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Family/Life, Save Money

15 Gift Ideas for Kids That Have Too Many Toys

15 Gift Ideas for Kids That Have Too Many Toys 

Gift Ideas for Kids That Have too Many Toys #christmas #christmasgifts #gifts #giftguide
Gift Ideas for Kids That Have Too Many Toys

Does your kid have too many toys? My kids certainly do and if I buy them more for Christmas the clutter will keep growing. Plus, I already know our large family will continue to buy them more toys and the spoiling continues. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some gift ideas for the kid that has too many toys?

If you are looking to declutter and teach your child to value life experiences over “stuff” then you are in the right place. 

In fact, a study by popular online coupon company Retail Me Not, suggest parents will spend an average of $330 per child this Christmas Season. Wow! $330 per child? Imagine how many toys you could buy with that amount of money.

I know last year I spent around $75 on each of my children, so I guess I am below average. However, they were spoiled by the rest of the family and I am a bargain shopper so the $75 went a long way in our house.

Nonetheless, each kid got around 12 new toys. My three-year-old was so overwhelmed at the time he didn’t know what to play with. He liked his first toy and then really didn’t care about opening more gifts because he wanted to play with it. He seriously would have been happy with ONE toy.

Let’s face it, as a parent It’s not fun opening all of those packages either. And what a mess to clean up!

It’s no wonder I turn into a big crab every Christmas! (I apologize in advance to my husband 🙂 But It’s stressful!

So with you in mind, I’ve come up with a way to teach your kids to value experiences over things and give them a gift that keeps on giving. 

Now I will admit, I still buy my kids a few toys and I really do not mind buying them learning toys that promote gross/fine motor skills, dramatic play, engineering, exercise, and creativity. However, most of our action figures sit in the bin and my kids only play with them once every three months. Not to mention, I have a lot of mom friends that have the same complaint. With that in mind, I’ve come up with a “thing-busting” list to help you decide the best Christmas presents this year. 

Think of the fun you will have and the learning that will happen by treating them one of the items listed below. Your kid will be begging you to go every weekend!! Enjoy the laughter and the smiles! 

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Budgeting

Are You Broke? You Should Never Buy These Seven Things

Are You Broke? You Should Never Buy These Things:

Are you broke? Never buy these 7 things #savemoney #frugal #broke
Are you broke? Never buy these 7 things:

Are you broke or struggling financially? If so, there are certain things you should avoid buying. If you take a look at your budget, these are things that simply must go.

According to PEW Charitable Trust, a staggering 80% of Americans are in debt. Most do not have $500 in an emergency fund to cover a basic car repair or hospital bill.

Unfortunately, personal finance is not taught in most schools (unless you are taking a business class) and people continue to dig themselves into a hole because they never learned how to handle money.

Yet, personal finance is a simple matter of knowing how much money you bring in and how much money you need to cover your bills. Yes, we could go into great detail on this subject alone, but it is a simple input versus output mathematical equation. However, if you need help with your budget, then check out these posts:

Yet, once you have determined your input/output equation then it is best to live within your means and pay down debt to avoid paying more for everything the rest of your life (because of interest). If you have credit card debt you are paying interest on everything you buy with your credit card. Chances are you probably don’t remember half of the items on your bill, but you are now paying WAY more for each and every purchase because the interest is high, especially if you have late fees.

Nonetheless, debt is not a life sentence and you can become debt-free. Learning to live within your means and only buy your “needs” until your debt is paid off, is the best option to live a better life.

 

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Meal Planning, Save Money

50 Thanksgiving Side Dishes for Your Thanksgiving Menu

50 Frugal Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Must Try #Thanksgiving #Thanksgivingsidedishes #Thanksgivingmenu
50 Frugal Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Must Try

Grab your free Meal Plan and Menu Template

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Are you and your wallet ready for the big day? -Turkey day that is. Hosting Thanksgiving is expensive and stressful. Coming up with your Thanksgiving menu takes time, especially if you are on a budget. However, with anything in life, a solid plan will help you nail your Thanksgiving dinner on the big day. We already know the main course, but what about your Thanksgiving side dishes? 

