Frugal Parenting Tips and Tricks

Here are some great ways I've learned to be a frugal parent over the years. Got more frugal parenting tips? Do share! :)

Rhyming with Preschoolers – review

01/26/2014 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

I recently had the opportunity to review Rhyming Unit Mega Bundle: 17 Rhyming Activities with my 4-year-old daughter. Boy, did we have fun with this one!

My 4-year-old daughter and I enjoyed doing a few of the activities this weekend from this bundle – and reinforced her skills with rhyming all at the same time. First, we did a quick matching game with a set of rhyming cards – she read the words (paired with pictures) and found another word card in the same rhyme family. As an extension, and completely on her own, she started making rhyming sentences with the word pairs, like “The fox was in the box.” [Read more…]

Keep on saving! :o)
--Barbara
**Remember, y'all, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Filed Under: Frugal Parenting, literacy, product reviews

Healthy Organic Kid-Friendly “Fast Food” for Pennies

11/27/2013 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

I am super-pleased to have Robyn, founder of Active Mama’s show you how to create healthy organic fast food for your kids. Also, find out how to win a munchie mug (see below) from Active Mama’s.

It’s possible to feed your children healthy organic fast food that has no hormones, no steroids, no pesticides and no refined sugar for just 61¢ per meal. Yes, you read that right, less than one dollar a meal.

Put your preconceived notions to the side. I have only 3 disclaimers:

Your meal size should depend on how much your child eats. My child is 2 years old. It generally takes him two sittings to finish one of my meals, but if he’s in a growth spurt he wolfs it down in one.
How many vegetables you need depend on the size of your vegetable.
You know your kids allergies. Don’t use an ingredient if your kid’s allergic to it. (Okay, I know you know that… just saying).

Just try this plan once, you’ll be delighted.

Here are my tips for healthy organic fast food for your kids. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Frugal Parenting, picky tot pleasers, recipes

Potty Training Essentials & Tips

11/11/2013 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

It’s been almost two and a half years since I potty trained my daughter in four days at 26 months. Once we finished those four days, she never ever looked back! With that total success, and with my son (22 mo) on the brink of being ready, I’ve devised and revised some of my favorite potty training tips for other parents.

Here’s what I consider potty training essentials and/or what I’d recommend when undergoing the process:

Foam hand soap – it just makes hand washing more fun, and makes hand-washing easier. You can always check for coupons to print before you head to purchase! 😉
Keep towels for drying hands on counter in reach, if your towel holder is too high; I still keep hand towels on the counter for my now 4.5 year old daughter.
Potty seats for the big potty, as well as little portable potty chairs, because you never know what might interest him most! When you’re on the go, consider a foldable potty seat.
Step stools — for the sink, for the potty, for each bathroom he’ll be using; some portable potties double as step stools. If your child uses the big potty, you’ll definitely want something to plant his feet on, to make going a little more comfortable.
LOADS of paper towels. No explanation needed.
Throw in a good pair of gloves, preferably disposable.
You’ll want to invest in at least a few packs of toddler underwear. I think I started with three packs for Carol: one with princesses, and two generic packs. On the first day, I constantly reminded her to keep the princesses dry. Here are some girl panties and here are some cute boy undies.
panty liners – yep. You read that correctly. Place one towards the back of the undies (where the fanny lies) to help minimize -um- skid marks. Thanks Lady Poppins for sharing this tip!
Lots of fresh, juicy fruits. We lived on cantaloupe, watermelon, and milk that week! This is essential if you utilize Three Day Method.

