How Stay-at-Home Moms Survive Summer Vacation

Any Mother who has school aged children dread summer vacation. Sure you love your kids but after months of day time solitude, you now have screaming aliens trampling your house all day and well into the evening. If you are fortunate enough to work outside the home those Mothers have a different set of problems. This is specifically for stay-at-home Moms.

Once the initial shock of having the kids back in the house all day has worn out, get off the floor from your fetal position and start planning. To be honest, planning in advance works well here, but some Moms like to be spontaneous and wait to the last minute. Moms, you can get through and survive summer vacation by involving the kids in activities that will occupy them until school starts again.

Image via Wikipedia

If your kids are a little older teach them to cook. If the kids are younger let them plan meals and then help you cook them. The sillier the meal is the better and more memorable it will be for your children. This can be done once a week or once a month. However, it’s something the kids will remember.

Money is tight in every household. Although you may not be able to afford lavish vacations to exotic places you can have stay-cations and day trips. These trips can incorporate education into them or can be purely for fun. Trips to museums or libraries can keep their brain focused over the summer without feeling like learning. The kids feel like they have been somewhere over their summer vacation.

 

Filed Under: Eco Family Benefits Tagged With: , ,

Tips & Tricks for Teaching Kids Frugality

Every parent wants to raise their kids to become self-reliant adults that appreciate the virtues of conservation. Thus, it is a parent’s job to teach their children acts of frugality. Learning the perks of frugality as a kid means being prepared to manage money as a grownup. These tips will have kids using their allowances, and future salaries, wisely.

Have Kids Help Cook

Eating out costs much more money than eating at home. Most kids learn this lesson on their own when they start hanging out at mall food courts. However, it’s an expense that parents can easily teach kids to avoid by cooking at home. When preparing dinner, get your kids involved so that they can learn a few recipes and how to feed themselves instead of relying on costly restaurants.

Turn Kids Into Handy People

People who practice frugality have a strong do-it-yourself attitude. This is especially true when it comes to tackling many of the maintenance needs around the house. Handling home repair jobs by yourself can save you a lot of money by avoiding the high price of hiring a professional, but it takes significant training to do it right.

As a parent, you should teach your kids at an early age numerous ways to fix basic things around the house. It teaches them how to be frugal by being self-reliant.

Open a Joint Savings Account

By opening a joint savings account, parents can teach their kids the benefits of putting their money away. Instead of a piggy bank, a real bank shows kids how their money can earn interest, while allowing parents to see just how well they are managing their money. By sharing an account, parents can provide guidance as to what their kids should be saving for. Parents can also match savings goals as a reward. A bank account will be very helpful when kids get close to the driving age and they need to start saving for car insurance and gas.

Visit the Library

The library, where numerous resources are provided for free and shared among its members, sums up the practice of frugality. Kids will enjoy visiting the library for all the children’s books, movies and, sometimes, video games. Even though it’s technically a quiet zone, the library can be a fun experience for kids. Little do they know that they are getting a prime lesson about frugality by using the free, reusable services available to them.

Use Coupons for Amusement Parks and Arcades

Kids typically learn like their primate relatives: monkey see, monkey do. Parents can teach their kids frugality by using coupons in places they enjoy, like amusement parks and arcades. By witnessing how savings lead to more time having fun, it is a lesson that will stick with them for years to come.

Conclusion

There are many things parents have to teach their kids, and one of the most essential is frugality. Starting early puts kids on a path to better money management by learning frugal spending and saving habits. How are you showing your kids the benefits of frugality?

Filed Under: Best Green Practices for Kids Tagged With: , , ,

4 Fun Father-Daughter Activities

One of the most difficult relationships to build is between a father and a daughter, because the age difference makes it hard to relate to each other. The father/daughter relationship, however, is important so that the daughter knows she is loved. Here are four fun activities that fathers and daughters can do together to build a relationship.

1. Amusement Parks

Most kids like amusement parks and would love the fact that their father was willing to take them. Plus, there is a lot of fun to be had for fathers at amusement parks too. Go on all of the rides together, eat some treats, and come home with great memories.

2. Shopping

Many girls like to shop, so this is a great activity for fathers and daughters to do together. Some girls even like looking at t-shirts for men, so there should never be a dull moment. Make sure you give your daughter some extra money to spend and she will be very happy.

3. Hiking/Outdoor Recreation

Spending time together outdoors is another great idea. You can have a lot of fun hiking, and it provides a great opportunity for you to have a heart-to-heart conversation together. Besides hiking, you can go fishing, camping, water skiing, or do anything else outdoors.

4. Movies

For fathers who have a difficult time communicating with their daughters, taking them to the movies is a great idea. This way you can have some entertainment and not have to worry about keeping a conversation going.

These are just four ideas to get you started. Use your common interests as a guide for planning some fun father/daughter activities.

Filed Under: Best Green Practices for Kids Tagged With: , ,

The Price of Insurance Savings

An assortment of United States coins, includin... 

Image via Wikipedia

For every family there is the nightmare of insuring the family. Yes, it’s a necessity but it’s one that can cost the average family a pretty penny to get the protection and the peace of mind that they need for their loved one. Of course most of the time the issue with the insurance price is a lack of looking. There are deals to be had everywhere but yet there are a number of people who don’t take the time to seek them out. Here are a few tips to get the kind of insurance you need for the price that you want.

The first is to continue with the same company. Now, you should be shopping for one company to start with, but once you find the rates that you like you should be willing to get multiple policies there because of the steep discounts that they tend to give you for insurance on several different things.

If you can afford to pay the six month premiums you are going to see a big break on the money you have to pay. There are a number of insurance companies that are willing to give you money off if you are willing to pay in big chunks.

Another thing to do is deal directly with an agent. They tend to be more helpful and may know of some tricks or some discounts that are not advertised on the website. That could be a big cost savings to you down the road.

 

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Guide for New Parents – Part 4 Dads, the Forgotten Parent

When a couple has a new baby, the person who is often forgotten is the new dad. You are going to find that they are just as nervous as you are, but here are some of the things that moms can do to help their husbands learn to become a father on his own.

  • Give him a chance – The first thing that you have to do is to give him a chance to try things. A lot of dads are afraid to become involved because they’re afraid of what their wife is going to say. The baby is his child too, so give him some daddy bonding time with the baby and take advantage of the peace you’re getting.
  • Ask him to get time off – The second thing that you want to do is to ask him to get some time off once all the family has gone. This is going to give the three of you time to be a family and to get to know one another.
  • Divide the Duties – The third thing that you should do is to divide the duties. If you’re breastfeeding, your husband won’t have any feeding duties so see what he can do to help with the laundry and shopping. He might also take the baby so that you can grab a nap, a bath, or just time alone.
  • Balance Work and Play – Remember dads love to do fun things too, just not change diapers. Let him do special things with the baby that are just for him and the baby. He is learning just like you are and he’s getting his ‘baby’ legs.
  • Making Him Feel Special – Do something nice for him to let him know you are thinking of him, that is not baby-related.  Shop online for designer t-shirts for men, or book a reservation to his favorite restaurant. Don’t forget he is still a man, and wants to feel like more than just a dad every once in a while.

The needs of dads are often forgotten when it comes to a new baby, but when you remember the tips above he won’t feel forgotten. Next: dealing with everyday things.

Filed Under: Green Parenting Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »