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Saving Money At The Supermarket

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SupermarketI hate to admit it, but I have never been one of those Moms who were adept at budgeting. I have 3 kids, a husband who works from home (and eats all meals at home too), 4 dogs, 3 cats and 2 turtles to feed, plus I host twice weekly playgroups (picture 5 or more hungry kids!), so you can understand that a huge chunk of our monthly expenditures goes on groceries. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a pretty conscientious shopper. I read labels, check prices and compare for the best value, but yes, I do buy some weekly treats for us all – like special organic snacks for the kids, fancy European soda for hubby and that new body lotion for me, but I do keep it to a minimum.

Well, when I saw this article on “The Challenge: Feed a Family on $100 a Week”, I was intrigued, and slightly nauseated that she actually pulled it off while I spend at least three times that (hey, she only had two kids- one of which was a 5-month old, who we know wont be saying “I’m hungry, Mom!!” all the time).

With the state of the world these days, I thought it was time I did try a little (okay, a lot) harder to cut down my hefty grocery bill and hopefully save some money. That, coupled with the fact that I have recently become a huge fan of Suze Orman and am now reading her book, Women and Money, which I find amazingly liberating (but that’s for a another post).

While I’m no budgeting guru, I’ve found a few, like frugal Mom Michelle Jones, who has been doing it successfully for 20 years, “with or without coupons”. I’m more inclined, though, to start off with some of these solid, basic tips from The Consumerist:

1. Make a list and stick to it. Lists focus your shopping and are the single best way to save money.

2. Compare unit pricing, not box size. As with good things, good prices sometimes come in small packages.

3. If you only need a handful of items, use a basket, not a cart. Empty space cries to be filled.

4. If it’s not on your list, don’t pick it up. According to Paco Underhill in Why We Buy: “Virtually all unplanned purchases…come as a result of the shopper seeing, touching, smelling, or tasting something that promises pleasure, if not total fulfillment.”

5. Shop at the edge of the store. That’s where the healthier, cheaper items hide.

6. Disavow brand loyalty and swear allegiance to the lowest price.

7. Consider generics. You usually get the same quality, without the unnecessary branding.

8. Learn to love coupons. With practice, you can buy almost $150 worth of stuff for $5.

9. Make one big shop, rather than several small ones. You’ll save on gas while inoculating against wasteful spending.

10. Buy from bulk bins. Why pay for packaging and marketing when you can reach right in and scoop out exactly what you need?

11. Check your receipt. Don’t let an errant scan ruin your hard work.

12. Shop alone. Science shows that we spend more when we’re with company.

13. Track your spending so you can see what’s eating your money. Committed receipt hawks can spot price cycles to help guide their shopping.

14. Eat a meal before shopping. Shopping on a full stomach tamps down impulse spending and keeps you focused on your list.

15. Shop without a car. Nothing limits spending like knowing you’ll have to carry your goods home.

Photo via Lab2112

Halloween Traditions (to start with your kids!)

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Halloween Spirit
If you have a young family like me, holidays are very special, and the perfect time to make memories to last a lifetime. My husband and I grew up in different parts of the world, and for him, in the English countryside, Halloween didn’t exist! And so, for the past few years (since our kids have been old enough to notice!), we’ve been creating Halloween activities that are fast becoming traditions, things that our children expect and look forward to every year. For families like ours with young kids (8, 5, 2 and one on the way), you can start with simple things, which I’ve listed below – just keep away from the too gruesome or scary!

1. Decorate Your Home – I love this part, and so do the kids. This year, our 2-year-old joined us for the first time and it was great seeing all three kids take the task so seriously! Look out for “after-Halloween” sales to find the best bargains.

2. Bake Cookies and do Crafts – The kids love this too, me not so much :-). Well, I’m heavily pregnant and the mess isn’t so fun. But the kids do enjoy it, so I just try and do one of each. This year we are making ghost cookies ( using a sugar cookie mix and ghost cutters I bought on sale last year). For crafts, check out Kaboose or Activity Village for some easy ideas.

3. Buy and Carve Pumpkins – Every year my daughter and I go to the annual girls scouts pumpkin patch sale to choose our pumpkins. Then Daddy (who never carved anything in his life before this) carves them out while the kids help scoop out the seeds. It’s become a family Halloween tradition!

