Now that we have two children, my husband and I like to think we’ve figured a few things out. We know how to diaper the kids so that they (usually) don’t leak. We can tell when they’re hungry – and when they’re just acting up because they’re kids. But most of all, we’ve figured out a few ways to save ourselves some money – that don’t include asking the grandparents to buy them all the clothes, diapers and food that they need (although that would indeed be a money saver).

Here are a few of the things we do.

• Save up and make “bigger” items special gifts. We’d love to have a season pass to the zoo and to the local YMCA, but they’re not cheap. For holidays or birthdays, we’ve asked family and friends to give toward these memberships instead of buying clothes or other items. That way, the gift will be used – and appreciated – all year.

• Buy used items. This one is a real money saver for clothing and other items that we seem to go though quickly. Winter coats and other gear are especially nice to buy used, either at consignment stores specializing in baby items or second hand shops. Be cautious, however, when buying used cribs, toys or other equipment – inspect them carefully for signs of wear and make sure all pieces are there. In addition, be sure to thoroughly wash or clean any used item before the kids touch it. Never buy used car seats – you don’t know if they have been recalled or ever been in an accident.

• Buy in bulk. Purchasing diapers in bulk saves money. Better yet, switch to cloth diapers. They cost more up front, but we have saved a great deal of money in the long run with using cloth diapers – especially since we have used them on two babies.

• Make it yourself. Instead of purchasing baby foods in jars, I try to make baby food whenever possible. Steam some extra vegetables and blend them into a smooth puree for baby. Many play items can also be made at home for far cheaper than they cost to buy, such as play dough and finger paints from kitchen pantry items.

• Take advantage of Free Offers! You can find a wealth of free offers, samples, and coupons on the internet. Many sites, especially Babies Online, work hard to bring you the very best free baby deals available. Often times these deals are brought to you with zero obligation.

• Playgrounds are free. While it’s nice to have your own play equipment in the back yard, it’s not truly a necessity. We like to take the kids down to the neighborhood playground – not only is it free, but it’s also a nice way to meet other kids – and parents.

While having kids is by no means cheap, there are some ways to save money. What’s your favorite money saving tip?

Buying used or second hand baby clothes is an easy way to go green. Not only are the clothes being used again rather than going into the landfills or stored in the attic or basement for all eternity, but they are also helping to reduce the amount of packaging being thrown away.

They’re also a great way to save some green – dollars, that is. Babies are expensive enough – why spend more than you need to on clothes they’ll soon outgrow?

My husband and I are big believers in buying second hand baby clothes. Our daughter grows so quickly, it seems like she is never in one size or one outfit for more than a few months and, now that we are expecting a boy, a large amount of her clothes won’t be handed down. What’s more, there have been times when she needed a special outfit, such as a dress for a wedding, and the store prices were exorbitant compared to the prices we found at a consignment shop, for nearly the same piece of clothing.

That said, there are a few safety precautions to take when purchasing used clothing.

• Inspect. – Look over the garment to make sure that zippers, buttons, etc., are securely fastened to the piece of clothing and work properly. In addition, any holes or tears can be a potential hazard and should either be fixed before wearing or not given to the child. The same goes for knit fabrics – make sure the knit is tight so that your child can’t get a finger or toe caught.

Also check to see that the garment is clean looking, with no spots or stains.

• No embellishments. – For infant and baby clothing, extra embellishments such as buttons or bows should be removed. Any small, decorative item can come off and be a choking hazard for your child.
• Wash first. – Just like clothing bought in the store or given by friends or family, any and all fabrics that will touch your baby’s skin should be washed. You never know if the clothing is clean or what the household conditions may have been; perhaps the family had a dog in the house and there are pet hairs on the clothes that may be an irritation or possible allergen to your infant. In addition, used clothing can sometimes carry germs or bugs that can get you or your baby sick. Or, for store-bought clothes, washing removes any excess dyes in the fabric. Most parents prefer to use gentle , dye-free detergents such as Dreft to minimize any irritation, at least for the first few washings.

At my baby shower for my first born, I received a number of useful items – socks, bottles, sleep sacks, and even diapers and wipes. But the most useful item, which we are still using on our now almost-2-year old daughter is the plethora of receiving blankets.

