Kids Ain't Cheap

Should You Save Clothes for the Next Child or Get Rid of Them?

May 25, 2023 | Leave a Comment

When we had our children, we were on a tight budget. We bought many of our kids’ clothes at garage sales, consignment stores, and through steep sales. Buying clothes that were cheap yet looked nice was challenging, so after the kids outgrew their clothes, we opted to save clothes for the next child. For us, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

Should You Save Clothes for the Next Child or Get Rid of Them?

We had several reasons why we chose to save the clothes.

Why We Saved Clothes for the Next Child

Clothes Are Expensive

As I mentioned, clothes are expensive. Once we secured them, holding on to them made financial sense. We had to buy some clothes after our first child, a boy. Our second was a girl, and after the baby stage, most clothes we had were boy clothes, so we had to buy some girl clothes. When she outgrew her clothes, we kept both our son’s boy clothes and our daughter’s girl clothes. Our third child, also a girl, wore her big sister’s clothes for years because we continued saving the outgrown clothes. We saved a lot of money by not buying clothes for each kid.

They Have Little Retail Value

The problem is that kids’ clothes are expensive, but once your child outgrows them, they have little resale value. So, why not hold onto them? When we were done having kids, we sold some of the outgrown clothes to a consignment shop (and made little money), and we gave the rest away.

We Had Storage

We always had a basement where we lived, so we could easily store the clothes in plastic tubs until the next child came along. However, if you’re in a small apartment with little room, you may decide storing outgrown clothes is not the best use of your space.

Tip: Try to Buy Gender Neutral Clothes

One of our strategies for the infant stage was to buy gender-neutral clothes so boys or girls could wear the clothes. For instance, our three kids all came home from the hospital wearing the same yellow outfit with a duck on it.

When Saving Clothes for the Next Child Doesn’t Work

We had two instances when saving clothes for the next child didn’t work.

First, we only had one boy, so even though we saved his clothes, we used very few of them with our girls. We donated the clothes when we were done having kids.

Second, your kids may be born in different seasons or be different sizes, so wearing saved clothes isn’t possible. For instance, our first daughter was born in the fall, and our second was born in the spring. Initially, I couldn’t use the first’s baby clothes on the second because they were cold-weather clothes, and our second needed warm-weather clothes. However, as they got older, this was less of a problem, and we could take advantage of hand-me-downs.

Final Thoughts

If you have the space and inclination, you can save clothes for the next child to save time and money. Of course, keeping clothes doesn’t always work out, especially if children are different sexes or born in different seasons, but if it does work, you’ll get to enjoy some of your kids’ favorite outfits for a second (or third) time, and you’ll have more cash in your pocket.

How to Have the Best-Dressed Child without Going Broke

How to Save a Ton of Money by Trading Your Kids’ Old Clothes

How to Use the Money When You No Longer Pay for Daycare

May 11, 2023 | Leave a Comment

When you have a newborn baby, the expenses come fast and furious. Diapers are expensive, as is formula (if you need to buy it). However, those expenses are small compared to daycare costs. Depending on where you live, daycare can cost $1,000 or more monthly. Many parents count down until their child enters school, and they can reclaim the money spent on daycare. But not so fast. What if you reallocate the money when you no longer pay for daycare for future expenses your child will incur? (Trust me, costs keep climbing as your child moves into the tween and teen years.)

Why Should You Reallocate the Money?

Since you’re already spending a set amount for daycare, you’re used to paying that cost. So why not keep putting aside the money when you no longer have to pay for daycare? Future you will be thankful you did this.

How to Allocate the Money

Tweens and teens are lovely, but they’re also expensive! Here are some of the upcoming expenses that you may want to save for by using the money you used for daycare:

Braces

I have three kids, and two of the three needed braces. Thankfully, we had good dental insurance that covered approximately half of each child’s cost. However, even with the insurance, we still had to pay $6000 out of pocket, roughly $3000 for each kid. We started a braces fund when our first child was nine, but even then, we had to finance and pay monthly. Imagine if we had invested the money we paid for daycare. We could have covered the cost of braces from this fund since daycare for our oldest cost $800 a month (and that was over a decade ago).

