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Anna’s Budget Tips-How to Save on Kids’ Birthday Parties

August 1, 2013 by Kathryn 9 Comments

It’s only natural for moms to be excited about the little ones’ (or no-so-little-anymore ones’…) birthdays. These annual milestones are a reminder of the amazing people our kids are turning into and how much they’ve grown, learned and changed since the last birthday. And that’s certainly a cause for celebration! But…it’s all too easy to let the festivities get way out of control.

Does it really take a bouncy house, pony rides, popcorn machine, full suite of coordinated printed products, character appearances, a magician and overflowing goody bags to mark the passing of another year? Here is some advice for throwing a fun birthday party on a budget.

kids birthday party tips

Pick a theme.

Having a central idea to build the party around keeps it fun and exciting and also helps you to focus in on a few special ideas in a “sky’s the limit” world. This also helps make the party more personal when the theme is something your child loves. A few ideas:

A favourite pastime such as soccer, baseball, dance, gymnastics or swimming.
A beloved character from a TV show, movie or video game.
A fantasy theme such as princesses, fairies, pirates, cowboys & cowgirls, outer space or mermaids.
A theme centred around the party activities – movie night, camp-out or makeover party.

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Anna’s Budget Tips-Stocking Your Pantry for Less

July 4, 2013 by Kathryn 8 Comments

A well stocked pantry means easy access to quick and healthy meals on busy days, no need to panic when friends or family drop by at the last minute and even sustenance in case of a power outage during a storm or other emergency event. Keeping the basics on hand can even help you save on your grocery bill too, something that is often at the top of the priority list for many families when it comes to the household budget.

So how can your pantry help you spend less?

groceries in bag

Stock Up When Items Are On Sale

Keep track of the non-perishable items your family enjoys and tends to eat regularly. This could be a list in your purse, on your phone or just a “mental note.” When you find a great deal on one of these (say when there’s a killer sale or you have a high value coupon), jump on it and grab a few. Whether it’s dry pasta, canned tuna, dried or canned beans, cereal, baking mixes or jars of salsa and sauces…just a few of these items and you’ve got the start of a great meal. [Read more…]

Anna’s Budget Tips-Ways to Make Saving Fun for the Whole Family

June 5, 2013 by Kathryn 5 Comments

Rainy day funds, retirement accounts, college savings…they are all part of responsible financial planning, but allocating money towards them doesn’t always feel that exciting. Teaching children to save will serve them well throughout their lifetimes and sticking to a budget is much easier when all members of the family are on board. But how can you make the idea of saving interesting, or even fun?

family saving tips

The Family Fun Jar

Designate a large jar or other container as the holding zone for money that is being saved for something special for the family to purchase or experience together. Decide as a family what this highly targeted fund will go towards…it could be a vacation, video game system or new bikes. When I was little our family spent the accumulated savings in our jar on an above ground pool.

Here’s how it works: money goes into the jar when you pass on spending money in favour of saving. Thinking of ordering pizza? Stick the cash in the jar and have cereal or PB ‘n Js instead. Kids begging for the latest toy, movie or treat? Offer them the choice to put the money the treat would cost in the jar instead. Extra change found in pockets, couch cushions and the floor of the car can go in the jar too. The idea is that the money that goes into the jar comes out of the amounts already budgeted to other discretionary spending; try not to spend as normal and then stick an additional amount into the jar.

Prefer not to have all that cash around? Like so much of banking and finances these days, you can also keep this Family Fun Savings electronic. Keep a record on paper or in a spreadsheet of the amounts saved, and then once a month transfer the total into a special savings account set up for this purpose. [Read more…]

Budget Friendly Gardening Tips

May 2, 2013 by Kathryn 5 Comments

The much anticipated arrival of Spring means it’s a great time to get some seeds in the ground and watch them grow into flowers, veggies, berries, herbs and more! Growing your own produce may seem like an ideal way to cut back on food costs, but it doesn’t always turn out that way.

You imagine strolling through rows of lush plants, laden with ripe red tomatoes, plump strawberries and lovely squash…without having to spend a penny! But a costly trip to the garden centre for tools, seeds, plants, soil, pots and compost, followed by a few weeks of weeding only to find that some things never grew and others were devoured by bugs, birds, rabbits or other critters can cause some serious frustration.

garden

So, what to do? How can you increase the chances for a satisfying experience where you reap the rewards (both financial and emotional!) of your garden, and decrease the chances of it becoming a money pit? Get started with these budget friendly gardening tips: [Read more…]

Anna’s Budget Tips-Beautiful on a Budget

April 2, 2013 by Kathryn 2 Comments

It’s only natural to want to look and feel your best. Expensive beauty products tempt all of us at one time or another from the pages of magazines, websites, stores, salons and friends’ recommendations…and all too often come with seriously high price tags. Here are a few tips for cutting costs when it comes to your appearance so you can stay beautiful on a budget.

budget beauty tips [Read more…]