Receiving blankets are not much more than a piece of flannel, with the edges finished so that they don’t fray. Unfortunately, during their 20+ months of use, our receiving blankets are looking a bit scrappy. But they’re still being used, probably more heavily now than when our daughter was an infant. At first, we swaddled her in them, covered her with them when she napped, and rolled them up to be makeshift head rests when the head rest in her car seat was too big. Now, they’re finding all kinds of use, both baby related and around the house. Here are five of my favorite uses for receiving blankets.

1. Clothing cover. When our daughter first began eating table food, we discovered just how messy a toddler can be. Since she takes off any bib we put on her just as fast as we can fasten it, we’ve resorted to all sorts of solutions to protect her clothes. The best one so far has been a receiving blanket. Tied at the back of her neck, sort of like a halter top, then draped over her chest and tucked under her arms and around back, this smock-like device catches most of the crumbs that fall from her hand or mouth, and can be taken outside and shaken out when mealtime is over.
2. Dirty changing table or seat cover. A thin receiving blanket is easy enough to tuck into a diaper bag or purse, and can be used to cover up any untoward-looking public changing table, booster seat or high chair.
3. Sun shade. In the car, a receiving blanket tucked into the top of the window makes a nice, light curtain to help cut the glare of bright sunshine and keep our daughter cool in her car seat.
4. Play thing. Our daughter loves to play with non-toys, and a receiving blanket fits the bill. She can make a fort out of it, drag it around, use it to cover and uncover other toys – the possibilities are as unlimited as her imagination.
5. Cleaning rag. This one’s for the tattered receiving blankets we no longer use for our daughter. The clean and lint-free flannel fabric makes a great cleaning rag around the house – especially when washing windows.

What unusual uses have you found for receiving blankets?

We’ve gone to cloth in our house – not only with diapers and re-usable wipes, but now in the kitchen as well. I’m talking about cloth napkins. Remember those fancy napkins they would give you at restaurants when you went out to dinner at places that didn’t have a drive-thru or a kids? menu?

Cloth napkins are great for casual dinners at home with the family and are much more environmentally friendly than their paper counterparts – just think of how many uses you can get out of them before they require laundering! What’s more, they can last for years with heavy usage, and won’t clog up the landfills or your trash can like those thin little paper napkins.

You can easily make your own cloth napkins at home with minimal effort – it’s even a great project to get the kids involved with. You don’t even need sewing skills; you can either finish the hems by sewing, or you can simply raveling the edges for a casual, fringed look.

To make cloth napkins, begin with 100% cotton fabric, which can be found at craft stores, fabric stores, or even discount stores such as Wal Mart for just $1-2 per yard.

Next, wash and iron the fabric. When it’s dry and smooth, carefully and evenly cut out 14-inch squares to make dinner-sized napkins. Fringe the fabric edges by gently pulling out the strands of string along the edges, starting at the top of the cloth. Pull about 1/2 inch of strings on all four sides for even seams.

Choose a different color or pattern design for each member of the family so everyone has their own designated napkin. Or, you can use a different napkin ring for each family member. Use the napkins over and over again until they require laundering.

To wash, simply toss the napkins into the laundry with like-colored fabrics on the gentle cycle and medium heat. Dry on low heat and remove promptly to reduce wrinkling. You can also line dry the napkins in the summertime. If they do wrinkle, iron with a warm iron to smooth out the fabric.

Anyone with a baby knows that they grow faster than you ever imagined. At first, you might not believe how big certain clothes are on your little one, but before you know it they’ll be too tight to wear.

But don’t toss out those too small onesies, dresses and shirts quite yet — there are some ways to breathe new life into them and get some use out of them again. Consider these suggestions to re-use or re purpose those too-small clothes, and do good for the environment (and others!) at the same time.

• Make T-Shirts
  For onesies that are just too short to fit your baby, cut off the snaps on the bottom and dress baby in them as t-shirts.
  Baby girl dresses can make cute tops – pair them with jeans or even a skirt for a cute, casual look.
• Use Them as Smocks
  Onesies work really well as cover-ups to catch any spills when your baby starts eating solid foods – just cut off the snaps at the bottom to make into a t-shirt, then pull over baby’s head and use as a smock that he or she can’t easily remove.
• Decorate with Them
  Clean and non stained onesies or baby t-shirts can make cute decorations for baby’s room – hang them up on a clothes line along the wall and secure with clothes pins.
• Craft with Them
  If you’re crafty, you can make a memory quilt with scraps of old baby clothes. Just take the fabrics and cut them into same-sized squares, then sew them together to make a blanket, or finish it off to make a quilt. You can also find companies and individuals who will make a quilt out of the fabrics for you – ask crafty friends or family, or search online.