Future Activities

Kids’ activities can be expensive, especially if they join traveling sports teams. My daughter takes one dance class a week, but some girls in her class are part of the company and take five to eight dance classes per week. The cost of the classes, dance shoes, and performance costumes adds up quickly. If you have more than one child with this type of dedication, the cost of classes can come close to the cost of daycare expenses.

College Fund

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, consider setting aside the money you no longer pay for daycare for a college fund. Putting money into a college fund as soon as your child is born is the wisest decision because of the power of compounding interest. However, when your child is five and attending school, if you funnel all of the daycare money into a college account, you’ll be in a strong position to pay college expenses.

Final Thoughts

Considering how you will reclaim the money for daycare once your child is in school is attractive. However, for your financial future, the more intelligent decision might be to use the money to save for other expenses your child will have, especially college expenses.

Read More

A Financial Guide to Childcare

5 Ways You Can Save Money on Braces for Your Kids

How Much Do Braces Cost and How Can You Save Money?

Upgrade Your Backyard With a Pond Using These Great Ideas

May 2, 2023 | Leave a Comment

Creating a beautiful garden may take some time and some cash, but trust us, it’s worthwhile. When you’re creating the perfect outdoor space at home for your family, you might be creating a dream garden that has finally come to fruition. But where do you even start with all that? How do you even use a pond to spruce up your backyard and garden? We’ve got you covered with some fantastic tips; read on to learn more!

Remember Money Matters

Before tackling any upgrades and changes, first, sit back and think about how much you have for the project. Everything starts with a budget, no matter how large or small the project might be. A waterfall feature without a pond can be about $200 – $2,000. 13% of homes in America use water wells, so if you have one on your property, make sure you’re utilizing it. This is a good way to harvest your water and then recycle it in and around the property.

Make It Water and Energy-Efficient

When you focus on saving energy, even if you’re using your pond in the garden, you can create lower energy bills. You can also use recycled water or repurposed water for your garden’s pond and water features. Reduced utilities are a bonus for any family. Did you know that your credit score is determined by how well you pay and how quickly it is paid? 35% of your credit score depends on how promptly you pay your bills. Save money on bills and keep your credit score up while doing so.

Determine Where You’ll Put the Pond

You and your family might have a large garden, giving you numerous options, but you might also have a smaller garden or yard. Thinking about the placement or location is very important, as the size of your garden will also determine the size of your pond. A balance of shade and sun will benefit your pond as too much sun encourages algae growth, and shade can improve the water quality. Still, you want to ensure there is a balance of both. You may also want to locate the pond near a room where you can see it from the room, like an indoor entertainment space or the lounge

Consider Materials and Aesthetics

Garden ponds are beautiful, and they are not always made from authentic stones and brickwork. Instead, sometimes, as a more affordable option, synthetic materials that mimic rocks are used. The U.S. commercial paving slabs market size was valued at $308.6 million in 2021. Many people are improving and reconstructing their homes, and this is great, especially when you enjoy staying home. Making your property suit your likes is one of the best things you can do.

Keep the Water Flowing

Having a pond is wonderful for the aesthetics of your yard or garden outdoors, but it is also important to bear in mind that standing water creates moss and attracts mosquitos and wasps, to name a few. Using a pump and aeration system with your pond setup is vital to keep the water flowing and looking great. Besides, the therapeutic benefits of relaxing in your garden and the sound of water flowing in the background are soothing.

Nurture Nature

You can add new plants to surround the pond giving it that authentic look of nature or a forest. You can also use flowers or low-maintenance succulents like aloes, Christmas cacti, hens and chicks, or creeping sedums, to name a few.

If you’ve been considering upgrading your backyard with a new pond, don’t wait any longer. Now is the time to bring new life back into your property with a pond! Using these tips can help you save time and money while enjoying a new and refreshed space.

Do Not Believe What You See on Social Media

April 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment

When I had three young children, I was a stay-at-home mom who did freelance writing on the side for about 15 to 20 hours a week. In addition, I enjoyed reading blogs, which were popular at the time. Unconsciously, I found myself trying to emanate these women, especially another mother who also had three young children and ran a successful blog. She wrote about pushing herself hard, working long hours at night, and devoting herself to her children during the day, so I tried to do that, too. Only later did I learn an important lesson—do not believe what you see on social media.

Not Modeling a Healthy Lifestyle

I read that blogger even now, over ten years later. She had a shift in how she spends her time and admits that when she worked so hard and slept so little, she was not leading a healthy lifestyle. This blogger openly admits that her workaholic tendencies affected her family and children.

Now she has a much healthier work-life balance, but for years, she was very driven and encouraging other women to do so even though it was unhealthy for her family. Luckily, I gave up that lifestyle about a year after I tried to adopt it because living that way exhausted me.

Do Not Believe What You See on Social Media

Besides not emulating others who may live an unhealthy lifestyle, it’s also important to not believe what you see on social media.

Help Behind the Scenes

For instance, one influencer used to give the impression that she ran her business entirely by herself. I used to marvel at all she could do and wondered why I failed so miserably at trying to accomplish what she did.

Only recently has that influencer talked about her team, which consists of two full-time and four part-time employees. If you compare yourself to another and think that person gets way more done than you can, you likely don’t have the full story.

Additional Perks the Influencer Doesn’t Mention

Not only do I, unfortunately, compare myself to how productive some influencers are, but I also compare myself to their budgeting skills. For instance, I used to follow one vlogger who can feed her family of six for only $300 to $400 a month, or so she says.

True, she snags all the clearance deals when she shops. However, I’ve noticed recently, as she has become more popular, she gets more sponsored deals. As part of her sponsorship, she gets free food. For instance, she gets free boxes of Hello Fresh meals from all of her affiliate credits. In addition, she gets free boxes of gourmet food from Thrive Market. Yet, she never acknowledges these items when she shares how much she spends on groceries. Yes, she didn’t spend money on these items, but because she gets them for free, she can spend less on other groceries.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a mom following social media, learn from my mistakes. Do not believe what you see on social media—live your life doing what’s best for your family and your budget because you only see part of an influencer’s life. There may be much more happening behind the scenes that you will never know.

Read More

7 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

Budgeting for Family Expenses

How Parents Can Use Their Social Media Influence

My Employment Advice to Stay-at-Home Parents

April 6, 2023 | Leave a Comment

My husband and I have each had a chance to be stay-at-home parents. When our first child was born, I worked full-time, and my husband was in graduate school full-time. My husband reduced his school load to stay home with our child. He did the same after our second child was born. When our third child was born, I quit my job, and my husband became the full-time breadwinner. Based on our experience and the experience I’ve seen others have, I have employment advice for stay-at-home parents—continue working, even if it’s only a few hours weekly.

Why the Stay-at-Home Parent Should Continue Working

Being a stay-at-home parent is hard work. Your days are filled with cooking, cleaning, laundry, playing with kids, and taking them to activities. As a result, you may feel as if you have no time for yourself, let alone time for a part-time job. However, I urge you to find the time for a job for several reasons.

You May Want Adult Interaction

Being able to stay home with your kids is a privilege. However, you will likely long for adult interaction now and again. At a part-time job, you can talk to other adults and get out of the house for several weeklies.

Your Spouse May Die

If you’re a stay-at-home parent and your spouse dies, you may suffer severe financial difficulty, especially if your spouse does not have life insurance. You may think you’re young and you and your spouse have a long life, but that may not be the case.

