Are babies REALLY that expensive? A while back I had a comment on one of my debt free living posts… something to the effect of we “wouldn’t still be debt free after we had kids, because kids are so expensive.” (I was pretty pregnant when I read that comment, so it hit closer to home than it might have a few months before.)
If you’re like me, you want your kids using books from a young age (books are so healthy for a …
Planning to save money on baby clothes is one of the most important things to do when having a baby …
As much as I love love love Christmas, if I’m not careful it can really take a toll on two things I try hard to protect. My health and my bank account. I always used to leave the Christmas season with a few extra pounds (and bad skin) and a few less dollars… and I know I’m not the only one.
Let’s admit that Christmas is AWESOME, but DANGEROUS. Saving money at Christmas just goes out the window, doesn’t it? I don’t think there’s another time of year where it’s just so easy to completely blow your budget without even thinking about it. Everywhere you look at Christmas there is money to be spent.
If you’ve read many finance books or blogs, you’ve probably heard that in most relationships, there is just one person who is largely in charge of the finances. It’s a generalization, but one that hits the nail on the head with my husband and me. We make all our major money decisions together – house, car, investments, insurance… anything that costs more than a couple hundred bucks really. But I, almost unilaterally, do all the spending.
There’s no question that having kids CAN cost a bundle – many estimates are coming in around $250,000 to raise a kid from birth to ages 18 (source). But you’re wrong if you think that you need to go broke raising a family. In fact, with some tweaks to your budget and the way you spend on your children, you might even be able to take a family vacation each year!
I don’t know if I told you yet, but we are looking for a slightly bigger house – to accommodate our about to be slightly bigger family. We’re a little nervous about what a mortgage will mean for us, so I’ve been trying to kick start my frugal living habits NOW – by finding great ways to save money on groceries.
I looooooove The Bang Theory. They finally made a TV show that can compete with Friends as far as I’m concerned. (I very much just dated myself didn’t I?) Anyhow, I was watching Big Bang re-runs the other night, the one where Sheldon (who we know has “extra” money, by the way, despite being a poorly paid physicist) goes shopping with Penny and tells her she should be purchasing her tampons in bulk to save money.
One of my favorite money saving and time saving tips, (but the one that gets the most eye rolls) is meal planning. It is super simple to do, takes just a short time to create one and will save you not only time but money. Surprisingly more money than you think.