4. Watch Scary Movies – My husband came home today with no less than 4 scary movies (and a few family-friendly ones for the younger kids) we plan to watch over the long weekend. One of them was the original Nightmare on Elm Street – yikes!

5. Throw a Halloween Party! – This is the most fun thing of all, and for the past 2 years, one of my best girlfriends and I have been co-hosting one for our kids (and their friends). So far, they’ve been a great success and something our kids (and their friends!) ask about every Halloween. Will post more tips on this soon!

Photo via mike r baker

Our Little Goth

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Baby Dracula
Our 2 year old boy is a mini goth. The strange thing is that our son looks absolutely angelic with a mop of light brown curls, milky skin, rosy round cheeks and a rosebud mouth – so it’s become somewhat of an ironic family joke.

His first word was “mask” – referring to the small collection of Balinese and Sri Lankan masks in my husband’s office, which I think terrified and fascinated him all at once. He’d always point at them and want to be carried up for a closer view, only to cling to us in terror (mock?) after he got a good look. Not one for Sesame Street, Barney or Thomas (unlike his 2 elder siblings) His went straight from Baby Einstein to Nightmare Before Christmas. Corpse Bride, Coraline…he just loves Tim Burton’s works, and can you guess what his all-time favorite song is? Not “The Wheels on the Bus” or “If You’re Happy and You Know it”…..but “Monster Mash”. Click here for his favourite version: Monster Mash. In fact, if he sees me on my laptop, he’ll crawl on my lap and say “watch Monster Mash” until I stop whatever I’m doing and log on to YouTube.

So you can imagine that Halloween came early to our house this year. The sheer delight on his face was precious as we unpacked our boxes of Halloween decorations and he pretty much took charge (directing his 8 and 5 year old siblings of course) of placing every pumpkin, ghoul or ghost in choice locations in and outside the house. “Its Halloween! Its Halloween!” he says excitedly every morning when he comes out of his bedroom and looks at our spider-webbed stairway and tall witch on the landing.

He’s also quite firmly told me that his costume is NOT going to be the Cat and the Hat his elder siblings both wore at his age. “I be Dracula, Mom”. Oh, and he has also demanded for his choice of Halloween cake several times a day, telling both me and his Daddy ” I want Dracula Cake”. It’s hard to say no with that angelic little face and his naturally affectionate disposition. So tonight, as I tucked him into bed (Jack Skellington stuffed toy in his arms), I just couldn’t resist but whisper that Mommy would indeed get him that Dracula cake for Halloween. Help!

Photo via nicandres

I Hate Homework!

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Hate Homework

Ever since my daughter started 1st grade, one thing that has been a constant battle is HOMEWORK. I can’t say that I blame her point of view. After a full day at school, then some club or sports afterwards, who wouldn’t just want to veg on the television when they got home? Add the fact that she has 2 little brothers making noise (and a mess) somewhere close by in our very “cozy” (read: small) house, or the new puppy is tugging at her heels….so it can’t be easy to get back in school mode and work when there are so much better things to do at home!

After another especially bad argument of “This is the 10th time I’ve told you to do your homework!” , my husband, who is always silently neutral when I am close to hysterical, said why not try this – LET HER FAIL. Hmmmm……. If she wont do her homework, she’ll have to deal with explaining to her teacher why, she’ll be made to do it at recess instead of the playground and she’ll probably not be happy at all with the consequences. So instead of Mom-the-Ogre banging her head against the wall, our 8-year-old will learn a valuable lesson on her own…….what a great idea!!!

So this is the plan starting tonight at our household. Will let you know what happens. In the meantime, here are a few useful homework tips I found:

Hot Homework Tips

Parents Homework Tips

Homework Tips According to Grade

Photo via Jessicizer

The Angry Pregnant Woman

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Angry Woman

I’m not exactly sure why (hormones, fatigue, aches and pains?), but every time I am pregnant I become very angry. Not all day, and thankfully not at my husband or kids (well, not all of the time), but lets just say I have a short fuse and if anyone makes my day more difficult, woe betide them. With #4 on the way, and the other 3 under age 9, I have a lot going on. So for instance, when a sales clerk (who obviously would rather be texting her boyfriend) can’t be bothered to look for something I just know they have, or a rude lady cuts the line at the grocery checkout or the bank ….my swollen feet stamp on the ground and I see red. I know, these are all small things, but when I’m pregnant, they really don’t seem small at all.

A good friend of mine, K, who recently gave birth to her #3, fired 2 of her staff when she was pregnant. She also admitted to being an angry pregnant woman, and I vividly remember her getting ticked off with someone at the mall practically every time we went shopping together. It was pretty scary because these people are totally defenseless against a heavily pregnant woman. Now that K is back to her sweet old self, I’ve become the dragon lady, in my 4th fire-breathing incarnation. The poor husbands who have to live with this Mrs.Hyde syndrome have to get some sympathy. On our last family holiday, I fumed at our travel agent (who failed to book 3 child meals after I reminded her twice), the hotel receptionist and flight attendant to name a few. By the end of the trip (remind me again WHY its a good idea to travel in your 2nd trim?), hubby said I had to relax and try not to work myself up into a fury every time things don’t go well.

And he’s right. After a bit of web digging, I found that there are prenatal anger effects on the fetus and neonate. One study showed that one hundred and sixty-six women were classified as experiencing high or low anger during the second trimester of pregnancy, and the babies of Moms who showed the high anger were prone to bad sleeping patterns and so on. Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve been angry with all of my pregnancies, and all of my kids happy and healthy – equally different in good ways and bad.

It doesn’t hurt though to curb that anger, which can’t be a good thing pregnant or not. Parenting mag gives some sound advice:

If you find you’re frequently furious, try:

* Walking away. Avoid discussions that’ll only make your blood boil — tell the offending party that you’re feeling sensitive and you would rather not talk about the issue. Then give yourself a half-hour and take a stroll, whether it’s around the office or around the block.
* Staying active. Swimming, tennis, walking, gardening — many types of regular exercise can keep your hostility barometer in check while helping to relieve physical discomforts.
* Writing it out. It can be very cathartic to vent on paper — through journal entries, poems, or outrageously nasty letters that you never mail.
* Taking a mental health break. Whether it’s a day off work or a two-hour escape from the kids, pamper yourself: Get a facial, see a movie, buy a pair of shoes.
* Seeking professional help. If you find your anger is making it hard to function, consider talking to a therapist.

Photo via Floyd Brown

Kids Need to Feel Important

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i-am-important

Ever noticed how kids will keep pestering you just when you are intent on doing something. The more engrossed you are, the more they will bug you. You just want an hour to enjoy your game and they want to play it for you. It can be annoying!

Truth is they just want to be part of what you’re doing. If you are having fun, they want to have fun with you. If you enjoy cooking, they will try and enjoy it too. They love helping you decorate for christmas. They’ll even try to help wrap presents.

Of course there are times that you have to say no but before you tell them they can’t why not check if there is someway they can take part. For example, you’re busy in the kitchen getting dinner ready and you don’t really want them around your knives. How about just having them peel the veggies or wash the potatoes.

If you’re painting, why not give your kid a paintbrush too and assign him his own corner to color? He may not do as big a space as you and his corner may not be as even but that is easily taken care of.

Do you love word games, the crosswords maybe? Get a book of word puzzles that the two of you can do together. Invite him to bring his puzzles to where you sit and you can sit companionably together as you each solve your games.

These may seem like small things for them to do but the effect on them is huge. Kids love to “help out”. Let them and watch as they amaze you with what they can do.

Photo via Dynamoash

Your Daughter and Physical Fitness

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Girl Sports

Studies show that girls turn away from sports and fitness once they reach the teen years. So how do we keep our daughters as interested in keeping fit as our sons keep?

It’s important to teach our children that fitness is a lifestyle choice, and that keeping fit is a life-long endeavor. For boys this lesson isn’t as difficult, but studies show that girls are less likely to remain physically active once they reach adolescence. Judy Notay, an education fitness consultant, says girls lack of interest in fitness during the teen years is quite dramatic. “With girls and physical activity there definitely is a drop when they hit around twelve to thirteen. Studies show that there’s a real dramatic drop in team sports. Girls need to be in a social, team-driven, fun environment, and with girls only.”