I saw this firsthand when my father died at age 38. I was 15, and my brother was 8. My mom had worked from home babysitting while my dad was employed full-time. However, after he died, she had no source of health insurance or retirement. She was lucky to have a friend who found her a part-time job working with an understanding boss. In a few years, she was able to work full-time. I don’t know what she would have done if it were not for this friend.

You May Divorce

Likewise, you may never think you will divorce, but if you do, do you have a way to support yourself? If you work part-time while staying home with the kids, you’ll be better positioned to support yourself.

My friend had been married for 23 years when she left her husband. She had been a stay-at-home parent for two decades. She found a job, though it was low paying, and she struggled to pay for her own place and the expenses of maintaining a household as a single person. Eventually, she and her husband reconciled, but she confessed that part of the reason she reconciled was that she could not survive financially on her own and was exhausted from trying to.

You May Need/Want to Work Full-Time Again

Many parents stay home until their kids are in school full-time. Then, they plan to rejoin the workforce. However, if you haven’t done any professional work in the five or more years you were home with the children, re-entering the workforce may be difficult. A part-time job can help you find a full-time job more quicker and easier.

Find Ways to Start a Part-Time Hustle For Free or Minimal Startup Costs

It takes money to make money. But with the benefit of e-commerce and the online gig economy, you can start a small business at home if you have access to everyday items other people find valuable. You will need to network online to find clientele to buy your items.

If you know how to find old vinyl records, 1980s video game cartridges, or even old comic books, you can flip these items for profit. Such items can be valuable to nostalgic collectors. People give these items away all the time on social media.

If you have caches of old comic books in your home, you could start flipping them for quick cash right now. And you don’t need startup capital.

Flipping Old Comic Books as an Online Hustle

Do you have boxes of old comic books at home? Perhaps you can network with other parents to get old comic books they don’t want. You can also source cheap or free comic books from social media and auction sites. You could potentially create a side-hustle selling old comic books from home. And you can do this at home, online, and on your own schedule.

Whenever the comic book film industry announces new films and creates online hype, there are momentary spikes in relevant collector markets. And any comic book collector with nostalgia wants to get the comics that are being used as inspiration for upcoming films.

There are also many free online comic book guides that you can use to check the ballpark market value of the comic books you own.

Have reasonable expectations. You won’t make a fortune overnight. But if you make some connections and find ways to get old comic books cheaply, then you could make an at-home side hustle. And you can do it entirely online.

Final Thoughts

My employment advice to stay-at-home parents is to continue working, even if only a few hours a week. You never know what the future will hold, but by maintaining your presence in the working world, you can find full-time work more easily, should you want or need to.

Can You Homeschool and Work from Home?

How to Work from Home When the Kids Are Home

And, as a final note, if you want good basic personal financial advice, consider surfing over to The Free Financial Advisor, they have a good series on personal finance basics.

College Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune

March 23, 2023 | Leave a Comment

I have three children—one is attending a community college, and the other two are finishing up 7^th and 8^th grade. I have immersed myself in learning about the college application process and how to pay for college and get merit scholarships. What I am finding makes me a bit sad. So many students are taking out loans for tens of thousands of dollars, but college doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

We Won’t Take Out Parent Loans

My husband and I agree that we won’t take out parent loans for our children’s college. Every parent has to decide if they’re willing to go into debt for their children’s educations, and we’re not. My husband and I both attended graduate school and started our careers in our late twenties and early thirties, so we must make up for lost time regarding retirement. We are choosing to prioritize our retirement over our children’s education.

We’ll Encourage Our Children Not to Take Out Loans

Likewise, we encourage our children not to take out loans. But, if they must, we don’t want them to take out loans for more than $15,000 to pay for their four years of school.

Based on our own experiences, students tend to think they’ll pay off their student loans quickly, but then life interferes. The jobs they get after college may not pay as well as they thought they would, or they may want to start a family and find one person needs to pause their career to take care of the child. If they both continue to work, daycare can be expensive.

