Volunteering is such an important thing! I try to teach my child at a young age to volunteer for as much as she can! It is good to instill the good traits at a young age and if she is giving and caring as a young child then she hopefully will grow to be giving and caring in her adult years. Dr. Mary Zurn, Vice President of Education for Primrose School agrees that volunteering at a young age is important. That is why she came up with 4 easy steps for parents to follow! Step 1: Clarify your personal goals and motives for wanting to include your child in volunteer activities. Volunteering is a wonderful way to a share your values with your child. Pick a cause that is meaningful to you and your family rather than one that is simply convenient. Step 2: Explain the importance of volunteerism and the contribution volunteers can make. A child's favorite question is "why?" Keep your answers simple and concrete. For example, if you are going to volunteer at the food bank, tell your … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Save on Your Child’s Diapers
This is a guest post written by Lauren Dzuris. Lauren runs FindMyCarSeat, a website on Booster Car Seats that can help new parents find a great car seat, while giving them tips, and advice on everything from pregnancy to parenting. Once we have a baby, we finally start to see what everyone means when they say they’re expensive. We’ve heard it from our parents, our in-laws, and have read about it, but until they’re here in our arms, we don’t fully understand. Between the cost of a complete nursery set, formula each week, diapers, clothes, and everything else, we’ve spent a good amount of money! What really gets us is the cost of diapers. Although they serve a purpose, it seems silly to spend so much on something we use once and throw away! So, if you’re looking to cut the costs on them, here are some ideas below! Brands: First of all, brand plays a role in the price just like everything else. If you can, stick with your local grocery store’s brand. A diaper is … [Read more...]
3 Ideas for Having Fun on a Budget
Everyone is trying to cut costs. We’re clipping more coupons, cutting back on gas, turning the thermostat down and wearing more sweaters. We’re all trying to learn how to do more with less. But all that penny pinching and stress about finances can get to you. Sometimes you just want go out to the movies and buy a big tub of buttery popcorn even though you know it’s way too expensive. In fact, did you know that the average family spends over $1,800 a year on entertainment? That’s a lot of money you could be saving. But there are ways to have fun and save money at the same time, you may even find that they’re even more fun than spending all the money you used to spend on movies, cable, and sporting events. Here are some ways that you can save money, but still have a good time: Cut the cable and borrow movies Most people spend anywhere between $50-$100 a month on cable or satellite service. You may have 500 channels, but there still nothing on TV. Cutting out that monthly cost may … [Read more...]
How to Keep your Kids Entertained For Less by Alisa Gilbert
How to Keep your Kids Entertained For Less If you have children, you know the expenses that come with the territory. Whether it's with school, extra-curricular activities, or entertainment, raising children is a rewarding but inevitably costly endeavor. One area, however, that parents tend to splurge on is kids' entertainment. Advertisements have us convinced that our children's recreational time requires some serious cash, but nothing could be further from the truth. Especially with younger kids, you'd be surprised at how little it takes to keep your children entertained and engaged. Here are a few ideas that require little or no money at all. 1. Find free events in your town or city. You'd be surprised at how many free events are going on in your community that your kids will enjoy. Look up the community section of your local newspaper and find out, or do some Google research. Almost every community will have something going on that's free of charge--whether it's a play … [Read more...]
Did You Know? Halloween Trivia by Margo Smith
Did You Know? Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers So much mystery surrounds the holiday that we call Halloween that maybe you would like to separate out some facts about this ghostly celebration. Keep reading and you will learn plenty of facts to satisfy your curiosity about this popular October holiday. Test your Halloween knowledge with the following questions, and don’t worry, the answers are included. Q. Do you know how we came to celebrate Halloween in the U.S.? A. It came to North America via European immigrants who would make merry at harvest time with a large fire, songs, ghostly stories, dances and more. Q. How much do Americans spend annually for candy for this sweet and spooky holiday? A. At least 2 billion This question has 2 parts, and each question has the same answer: Q. Do you know what the most popular costume of all time is? Q. Do you know what count had a society founded for him in 1962? A. Dracula Q. Do you know what the very first … [Read more...]
Save Your Money And Watch It Grow!
