Whether you have one child or five children, I think that we can all agree that every mom wants to save money without depriving their kids of life’s little luxuries. Many parents want to give their kids the best of everything that they can in life, but many parents also feel that the only way to save money is by not spending any money — thankfully this is not necessarily true.
Spend and Save Money at the Same Time
As your kids grow up, their needs and personality change; this means that you will have to buy new clothes, get the hottest new toys, shop for school supplies, and enroll your kids in their favourite after school activities. All of these things do cost money, but they don’t have to cost a lot of money.
Here are 3 tips to help you save and spend money on your kids:
Host a Swap Party. If you need new clothes for your kids, then the odds are that other mothers probably do too. Call all of your mommy friends, invite them to come over for a play date (so no one has to worry about hiring a babysitter), and tell them to bring all of their unused or outgrown toys and clothes. This is a great way to reuse and recycle your kid’s clothes and toys; it’s also a great way to find some new products for your kids. Swap parties are most successful if you invite moms who have kids with a variety of different ages. Swap parties are kid-friendly and budget friendly at the same time.
Sign Up and ‘Like’ your Favourite Brands. Many different companies want to spread the word about their products and services online because it is the fastest and most cost efficient way to market their brand. If you ‘Like’ a company on Facebook and you ‘Follow’ them on Twitter you may receive exclusive discounts, deals and product offers. It is also a great idea to sign up for a company’s newsletter because they sometimes send advance purchase notices for products and exclusive coupons for some of their most popular products to anyone who subscribes to their (usually monthly) newsletter.
Reuse and Recycle. If you are planning to have more than one child then don’t throw anything out and don’t downsize because you will need everything again in a couple of years. Having kids within a couple years of each other can save you a lot of money because you can keep your baby furniture, clothes and toys for your second (or third) child. If you don’t mind storing your items for a couple of years this is a great way to save money.
Kristina is a lifestyle and personal finance blogger who also contributes to QuickQuid – UK’s premier online loan lender. You can view her posts on QuickQuid and you can follow her on Twitter @TKBlogs.