Not necessarily things you’ll need, but my additional two cents on potty training essentials and tips:

Make sure your child has the physical skills. Well before you start potty training, begin working on, and encouraging child to pull pants up and down – when undressing and when changing diapers. Getting them involved in the steps also helps her feel more independent and in control of the process.
Keep your laundry room available. You WILL be washing those cute li’l undies at least a few times during the process. This means you may need to shuffle your laundry schedule a bit.
Have as much prepped ahead of time as possible. On day one with Carol, I turned my attention to preparing our (simple) lunch, and that’s when she stood on her little chair in the kitchen and peed all over the seat, because she couldn’t tell me in time, and because I didn’t pay attention to follow her cues. (Remember what I said earlier about paper towels and gloves?)
If you use the Three Day Method, you’ll want fun activities, but you can’t get *too* involved in activities because they’ll forget to go potty! Pull out puzzles she hasn’t seen in a while (or new ones), introduce new library books, dolls, trucks, etc – things that could even be brought in to the bathroom while she goes potty.
Incentives. Of course, it’s always best to start something like this with non-tangible rewards (verbal praise, high fives, phone calls to loved ones, “happy dance and song”, etc.), but just in case that doesn’t fully motivate your tot, have small tangible rewards at the ready. M&Ms are popular, as are animal crackers, stickers, and other small trinkets. Consider creating a rewards chart. Sometimes, the simple act of placing a sticker on a chart is rewarding enough, but pair it with an additional small prize after so many stickers, and you’re golden! Check out these cute potty training charts here.

Keep your eyes on the prize: no more diapers!! Commit to ditching the diapers, and don’t look back. Investing in this time with your child, in taking this big step will pay off HUGE in the end!

Got any additional tips to add on potty training essentials? I’d love to hear from other seasoned potty trainers what’s worked. Leave a comment here on the blog, so others can see. 🙂

Filed Under: diapers, Frugal Parenting, parenting, potty training

Seeking Car Seat Advice

09/26/2013 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Oh car seats. We started with the infant carrier, and got a taste of the super-cool rear-facing Graco® Snug Ride® Click Connect™ 40, which rocked my socks. But, alas, children continue to grow, and we need to explore more options. *sigh*

So now, I need some car seat advice:My daughter is 4 1/2, and weighs 35 lbs. [Read more…]

Filed Under: baby, Frugal Parenting

Whatcha’ Reading? Harold and the Purple Crayon

09/20/2013 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Promoting literacy is such an integral part of my life, as a teacher and a mother, and I wanted to extended it to all of you. Therefore, I aim to bring a series “Whatcha Reading” to AFM. Here you will find book picks for children, adults, as well as tips for promoting literacy within your home.

I recently re-read Crocket Johnon’s Harold and the Purple Crayon to my daughter. We marveled at how he kept the moon in his sight, and at how he used his crayon to carry his imagination even further, yet still end up safe and sound in his comfy bed. This was a perfect book, also, to enhance her beginning reading skills: we payed careful attention to the sight words she already mastered, as well as the ones she’s currently working on. Further, it was a great opportunity to introduce a few new words, like “moon”. (This was a great one, since we’ve been discussing the /oo/ sound with her “word eggs”; and its a simple phonetic spelling.)

Amazon.com Widgets

Further, Harold served as a catalyst the following day in our driveway, bucket of chalk in hand, to create our own world, and travel far on our own adventures!

Later, we were inspired to pull out our copy of Harold’s Trip to the Sky, which extends his adventures with his trusty ol’ crayon. We had discussions on what we would do if our crayons had that kind of magical power. And given that I have a 4-year-old daughter, most of her responses involved princesses, fairies, mermaids, a sprkingling of pixie dust, and a few unicorns. 😉

Harold was a childhood favorite of mine, which I was thrilled to share with my children, when we found a copy of it at a garage sale a few years ago. I was further elated when I saw it as an HBO animated series for kids. We’ve caught it a few times, but I most enjoy the magic of Harold that is nestled between the pages of our books. So……

What are YOU reading? 🙂

Filed Under: books, Frugal Parenting, Whatcha Reading

Whatcha Reading? – Princess Pigtoria and the Pea

08/27/2013 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

In my constant quest for books that satisfy my daughter’s thirst for all things princess, without indulging too much in to the whole glamorized “happily ever after once you’ve found your prince charming” fantasy, I found this little gem at the library recent: Princess Pigtoria and the Pea by Pamela Duncan Edwards. It’s a clever combination of alliteration in its refreshing and witty use of the “p” sound, as well as a twist on a classic tale.

Find this at your local library, or head over to Amazon to snag your very own copy!

Check out these other great titles by Pamela Duncan Edwards, too! Edwards has a nice series of children’s stories using imagination and alliteration, hand in hand.

Amazon.com Widgets

Filed Under: books, Frugal Parenting, Whatcha Reading

Easy Puzzle Storage Solution (and CHEAP!)

07/28/2013 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Easy puzzle storage solution: YES! It is possible to find a clutter-free way to store all those wooden puzzles your toddlers and preschoolers love. A friend of mine came up with an ingenious way to store toddler/preschooler’s puzzles in an efficient manner: a file folder box! She used hanging file folders to separate each puzzle, and the clear storage container allows you to easily see each puzzle, and contain them in a small space. With a lid, you ensure pieces won’t spill, and it won’t take up too much space. She was able to put this together for under $10.

In addition to hanging file folders, you could also use large plastic baggies. Can you think of other creative solutions for storing your child’s bulky toys?

Heaps of thanks to Dr. Cassie B. of Connected Family Chiropractic for sharing this wonderful idea!!

Also, check out this nifty storage solution for your kitchen:

Filed Under: frugal living, Frugal Parenting Tagged With: evergreen

Summer Reading Program: Dig in to Reading!

06/12/2013 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

The Summer Reading Program is just the first in many for my “Whatcha Reading” series. Promoting literacy is such an integral part of my life, as a teacher and a mother, and I wanted to extended it to all of you. Therefore, I aim to bring a series “Whatcha Reading” to AFM. Here you will find book picks for children, adults, as well as tips for promoting literacy within your home.

Among my many lofty goals to accomplish this summer, summer reading tops the list. (Specifically, working on teaching my daughter to read. But I’ll dive in to that topic on another day…) We recently hit up our Gwinnett library, and signed up for their summer reading program, called “Dig in to Reading!”

Upon signing up, our “kit” included some great tools to help us get started, including a log to help us reach our reading goals, stickers, a some bookmarks. (That it also contained a coupon for a FREE Chick-fil-a kids meal, good anywhere in Gwinnett, and a coupon for a FREE slushie at Sonic were but mere bonuses!) Along with their program, there are events happening at each location throughout the summer, including puppet shows, story times, and more! If you’re a resident of Gwinnett, I highly encourage you to check it out!

Christmas on a budget: $250 for six kids

12/21/2012 by Tiffany

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Wowzers! I wrote this post last year to share what I purchased for my children for Christmas, and to show that it is completely possible to shop for six kids on a $250 budget. The information I shared is very specific to what I actually did and how I saved. As of late, this post has become very popular and I want to be sure to share information that is helpful for you as a visitor to my site. Please check out the 2 posts below some awesome tips that will help your holidays rock even with the smallest budget!

10 tips for planning Christmas on a budget

10 Stocking Stuffers for Whole Family for Under $2

Our family typically doesn’t spend a ton on Christmas gifts, but this year our budget is really tight. I decided in October that I was going to try to get gifts for all six children for under $300, and I did it! See what I bought and how I did it below:

How I saved

1. Earned referral fees from retail sites. Some of the items below were free with referral credits I had earned from various websites. You *do not* have to be a blogger to earn referral fees, and it’s a great way to save on things for your own family, some offer up to $15 per friend that you refer! Some of my favorites are One King’s Lane and Zulily. And yep, those are my referral links. 🙂

2. Enter giveaways hosted by local bloggers. Some of the other items say FREE because I won them through giveaways hosted by local bloggers. I do sometimes enter larger, national giveaways, but the odds are better if you stick with smaller, local blogs. I also won several Amazon gift cards as well, as you’ll see below. [Read more…]

Filed Under: finances, Frugal Parenting, holidays

Teaching My Child to Brush Her Teeth and Wash Her Hands

12/09/2012 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

We successfully tackled potty training about a year and a half ago, so when my daughter started preschool last year, her teacher taught the class a song to help with proper hand washing. To the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat: