According to this article, cable generally costs at least $500 to almost $1300 per year and I know that a lot of consumers have a bunch of extras in their cable packages that raise the monthly bill. The article also gives a few ideas for alternatives if you can’t go cold turkey, but most rely upon an internet connection so depending on how much internet costs for you, these alternatives may not end up saving you much. Most of the alternatives I looked into at the time involved my computer, and since I work and go to school, my computer is pretty much tied up. My daughter wouldn’t be able to watch it anyway. So, we opted for straight out DVDs and since she watched television way more than I did, I thought I’d give you some idea where to find inexpensive (cheap) DVDs for kids.

Walmart and Target

Seems like a no brainer, but you have to look in the cheap areas otherwise, both Walmart and Target have some pretty expensive DVDs. Yes, I ended up buying a lot of DVDs out of the $5 bin at Walmart. Luckily, my daughter is young enough to appreciate most of the cartoons and kid’s shows that are in those bins, although she thought the cover for Lassie looked way better than the movie actually was.

DVD Rentals Are Not Dead

There aren’t many places that still rent DVDs but I live in a small town that has a discount store almost literally down the street. We can rent movies from there for $2 a day. If I rented a DVD from the discount store every day, I still would not be spending as much as I did on Dish Network.

Borrow and Beg for DVDs

I am lucky to have people in my family that pretty much hoard DVDs and allow me to borrow a movie for free from them on occasion. I am also lucky enough to have someone in my family that owns quite a few new releases. If I ever needed a movie that was not animated or made by Disney, I could borrow one from them (as well as the kid’s movies too).

Garage Sales and Discount Stores

Not only can you find really, insanely cheap DVDs at garage sales and discount stores, but you can also find VHS movies as well. Yeah, that’s right. I said VHS. I don’t have a VCR but I was always amazed at the movies you can still buy on VHS for less than a dollar and sometimes just pocket change.  If you have one, hook that thing up and watch some cheap movies. Kids don’t know the difference. In fact, they may think they have found something new when you pull out the rusty, dusty VCR.

Don’t Go for New Releases

My daughter has become a huge fan of I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show (for some unexplainable reason) and I can find really cheap DVDs with entire seasons of these shows in most stores. We never ever bought new release movies and I can save that for a special treat to the movie theater. I know it’s cheaper to actually buy the DVD, but sometimes it’s nice to get out and do something. Plus, it’s a lot of fun for kids.

I’m glad that I disconnected the satellite TV when I did. I hated the idea of wasting so much money on channels and television shows that we never watched and I think it made a big difference in getting caught up on a lot of bills. If you are considering cutting cable, I would definitely say go for it. You don’t have to go all Amish and actually sell your TV, although I did but that’s another story, there are tons of alternatives available that make living without cable a lot easier.

What do you think. Could you live without cable or satellite television?

I will not keep you in suspense any longer, it is the cost of caring for teeth. Dental expenses. And I just found out that this necessity will cost around $500 for my daughter, plus cleanings and whatever else is added on. I’m guessing about $800 for both of us.

<sigh> Why can’t I just be the parent that says we’ll wait til the teeth fall out?

Here is why:

1.  Teeth Matter. When you are 6 and your teeth are jacked up, I’m guessing it has a long term effect on your self esteem. I don’t want to be responsible for that.

2.  Teeth Matter. We have teeth for the sole purpose of breaking down large chunks of meat and things and having rotten teeth or less than adequately performing teeth I’m sure affect that process negatively.

So, my only choice is to set up a payment plan and pay the dentist. I have to admit in comparison to my medical bills (which I am close to paying off) the dental bill is pennies. I was just crossing my fingers and hoping that we would never ever need to go to the doctor again for the rest of our lives, thus never ever incurring anymore medical bills.

I forgot about teeth though. Okay, I didn’t really forget. When those two teeth on the bottom came out and new ones grew in slightly crooked, all I could think about for days was the future cost of braces. But that’s way in the future, I figured by then I would win the lottery and wouldn’t have a problem torturing my daughter with braces. I did not anticipate a big dental bill already.

##

My teeth were oddly crooked when I was younger. My parents paid for braces. Actually, I had every piece of equipment for teeth that was invented at the time. Headgear, rubberbands, retainer, braces. All of it. I may have been a short step from that process where they just knock out all of your teeth and replace them with wood or plastic. Luckily though, my parents paid the thousands that were required back then for nice teeth. It does matter, by the way. And to them I am grateful.