If your baby’s clothes are still in good condition but you won’t use them again, consider donating them to friends, family, or charity groups. Your local church or the Salvation Army will happily receive them – and you will receive a tax receipt for the donation.

We buy bananas at the grocery store at almost every visit ? usually because they?re too old and brown to use by the time we get around to using them. Our daughter loves bananas, though, so off to the store again we go to replenish our supply!

Instead of throwing them into the compost bin or making yet another loaf of banana bread (which is delicious, but tiresome after a while), I found a new way to incorporate some of those over-ripe bananas into a healthy snack for the whole family ? banana smoothies.

To make smoothies, combine in a blender:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup frozen or fresh berries or chopped fruit (either in season fruits or berries, or frozen berries)
• 1 cup yogurt ? plain or any flavor you have in the fridge
• ? cup milk
• Optional: add 2-3 tablespoons ground flaxseed or wheat germ for extra protein and fiber

Blend on high speed until smooth. Makes two to three servings.

With gas and grocery prices soaring, it can be tricky to stay on budget and feed your family. Here are a few tips to keep your family fed – and your budget on track.

1. Don’t buy pre-packaged foods. It might be tempting (and convenient) to buy those single-serving snacks, but they’ll end up costing far more than you’d pay for a larger package. Purchase the bigger bag, and then use zip top plastic bags or reuseable containers to divide it into your own single servings.
2. Check store circulars. Review the store sales circular before you begin shopping and take advantage of specials and sales. Stock up on items that will keep well in the cupboards or freezer.
3. Chop it yourself. Carrot sticks and baby carrots, pre-cut celery, and other veggie snacks are handy, but expensive. Consumer Reports once found that two pounds of carrots cost $1.29 at the store; it was $7.16 for the same amount of precut sticks. Set aside a few minutes to do all your chopping at once, then sort the vegetables into separate snack-sized servings and store in the fridge.
4. Eat at home. We all know eating out can be expensive, especially when it comes to kids. What’s more, many times they’ll order something, take two bites and decide that they are ‘full’ or just don’t want it anymore. Save everyone the trouble (and a few bucks) by eating dinner at home.
5. Go vegetarian. Even just replacing one meal in a week with a meat-free meal can make a difference, both on your pocketbook and the environment. With all the fresh vegetables in season right now, why not have a veggie stir fry, vegetable pizza or lasagna, or grilled veggies for dinner?

I’m feeling super smug today. I’ve cloth diapered my son since he was six months old, when I bought a set of FuzziBunz diapers in size medium. He’s two and a half and those diapers still fit him. For that $200 investment, I’ve saved over $500 in disposable diapers in two years. And since I live in an apartment where the laundry is paid for, you can make that feeling extra super-smug!

It helps that he’s slim and didn’t need a bigger size of cloth diapers, which would have added to the expense. Moms who use one-size-fits all diapers, like BumGenius diapers, which fit babies from newborns up to toddlers, can also save money on buying diapers.

Once my son is potty trained, which I currently predict will be when they send Britney Spears to the moon, I can sell the diapers on Diaperswappers.com or craigslist, where they have a great resale value.

Cloth diapers aren’t for everyone, but they’ve been a great choice for us. It helps a lot that I love doing laundry (yeah, i know I’m a freak), they are probably better for the environment, and they have lots of little benefits, like cushioning learning-to-walk bottoms better, and looking cuter than disposable diapers too.

I’ll close with a cute story… My son loves our neighborhood fire station. One of the times we were there, a firefighter dad-to-be asked if my son wore Pampers or Huggies. I use cloth, I told him. The other firefighters standing around chimed in with their opinions on different diaper brands and I can’t imagine a more surreal conversation than a bunch of burly firefighters with axes slung over their shoulders, chatting about diaper pins.

Having a baby means registering for half the baby super store (and getting a quarter of it, if you?re lucky!) and filling every available space in your home with baby gear. Suddenly you find that that extra end table isn?t as important as a baby swing, and a baby bouncer replaces the extra wing chair in the living room. Even the dog bed might get put in a less than prime location to make room for some sort of baby gizmo or apparatus.

So when it comes to baby toys, more is better, right? Wrong! In fact, you already own many things that have the potential to be baby toys. Many items that you probably already have in your kitchen can be made toys ? just make sure they are clean and in good shape with no loose pieces or sharp edges. Got some plastic Tupperware containers? Those make great play things for babies and toddlers ? they?ll spend hours stacking them, putting one in the other and running around the room with them. Wooden spoons? Those can be drumsticks to use on all those plastic containers. Plastic measuring cups are fun to play with as well ? kids can put one in the other, or put them in and take them out of the plastic containers. And pots and pans make the best toys of all, although if you?re prone to headaches or having company over, you might want to refrain from letting your little one bang on the pots and pans for too long. On the other hand, that just might be a good way to get rid of guests who have overstayed their welcome.

Look around your house ? I?m sure you will find plenty of safe things that can be used as baby toys. Of course, using knick knacks from around the house doesn?t completely replace the need for toys ? there are many learning toys on the market that babies? developing brains can greatly benefit from.

In these times of rising gas prices and other commodities, movies at the theatre plus popcorn for the whole family can quickly add up. Here are some ideas you can use this weekend or future weekends to keep your kids entertained:

• Check out Craigslist for family board games if you don’t have any at home. There are some classics like Monopoly, Twister, Life that you can play with the whole family. Make it a game night. You can get a board game for as little as a few bucks. We sold one for $3 at our last garage sale.
• Find a Redbox video kiosk near you for $1 DVD rentals!
• Put together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a thermos full of iced tea or lemonade, grab a blanket and go to the park for free fun. Fly a kite, walk the trails, blow bubbles with the kids, ride your bikes, all for free!
• For dinner, trek to your local grocery store and buy the ingredients for a vegetarian dish. Food and budgeting experts have calculated that one vegetarian dish a week can save hundreds over the year. Get a fabulous rice and beans recipe from friends or the internet, topped off with spices;start it off with a salad and top it off with some store-brand ice cream for dessert. If the kids clamor for pizza, buy the dough and the ingredients to go on it. It will be much cheaper. You can buy uncooked pizza crust for about $6 in my local grocery store. Add a few cans of tomato sauce, cheese, some slices of pepperoni and pop it in the oven.
• Visit the library with the kids and borrow as much books as their hearts (and yours) desire.
• Check your community newspaper for free kids event. Our local grocery store had a fre kids’ carnival on their parking lot complete with bounce houses, face painting, etc. Your community churches, schools and businesses are your most invaluable resource for free or nearly free kid-friendly events.

Even if you’re pinching pennies, your kids may never realize if you approach everything with a smile and an adventurous spirit! Have fun this weekend!

Among ourselves and our family members, we’ve probably spent a small fortune on toys for our daughter. Sadly, her favorites don’t seem to be the toys that make the most sounds or offer the most activities. No, she seems to prefer the joys of the less expensive toys; that is, the free ones.

They’re not even toys, really: they’re things that were lying around the house that she came across and thought were fun. Right now, she’s having a blast playing with the box from a wireless router we purchased. She’ll open the box, look inside, close the box, open it again, and then hand it to me and take it back again. She also stands on it, pounds it with her hands and hides her toys inside of it.

She also loves the sight and sound of tearing paper. Instead of using the shredder, we now tear paper by hand – getting rid of our documents so they can go in the compost bin or recycle box, and putting our daughter into fits of giggles and laughs.

As they say, having a baby does indeed change everything, but most of all it changes your perspective. Who would have thought that a simple object could result in hours of entertainment? It’s given us a new way of looking at things, and made my husband and me more creative when it comes to everyday objects. A crumpled up piece of paper? A ball! A discarded sock? A mitten, a hand puppet or a handy pouch to hide a toy or two inside of. Best of all, there’s always something around to entertain our daughter, even when her ‘official’ toys are out of reach or in a different room. Just be sure that the object isn’t dangerous or pose a choking hazard – any item that can fit inside a paper towel or toilet paper tube is a potential choking hazard.