It’s better not to get loans at all, if possible. If not, keeping the loans to a minimum is important for our family. Federal student loans are often less expensive than private loans, so if your kids have to borrow, going with Uncle Sam is marginally better.

We Encourage Our Kids to Pursue Merit

We’re also encouraging our kids to pursue merit scholarships. Our son got a scholarship to a community college; the remainder of the balance for his tuition is low enough that my husband and I can pay it. Our son will not have any student loans during his first two years of college.

They’ll Stay Local If Necessary

Our two younger children plan to apply to several colleges and see if they get merit aid. If they don’t, we’re lucky to have several colleges and universities within 30 minutes of our house. They will choose one of those schools rather than go into debt to pay for college.

Final Thoughts

Every family must decide what is best for their children when it comes to choosing a college and paying for it. However, college doesn’t have to cost a fortune. My husband and I have told our children how much money we have to help them through school. To make up for the difference, they’ll have to get merit aid or choose a local school. Using this plan, they should graduate with no or minimal debt, and my husband and I won’t have to take out any parent loans.

4 (More) Great Part-Time Job Options for College Students

Non-Traditional and Easy Jobs for College Students

My Husband’s Stay-at-Home Dad Experience

March 9, 2023 | Leave a Comment

One of the best benefits of modern society is that families have many choices when it comes to childcare. The mother or father can stay home with the child, have a grandparent watch the child, or utilize a nanny or daycare. When my husband and I had our first child, my husband became a stay-at-home dad.

A Little Background

I taught full-time when we had our first child; my husband was in graduate school. Unfortunately, we lived in the suburbs of a large city, and quality daycare was $800 to $1200 a month, which we couldn’t afford. So, my husband dropped to part-time student status and cared for our son for the first two years of his life. While my husband enjoyed that time, he found the stay-at-home dad experience challenging sometimes.

My Husband’s Stay-at-Home Dad Experience

Even now, stay-at-home dads are not the norm, so they get more attention (both positive and negative) than stay-at-home moms do.

Prepare for Judgment (Positive and Negative)

My husband was shocked at the judgment he experienced.

Positive

Many moms praised my husband for being involved and a good dad. They told him how great it was that he had the flexibility to stay at home and spend time with our son.

Negative

On the flip side, he also experienced some negativity. On the mild side, some women praised him for “babysitting” his child, which he found frustrating. Because, of course, he wasn’t babysitting; he was raising his child.

However, he faced stronger negativity from people who saw him as less than other men because he cared for his child instead of working and earning an income. While stay-at-home moms can do their job mostly judgment-free, stay-at-home dads are unusual even in this day and age. Some people can’t shake their gender expectations.

Must Be Self-Confident

Because he doesn’t take criticism personally, other people’s judgment didn’t bother him that much. Mostly he was able to laugh it off. However, any man considering being a stay-at-home dad must be self-confident and have thick skin.

Enjoy the Time with Your Kids

Not all parents get to stay home with their kids, so those that do are privileged. Enjoy the time you spend with your kids, whether it’s mom or dad staying home. The old saying, “The days are long, but the years are short,” definitely applies. The time you spend with your kids when they are little is fleeting.

Expect Some Challenges

Finally, expect some challenges. For example, my husband sometimes felt uncomfortable attending a kid’s library event or class and being the only dad in a room full of women. While the moms could talk easily to one another, he felt awkward.

My husband also said that it’s essential that the wife of a stay-at-home dad be comfortable with her husband being around other female parents when he joins social events for kids.

Final Thoughts

Overall, my husband’s stay-at-home dad experience was a positive one. After he finished his degree and we had two more kids, he went to work, and I became the stay-at-home mom. When caring for your children and providing for your family, only you can say which childcare experience is best.

