6 Saving Money Tips For Parents

Here are some saving money ideas for parents:

1) Limit your kids' exposure to television ads. I have noticed that as soon as I switch away from Treehouse (which has no commercials) to another children's station and my daughter is inundated with toy ads, she starts asking for stuff. Her birthday list now has "Bratz" instead of "a doll". (If you're the kind of parent who has no trouble saying "NO" again and again and again and again and again, you can disregard this tip ;-).

2) Buy clothes too large out of season when they're on sale. I have a portion of each child's closet that has new clothes, several sizes too big, bought brand new on clearance (such as $2 for a shirt).

3) Shop in thrift stores. This is key: don't go in when you need a particular item - instead make it a weekly routine to stop in and browse for new arrivals. Be prepared to leave empty handed. The more you go in, the more you're likely to find items that look new, and if you're selective about what you buy, you can get nice things for a fraction of the cost.

4) Plan ahead. A friend was telling me that she just (on Nov 3) bought next year's Halloween costumes for her two kids - they were marked down to half price.

5) Have your kids make festive decorations instead of buying them. my daughter had lots of fun drawing and cutting out Jack-o-lanterns for our window for Halloween, and she's looking forward to Christmas decorating projects.

6) On the do-it-yourself note, my daughter also loves to make birthday cards. I've noticed that many of her friends exchange home-made cards at birthday parties.