##

I am not complaining. Not really. I just wish there were a list of expenses for children and I wish I had planned for those expenses 10 years ago. I’d have plenty by now for unexpected expenses. Just in case, I better start saving for those braces…

And although I watched the movie with her, my mind was still going and working and wondering. Trying to keep track of the things I still need to get finished up tonight. Did I forget something? I always forget something. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much about Ponyo. Luckily, the Movie Gallery is going out of business so DVDs are less than $5. Since we don’t have satellite television anymore I’ve been buying really cheap movies to watch. So, we can watch it again sometime and maybe I’ll pay attention.

Frugalness and making money and budgeting can get out of hand, I think. We can become so focused on the making of money that we forget why we are making the money. In my case, I want to get out of debt, I want to take care of my daughter, I want to give her a good life until she is able to give herself a fantastic life on her own.

Giving her a good life though doesn’t mean buying her games I don’t have time to play and providing nice clothes so the other kids and parents don’t pity her for having an unmarried mother. (That’s actually for my benefit anyway. I doubt anyone else really cares what my 6 year old is wearing.)

A good life for my daughter also has to include time and sharing. Doing things together, having fun, enjoying today because today is short. She’s 6 and it seems like only yesterday she was learning to walk. Based upon this definition, have I given her a good life so far? Maybe not.

I’m considering taking her to the movies this weekend. Not because I have a coupon or there’s a great deal. Movie theaters don’t really fit into my budget. My bills are not paid and I am not out of debt (yet). I’m taking her because we deserve it. She puts up with me and watches me work until she goes to bed daily. She understands when I tell her we don’t have money for that, although she did suggest once to just go that machine at the gas station to get some. There is room in everyone’s budget to forget about the budget and to consider what we’re doing and if in the long run it will be worth it.

To me, it is worth all of the work. But sometimes we need to breathe a little. Which means movies or dinner or vacations we can’t really afford, and if things really work out…maybe even a trip to Hollywood. Or Texas, she has suggested that too.

Have a great weekend, everyone! (And spend a little. You won’t die.)

But that truly would be a waste of a lot of money and believe it or not, there are kids out there that only can only dream of the toys that our kids have forgotten about. Is it just my kid that only plays with things a handful of times? We’re talking about practically new loot here and not just old Dollar Store gizmos.

So what in the heck do you do with all of those old toys? Well, I have some suggestions. Sure they take a little more energy than el garbage-o but trust me, you’ll sleep better.

1. Save toys for unborn siblings. Okay, this isn’t the greatest suggestion because we’re trying to actually move stuff out, and if you’re like me, you can’t even fathom the thought of anymore kids. If you’re not like me and you do plan on having more, I’d save the toys. Go through and organize everything. Make sure Dora’s wearing both shoes and all of the Littlest Pet Shop animals are hanging out with the equipment they came with. Put it in a big plastic tote marked “JUNK” “TOYS” and shove the tote away into the basement.

2. Sell the toys online. Everything can be sold online. I mean everything. People sell used blenders for pete’s sake. Again, clean up the toys, which shouldn’t be a big ordeal, and make sure you have all of the pieces together. Take a picture and throw it on eBay or Craigslist. Bundle toys together and get rid of more. For instance if you have Dora, Boots, and Swiper, you’ll have better luck selling all of them together than just one. People will buy used toys, especially now that almost everything is electronic. My daughter had a mini laptop that she played games on since she was 2. Now that she’s graduated to mommy’s real laptop, she barely touches the thing.

Zwaggle.com is a website that you can join and earn Zoints (or points) which can be used instead of cash. They offer everything from Arts & Crafts to Video Games. Mykidscloset.com is another site where you can buy and sell used toys.

3. Look for consignment shops in your area. There are stores that buy and sell toys and kids clothing. In my area, Once Upon a Child not only pays you for gently used stuff but also sells some pretty sweet stuff. I have made up to $40 unloading kid’s stuff there and was able to turn around and buy something practically new for my daughter. Call the stores in advance just so you’re not dragging around a bag of toys all day.

4. Donate to Goodwill and thrift stores. This time of year everyone’s looking for tax breaks, don’t forget that your kids can help by not only being the dependents that they are, but by donating their old toys. Also check churches, daycares, children’s homes and schools to find out if there is anything particular that they can use. Don’t forget a receipt.

