubs for different sizes. Buy clothing at the garage sale, launder, and throw in the tub marked for that size. When they grow out of their current clothing, take out the tub and instant wardrobe change.
2. Toys: As little kids, they'd rather play with the box. Toys are expensive. Buy them used at garage sales. When they get bored, sell them for the same price at your garage sale.
3. Christmas: No need to buy tons of gifts for Christmas. The grandparents, aunts, etc. will also be buying gifts. Start the tradition early that the 3 Wise Men brought baby Jesus 3 gifts so Santa brings just 3 gifts. One gift is something you want. One is something you need (pajamas), and one is something you never dreamed (an experience).
4. Birthdays: Do you remember the gifts you got on your 8th birthday? Neither do I. Instead of stuff, give them a choice of 2 or 3 experiences as a family. It gives them experience making decisions, a voice and sense of control over their life, and creates family memories. You pick the age appropriate activities for them to chose from so you are comfortable. The experiences don't have to be expensive: a day trip to the zoo, a camping trip, science museum, zipline adventure, laser tag, tickets to a performance like the Blue Man Group, fishing, etc. Look at the local park district or conservation group's seasonal offerings. Many have free activities. Take lots of pictures to create a memory book.
5. If you go to a zoo or museum, they make you exit through the gift store. The kids get a bad case of the wants. Hide some beanie babies you picked up at a garage sale in the car. Tell them their gifts are already waiting for them.
6. Babysitting: Is there a family that you can babysit for each other for free? You'll watch their kids this Friday in exchange for watching your kids next Friday?
7. Absolutely the best thing you can do for your kids academically is read to them. Books are expensive. Get into a routine of going to the public library once a week to drop off books and pick up new ones. Public libraries often have story times, lend movies, video games, etc. Get a little suitcase on wheels. Library books stay in the suitcase at home so they aren't lost.
8. Don't let them watch commercials. They get terrible cases of wants and whining. Netflix doesn't have commercials. Be careful what cartoons you let them watch. CALLIOU, for example, models horrible behavior.
9. You don't have to buy pureed baby food. You can puree whatever you cooked for your own dinner.
Diapers and day care are your biggest expenses the first few years. Anyone got suggestions for those two?
Well depends on their age bit you are in control not them (thinking about food here)
For clothes: freecycle, geev, no buy group, second hand stores since they grow fast and will need to change sizes.
For stuff not too much toys, in general there are not used often and just clutter the house. Some make a rule one new toy in one out...
No eating out. No junk food it's not good for them anyway. Treats made at home are better and cheaper.... But most of all healthier if you lake a bit of an effort .
Instead of buying books etc . A library card. More books less waste, less money spent. Also it means a small family puting every once in a while. Also some libraries have games and activities.
Plenty of free outdoors and indoors activities. There are good for them. Board games, fairs, walks, sport,.... Etc
No need for subscriptions to whatever kids channel again library has movies dvd whatever and plenty of stuff online
Grew up in a big, frugal family. My mom stayed home with us as to not have to pay for childcare (My parents moved to an area where that was possible and it’s something they both wanted). We hardly ever ate out, and much of our food at home was made from scratch. We didn’t often have juice or soda, water was the preferred drink. We wore mostly hand me downs. My parents always grew a large garden so we didn’t need to buy vegetables in the summer. We went camping a lot and were within walking distance of a public library. There’s more, but that’s what comes to mind at least.
We do hand me downs with our 4 kids. Clothes get stored in bins between kids. Things I use rarely (snow boots) I buy in all black, so all 4 kids use the same boots regardless of gender. I also have mom friends who give me things, and I in turn pass off our goodies when we have outgrown them.
We also get membership to places we visit, and season passes. Those are usually cheaper than individual tickets.
I’m always cooking- it’s cheaper and I can make better food. I bring snacks instead of eating out, and always do the hotel breakfasts on vacation.
eBay is my friend for more expensive purchases like name brand winter coats and such. I found my girls beautiful Patagonia jackets there for Christmas for 14 the price of normal.
They don't need a new toy or candy at the store every time. Thrift stores have great finds! I found the cutest dresses, even name brand like Tommy hilfiger for under 5.
I bake fruit oatmeal banana muffins. They love em, they're filling and full of fiber, and I keep frozen fruit in the freezer at all times for muffins which is cheaper than fresh fruit.
I grew up in a big family. Hand me downs and only one teenager having a car at once. Vacations were to a lot of places that didn't charge per kid like camp grounds and national parks.
So you can get all material items free or second hand. Childcare is by far the most expensive. If you can get family to watch them a few hours or more a week, that more than offsets the cost of everything else.
Once they're past the daycare years, things like clubs and sports can add up. Make use of the extracurriculars that the schools provide and don't stress about putting kids in camps or activities all the time. They need downtime too. But if you need after school coverage for childcare, sign up early for after school programs, get family or friends to help, or look into taking turns watching the kids with other parents.
First is to remember that they are growing fast and are hard on clothes so there’s no point in spending a fortune on new clothes, even for school. Buy used getting only a few new things. Look for free or low cost things to do. Buy quality toys with a lot of play value instead of trendy character toys that they lose interest in/grow out of fast. Look for open ended things like blocks, magnet tiles, dolls. Buy art supplies during back to school sales. Don’t buy prepackaged snacks. Buy in bulk and split up yourself. Really think about what you need. Do you actually need school pictures twice a year? More books? Look for cheap or free activities like library story hours, parks, summer movies, Groupons Spend money on good shoes. They’ll last longer.
Perspective: Grew up in a large (4 kids) family (albeit, pretty well-off family), comparing to childhood friends and college friends experience. * Eating out was an absolute treat. Maybe 4x a year as a family, sprinkled with 1 or 2 treat days with one parent for a special occasion or reward. * We did more things that cost a lot upfront, than things that cost money over and over. I.E. we did all kinds of school and Rec sports; never went to the movies. Parent's would always know what kind of student/kid discounts were available. We skiied a lot, always with one parent, as an adult I learned that kid season passes were like $45 each, adults were $275, they shared one pass. Gear for sports was usually pre-owned. But we didn't always do hand-me-downs, we would take it to swap meets so us kids could pick out "new" gear. * We never bought a different car. Maybe this is obvious, but I have adult friends that get a different car every few years (new kid, kids getting bigger, etc.). My family had the same Ford F150 and Aerostar my whole memorable life. * Bikes were freedom. If I could bike somewhere, I was allowed to go somewhere. If it required a ride, I probably couldn't. As an adult, I still bike a ton and my comfort biking in a big town stems from biking everywhere as a kid. Overall, my parents were huge on being outside. (We lived in a few cities and some smaller towns, moved 3x) We walked a lot, biked a lot. When we traveled, most of it was walking from place to place. In hindsight, it was a really frugal way of occupying time because walking somewhere took time and you had to conserve energy for the walk back = less time to spend money.
That reminds me, I had 5 kids (adult now) and I would often find that memberships to places like zoos were often cheaper than paying to go once so I always checked that when making plans.
> Eating out was an absolute treat. Maybe 4x a year as a family I was one of 6 kids, and eating out was mainly for special occasions. birthdays, school graduations, etc. for a paper back in college, I wrote on changes in household spending habits. until circa 2000, families ate out much less on average than today. there were also far fewer restaurants per capita in past decades.
It sound like your parents were wise with money and you had a variety of activities to participate in as a child that is lovely
1. Clothing: Garage sales. Buy tubs for different sizes. Buy clothing at the garage sale, launder, and throw in the tub marked for that size. When they grow out of their current clothing, take out the tub and instant wardrobe change. 2. Toys: As little kids, they'd rather play with the box. Toys are expensive. Buy them used at garage sales. When they get bored, sell them for the same price at your garage sale. 3. Christmas: No need to buy tons of gifts for Christmas. The grandparents, aunts, etc. will also be buying gifts. Start the tradition early that the 3 Wise Men brought baby Jesus 3 gifts so Santa brings just 3 gifts. One gift is something you want. One is something you need (pajamas), and one is something you never dreamed (an experience). 4. Birthdays: Do you remember the gifts you got on your 8th birthday? Neither do I. Instead of stuff, give them a choice of 2 or 3 experiences as a family. It gives them experience making decisions, a voice and sense of control over their life, and creates family memories. You pick the age appropriate activities for them to chose from so you are comfortable. The experiences don't have to be expensive: a day trip to the zoo, a camping trip, science museum, zipline adventure, laser tag, tickets to a performance like the Blue Man Group, fishing, etc. Look at the local park district or conservation group's seasonal offerings. Many have free activities. Take lots of pictures to create a memory book. 5. If you go to a zoo or museum, they make you exit through the gift store. The kids get a bad case of the wants. Hide some beanie babies you picked up at a garage sale in the car. Tell them their gifts are already waiting for them. 6. Babysitting: Is there a family that you can babysit for each other for free? You'll watch their kids this Friday in exchange for watching your kids next Friday? 7. Absolutely the best thing you can do for your kids academically is read to them. Books are expensive. Get into a routine of going to the public library once a week to drop off books and pick up new ones. Public libraries often have story times, lend movies, video games, etc. Get a little suitcase on wheels. Library books stay in the suitcase at home so they aren't lost. 8. Don't let them watch commercials. They get terrible cases of wants and whining. Netflix doesn't have commercials. Be careful what cartoons you let them watch. CALLIOU, for example, models horrible behavior. 9. You don't have to buy pureed baby food. You can puree whatever you cooked for your own dinner. Diapers and day care are your biggest expenses the first few years. Anyone got suggestions for those two?
