Dealing with demanding children and saving money at the same time
Kids are no doubt expensive and no matter how much you try to give what they want, there is seemingly no end to their demands and to the amount of stuff they want. Most of the times parents give in to the demands of their children because they do not want to disappoint them especially when they are under pressure to fit in school. To enable parents to save money despite dealing with the demands of your children, listed below are some of the tips that you can follow.
1. Take advantage of discount websites- If your children constantly nag you about books, DVDs or video game CDs, there is no need to pay full price for them. Before you get in your car and head to the store, visit discount or auction websites first. Most items are usually available at these websites and they have varying levels from brand new to use. Regardless though, you can be assured of great savings and relieved of having to pay full price for those items.
2. Visit consignment sales- If you haven't heard of consignment sales then you are surely missing a lot on discounts. Search for annual or semi-annual consignment sales near your area. It is usually during events such as these that sellers join together to sell gently used clothes, toys, shoes, cribs and other items that you can think of. You can bring your children along when you visit one so they can choose what they want. In this way, you are making your children happy while saving money as well.
3. Ask for free formula- Having a newborn baby is costly and the only demand from a newborn baby is of course, its formula. If you have become good friends with your pediatrician, do not hesitate to ask for the free samples he or she receives. Doing so will save you tons of money and will spare you from buying formula for at least a day or two.
4. Grocery store clubs- When you usually bring your children with you when you go grocery shopping, more often than not, you tend to go beyond your budget because of their wants and of course, you cannot say no because what they want from grocery stores are usually food. To save money in this aspect, you can sign them up at grocery stores which offer kids clubs. These clubs provide kids coupons as well as goodies and coupons for parents which you can use to save money on stuff for your kids.
5. Buy parenting magazines- Parenting magazines are actually a good resource for tips on saving money and dealing with your children. Aside from those, they usually contain events or activities that offer discounts. These are good deals especially if your children have been nagging you to enroll them in one.
6. Take advantage of "kids eat free" offers- There are a lot of restaurants which offer this type of deals. They are usually offered in the middle of the week when the restaurants are running a bit slow. If your kids love going out, decide to stay in during Sundays and go out on days or evenings when these deals are being offered. Check newspapers, magazines or even your kids' favorite restaurants to learn about their promos and deals.
7. Borrow from friends- When your kids ask you for stuff that you know they won't use for too long, do not hesitate to borrow from friends. You can always offer to return the favor whenever they too ask to borrow some stuff from you.
8. Corporate discounts- Do not disregard corporate discounts and other complimentary tickets to events and other activities that your company offers. You can save a lot of money by making use of them especially when your children decide to do something fun or go someplace else.
9. Search for good deals- Children these days, especially those who are in constant pressure of fitting in in school usually ask their parents for electronic gadgets such as video consoles, phones, tablets, etc. Parents do not deny their children these items to make sure that they do get accepted in a social circle and to avoid their risk of being teased. To enable you to provide these for your children without breaking your bank accounts, you can search for good deals online. You can wait for promotional sales, Black Friday events or simply buy used ones which are in good shape. Just make sure that you ask for a warranty so that, in case of a failure, you can get your money back or have the item replaced.
Although these tips will enable you to save money while providing your children what they want, it is still important to put a limit. Regularly check your credit reports and scores and make sure that the demands of your children are not getting in the way of your finances. If they are, just keep in mind that spoiling your children is never a good thing. Saying no is indeed really hard but it is a life lesson that every parent as well as child should learn to help them prepare for when they are older and start living their own lives independently.
1. Take advantage of discount websites- If your children constantly nag you about books, DVDs or video game CDs, there is no need to pay full price for them. Before you get in your car and head to the store, visit discount or auction websites first. Most items are usually available at these websites and they have varying levels from brand new to use. Regardless though, you can be assured of great savings and relieved of having to pay full price for those items.
2. Visit consignment sales- If you haven't heard of consignment sales then you are surely missing a lot on discounts. Search for annual or semi-annual consignment sales near your area. It is usually during events such as these that sellers join together to sell gently used clothes, toys, shoes, cribs and other items that you can think of. You can bring your children along when you visit one so they can choose what they want. In this way, you are making your children happy while saving money as well.
3. Ask for free formula- Having a newborn baby is costly and the only demand from a newborn baby is of course, its formula. If you have become good friends with your pediatrician, do not hesitate to ask for the free samples he or she receives. Doing so will save you tons of money and will spare you from buying formula for at least a day or two.
4. Grocery store clubs- When you usually bring your children with you when you go grocery shopping, more often than not, you tend to go beyond your budget because of their wants and of course, you cannot say no because what they want from grocery stores are usually food. To save money in this aspect, you can sign them up at grocery stores which offer kids clubs. These clubs provide kids coupons as well as goodies and coupons for parents which you can use to save money on stuff for your kids.
5. Buy parenting magazines- Parenting magazines are actually a good resource for tips on saving money and dealing with your children. Aside from those, they usually contain events or activities that offer discounts. These are good deals especially if your children have been nagging you to enroll them in one.
6. Take advantage of "kids eat free" offers- There are a lot of restaurants which offer this type of deals. They are usually offered in the middle of the week when the restaurants are running a bit slow. If your kids love going out, decide to stay in during Sundays and go out on days or evenings when these deals are being offered. Check newspapers, magazines or even your kids' favorite restaurants to learn about their promos and deals.
7. Borrow from friends- When your kids ask you for stuff that you know they won't use for too long, do not hesitate to borrow from friends. You can always offer to return the favor whenever they too ask to borrow some stuff from you.
8. Corporate discounts- Do not disregard corporate discounts and other complimentary tickets to events and other activities that your company offers. You can save a lot of money by making use of them especially when your children decide to do something fun or go someplace else.
9. Search for good deals- Children these days, especially those who are in constant pressure of fitting in in school usually ask their parents for electronic gadgets such as video consoles, phones, tablets, etc. Parents do not deny their children these items to make sure that they do get accepted in a social circle and to avoid their risk of being teased. To enable you to provide these for your children without breaking your bank accounts, you can search for good deals online. You can wait for promotional sales, Black Friday events or simply buy used ones which are in good shape. Just make sure that you ask for a warranty so that, in case of a failure, you can get your money back or have the item replaced.
Although these tips will enable you to save money while providing your children what they want, it is still important to put a limit. Regularly check your credit reports and scores and make sure that the demands of your children are not getting in the way of your finances. If they are, just keep in mind that spoiling your children is never a good thing. Saying no is indeed really hard but it is a life lesson that every parent as well as child should learn to help them prepare for when they are older and start living their own lives independently.
Source...