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Fun (Free) Family Entertainment

August 18, 2009 By

familyAs a single mom with two children, I know all about cutting costs! While I appreciate a quiet weekend at home, my boys don’t necessarily understand why we can’t always be doing something. One lesson I’ve learned is that it’s not really about what we’re doing, my children just enjoy doing anything with me.

Here are some of our favorite free family activities:

  1. If your family is used to eating out, try a picnic instead.  When my boys are behaving particularly well (or particularly rotten and I need a break!) we spread a blanket in the courtyard outside our apartment and eat outside. It’s better than a restaurant because there’s no wait and we don’t even have to behave.
  2. Turn your dining room into a restaurant.  After the 4,000th time I told my boys we couldn’t go to a restaurant, I half-heartedly suggested that they pretend we were in a restaurant.  They got a real kick out of it.  I made them sign in on the waiting list, called their names when their table was ready, took their order, then served them their meal (in my best snooty waiter voice).  I must have made a decent waitress because they invited me to join them for dinner!  The next afternoon, they surprised me by drawing a menu that we could all order from.  We play this game frequently now and they like to take turns being the waiter.  It’s a great opportunity for them to practice their manners.  If your children are older, let them cook you dinner and/or serve you!
  3. Instead of going to the movies, have a movie night at home.  Pop a big bowl of popcorn, turn the lights down, and watch a DVD together.  You can almost always get free rentals from Redbox.  If my kindergartner behaves at school all week, then on the weekend my boys and I spread out sleeping bags in the living room and snuggle up with a movie together. (The added bonus is that when they wake up in the morning, I can turn on cartoons and let them lay back down so Mommy gets to sleep in a little bit!)
  4. Many hardware stores and craft stores have free kids workshops on the weekends.  I’m always a bit nervous about taking two little ones to these things alone, but there’s usually a friendly store employee, a teenager, or a dad with an older child who is willing to help one of my children while I help the other.  Lowe’s Build and Grow, Home Depot Kids Workshop, and Michael’s The Knack are some of our favorites.
  5. If your children are young, they’ll likely enjoy a recreation league or high school sporting event just as much as a professional event and it’s a whole lot cheaper. Of course, you can always head to the park and start up your own game!
  6. Look for opportunities to volunteer together.  This time of year there are Habitat for Humanity builds around the country, nursing homes and hospitals almost always welcome visitors to sing, read, or just chat with the residents, you can find out about volunteer opportunities with your local animal shelter or animal rescue organization, the possibilities are endless.  You’ll have fun, teach your children valuable lessons and skills, and give back to your community all at once.  That’s what I call multi-tasking!

I’d love to hear about your favorite free family entertainment. Leave me a comment letting me know how you break the monotony without breaking the bank!

Filed Under: Blog, Family & Adoption, Recent Articles 1 Comment

Children and Allowances: Teaching Kids About Money

August 4, 2009 By

In today’s economy, we’re all tightening our belts and thinking more about where money comes from and where it goes. As a mom, you’re probably also thinking about how to help your children understand the basics of money management.

On the surface, the answer is easy…give them an allowance so they can experience handling their own finances. The reality is that there’s more to it than that.

When Do I Start Giving An Allowance?

When to start giving an allowance is a very personal question. You should start early, as soon as your child expresses an interest in and understanding of money. Usually in first grade, children begin talking about money and recognizing the various denominations. At that age, they can begin to understand the prices of things and should start to have the maturity to set priorities and delay gratification at least for a little while. Some children may be ready earlier and some may be ready later.

How Much Allowance Should I Give My Child?

This is another personal question and depends mostly on what you intend for your child to do with his/her allowance. I have read that a good starting point is $0.50 per year of age or $1 per grade in school. You can also ask around to find out what the going rate is among your child’s friends or track how much money you spend on your child over a period of a few weeks and go from there. Recent surveys have shown the national average to be $5-6 for 6-8 year olds and the average increases about a dollar per year of age.

The best advice I’ve found on how much allowance to give comes from Janet Bodnar, senior editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. In her book Dollars & Sense for Kids, Bodnar explains that you should give your child enough of an allowance that they can squander it, but not so much that you’ll be upset when they do.