We can help our daughters remain physically active by role modeling and by seeing that our schools provide fitness programs that reflect the interests of girls. Rick Bell, professor of Physical Education at the University of Victoria believes that girls are less active than boys are because it’s “a reflection of what’s happening in our schools. Girls are indicating that the curriculum is not reflecting what they want in types of activities, and the manner in which competition is a part of many activities is contrary to what many girls feel is important.”

Professor Bell says many schools are beginning to offer physical education programs for girls that grab their interest. “I know of many schools that have developed dance programs, modern, jazz, tap and social dance programs, and schools that have a prominent aerobic dance program and outdoor education programs. These are programs that typically get children very active in different settings and have been very popular in getting more and more young women involved in physical activity.”

If you’re looking for a fitness program for your daughter outside of the school setting here’s what to keep in mind says Notay. “When you’re looking for a program for your daughter make sure it’s girls only, that the activity will ensure success because it meets their skill level, and that the person running the program is very positive and understands girl’s needs. Also get a group of girls together to try something new. Then they feel safer than being on their own trying something new.”

Physical activity helps our children cope with stress, prevents disease and provides fun and socialization. While helping your daughter find the right fitness program can be a little daunting, there’s no doubt it’s worth the effort.

Photo via JosephGilbert.org

The Best Toys for a Toddler – Part 2

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Sorting and Nesting Toys: Toddlers love to sort, stack, unsort, unstack, and basically reorganize their lives. Sorting and nesting toys are great fun for those who are trying out their early problem-solving skills.

Climbing Gym: A tiny gym can give your toddler a safe place to climb, hide, slide, and practice all her emerging motor skills – over and over again. But these sets can also be pricey and are quickly outgrown.

Balls: Any ball that’s easy to grasp will be a hit with this group – underinflated beach balls, vinyl balls, cloth balls. Stay away from foam balls that could end up as a mouthful. This is the age at which you can introduce your child to “catch.” Start slowly – she’ll begin to get the back-and-forth rhythm with some practice.

Washable Crayons and Paper: Let the scribbling begin! Hand your toddler no more than a couple of crayons at a time – you don’t want to overwhelm her – and tape the paper to the floor so she can make her mark without dragging the paper along with her.

Ride-On Vehicles: This mode of self-locomotion may be even more popular than walking. Many small ride-on toys have models with handles for an adult to push when the child gets tired. Avoid the electronic versions – they’re expensive and take away from the fun of getting around under your own power.

Tool Bench or Toy Kitchen: Junior fix-it kids or aspiring chefs will get hours of play out of plastic or wooden models scaled to their size. Sets like these give a child a chance to emulate the things he sees adults doing, and they’ll continue to hold his interest for several months as his play gets more sophisticated.

Picture Books: Your toddler will enjoy more advanced picture books showing familiar objects and activities. She may also start to take pride in her own library and the chance to pick out a favorite for you to read.

The Best Toys for a Toddler – Part 1

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Chances are your toddler is really taking off these days – and as you chase his little body down the street, you may miss the days before he learned to use her legs so well. “Active” is an apt way to describe him now, and him likes any toy or game that allows him to throw his whole self into it – balls, swings, and tiny climbing sets, to name a few.

His hands are becoming more coordinated, too, and he can now use toy sorters more efficiently, build even greater block towers, and scribble a drawing. His play involves lots of experimentation, like “What happens if I drop this ball?” or “What happens if pull this lever?” He’s very interested in the consequences of her actions, and because his memory isn’t well developed she won’t tire of repetition. Toddlers also like to try out what they see adults doing, so look for toys that imitate daily life.

Large Building Bricks: These light cardboard bricks are big enough to stack up into a fort or wall, or any other way your toddler wants. But the most satisfying part of the process continues to be the finale – when the walls come tumbling down.

Push and Pull Toys: Heavily weighted push toys can give your beginner something to lean into as she motors around your home. Wagons can be ideal. Pull toys are for slightly advanced walkers who can look behind them as they move forward. Give them something to look at: Pull toys that flap, bobble, squeak, or in any other way make a scene are favorites.