Save Your Money And Watch It Grow! If you do nothing else this week, why don't you see if you can make your money grow by opening a savings account? You may have looked at doing this in the past but been so overwhelmed by the choice on offer that you decided not to bother in the end. But if this is the case, you could have been missing out on a substantial amount of free money. A savings account is something which keeps your money safe while paying you for the privilege of doing so. Think about it this way; you're lending your money to a bank, so they have to pay you for doing so. It's like a reverse loan! Admittedly we can't make as much from savings account interest as a bank can make from a loan, but any free money is good in this day and age. As there are so many different types of savings account out there, I've compiled a helpful table with the most common, and the features common to each one. The table should give you an idea of what kind of account could suit … [Read more...]
Spooky Craft Projects for Kids, That Won’t Frighten Craft-phobic Parents
Spooky Craft Projects for Kids, That Won’t Frighten Craft-phobic Parents By Sandy Sandler Parents are you scared of Halloween crafts? Are you afraid that you are just not crafty enough to do craft projects with your children? I have some unbelievably easy and kid friendly Halloween craft ideas for you to do together with your kids. These adorable Halloween craft ideas are featured on the Crafters 4 Kids website, with basic step-by-step instructions that you and your children will be able to follow without any trouble. Pumpkin Treat Bag Help your child design their own pumpkin treat bag and then let them choose whether they want to save it for trick-or-treat night or give it to someone as a gift. They’re cute enough to hang by the green pipe cleaners on a door or a wall, too. Spider Web Decoration Another adorable (*ahem* I mean scary) decoration on the Crafters 4 Kids list is a spider attached to a spider web, complete with red eyes and silvery glitter. Attach a … [Read more...]
To Do Tuesday Guest Post!
Image taken from: http://shopsonlineblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/shopping-online-saves-you-big.html Five Ways to Save Money When Shopping Online There is a world of possibilities available for those who do their shopping online. The benefits of comparing product after product from website after website in the comfort of your own home are endless. You can coupon shop, price check and browse for hours without even breaking a sweat. Those who don’t know how to do it right, though, can end up paying more than if they had gone out to the stores. Keep on reading to learn five ways you’re sure to get good deals when shopping online. 1. Online Consignment Shops The difference between an online consignment shop and a thrift store is the fact that thrift stores take donations and leftovers while consignment shops split the profits of the goods with the … [Read more...]
To Do Tuesday Guest Post!
Finding the Best Patio Furniture For Small Spaces Materials Matter The construction and materials used in your patio furniture will make a greater difference in space restricted areas. Sometimes lighter colors, such as natural wood or white pieces, help to keep an open feeling. Other times dark colors like black and brown are perfect, as long as they are not overpowering or found on wide expanses. Tempered glass is an excellent choice for a tabletop in your cozy spot. Because it allows light to filter through, glass will provide a place to set things down without blocking the view and making the space feel crowded. If iron, aluminum or another metal is more your style, look for woven patterns that provide a filtered view. Cross backed and mesh designs offer the stability of metal with an open feel. Woven wood like wicker doesn’t offer the same advantage since you cannot see through it and the designs are often bulky in scale. Allude to Something More You can also design … [Read more...]
Getting The Most Out Of Your Dishwasher by Anthony Hall
Getting the Most Out of Your Dishwasher After a number of years since their invention the dishwasher it has risen to the status of the range and the refrigerator in its place in the kitchens of America with builders even putting a spot by your sink specifically for your dishwasher. There were of course problems with the beginning models and some problems that persist to this day. One being that the thing turned out to be very loud and they didn’t clean nearly as well as you would hope and the amounts of electricity used would be a shock to your electric bill. In fact some people were pre washing the dishes and then letting the dishwasher finish it off. Basically they were doing half of the work while the dishwasher did the other half. Not something that was of much help if you ask me. Of course the long march of technology continues on and now although the dishwashers are very powerful you still have to keep some things in mind to get everything cleaned correctly. You … [Read more...]
