Teaching Children How to Save Money

My daughter is only two, but she has already mastered the concept of spending money. Any time she receives money for birthdays or holidays (or even just when she digs through my purse), her immediate reaction is to grab my hand and tell me she wants to go to the toy store.

I finally realized that even though she's only a toddler, it was time for me to sit down with her and teach her a little about saving money. After all, she already understood the concept of spending it. After doing a little research and talking to a few friends, I came across some strategies that are slowly helping my daughter understand what saving money means. Hopefully the tips below will help you educate your children about the art of saving and managing money.

1) Determine where you will save your money. Although my daughter does have a college savings account, I figured at this point a savings jar would be a better visual learning tool for her. Either way, have kids deposit any money that comes their way into their bank account or a savings jar. Be sure that you occasionally allow them to withdraw money when they want to make a purchase, otherwise they may be discouraged from saving at all.

2) Help your child set a goal. Whether they are saving for a new toy or a new bike, hang a picture of whatever they are saving for in their room. Next to the picture, draw some kind of chart that will help your children see how much they have saved and how much more money they need to save to get to their goal. If your kids love stickers, put together a sticker chart and let them put a sticker on the chart every time they get closer to their goal.

3) Give them an allowance in small denominations. The amount of allowance you give your children will largely depend on their age. Give your child their allowance in small denominations and encourage them to save a certain percentage each week. I recently started giving my daughter an allowance of $4 a week in quarters. Every week, we divide the quarters in half and she happily drops half into her savings jar. With the other half, she buys candy at the grocery store. Impressively, last week she decided to put all her coins into her jar so that she could put 4 stickers on her goal chart and be closer to reaching her goal!

4) Use grocery shopping trips as an opportunity to teach children the value of money. There are a ton of lessons you can teach your kids at the grocery store. Use the time you spend at the grocery store to teach your kids about coupons, sales, meal planning, buying in bulk and seasonal produce to name a few. My friend actually gives her kids a portion of the money she saves at the grocery store as a result of shopping sales and using coupons. As you can imagine, her kids love clipping coupons!

Learning about how to manage your personal finances is a life-long journey. By teaching your children how to save money and use coupons at an early age, you will help set them down the right financial track. Do you have any tips about teaching children how to save money? Please share with us!

Saving Money on Pet Supplies

Being a pet owner can be expensive. The cost of pet food, visits to the veterinarian, grooming and other pet supplies can quickly add up. By doing a little planning and using the tips below, you can significantly reduce the cost of owning a pet.

If you are looking for a new pet, the best thing you can do to save money is adopt. Some people pay hundreds of dollars for a new pet, when in reality there are so many homeless pets you can take home for free or close to free from a local animal shelter. Some animal shelters will even provide you with free pet supplies and free samples.

Buying used pet supplies can also boost your pet savings. When looking for more expensive pet supplies such as a pet carrier, crate, beds etc., check out garage sales, classifieds in the newspaper, craigslist and even eBay. Sometimes you can find incredible deals from people who are moving or just cleaning out their garage.

Another way to save money on pet supplies is by finding coupons. Besides looking though CoolSavings' printable coupons, the Sunday paper is also a great source for pet coupons. You may not always find coupons for the brand you are looking for though. Luckily, the CoolSavings Community has a new Coupon Exchange where you can exchange the coupons you don't want for the coupons you need. You can also find pet coupons and other pet savings by signing up for various newsletters from your favorite pet stores and pet supply manufacturers. For example, signing up for the Iams newsletter will give you access to printable coupons, expert pet care advice and even pet food coupons via mail.

Shopping online for pet supplies and pet medications can also save you money because you can take advantage of numerous online coupons and discount codes. CoolSavings actually has a whole section dedicated to pet supplies coupons full of discount codes good for free shipping on orders and other special discounts. CoolSavings also has a wonderful Price Comparison feature where you can find the best quality pet products at the best price.

Other ways to reduce the cost of owning a pet include buying pet food in bulk, grooming your pet on your own, asking your vet for free samples and buying pet toys and snacks at the dollar store. There are probably a bunch of other things you can do to boost your pet savings. If you have any tips or advice, please share with us!

