Saving Money Today » Kids

Receive Product Recall Alerts Right In Your Inbox

Mike — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:09:07 +0000

I’m sure you’ve seen the recent Toyota recalls plastered all over the evening news and newspapers, but not every consumer product recall gets that kind of media coverage.

Pretty much every day there is at least one product recalled due to safety or quality concerns. Some of them could be in your home right now.

Fortunately there is the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site where you can find information on over 4,500 (and counting) product recalls.

You can search by date, product type, manufacturer, type of hazard, and more. Plus you can sign up for product recall alerts so you can receive immediate notification whenever a new recall is announced. You can subscribe to their RSS feeds or you can have new alerts delivered right to your inbox via email.

Since I have 3 young children I subscribed to the Children’s product recall list and I’m amazed at how many products are recalled. I probably receive an average of 3 to 5 alerts each week, and some of those alerts contain more than one recall notice. The most common recall reasons I see are toys that contain lead paint and shirts or jackets that have drawstrings which can strangle children if they are caught on something.

You can research various recalls and sign up to receive product recall alerts at CPSC.gov.

Trade Baby Sitting Services to Save Money

Mike — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:10:00 +0000

When you’re a parent of young children it seems like all you do is change diapers, make lunches, help with homework, and drive to soccer practice. It can be tough to actually carve out a little time for yourself and your spouse.

But your relationship will suffer if you don’t make an effort to have some adult time with each. This makes finding a reliable baby sitter a necessity. But finding a baby sitter you can count on is easier said than done. And the good ones don’t go cheap.

So do what we’ve done…find another couple with young kids and trade baby sitting services with them. One night you drop your rugrats off at their house for a few hours so you can have a relaxing and peaceful dinner with your spouse. Another night you look after their kids while they have a night out.

You can save money too by bartering baby sitting services with another couple instead of paying cash for a babysitter. After all…you deserve a night out once in awhile don’t you?

10 Inexpensive Family Activities

Mike — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:13:38 +0000

Having fun with the family doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. There are lots of ways for families to have a good time together without breaking the bank. All you need is a little creativity, an open mind, and a positive attitude.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. Go to a park. Most of us spend entirely too much time indoors as it is. Getting some fresh air at the park will do you some good. You can play tennis or basketball, take a long walk, or just take the kids to play on the jungle gym and swings.

2. Celebrate a wacky holiday. If you go to Google and search for “weird holidays” or “wacky holidays” you’ll see that pretty much every day of the year has been assigned at least one holiday. And some of them are pretty random.

Did you know that January 25 is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day? You could spend the day making arts and crafts with bubble wrap. May 4 is Star Wars Day. You can have your own film festival and watch all the movies together. If these ideas don’t get your motor going you can always make up your own wacky holiday!

3. Family board game night. If your family is like mine you have no shortage of board games laying around the house. Pick out a couple of your favorites and have a family tournament. Be sure to choose games that are appropriate for all age groups. That means if you have young children you can expect to play a lot of Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Hungry Hungry Hippos.

4. Take a field trip to a pick your own farm. There are lots of these in my area and we all love to apple picking together in the fall. If there are no apple orchards near you perhaps there are other types of fruit to pick. Check your local newspaper for the farm nearest you. Remember, because you picked them yourself they’ll be cheaper and taste better too.

5. Visit a botanical garden or arboretum. Most of these are free or require only a token donation. You can get some beautiful pictures of your family as you stroll through the flowers together.

6. Check out a local museum. It doesn’t have to be the Guggenheim or the Metropolitan Museum or Art. There are small museums all over the place and if you look around I’m sure you can find one near you. Just spend a few hours walking around, taking in the sights, and talking about what you see.

7. Go for a family walk. This is a great way to get some fresh air and exercise while spending a little time together. If you don’t want to walk around your neighborhood you can go to a nature preserve or walk along the beach.

8. Have a camp out. You can go to a camp site or just pitch a tent in your own backyard. Tell ghost stories and try to identify various sounds of the night.

9. Go star watching. On a clear night grab a telescope and head for some open land where there are less lights to interfere with your view of the heavens. Spend some time gazing up and the stars and see how many constellations you can identify.

10. Plant a vegetable garden. You can have fun working together to plant the garden and then once your plants grow in you’ll have a free source of nutritious food to share.