5. Garage sales and yard sales. I’ve been planning this for years because my town has a citywide garage sale every year and you wouldn’t believe how many toys are bought. The key, according the pros (read: my mom and aunt) is to put everything together nicely. Make sure you’re not trying to dump off dirty teddy bears and broken pieces of plastic. If you’re selling puzzles and don’t have the box, put them in ziploc bags with labels-and of course all of the pieces. Even if it’s a quarter, remember that some kid will be playing with that and deserves to have all of the pieces. A lot of kids are rewarded with a couple dollars to spend on themselves in exchange for being dragged around to stinky garage sales. And guess what, they very rarely spend their cheese on machinery or old loafers.

These suggestions do take a little work but it’s better than just tossing out the old toys. Children also like to help getting things organized and can be rewarded with a new book or sketch pad or you could just add any money made to their piggy banks.

Now does anyone wanna buy a slightly scribbled on LeapPad? Let me know…

Ironically, I had just received an email that included a cold vs. Swine Flu symptom comparison which I found to be helpful. Most of it we already know, but it’s surprising to me how similar and how different the symptoms can be.

If you are dealing with a sick child or have any of these symptoms yourself, drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest. If you aren’t sure or believe you may have H1N1 call the clinic before you go to find out what their procedures are.

I just thought it was nice to see what the differences are the symptoms. I know it may seem slightly off topic and has nothing to do with being broke, but our health and the health of our loved ones directly affects our quality of life. After all, great healthy lives are the reason we even bother, isn’t it?

I also want to add that as a single parent, having a sick child can be a bit overwhelming. On the other hand, I couldn’t be more grateful that I don’t work somewhere that makes me feel guilty for not being at work, or is docking my pay. I have worked places with no sick time in the past and I sympathize with anyone in that position. Most people feel bad naturally for missing work, but the stress from not being paid at the same time would be unbearable.

From the looks of it, my daughter may just have a stomach bug. I’m not sure yet, but I do think she’s okay. Her only concern is that I wouldn’t let her go to school and made her hang out with me in the house all day.

Stay healthy everyone…

Operation WITHIMMG:

Day 21 0
Day 22 0

Yes, I’m definitely a last minute person and actually intended on having her first big party this year since she’s in school now and can invite her friends. Unfortunately, I didn’t get organized enough for that and also didn’t research any ideas that wouldn’t cost me a big party amount of money. Birthdays are different nowadays. Now, you have to have gift bags and games with prizes and food and drinks and cake and ice cream…you get the idea. I thought of having it at a pizza place or something but again, didn’t look into the cost.

So this year, just like the previous years, I’m having cake and ice cream and inviting the immediate family over. I feel crappy about not having a party for her. I know though, that I’m barely even going to be able to afford the small get together that I’m planning.

As of this moment, birthday expenses consist of:

The cake, I’m getting her one from Dairy Queen. I know I could make one for a lot cheaper, but I’m already not having a party so a plain, undecorated cake would just make me feel worse.

Gifts. I haven’t bought any birthday gifts yet so tomorrow I’ll be running around shopping while she visits grandma and grandpa. As always, I know I should’ve shopped earlier so that I could take advantage of coupons and sales, but I didn’t and will probably end up paying too much for gifts. I’m going for books and activity books, something artsy because she likes to write and draw and maybe just a nice toy or Barbie to play with. Just bought her clothes and I think my sister and parents are getting her clothes so I won’t buy any of that for her birthday.

Decorations. I’m not going all out on themed paper plates and streamers, I do plan on getting balloons just because she likes them so much Not sure if I have wrapping paper supplies either.

Treat for School. I forgot that I need to buy a treat for her to take to class on Monday. Not sure what yet, there are 25 kids in her class and it has to be something prepackaged from the store. In my area, homemade treats are not allowed at school. I’m not exactly sure why or when that policy came into effect, but I’m not exactly a baker anyway so there’s a good chance I would’ve ended up buying something.

Seems like a short and simple list but when you think about it, celebrating a kid’s birthday is expensive. I’d save a lot of money if we just converted to a religion that doesn’t celebrate birthdays or holidays. I may consider that.