May Freebies from the Walgreen's EasySaver Catalog

You are definitely missing out if you don't know about the Walgreens monthly EasySaver Catalog. It's filled with coupons and rebates on all kinds items—some of which even turn out to be free after rebate!

In fact, here’s a list of some freebies you will find in the May EasySaver Catalog:
-Free Walgreens Maxi Pads, 12 to 24 Pack
-Free EARinse with SinoMarin™ Ear Cleansing Spray
-Free Kickers Energy Spray
-Free Oral-B CrossAction Toothbrush
-Free Orajel Kids Plaque Revealing Rinse
-Free Nexcare Cold Sore Lip Treatment

This month's catalog also features a variety of great money-saving rebates for products such as Rembrandt Whitening Strips, new Starbucks Chocolates and outdoor summertime accessories.

To get some of these freebies and rebates, download this month's catalog by going to Walgreens.com or pick one up at your local Walgreens store. Then, simply pay for the items in advance, fill out the short rebate form inside the catalog and mail it out.

You can choose to receive your rebate via a Walgreens gift card or a rebate check. If you choose the Walgreens gift card, you get a 10% bonus on all rebates—enough to cover sales tax and then some depending where you live.

These freebies and rebates are valid now through May 31st. No need to worry if you miss out on this month’s savings though...there will be a brand new catalog filled with different offers next month and I will keep you posted on exactly what those great rebates and freebies are!

Last-Minute Frugal Gifts for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is this Sunday May 11th! Here are a few budget-friendly, last-minute Mother's Day gifts to let your mom know just how much you appreciate her. Just remember to include a thoughtful card that mom can treasure for years to come.

- A live plant is much less expensive then a bouquet of flowers and it will last a lot longer too. Pair it with a gift card that has a nostalgic message about how your mother has always taken care of you and helped you grow, so you know she will do the same for the plant.

- Surprise your mom in the morning with breakfast in bed. What better way to start her day?

- Make mom a personalized work of art. Write her a poem or a letter telling her how much she means to you and frame it in a large frame that has a picture mat. You'll be surprised at how professional the picture mat will make your creation look. If you're a mom yourself, you can use the same idea and frame pictures your kids have drawn, their handprints or enlarged family photos.

- Give mom a well deserved break from doing the cooking and cleaning by volunteering to take over for the day. If mom is elderly or lives alone, help her out by doing things for her around the house that she has trouble doing—such as yard work or washing her windows.

- Make mom a coupon book, or have your kids do it. The coupon book could consist of things you know your mom would like: such as a coupon good for washing the dishes, making dinner, letting her sleep in...or even just a hug.

- Make mom a gift basket full of her favorite treats, some of which you may already have around the house. Fill it with things such as cookie or herb mixes in little bags or jars tied with a pretty bow, specialty tea bags inside a new mug, or even pre-made dinners she can freeze.

If mom lives out of state, you still have time to send her a card or a bouquet of flowers. Have CoolSavings.com be your first stop when looking for a gift online—they have hundreds of online coupons and discount codes to help you get the most for your money.

Make your Own Baby Food and Save

If you're a new parent, you may be wondering if you can save money by making your own baby food. The answer is...absolutely! Not only is homemade baby food much more nutritious, but making your own baby food can also help you save a considerable amount of money on groceries each week—especially as your baby gets older. Typically, one ounce of homemade baby food costs about one-fourth of what you would pay for a 1-ounce jar of baby food.

I started making my own baby food when my daughter was about 6 months old and had moved onto Stage 2 baby food. At that point the amount she was eating cost about $15 dollars a week. The main reason I started making my own baby food is that I wanted to avoid any additives and preservatives. I also found out that beans upset her stomach and unfortunately many of the mixed vegetable and dinner varieties of jarred baby food had green beans mixed in. Making my own baby food allowed me to control exactly what vegetable combinations I fed my daughter, and I was able to introduce her to a greater variety of tastes and textures, including ethnic foods. As an added bonus, the rest of our family started eating healthier because I would usually cook lean protein and vegetables for dinner so that I could make baby food out of it.