I love summertime because there?s so much to do. What?s more, many of the activities are free of charge or inexpensive. So if you end up bringing a fussy child to the activity and end up having to make a quick and early exit, it?s no loss. Some of my favorites include:

Concerts in the park. Many cities and towns have local bands play once a week or several times a week in local parks and other areas. Bring a towel or lawn chairs and pack a picnic lunch, and enjoy the free entertainment with your kids. Even if there?s not a concert going on, it?s still fun to pack a lunch and spend a summer afternoon playing at the park.

Story time. Our local library offers story time for kids on Saturday mornings. It?s a great activity to get kids involved with, as well as a good way to meet other local parents.

Festivals. Local festivals offer a range of activities for children and adults alike. The Traverse City (MI) Cherry Festival takes place over the Fourth of July, and the Taste of Chicago runs June 27-July 6 in Chicago Check with your city or county for a festival schedule.

Parades. Holiday parades are a great place to take kids. Find out if your town offers a parade for the Fourth of July or other holidays and bring the kids along.

Ferry rides. Many ferry boats give passengers a free ride across the river. The Staten Island Ferry offers a free, five-mile, 25-minute ride between Staten Island and Manhattan. The Galveston-Port Bolivar ferry is the only way motorists can cross the waterway between Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island, and is free. The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry takes passengers to the historical attractions of the Historic Triangle (Yorktown-Williamsburg-Jamestown). The free ferry service runs from Scotland Wharf in Scotland, VA, to Glass House Point, in Jamestown, VA.

Also check with your local parks department or city newspaper for activities in your area.

What are your favorite free or inexpensive summertime activities?

When the temperatures outside start to rise, the last thing I feel like doing is heating up the kitchen cooking dinner. While I do still want to have good things for dinner, I don’t want to get heat stroke preparing it. What’s a parent to do?

My solution is breakfast for dinner. Both my husband and daughter love having breakfast for dinner, and consider it a special treat. Plus, it’s a good way to have a healthy, quick and easy meal and inexpensive compared to many popular dinner dishes. Use what’s in your fridge already, or fruits and veggies fresh from the garden or farmer’s market to save money and increase the health value of your meal.

Instead of roasting a chicken, take a baked rotisserie chicken purchased at the grocery store and make chicken-and-biscuit sandwiches (buy the already made biscuits or frozen biscuits for a fresher taste). Or whip up an omelette (or an egg scramble if you’re less culinary inclined) and mix in some chopped veggies like onions, green peppers, and tomatoes. Or you can chop and throw in some of last night’s leftover meats or veggies and use up what’s in the fridge. Fire up the waffle iron or heat up the griddle and make waffles or pancakes – try a buckwheat mix for extra fiber and health benefits.

Don’t forget some whole-wheat toast and a dish of fresh mixed fruit or chopped melon to round out the meal. Bon appetit!

Did I ever tell you about the time my little brother was 8 yrs. old and I decided to take him to the State Fair of Texas? This was 7 years ago, while I was still in school myself, and I was surprised to find $60 gone. Poof! Now you see it, now you don’t. It got me wondering how families with multiple kids DO things.

My household is in a tight budget now. Wanna hear a confession? I get a measly $80 a month of mad money for myself. Not bad, until I remember I used to get $60/month from my parents when I was in college. I used to enjoy $35/pedicure before Mina came along. That eats about a quarter of my allowance now, so my toes are, shall we say, au naturelle for now.

We’ve been making do with watching Youtube videos, visiting the library for free books, visiting the park where we picnic on affordable fare like egg salad sandwiches and then walking around. Mina doesn’t care for now of course; she’s only 7 mos. after all. But I care. I’d like a bit more variety and sophistication in my outings.

In search of this variety, I turned to my trusty personal assistant: the Internet; more specifically Google. I searched for Free Activities For Family in DFW.

Voila! I got hits after hits, some were gold mines. Examples included a 1-hour guided tour in the historic arts district of Dallas, observation station to watch takeoff and landings of the DFW international airport, historical cabins and lodges, free museums, a calendar with kid-friendly events like an Asian festival which showcases different dance styles.