Winter Vegetables for an Exceptionally Late Harvest-Guest Post
Winter Vegetables for an Exceptionally Late Harvest By Clair Schwan As we close down the summer months and head into the fall, this is a good time to start thinking about winter vegetables and how we might make use of them to extend our vegetable gardening season for many months – right into the very cold days and nights of winter. You might even have some of these cold hardy varieties growing in your garden now. If not, this would be a great time to plant them so you have freshly matured crops that are sufficiently robust to face Old Man Winter. Let’s take a look at what you might plant and grow so you’re better prepared to enjoy fresh vegetables long after most of the traditional summer crops have found their way into your compost pile. There are about 20 varieties of vegetables that come to mind, but for the sake of brevity, let’s focus on just a few general types and offer examples of each. That should give everyone a good idea of the range of possibilities and the potential … [Read more...]
To Do Tuesday Guest Post! Earn Extra Giveaway Entries!
Decorating Fitted Bedroom While Enjoying Heavenly Savings People may find getting confused to choose the right wardrobes for their bedroom furniture. When shopping for bedroom furniture, there are several things to keep in mind to make your room look the best it possibly can and you can save lot of money. Bedroom furniture has such a lot of variation today with such a wide range of dressers, wardrobes and beds that we actually don't know the way to select the perfect furniture for the home. Bedroom furniture is an easy and it reflects the stylishness and makes a fashion statement of its owner. A bedroom wardrobe is a standing closet that is utilized for storing clothes, bed sheets, and other personal items. It's important to feel very comfortable and relaxed in your bedroom so you can get a proper night's sleep, or be relaxed for other more intimate activities. The major … [Read more...]
To Do Tuesday Guest Post! Earn Extra Giveaway Entries!
Decorating on a Budget by: Kristl, http://www.thebudgetdiet.com/ The Budget Diet is a diet for your wallet…not your waistline! You'll discover new money saving tips everyday to help you slim down your daily spending! The Budget Diet girl Is not a financial planner or an accountant…just a mom that knows how to live the good life on a budget! Follow The Budget Diet on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Budget-Diet/114014985289270 or twitter http://www.twitter.com/thebudgetdiet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Budget Diet girl’s top 10 tips for decorating on a budget… 1. Rearrange! Remember when you were little, and you used to rearrange your bedroom just for the fun of it? There’s no rule against grown-ups rearranging! Have fun…it’s free to use what you have! 2. Paint! Paint is the budget decorator’s friend because it’s the cheapest way to change the look of a room! You must also think beyond the walls… transform an ugly piece of furniture with paint…black paint is a miracle … [Read more...]
Guest Post-Less Space, More Crops in the Home Vegetable Garden
Less Seeds, Less Space, More Crops In The Home Vegetable Garden Let's say that the item in question for our example here is black beauty eggplant. When you walked into the produce section to go pick some up, did you buy thirty of them at once? No of course you didn't that would be ridiculous! I am going to get into a little technique in a moment that covers this, but for now understand that buying this many of one type of vegetable all at once is impractical. Why then, on the back of most seed packets do you think they, the seed packagers, want you to plant all of the seeds at one time? An even better question is why they have you plant 3 to 4 seeds in one location and then thin out the pack so to speak. In other words, spread them out. Did you know some varieties of vegetable seeds come nearly 1000 to a pack? That is a whole lot of lettuce to grow at one time. This method of gardening has been passed down from generation to generation and although it doesn't make it wrong to still … [Read more...]
Guest Post-Learn The Basics of Growing Tomatoes
Learn The Basics Of Growing Tomatoes If a rose by any other name is still a rose, then a tomato by any other botanical classification is still a vegetable. Scientifically the tomato is classified as a fruit, but we, as home vegetable gardeners, will forever refer to this great tasting item as a vegetable. The tomato is so popular in the home vegetable garden that it nearly doubles the next most popular item, the cucumber. Tomatoes are extremely popular because they have so many uses when it comes to eating them. You can add them to salads, soups, make sauces and stews out of them or simply slice them up and add them to a sandwich. In spite of their popularity many home vegetable gardeners neglect the basics which could help them increase their harvest and grow tastier tomatoes. Here are some basic growing facts to keep in mind when you start your tomatoes. Start Indoors Here in New Jersey my "drop into the ground" date for tomatoes is June first. Some people start earlier, … [Read more...]