You want something that will wow your guests, but also Thanksgiving side dishes that are affordable and yummy.

Hosting Thanksgiving is not an easy task. Trust me, I’ve done it three times and we have a big family. – Like 8 brothers and sisters on my husband’s side big! Planning out the meal, grocery list, and devising a cooking timeline for the turkey saved my sanity!

Another thing that helped was sticking to a budget when buying the food. No one needs more money stress around the Holidays. Furthermore, it is great to check your local flyers and find the best price per pound on your turkey which is easy because most grocery stores have sales just to stay in the grocery game that week. But let’s face it, hosting any holiday including Thanksgiving is expensive and the Thanksgiving side dishes need to be taken into account within your budget.

So if you are on a budget, like me, you will want to find good deals on side dishes too while still awe-ing your guests with your cooking abilities and unique recipe ideas. 

With that in mind, I’ve created a roundup post with the help of my fellow food blogger’s including 50 plus side dishes that are delicious and still budget-friendly. Just pick a few and plan them out on your shopping list to keep track of your cooking expenses. 

Pro tip: Find a few recipes that share the same spices or ingredients to help cut your costs even more. For example. two recipes may use sage. You can save by only buying one spice pack.

Thanksgiving is usually stressful for the host, so don’t make it even more stressful by going over budget on food. Try some of these amazing recipes and enjoy your time with your family! You deserve it!

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Make Money

Best Affordable Blogging Classes to Create a Successful Blog

Best Affordable Blogging Classes to Create a Successful Blog

Best Affordable Blogging Classes to Take Now #blogger #blog #bloggerslife
Best Affordable Blogging Classes to Take Now

Are you thinking of starting a blog but aren’t quite sure how? Or did you already start your blog but are finding it difficult to increase traffic and monetize? If this is the case then blogging classes are the way to go. Yet, it is not always easy to find affordable blogging classes when you aren’t making any money. Let’s face it, most beginning bloggers do not have a budget for training or ads.

So if you are in the above blogging situation then this post will help you find some affordable blogging classes to amp up your blogging skills, especially if you are on a budget like me.

You could literally spend thousands a year on blogging books, classes, and conferences. But in actuality, there is no need to spend so much, when there are affordable options that still give the same information.  

You don’t have to break the bank to start a blog or learn more about blogging. 

If you are pondering starting a blog, then you will want to check out my step-by-step blogging guide here. But if you are already up and running you will need to learn as much as you can to survive and flourish in this blogging world. Why? You are up against millions of other bloggers and if you want to stand out, you will want to know your craft.

Also, it is easy to give up if you aren’t seeing the results you want. Blogging can become frustrating and you are left wondering why you started a blog in the first place. However, if you get the proper training you can avoid this scenario and streamline your blogging goals.

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Family/Life, Save Money

Unique DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Unique DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Unique DIY Kid’s Costumes That Will Save You Money #halloween #DIY #save #frugal
Unique DIY Kid’s Costumes That Will Save You Money

Are you ready for Halloween? Are you looking for unique DIY Halloweens Costume for your child? If you are like me, we participate in Halloween dress up activities in early October so we start looking for costumes in September.

Yet, if you are trying to save money this year you may want to save the sticker price at your local Halloween store and make your own.

My mom is a talented seamstress. She made ALL of our Halloween costumes when we were kids. She was super creative and designed Jeanie costumes, ghosts, clowns, and much more. With four kids, I often wonder when she found the time. Yet, these are now costumes I will never forget.

We had very few pictures back then, but the memories remain. I often forget my parents didn’t have cell phones to annoy their offspring by taking 50 pictures of everything they never want to forget – or post on social media – Sorry Kids! Back then we only remembered the things that made a BIG impact and these homemade costumes my mother created are something I will hold dear.

So this year, consider making your own costume instead of paying a HUGE sticker price. You will save money and it will be a special costume for your little one to remember long into adulthood. Also, the costumes listed below are budget-friendly and easy to make. Check them out and let your kids take a peek. My son already has his eyes on the cardboard boxtume! Also, a few of the costumes can be used for a child or an adult, so you can match your little one, which is my favorite thing to do!

Rent and Save

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