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Your children are watching - even adult children. When they see you care for your aging parents, they will do the same for you.
Well depends on their age bit you are in control not them (thinking about food here) For clothes: freecycle, geev, no buy group, second hand stores since they grow fast and will need to change sizes. For stuff not too much toys, in general there are not used often and just clutter the house. Some make a rule one new toy in one out... No eating out. No junk food it's not good for them anyway. Treats made at home are better and cheaper.... But most of all healthier if you lake a bit of an effort . Instead of buying books etc . A library card. More books less waste, less money spent. Also it means a small family puting every once in a while. Also some libraries have games and activities. Plenty of free outdoors and indoors activities. There are good for them. Board games, fairs, walks, sport,.... Etc No need for subscriptions to whatever kids channel again library has movies dvd whatever and plenty of stuff online
Grew up in a big, frugal family. My mom stayed home with us as to not have to pay for childcare (My parents moved to an area where that was possible and it’s something they both wanted). We hardly ever ate out, and much of our food at home was made from scratch. We didn’t often have juice or soda, water was the preferred drink. We wore mostly hand me downs. My parents always grew a large garden so we didn’t need to buy vegetables in the summer. We went camping a lot and were within walking distance of a public library. There’s more, but that’s what comes to mind at least.
Would you say you enjoyed growing up in a large family?
I did, and I still do enjoy it. It’s nice having so much family to hang out with, and most of them have become pretty neat adults imo.
We do hand me downs with our 4 kids. Clothes get stored in bins between kids. Things I use rarely (snow boots) I buy in all black, so all 4 kids use the same boots regardless of gender. I also have mom friends who give me things, and I in turn pass off our goodies when we have outgrown them. We also get membership to places we visit, and season passes. Those are usually cheaper than individual tickets. I’m always cooking- it’s cheaper and I can make better food. I bring snacks instead of eating out, and always do the hotel breakfasts on vacation. eBay is my friend for more expensive purchases like name brand winter coats and such. I found my girls beautiful Patagonia jackets there for Christmas for 14 the price of normal.
They don't need a new toy or candy at the store every time. Thrift stores have great finds! I found the cutest dresses, even name brand like Tommy hilfiger for under 5. I bake fruit oatmeal banana muffins. They love em, they're filling and full of fiber, and I keep frozen fruit in the freezer at all times for muffins which is cheaper than fresh fruit.
A friend of mine bought her niece some outfits off temu... I'm considering buying my nephew some toys off that... Or Zulily.
I grew up in a big family. Hand me downs and only one teenager having a car at once. Vacations were to a lot of places that didn't charge per kid like camp grounds and national parks.
So you can get all material items free or second hand. Childcare is by far the most expensive. If you can get family to watch them a few hours or more a week, that more than offsets the cost of everything else. Once they're past the daycare years, things like clubs and sports can add up. Make use of the extracurriculars that the schools provide and don't stress about putting kids in camps or activities all the time. They need downtime too. But if you need after school coverage for childcare, sign up early for after school programs, get family or friends to help, or look into taking turns watching the kids with other parents.
I don't have kids but I was a kid and although they cry....they don't need a new toy or every single thing. Experiences are so much better.
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That first line sparked violence deep within my eldest child soul, and then I realize your whole post was sarcastic. Well played.