Save Some Green

Children, although they are darling little creatures, are also very, very expensive. And for those of you with the cute little pink and snugly models, take it from a parent of a pre-teen.... Really, it can and WILL get more expensive! You think diapers and powdered gold, whoops, I mean Formula are expensive, just wait! Soon will come, football ($500 per year easily), Dance (easily $1000 per year), Ice skating, soccer, girl and boy scouts, camps, school and more. Much much more! Then come the holidays where gone are the days where a simple $3 toy or an empty egg carton for that matter will suffice! Nope, now we are getting asked for things like cellphones, ipods and Nintendo Wii's! Ouch!

So, for those of you not privileged enough to raise a child with Donald Trumps income, here are come tips that have made my dollar stretch to it's absolute breaking point!

1. Shop the sales. I know that sounds like the same old thing, but I am very serious! I have three girls that are totally into Hannah Montana and her clothes and accessories, bedding and bikes are priced out of this world! I have found that they are just as happy when I buy a shirt for $30 as when I buy it on sale for $10. And my son, he has to have the most expensive, name brand shoes. $100 minimum! Unless I can find them on sale. He doesn't care what they cost, just that they make him look cool at school. (Which at this age is a very important thing for children)

2. Use coupons and promotion codes. There are many, many websites out there that offer coupons and promotion codes. www.promotioncodes.com for starters offers promotion codes for many of the major online retailers. And if you are in Utah www.grocerysmarts.com does all the work for you matching up store sale ads with manufactures coupons, resulting in a boat load of savings! I actually picked up 12 boxes of Kellogg cereal last Friday for $0.50 per box!!! And alot of items end up being free with your coupons!

3. E-Bay it! If you are looking for a hard to find or terribly overpriced item, it's likely that you can find it on ebay and at a reasonable price. I have used ebay for years and have only had one problem with a transaction and they cleared it up, faulted the seller and returned my money to me promptly. Then went about dealing with the seller. Ebay is a wonderful and safe place to shop and find great deals!

4. Shop the off season. Now is not the time to run out and buy your childrens summer wardrobe! That was last fall. Now is the perfect time to pick up their school clothes for next school year. Now is when the stores introduce their new lines of summer fashions and deeply discount those fall and winter clothes that have been hanging around since last March. Now is the perfect time to outfit your children in winter coats and snowboots, sweaters and long sleeved shirts. Pick up a cute summer dress while your shopping, but leave the majority of the summer clothes shopping for August or September!