Eating Out On A Budget

In these hard times just about everyone is trying to budget their money.  Just because you are trying to budget wisely it doesn't mean you have to cut out eating out all together.  One thing you can do if you eat out a lot is try to hold of until you are only going out once a week, then twice a month, etc.  After that you can work it down to where you are only eating out on special occasions which can save you so much money.

When you are out for dinner something you can do to save money is try to order the specials.  These are offered daily and some restaurants offer buy one get one deals.

Something else you can do is request that you split a large entree between two people since most restaurants entree's are so large. Restaurants will normally do this for free, or they will do it for a small charge of a dollar or two.  Either way it saves you a lot of money.

You can also bring home left overs and use them for, lets say, lunch the next day.

Don't Stress Over Holiday Shopping

So I was thinking about how I still have so much holiday shopping today and I started to stress.  Then I checked my email and BAM - an email with tips to avoid that shopping stress.  No doubt that was the first email I opened.  I followed the link and thought I would share these tips with everyone.  At the end of the post I will post the link that I found the tips at since I probably won't list all of them, just the ones I like.

1. Shop in the AM - First, the stores are less crowded.  Second, the stores are more organized in the morning because not many people have been picking through things.  Third, decreases your changes of impulse shopping since you are more awake and aware.
2. Shop EARLY - I mean super early, like after Christmas sales early.  You can start your shopping then which will not only save you money but you won't be running around like a chicken with their head cut off at the last minute.
3. Buy in large numbers - If you have a lot of people to buy for this comes in handy.  It does get hard to know what people want as gifts and it makes you stress even more.  You can find something that would easily work for most people, such as gift cards, so they can get what they really want.  I prefer to give and receive gift cards myself.
4. Shop ALONE - This can save you time and money.  You are not held back by someone doing their own shopping and you can have a list with you of what you want to get.  It will decrease your chance of impulse shopping.
5. Get more for your money - If you are an online shopper you can use promotional codes at check out to receive discounts.  You can use coupons you get in your email.  You can also use coupons in magazines and such if you aren't an online shopper. Find the deals people!!  Even when shopping online find a store that offers free shipping when you purchase so much.  It can save you money since shipping can be very costly.
6. Budget - Budget how much money you have for shopping and use it.  When you find out how much money you have you can figure out what gifts you can get.  Once the money is gone you are done.  This helps decrease impulse buying.  For this you can go to a bank and set up a Christmas Club account and put an amount of money in whenever you have it and then usually in October you get this money back and then you can get your presents then.
7. Be GREEN - I know a lot of people who are going green because they care about the environment and some care about the money in their wallets.  Why spend so much money on wrapping paper and bows when you can use something you already have.  I'm talking about those brown bags from the store, your old newspaper that you were going through away, etc.  It makes your gift stand out and why not?  I mean you were going to throw it out anyway, why not save money and have unique wrapping paper!

15 Ways to Shop Smarter This Holiday Season

Kids off the couch....

Looking for a way to get your kids, and even you, off the couch? Well Christmas is coming up and layaway is always an option for some...but what I am going to suggest is getting your family a Wii. This is a great gaming system, the best I have seen. Your children will play what you buy them, especially with the Wii since the games are high energy. Now why wouldn't you guy your kids a Wii as opposed to other gaming systems? Active gaming burns more than 400 times the calories than a plain sitting point and shoot game. Plus it is something that the whole family can enjoy together!

My brother has a Wii at his dad's house and he was able to bring it to our mom's house one weekend and we all fell in love with it and the fun we have. My mom and his dad put one on Layaway at Sears so that my brother could have one at our mom's house (and so we can all play it together).

Exploring Textures

Children learn by using their senses. One of their senses is touch. This is one of my favorite senses to work with since there are so many textures and activities go along with them. I love this activity myself and my daughter loves it to. You can find all of these things around your house (normally) and it is very easy. First things first, what you will need ( just basics, you can do more if you wish), some aluminum foil, a baggy, a little water, a wash cloth, and some tape ( I prefer masking tape but it is all a personal preference). What you will do is you will tape down a square of aluminum foil to your floor. Then you will put about a teaspoon of water in the baggy and tape that down to the floor. As I'm sure you can figure out, the next thing to do is tape down the wash cloth. Now your little one can crawl around, walk on, or hit these with a wooden spoon. It is so much fun to play with them during this activity. I do recommend getting the wooden spoon out though. We all know kids love to hit things and a wooden spoon is safer plus it also stimulates another sense, sound and even sight as they watch what happens when they hit the things.