The moral of the story, dear parents, is that you don’t have to go stir-crazy at home, or get bored with the usual library run. Yes, your dear children deserve entertainment and exposure to different activities, but so do you. Turn to the internet, scout events at your neighborhood churches which frequently hold food festivals, cultural festivals, and other family-friendly fund raisers. With luck, you’ll never have to spend more than the gas it takes to get there, or spend a little (or a lot) less than what you would at a movie theater.

Since my daughter has started solids, I have been accumulating those little 4-ounce glass jars from her baby food. A few of them went to a neighbor who wanted them for his wood shop, but the rest of them are piling up on the kitchen counter, around the sink, in grocery bags – almost as if they are multiplying when we’re not looking.

Time has come to do something about these jars. I don’t want to just toss them into the recycle bin; I would like to actually do something with them. Following are five ideas for how to re-use baby food jars – if you’ve found creative uses for baby food jars, please share!

1. Use them in the garage or basement to collect nails, screws, washers, and other loose materials. You could also use them to store small paint samples when you repaint a room and have just a little bit of paint left in the can.
2. Keep a couple on a dresser to toss in loose change or stray buttons.
3. In the kitchen, use them for storing spices – use one for each type of spice.
4. Make snow globes. A snowman made from polymer clay (available at craft stores) and some glitter make for a cute wintertime scene.
5. Root plants. Cut a branch off of a plant, then place it in a jar filled with water. In a few weeks, roots will grow and a new plant will be started.

How do you use your spare jars?

The dilemma: Mom is itching to start shopping for the baby’s layette and decorating the nursery but she still doesn’t know, or doesn’t want to find out as in the case of Jessica Alba, the baby’s sex .

The solution: Go for greens and yellows! (Fine, even orange and red, if you want)

Maybe i’m just being subjective because I love these colors but I also really think, for first-time parents especially who may or will have more kids, investing in cool shades of green and yellow is a really practical thing to do.

First, they’re happy colors and should be reason enough.

Secondly, both boys and girls can be dressed up in greens and yellows so the frogsuits and blankets and high chair and pillows you buy now can still be used by any succeeding baby, yours or your neighbor’s.

Third, you will have enough blues and pinks once word gets around that you’re expecting, or had, a boy or girl.

And though technology has made lives easier for us in many ways, it is still not fool-proof. I can name at least three couples who were told they will be having a boy and so bought everything in blue only to give birth to a girl. You may say that babies are too young to be affected by the double-standards society has set for us, but trust me, it can get quite tedious having to correct people that your baby is a boy even if he’s wearing pink (and vice versa).

And too many blues, even in light shades, can look a tad well… blue. Which is why, when we found out we’re having a son, I invested in a lot of whites with blue accents instead, and all the rest in yellow and green.

They make the baby pictures more interesting too!

I want the best for my kids. That includes what I put in front of them to eat. But every time I go to the grocery store, it amazes me how little good food I can get with so much of my hard earned money.

My oldest son is 5 years old. Way back then, I remember the prices for our good foods as follows: Eggs–less than $1, Milk–$2.50-3.00, Tomatoes–$1.50/lb, Peppers–3 for $1.00, and that is just a few of our stock kitchen foods. But in only 5 short years, this is what I find and expect to keep increasing: Eggs–$2.50-3.00 (ARE YOU KIDDING ME), Milk–almost $4.00 (WHAT?!), Tomatoes–$3.50-4.00/lb ( I don’t even buy tomatoes anymore), Peppers–3 for almost $4.00 (those are a rare item my cart also).

Now, here are the dietary guidelines of recommended eating: 9 servings of fruit and veggies. That does sound delicious but my pocketbook is screaming. One study found that low-income Americans would have to spend up to 70% of their food budget just to get this amount of fruits and veggies. So, if those families did do that, there would be hardly any meat & fiber, not to mention formula.

There is a cheaper alternative to the fresh stuff. You can always buy canned and frozen fruits and veggies. That label-covered cans & icy boxes may not be as inviting as the lushness of the fresh stuff, but you still get the good stuff into your kids bodies.

Another option is applying for the government program WIC. This does provide such things as formula, milk, eggs, juice, cereal, cheese, and the like for the kids.

I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for me to get the recommended daily amount of good stuff into my kids without breaking my bank. But that is OK. I can continue to dress up the canned green beans with almonds, the frozen broccoli with some cheddar, and do my ever-loving best to do right by my kids.