How Often Should I Give My Children Their Allowance?

For younger children, you should pay the allowance weekly but as they get older, you may choose to pay them when you get paid. Paying bi-weekly or monthly can help older kids work on budgeting. If they blow their whole allowance for the month, then it’s gone. Better to go without snacks or movies for a couple of weeks as a teenager than to go without rent, groceries, or a car payment when they’re in their twenties!

Whenever you choose to pay your child’s allowance, one thing you must keep in mind is that you are modeling money management skills by paying them. Forgetting to pay the allowance, “coming up short”, or borrowing from your children is probably worse than not giving an allowance at all. You must be consistent about paying your children on time, no matter how often you pay or in what form.

How Should I Pay My Kids’ Allowance?

The most common form of payment is probably cash. That’s the way most of us remember getting our allowance and it makes sense because children can see and touch the money and understand how it comes and goes. Especially for younger children, this is probably the best option because it is the most concrete.

In this age of online purchases and debit card transactions, it makes sense for older children (teens) to have their own checking account. Most banks and credit unions offer checking accounts for teenagers with no fees and some include various parental controls and learning tools for the youngster.

Another option is a “virtual” kids account. If you don’t want your child carrying cash and you don’t want to have to keep up with their money for them, you can use a blank check register to set up a “virtual” account. Have your child enter the deposit amount each week and then when you’re in the store or on the internet and the child wants to purchase something, you can pay and just record the “withdrawal” in the register. This can be a little more complicated, but there are some valuable lessons to be learned.

Photo by Penny Mathews

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I’m interested to hear from you! Do your children get an allowance? If so, how much and when did you start? Besides allowances, what other ways do you teach your children about money and finances?

Barbara Thompson is a busy single mom to one preschooler and one kindergartner. You can read her news, reviews, advice and inspiration for single parents at National Single Parenting Examiner. Barbara also writes for Suite101 and contributes to the Homebased Working Moms blogs. You can contact Barbara at busymombarbara at yahoo dot com.

Filed Under: Blog, Family & Adoption, Featured, Health, Recent Articles 6 Comments

Saving Money On Eyeglasses

August 3, 2009 By

eyeglasses

 

 

Saving Money on Eyeglasses

by Hillary Rubin

Nearly every parent in this economy knows that if there is something you want to buy – you can surely find a way to save money on that purchase. Many people turn to weekly circulars but more people are turning to the internet. You can find deals on everything from the latest netbook to your every day shopping necessities like food. Coupons and discounts are as old as the business world itself! But can you really find eyeglasses online to fit your budget that will not break on you the moment you take them out of the box? Absolutely! The real question is how can you save money from buying them online as opposed to buying them in a store?

There is an old saying of “you get what you pay for” and the adage may be true in some respects. What’s the major difference between buying your prescription glasses online and buying them in a store? Overhead. At an optical store with a physical location – you are paying for the office space, their furniture, the water cooler they use to bring you water, their coffee machine, and everything in between. You don’t pay for all of the overhead with online companies.

Buying online can be A LOT cheaper. Here’s an insider tip: the average pair of eyeglasses costs about $20 to produce while you pay around $400 at an online store. These savings come in handy when you have kids who have little fingers that like to break things. There likely isn’t a parent on earth who hasn’t experienced a pair of broken  at the hands of a child. Replacement eyeglasses or a spare pair of glasses come in handy when this happens. The best places to look for even more savings on purchasing glasses online are the coupon and discount sites. A lot of these sites even offer incentives for using their services – like cash back! In this economy, people are starting to view vision care as unaffordable and many online sites are taking notice. Save yourself some money – do a little research on the company before you buy eyeglasses from them. Also research their return policy – this will save you a lot of money in the long run. One last insider tip for you: before you leave your eye exam – get a copy of your prescription. Legally, your eye doctor must provide you with a copy prior to you leaving the office. Any doctor that tells you otherwise is not telling the truth. A lot of times people are duped into buying at the same store they received their exam from – especially when kids are involved. The little people in your lives are extra money for optometrists offices. Save yourself the hassle and grief – not to mention the guilt trip – and take a copy of your prescription after every exam … just in case.

Filed Under: Blog, Health, Recent Articles 2 Comments
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