Now go try it out!!! It is a great activity that is full of fun!

After Nap Activity

Some toddlers wake up grumpy from their naps and it is hard to deal with sometimes. I seriously just found this and I wish I would have found it sooner. I can't wait to try it with my daughter tomorrow. So for this activity all you need for this is your imagination and your child's toys. While your child is laying down and taking a nap take they toys and line them up or put them in a circle on the floor or your couch, anywhere! When your child wakes up let them find the line of toys. You will see them light up like a light bulb. They will be thinking that something is going on and they will want to find out what it is. Then it is play time! I know it is simple but man its going to make things easier on the rough days, lol.

If anyone tries this please leave a comment and let me know how it goes for you. I am interested to see how it goes with everyone who tries it.

Tantrums....Oh No!!

Most parents dread the terrible two's (and as you will find out, three's), but honestly if you go into it know what you want to achieve then it really won't be to difficult. One day your little precious child will do a total 180 and be a little demon seed, but have no fear, because you are prepared. This is something you should sit down with your significant other or your children's father and talk about before you hit this stage. It will make it much easier since you will be a united front that is ready to conquer this battle. I have seen the effects of both ways this can go and I personally have found a favorite. I have seen first hand a parent give their child whatever they want as soon as a tantrum hits. It ends in a bad result as a child who does not listen to or obey you. It is sad really. Now the other way it can go is when that tantrum hits stand your ground. If they are throwing a tantrum over having corn with dinner instead of green beans stand your ground and put the corn on their plate. Then stand by what you have decided and do it with confidence. Your child will see that you will not give in and they will go sit at the table and eat their dinner. If they are throwing a fit in the grocery store because you aren't buying the cereal that they want that is loaded with unnecessary sugars stand your ground. Sure there will be some people who are offended that you will let your child throw a fit in the middle of the store but then there are the rest of the people who are parents and know exactly what is going on and are proud of you. You have to remember that you are the boss, you guide your children through life and teach them what they need to know to be successful. You cannot just hand your children whatever they want, as they will think that will happen all through life. Then they will be in for a rude awakening when they figure out life isn't that easy.

When a tantrum hits just remember to make up your mind on how you will handle it and then stick to it with confidence. Your child will learn rather fast that you are not going to give in and when they do it is smooth sailing from there.

Disciplining Toddlers

Now this can be confusing to many first time parents. What is the right way to discipline my toddler? Are your discipline styles appropriate? Honestly it is all a personal choice, as it will always be. There are many different approaches to take but it all depends on your beliefs. You do need to remember you toddler wants and needs to know who is the boss.

It is rather confusing when you don't know what you can and can't do, but when you don't know what the difference between right and wrong then it is even more confusing. You can't let your kids just do whatever they feel like doing as it could get them into trouble later on in their lives and make it more difficult when it comes to raising them.

Also, one thing is you shouldn't let your own personal pet peeves be implemented into your discipline style. One example is if your child is clicking their tongue. When they are toddlers they are doing it because they have learned how to do it and think that it is so cool. You can't punish them for doing something that irritates you that they learn from. They are learning better control over their tongue and the noises that it can make. They will think that it is wrong to click their tongue when all it is doing is irritating you. Basically unless they are doing something wrong then don't discipline them.

There are instances where you will want to teach them though that what is right is something that they should be doing voluntarily and not being forced into, such as sharing. It is my own personal view that we should not make children share but teach them that they should want to share. You can teach them that sharing is nice and that more kids will want to play with you as opposed to not sharing. It not only teaches them to be nice and to share but it implements values that can help them later in life.

Remember, whatever style of discipline you decide to take that you need to be strong in your decision. It isn't easy to discipline a child but it is much easier than the repercussions of the fact that they learn what works to get what they want. You need to be consistent and strong to be successful.