In the end, there are some things that we have to spend money on that are not always necessities. Sure I could cut out some of this stuff; I could even just not have a birthday party at all. When it comes to budgeting though, there are a few things that are worth spending money on. If she has a nice birthday and has fun, I’ll be happy and it’ll be worth every penny.

Operation WITHIMMG:
Day 16-$4 two dozen eggs from a coworker that has her own chickens.
Day 17- 0

Here is a short list of my favorite stores for back to school shopping:

WalMart

I probably don’t need to even mention this as it’s probably obvious that I did a large amount of back to school shopping at Walmart. I did buy all of the school supplies on the list as well as underclothes and socks. For some reason I thought I’d continue the tradition with my own daughter of buying new underclothes and socks when school starts (even if she doesn’t really need them).

Payless Shoes

I’ve heard that a child only needs one pair of tennis shoes, but I think with girls it’s a little different. Maybe it’s because her mother is a shoe freak, but I honestly believe that my daughter needs dress shoes and boots as well. Payless Shoes doesn’t offer the best quality shoes but knowing that she’ll be in a larger size in a matter of months, it seems smarter to buy cheap dress shoes. Plus the infamous BOGO sale is going on and you can get one pair half off (for yourself or another child).

Once Upon a Child

I know this store isn’t available everywhere but I would check out similar second hand stores in your area. Once Upon a Child sells “gently worn” name brand children’s clothes. It has become my favorite store for clothing for my daughter because I’m able to buy her better quality clothes for really cheap. I’ve found Old Navy tank tops for a dollar and Baby Phat jeans for $5.00. Even better, I can sell her old clothes there as well. I made $35.00 the last time I dropped a box off, which more than covered the clothes I’ve actually purchased there.

Kohl’s

I believe Kohl’s is available almost everywhere in the U.S. and I’ve always had pretty good luck with the quality of clothing. They’re always having sales and if you use the Kohl’s credit card, along with the sale you can save 50-60% on your purchase. The brands of clothing that Kohl’s sells is also accepted at Once Upon a Child so I can resell them when my daughter has outgrown them.

Dollar General

Another obvious one on my list, but I use Dollar General for miscellaneous items for school. Sometimes when my daughter has to take snack to school, I can pick up some cookies and a box of juice pouches. I also buy her cute little princess pens and pencils to be used at home since she loves to read and write. She has a ton of notebooks and extra pens that come in handy when she’s riding in the car and stuff.

So, I think we’re finally ready for Kindergarten. Well, she was ready last year, it’s just taken me a while.

Most of my questions were answered immediately when the teachers explained that these supplies are considered “community” supplies, which means they’re all thrown together and used as a class when they’re needed. She mentioned that some schools actually request the money instead and then the teacher buys everything that the class needs. Either way, it makes sense to me.

I still don’t know what the class is going to do with all that glue though. 10 sticks and 2 bottles each, around 20 kids per class. That’s still a lot of stinkin clue. Even assuming that some kids won’t bring any or as much, seems like an awful lot. Ckphoto had a good point though, that it’s better to buy all of that glue now while school supplies are cheap–especially if you need 10 glue sticks.

The Crayola brand request wasn’t asked or answered. I guess everyone just assumes that Crayola is the King of school supplies and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Sorry as in gee Suzie, I don’t know why those crayons all color in shades of waxy white or why those markers were dried up when you opened them. Could it be because they only cost $1.00 a case?

So okay, things make sense. I hope the earlier post about the school supply list didn’t come across as some loser mom complaining about buying school supplies and trying to find some way to get over on the “system”. I’m brand spankin new to all of this so a lot of stuff seems really odd to me (like eating cold pizza on visitor day and calling it “breakfast” pizza) in comparison to when I was in Kindergarten, which is all I have to compare it to and that was a brazilian years ago. (Brazilian being part of a joke I may share some time.) Still, I’ll always provide what the school requests of me. I think it’s important to do that for my daughter.

Still not sending cereal for the snack and will probably make fun of anyone that does, and still considering asking the Walmart employees where the $5.00 party money is. Sorry, it’s just in my nature.

In fact, I ran in and out today and swear I still didn’t see any kind of school supply list depot. People like myself require colorful banners. Anyway, I digress.

Her children are middle school and high school and her thoughts on the list were parallel with mine. The email started with “after reading over this, I realized that this list is dumb.”

