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One of the difficulties with being a parent is that you want to keep your kids as healthy as possible and at the same time cut costs in order to keep your family’s finances also as healthy as possible.
The problem is that in modern times – these two goals are often at odds with each other. For example organic food should be healthier than non-organic but it costs more money. Do you save money and potentially hurt your kids or do you spend the money, save the kids but hurt the budget? Another issue is time – eating healthy takes more time which means less time spent on other pursuits.
Of course it is unlikely that the choice between organic/non-organic grapes is the difference between life or death or even any real noticeable difference in health. But therein lies the modern twist – as parents in the here and now, we have far more information and choice than parents of previous generations.
This can be useful – there are a lot more medical options today if your child gets sick or injured. There are useful safety devices such as car seats which didn’t exist when I was a child. Sure they are a pain sometimes (especially if you want to clean the puke off your child car seat cover) but like seatbelts – I think they are a big positive.
Where this extra information isn’t as useful is when you start spending more time trying to give your kids the healthiest food possible, reduce or eliminate any kind of hazards for them. This article I just read (which is somewhat funny) deals with a couple of Moms who are well-meaning and trying to do the best they can for their kids but perhaps go a bit overboard.
The most common sources of information about food and various safety hazards is the internet (online opinions) and other Moms. This can mean some great information and it could also mean getting information that either is useless or even harmful. Unfortunately, neither source is 100% reliable.
It seems like every food out there is harmful in some way. Sometimes I wonder if starvation isn’t the healthiest diet? (Please note – I’m not serious about that last statement!). Toys will apparently be the death of us all. Plastic toys are your kid’s version of weapons of mass destruction. Wood is good, but what if it is treated? And don’t you get splinters from wood? What if my son bops his little sister over the head with a wooden toy vs a plastic toy – which is worse? :)
If you let your fears get the best of you then all your time will be spent hunting down more information to feed your fears.
My solution
I can’t claim to have any magic answer about how much time you should spend trying to be frugal or healthy but this is what I do know:
Balance Don’t spend all your time trying to isolate every single chemical (harmful or otherwise) in your kids snack food. Do you talk on the cell phone when you are driving your kids to a friend’s house? Do you take them for walks near a busy street? How many hours of video games do they play per day? As for finances – while it’s great to save every penny you can – don’t be penny wise and dollar foolish.
My point is that focusing on one part of your kid’s lives (whether it be food, toys, activities, school etc) or your family finances (coupons anyone?) and ignoring the other parts isn’t necessarily going to help much.
Don’t believe everything you hear Just because one scientist finds a tenuous connection between black pepper and cancer by feeding only black pepper to a bunch of mice – doesn’t mean you have to stop using black pepper. Use your common sense, if you hear something dramatic then wait a while before making major lifestyle changes.
Do the best you can If you make a decent effort to help your kids and your budget in a balanced fashion then you will the health of both your family and your finances and that after all, is the goal.
Photo by mikebaird.
The following is a regular feature by Kyle of Rather-Be-Shopping. Be sure to check his site if you are in need of online coupons or codes!
It is a very exciting time for my family. My wife and I are in the process of buying our first home! With the distressed homes available, tax credits, and low mortgage rates, our timing couldn’t be better. But with this excitement, also comes a lot of added stress. But with the proper planning and research, I have found that the home buying process can be made easier. Here are some things my wife and I have learned through this process.
Deal Hunting
When looking for real estate bargains, you have to be very proactive. You can’t rely on your realtor to do all the searching for you as they often don’t have the time. In my market in northern California, the really good deals on foreclosures all seem to be under contract within a week.
The good news is that you have access to the MLS service just like a realtor would. You can use Realtor.com to do your searching, but I would recommend doing a Google search for “Your Town foreclosures” or “Your Town real estate MLS”. You will find some websites that are updated in real time with the newest listings and foreclosures. Check it every morning and every afternoon and when you see a good deal, call your realtor and try and get in the house to take a look that day. I have found this to be the single best way to find bargains before other prospective buyers do.
Tax Credits
Try and get into contract on a home by April 30th. If you can, you will be eligible to receive a $8,000 tax credit if you are a 1st time home buyer, or a $6,500 tax credit if you have owned and lived in your previous home for five consecutive years out of the last eight years. This tax credit may very well get extended as well. Free money, can’t beat that.
Short Sales
Beware, these often become “long sales”. My wife and I found a great home at an amazing price last November that was a short sale and we had our offer accepted by the homeowner who then sent the short sale package off to the bank for their approval. The price seemed to good to be true, and after waiting four months it was indeed to good to be true and the bank decided to take the house to foreclosure. If you are a frugal bargain hunter like me, be careful with short sales. Especially since they take so long and by the time you hear back form the bank, the home could very well have depreciated even more and make your purchase price not such a great deal after all.
Mortgage Rates
Mortgage rates are fantastic right now. Check Bankrate.com to see what rates you would qualify for in your particular area. Also, make sure to get pre-qualified before you start looking for a home. This will save you a lot of headaches down the line. Also, check your credit report and credit score. If your credit score is over 740 you will get the best rates. So if your score is close to that mark, figure out what it would take to get over that number. It is worth waiting a few months to get your credit in order before you start house shopping. This could literally save you $1,000’s of dollars over a 30 year loan.
Points or No Points
That is the question. This one is simple actually. If you plan on living in the home over 5 years, buying down your mortgage rate with points will usually make sense. It typically takes about that long to get back the money it costs to buy a point. Every situation is different, so make sure to do the math and find the break-even point on your particular loan.
Please give me some other home buying tips that I may have missed. I look forward to your comments. In keeping with tradition, here are some coupon codes that may help you save even more money.
1-800-Contacts.com
Save 10% Off your Entire online purchase
Coupon Code: Shopping937
Expiration: 3/22/10
See All: 1-800 Contacts Coupons
Birthday Express.com
Save 35% off your Entire Clearance order
Coupon Code: 35CLEAR
Expiration: 3/14/10
See All: Birthday Express Coupons
Domestications.com
Save 15% off your Entire online purchase
Coupon Code: D10AFF03
Expiration: 3/31/10
See All: Domestications Coupons
Harry and David.com
Save 20% off your $50+ online purchase
Coupon Code: SAVE20
Expiration: 4/05/10
See All: Harry & David Coupons
Justice.com
Save 40% Off your Entire online purchase
Coupon Code: 774
Expiration: 3/22/10
See All: Justice Coupons
Lands End.com
Free shipping on your $50+ online purchase
Coupon Code: MARCH11 and PIN 117376722
Expiration: 3/12/10
See All: Lands End Coupons
Oriental Trading Company.com
Free shipping on your $49+ online purchase thru this link
Coupon Code: OTC7575
Expiration: 3/31/10
See All: Oriental Trading Coupons
Smart Bargains.com
Get 10% off your Entire online purchase thru this link
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 4/06/10
See All: Smart Bargains Coupons
Photo by asianjournalusa.
If so, read on.
A reporter for a major news organization is working on a story about how shoppers are starting to crawl back to some of their favorite major brands (food, clothing etc) and stores as they no longer are panic-stricken about the economy. She would like to speak to shoppers who had adopted extreme measures during the bottom of the recession _ buying only store label items or making their own detergent, only buying when you had a coupon _ and now are starting to ease up a bit.
Perhaps you’re going back to buying a shirt at Abercrombie for your son or you just bought something full price. Or you are going back to a major brand in toothpaste after trying out the grocer’s store brand. She would love to hear from you.. Please email her at adinnocenzio@ap.org by Wednesday, 5 p.m. EST. Thanks so much.
