Penny Pinching, Part 2

How else do I save money??

I bring our lunch, snacks & drinks when we go out. Otherwise, I’ll easily spend $15 on lunch. My on-the-go meals? PB&J, cheese and crackers, yogurt drinks, nuts, raisins, freeze-dried fruit, sliced fruit, ziplocks of snacky stuff, and jarred babyfood for D-Boy. Sippy cups with water. I even bring my own ice coffee in a super size thermos to avoid the itch when I pass a Dunkin Donuts. That $2.79 adds up if I do it 3-4 times a week. The few times I’ve bought a coffee drink at Starbucks, I end up feeling like I was duped, so I don’t bother (too often).

And just for the record, I’m convinced Starbucks has us all over a barrel. I don’t even go in unless I have to make a pit-stop for diaper changes. Plus, doesn’t their coffee make you twitch? I can hardly concentrate when I drink it. Hmmmm. Maybe that’s their secret!? They make stronger coffee to gain loyalty from caffeine addicts, which I sometimes think I am, but… wow! I just had an “Aha!” moment. I like Dunkin Donuts better anyway, so I buy their coffee at BJs (with a coupon) and make it at home.

Speaking of weekday outings,  we do a lot of free things. The local library has SO MUCH going on. Storytime programs for young children and a TON of books to borrow. A few times a month we stock up on as many books, music CDs, and DVDs we can stuff into a canvas bag, which is nice-to-have when we’re hanging out at home. The local bookstore also has weekly storytime and crafts. We love our local park playgrounds, too. My kids also get a kick out of the pet store and aquarium shops. We enjoy playdates at friends’ houses, walks around the neighborhood, playing in the backyard, going to the beach (oh, Summer. How I long for you.), etc. We are also members of the Zoo, so we go often.

I’m also always open to receiving and giving hand-me-downs. For goodness sake, why not?!! I know some don’t, and that’s ok.

It’s kinda like when I ask someone if they’d like share my french fries. If they say, “No thanks!”, I secretly breathe a sigh of relief cause that leaves more for me and the other salt-licker on my right. Know what I mean?

Anyway, I’ve got great friends and family who’ve given me second hand maternity clothes, baby clothes, a bassinet, a swing, a baby pappazan, furniture, and so much more. And I’ve done the same for the next Mommy who needs them. Now, ofcourse, I don’t want your old breast pump, or your maternity underwear. Um, eew. I won’t use used baby shoes, either. But a bag of cute Summer maternity wear is just begging to be passed down. And all of those 0-6month baby clothes I didn’t get to, with tags still on them, they just belong in the next new baby’s drawer. A friend of mine gives me stuff all the time for Girl-E. And my sister-in-law passed down her son’s entire 0-18 months wardrobe. Like, seriously, I’ve bought only a handful of baby clothes for him. This is the deal, when you have a generous person in your life, be a generous person, too. It may mean that giving happens to a different friend or family member, and that’s ok. It really makes a big difference on the bank account, so spread the wealth.

Tag sales/Yard Sales/Garage sales (whatever they call them in your neighborhood) are GREAT for kids’ toys, books, garden tools, etc. This weekend we found some really well-taken-care-of toys for our children for next to nothing. Can you say, “SCORE!!!”

When I drive by a house that has a gently used kids’ bench table on their curb, we stop, pop the trunk, bring it home, give it a scrub, and throw it in the backyard for outdoor fun. This happened the just other day! For the outdoor kind of stuff, I’m open. It’s amazing how many things we’ve found that were literally being thrown away. One family’s garbage, is another’s playground… literally!! Wheeee!!

And when you do need to buy new clothes,  I LOVE Target and Walmart for baby and toddler stuff. Target, especially, has great clothing and some good quality shoes too (Osh’Gosh and Cherokee brands are great). Just shop early in the season before they’re all swiped up. Walmart has great inexpensive casual clothing and fantastic deals on toys, especially after the holidays when everyone returns their unwanted/still-in-the-box gifts – they go straight to clearance. I’ve gotten some really good deals there.