I imagined a Kindergarten school list to consist of a box of crayons and a pencil, which I have an abundance of. It appears that I have much more to learn about parenting than I thought.

KINDERGARTEN

1 LARGE backpack
I’m not quite sure what they mean by large, that’s a rather vague description, but I’d prefer to not send my daughter to school with a backpack bigger than she is. Unless they’re going camping or are learning how to become professional backpackers, a regular backpack should be sufficient.

1 PKG. of cookies, crackers, cereal, fruit snacks, etc., for class snack
So which poor kid has the parent that sends cereal for class snack? Do you want your kid to be the one with the crappy snack? I’m guessing these are the same parents that pass out apples or packets of oatmeal for Halloween.

4 100-120 page spiral notebook. Must be spiral – wide ruled
This makes sense except what happened to those weird brown pads of paper that Kindergarteners used. You know, the ones with only 5 lines per page. I seem to remember a native american on the front (which I know wouldn’t be appropriate these days) but those didn’t have spirals either. They were just glued at the top. Does anyone know the purpose of the spiral?

10 glue sticks
As my co-worker stated “do they really expect you to send 10 glue sticks to school on the first day plus two bottles of Elmer’s glue? (see below) Kindergarten is apparently sticky.

1 box Kleenex
10 boxes of Kleenex would make sense.

2 bottles Elmer’s School Glue (washable – 4 oz.)
Again, we’re talking about a lot of glue. And how is being able to glue well educational? This is seriously one of those things you learn in school that will never matter. I have never been rated on my ability to glue.

1 ten pack of Crayola Classic Color Markers
Specifically Crayola Classic Color Markers? Really?

1 24 pack Crayola Crayons
Why not a generic Dollar Store pack of crayons? Does this matter?

Crayola watercolor paint set
Crayola must own all rights to the Kindergarten school supply list. There are a lot of Crayola products on this list.

$5.00 party money
What kind of party are we talking about here? I have half a mind to wander around Walmart asking the employees where the $5.00 party money is. This, in my opinion is not a school supply.

2 whiteboard dry erase markers
Apparently Crayola didn’t buy the rights to the Kindergarten requirement for dry erase markers.

1 eight pack Crayola Crayons
What? A 24 pack and an 8 pack? What about just the 24 pack and when she’s coloring she just says it’s the one from the 8 pack (or whatever is required)?

Anyway, pretty simple it seems and won’t cost an arm and a leg (no fancy calculators needed at this point). As my very wise co-worker noted, though, “I think they are missing a very important word on the list – WASHABLE – for the markers and the paints.” I’m one of those people that will stand in the aisle now, contemplating whether I should buy washable or not. After all, they didn’t specify.

I’m no rebel or non-conformist so I, like many other parents, will undoubtedly follow the guidelines and buy exactly what is asked for on the list.

After all, it’s Kindergarten. Don’t want to take the chance of messing that up.

For a two parent family making less than $57,000.00 a year, the article states it will cost approximately $160,000.00 from birth to highschool. This isn’t even including college. That’s $9,411.00 a year and I’m sure it’s much more than that when they’re older. I realized this most when my daughter asked for a Wii. I’m saddened by the thought of not getting by on Dollar Store gifts anymore.

Judging by the expensive weekend that I just went through, once the home and food (those are my expenses too, not just hers) are deducted, most of what is left is spent on her. So, it’s possible that the cost of raising a child is actually way more than the $9,411.00 that was figured.

I suppose articles like this are common right now because of the recession and people contemplating whether it’s a good time to have a child. Granted, if I could do it over I’d probably do it right so it wouldn’t be a struggle, but I’m positive that there’s never a “good time”. It’s very seldom that the situation is perfect and ideal, something will always come up.

Reminded me of the movie “Up” that I took dear daughter to see this weekend. (Expensive as they are, it’s still one of the cheapest outings.)

In the beginning, a couple meets when they’re children and get married, always sharing the dream of moving the entire house (literally) to Paradise Falls. They start throwing their change into a jar but something always comes up and the move to Paradise Falls is put off their entire lives. It’s a very seize the day kind of movie.

Kids are expensive. Especially if your goal is to raise an intelligent, productive citizen. I work on budgeting and saving (and just being cheap) so that she can have a decent life. I may have done things differently if given the chance, but at this point, I wouldn’t trade her for anything. It is what it is, and it’s one part of the budget that can’t be cut.