On our weekly talk show “Mom’s Coffee Break” ,featuring Myself, Tonya Ramsey and Jody Maley, I have noticed that the last two shows we have talked alot about teenagers. What they do, don’t do, how they behave and so forth. I thought this would be a great article idea, not just because I have one, but because many parents are going through what I call ” The Teenager Experience”, but also because many will go through it someday. All children, no matter what their age or what they say, want to be paid attention to. They NEED to spend time with their parents and families. So here are some ideas of spending time with your teens: go to the zoo. Noone is to “old” to enjoy animals. The monkey exhibit is always fun, they seem to do some pretty inappropriate stuff that most teens, especially boys, find amusing. If your teen enjoys music, take a couple of pills for the headache that will occur, then go to a music store, concert ( if you can handle it), etc. If he/she is into gaming, check out some game stores or exhibits. There is local facility here that hosts monthly gaming tournaments. The point is to try to spend some time with your teens that focuses on their interests.
Let your teen help prepare at least one meal a week. It might be a little stressful for you in the beginning, but this will teach them valuable skills that they will need when they venture off on their own (hopefully) in the not so far off future. You don’t want them living on pizza, ramen noodles, and macaroni and cheese, do you?
Have them participate in the cleaning of the house. Yes, I am speaking of CHORES! If your child(ren) do not already, assign some household duties for your teen to complete. Reward them appropriately for your families situation and value system. If your teens don’t know how to keep up a home, can you imagine what theirs will look like?
Teach your teens the importance of doing what we can to help the environment, even if it is as basic as recycling and using reusable shopping bags. Maybe you will learn something, too.
As always, make sure you communicate with your teen. Your child(ren) DO listen to you, even when you think they do not. Let them know, and prove it, that they can always talk to you about anything, even things that they think “will make you mad”. It is so important for your kids to know that they can ALWAYS come to you about anything and you will help them work out the tough problems that is best for them and your family.
I hope this article provides a little bit of information. As always, please leave your comments! I hope everyone has a great week!
The Dometic Goddess
My best friend and my stepmom and I were sitting around talking the other day, and knowing that I am a frugal person and have this website the conversation naturally drifted towards “thrifty” topics, and some mom topics. I decided to write a post about these ideas. They are very good tips and I hope you all like them. The first one was brought up by my step mom. She is a “hair dresser”, i apologize that i do not know what the current professional term for this is, and has been since before I was born. She gets an hourly wage, but mostly survives on tips, like a waitress does. For years, she has “put away” $5.00 a day out of her tips into envelopes. She has an envelope for each month. She uses this money to pay for her camping expenses (she owns a very nice camper in a camp ground, where it stays permanently year round). She saves the money in her envelopes all year. She also uses this money as an emergency fund, and pays the envelopes back by increasing the dollar amount per day, say $10.00 a day instead of $5.00. This system has worked for her for years. Just in case you are all wondering, she does not trust banks and likes to keep her money close by. This is a very useful tip that all of us can use. I have an old tootsie roll container that i put all my spare change in. When the Tootsie Roll is full, I cash in or deposit the money into my bank account, depending on what I need at that time.
The second tip was provided by my best friend, Tonya Ramsey. She has a four year old son, and when her son was small, her and her husband wanted to combat the “scary monster under the bed/in the closet” problem all of us parents face. They took a unique, and frugal, approach. They filled a spray bottle with water and told him it was monster repellent. Every night at bedtime, they sprayed the “monster repellent” around his room. They also gave him an empty 24 ounce soda bottle, and told him to keep that by his bed, and if he got scared or needed to ” beat up the monster”, to use the bottle. These two things worked like a charm, they have NEVER had to deal with him waking up in the middle of the night crying because of “monsters in his room” I think this idea is brilliant! Hats off to you, Tonya!
I hope these two tips prove useful to many of you. Please comment or email me with your tips and hints, just follow the links on the website! I look forward to hearing from you!
“It is not quantity that should define our lives, but the quality with which we live it.”
The Domestic Goddess
It seem that every year when spring arrives, so does something else new and exciting… babies! I am surrounded by new babies, pregnant women about to give birth. It is so exciting and such an awesome experience to become a parent. However, several of these mommies and daddies have expressed concern to me about how they are going to pay for their babies/children’s expenses when money is so tight. So this article is dedicated to all parents, present and future, and I hope it helps.
First off, babies do not need brand new, expensive, designer stuff. Babies need clean, safe, functional stuff. More than likely we, as newborns on up, did NOT have $200 - $500 car seats. That price is absolutely ridiculous. Check out stores that are cheaper, like Wal-mart, Target, etc. OR maybe someone you know has one they are selling or getting rid of. Always make sure the car seat of your choice meets current safety guidelines. I got my son’s newborn carrier at my baby shower, the others we used were given to us or bought at rummage sales. All were safe, he was never injured (this was tested by me getting into a nasty car accident with him in the back seat, his car seat worked-he didn’t even have a scratch). Check garage sales, thrift stores, consignment shops, etc to see if they have carseats for sale. Usually they sell for $50 dollars and lower
Baby clothes can be bought by the ton at rummage sales and second hand stores. Since babies outgrow their clothing so quickly, it is not uncommon for babies to have clothing they never even wore. That is where people like us come in, to snatch up those great deals. Never pay more than a couple bucks at most for a baby outfit. Check for stains or areas that need repair and offer a price accordingly or bypass that item. Most of my son’s, neices and nephews clothing came from second hand sources, and still do. There is nothing wrong with reused clothing. Just wash in hot water and dry before wearing.
Babies do not need special bowls, silverware, or cups. They can use adult sized dishes just fine. Anyone ever notice those small spoons in your drawer? What a better use for them. What about the small toast plates that came with your dish set? They work perfectly for small childrens’ sized meals. No added expense needed! Need I say more?
Diapers are a tricky subject to write about, but I wanted to include it anyways. Disposables are very convenient, easy to use, and highly accessible. However, disposable diapers are one of the United States largest land fill problems. Cloth diapers are a little messier but not as much as most people think. After changing baby, shake the “nasties” into the toilet and immediately drop soiled diaper into a bucket of soap and water. Keep bucket out of children’s access, not only for cleanliness issues but small children can drown in ONE inch of water. When you are ready to wash the diapers, just dump the entire contents of bucket into the washer and set on spin. When done wash as usual. So think carefully about all aspects of whatever diaper you choose.
Special baby food and toddler foods are not necessary. These items are simply made up “needs” from the manufacturers to fill their pockets! You can make your own baby food by processing unseasoned food in a blender or food processor to puree into baby food consistency. If you are unsure of what kinds of food to start with, check out jarred baby food at the grocery store then replicate in your own home. This one idea will save you thousands of dollars over the course of your childs infant and toddler years. To make foods ahead of time, process foods as stated above, then freeze into ice cube trays. When frozen transfer frozen food cubes to a labeled ziplock bag. Take out 1 - 2 cubes and thaw, then feed baby. You can take out an entire days worth in the morning to avoid defrosting before every meal.
I hope these ideas help all parents out their of babies and small children. Remember to always think of your child(ren)’s safety first. As always, please leave your comments so we can all learn how YOU save money!
Be sure to check the other articles for more money saving tips!
Thanks to all!
The Domestic Goddess