How do you make your own baby food and boost your grocery savings? Simply wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly and peel the skins which can be hard for your baby to digest. Bake, steam or boil your vegetables until soft and then puree. Frozen veggies are fine too if you're strapped for time. Then just puree and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. I loved using these reusable dishwasher and microwave safe baby cubes to store baby food. Reusing empty baby food jars also works well.

Although making your own baby food can save you money on groceries, whether you decide to make your own baby food will largely depend on your schedule. If you regularly cook meals at home, making your own baby food could be as simple as pureeing the food you already cook for your family. But if take-out food is a way of life for you, making your own baby food will take some organization and possibly extra time that you simply do not have. Either way, making your own baby food is something I recommend trying at least once. I would be more then happy to answer any questions you may have about making your own baby food, and will be sure to post some of my favorite homemade baby food recipes soon!

For more baby savings, grocery savings and money-saving tips, be sure to visit CoolSavings!

April Freebies from the EasySaver Catalog.

You are definitely missing out if you don't know about the Walgreens monthly EasySaver Catalog. Every month Walgreens comes out with a new EasySaver catalog filled with coupons and rebates - some of the items even turn out to be free after rebate!

To get some of these freebies and rebates, simply pay for the items in advance, fill out the short rebate form inside the catalog and mail it out. Sales tax is non-refundable, but you do have the option of getting a 10% bonus on all rebates if you choose a Walgreens gift card instead of a rebate check. That should cover the sales tax.

You can download this month's catalog by going to Walgreens.com or just stop by your local Walgreens store.

Here is a list of freebies you will find in the April EasySaver Catalog:
-Free Aquafresh Extreme Clean Polishing Action or Advanced 2x Whitening Toothpaste
-Free Soyjoy Nutrition Bar
-Free Colgate Manual Toothbrush
-Free Just for Men Touch of Gray Hair Color
-Free Tums QuickPak, 24 pack
-Free jane Mineral Blush or Kabuki Brush
-Free Wal-Zyr 24 Hour Allergy Relief, 5 tablets
-Free Wal-tin 10mg tablets, 30 pack

This month's catalog also features a variety of great money saving rebates for products such as Garnier Fructis Hair Care products, Stayfree Maxi Pads as well as various suncare products. Be sure to pick up this month's catalog for more details.

These freebies are valid now through April 26th. No need to worry if you miss out on the savings this month...there will be a brand new catalog filled with different offers next month!

Saving Money on Beauty Services

It is recommended that you get your hair cut every six weeks. Not everyone does, but it can certainly add up quickly if you have a large family. Add in the cost of other services you might get at a salon such as coloring your hair, manicures and waxing and you can easily see how much the cost of these beauty services can add up in one year. You can always save money on these beauty services by doing them by yourself, but there is also another money saving solution that most people do not know about. Did you know you can get the same beauty services you would get at a salon at a beauty school for about one-third of the price?

Start saving money on the cost of beauty services by look up the local cosmetology or beauty schools in your area. A good resource to start with is the Beauty School Directory. You can also contact a few of your favorite local salons and ask them where their cosmetologists attended school. Most cosmetology schools offer hair cuts, hair coloring services, manicures, facials and waxing for a fraction of the price you would pay at the salon. Haircuts, facials and a manicure can cost as low as $5 each. Perms, hair coloring services and highlights can cost as low as $30. The amount of money you will be saving on beauty services can really add up over time.

You may be nervous about the fact that students and not professionals will be performing these services on you. However, in my experience I have never had an issue because they all work closely under the supervision of their instructors. Also keep in mind that they do not work on actual customers until after they have been in school for a while and have gotten a good amount of practice on mannequins and each other. Most beauty schools will allow you to request a student that is on their final level of training and about to graduate; it may cost a dollar or two extra though.

An added money saving bonus is that most cosmetology schools sell your favorite salon quality beauty products such shampoo, hair-spray and nail polish at discounted prices. With all the money you will be saving on beauty services, you can afford to splurge on some salon quality products to help keep up your style at home!