Where to Find Financial Support for Stay-at-Home Dads

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4 Strategies to Lower the Insurance Premium for a Teen Driver

February 16, 2023 | Leave a Comment

Our oldest is 18.5 years old, and he finally decided to drive. We’re thankful he didn’t want to earlier because he’s in the highest risk category to cover, according to our insurance—he’s male, under 25, and has been driving less than three years. However, we’re using strategies to lower the insurance premium for a teen driver. We’re also implementing strategies to protect our finances while he’s on our insurance policy.

4 Strategies to Lower the Insurance Premium for a Teen Driver

Even though he’s in the highest-risk category for coverage, we can take advantage of several discounts to lower his premium.

We Have a Multi-Line Discount

We already have our two vehicles and home insured by the same insurance company. Our son will join and benefit from our multi-line discount.

He’ll Drive Our Oldest Vehicle

Generally, the newer a vehicle, the more expensive it is to insure. Since he’s a teen driver with a higher risk of having an accident than us, we’re giving him our oldest vehicle to drive—a 2004 minivan. Having him as the primary driver on the oldest car gives him a lower insurance premium than if he were driving a newer vehicle.

He’ll Get a Good Student Discount

Because he is maintaining higher than a B average in college, he will receive a good student discount.

He’ll Use the Drive Safe and Save App

In addition, he’ll use the Drive Safe and Save app. While this app can’t make his premium increase if he’s a bad driver, it can help him realize a significant discount if he’s a good driver. My husband and I already use this app and have seen our premiums drop by more than 20 percent.

A Future Discount

While he doesn’t currently qualify, he’ll get a safe driver discount if he drives for three years without a ticket or an accident. We’re hoping he will get this discount eventually, but with teen drivers, there is a sharp learning curve, so he may not.

An Additional Step We’re Taking to Protect Ourselves

The least financially risky way to insure him is to have him own his car and pay for his auto insurance policy. However, that will more than double (close to triple) the amount he will need to pay for car insurance.

Instead, we’re adding him to our policy, but we’re also adding an umbrella policy to our line of insurance. So then, if our son causes an accident that results in more money than his auto insurance covers, our umbrella policy will kick in. This will protect us because when he’s under our insurance, the victim can come after our assets if our son causes an accident.

Final Thoughts

After our son, we have two more children who we’ll add to our insurance policy when they learn to drive. So, we’ll continue to utilize these strategies to lower the insurance premiums for a teen driver and to protect our assets with umbrella insurance. While teen drivers raise our insurance premiums, this season of life will only last for the next six to eight years until our teens are on their own and paying for their expenses.

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Should You Buy a House in a Bad School District?

February 2, 2023 | Leave a Comment

My husband and I have lived in three different states. When we lived in Chicago, we chose a working-class neighborhood with bad schools. That was the only area where we could afford rent. (Buying a house was out of the question because of the high property taxes and our relatively low income.) When we lived in Arizona, we chose a good neighborhood with a meh school district. Finally, now that we live in New York, we live in a lovely community with a good school district. Sometimes when you’re house shopping, you find a nice house in a lousy school district within a good neighborhood. Should the quality of the school district be a deal breaker? The answer is, it depends.

Should You Buy a House in a Bad School District?

Of course, if the house is in a bad school district and neighborhood, you likely should pass. (Remember, location is everything when buying a home.) However, if the neighborhood is safe and sound, you have options.

Can Your Kids Go to School Out-of-District?

Some areas of the country allow a certain number of children to go to school out-of-district. If this is the case where you are, and there are good schools nearby, consider this option. You will avoid your neighborhood school that is less than desirable. You get a nice house, and your kids attend a good school. The only drawback is that you will likely need to drive them, and their commute to school will be longer than if they went to school locally.

Is Private School an Option?

When we lived in the Chicago suburbs, we had an academically solid private school within walking distance. However, we couldn’t afford the full tuition. Luckily, we applied for financial aid and received a significant tuition cut. Our child attended that school for three years.

Even if you think you can’t afford private school, you may find that with financial aid, it becomes an option.

Could You Homeschool?

Another option is to homeschool. If you choose this route, it doesn’t matter what neighborhood you live in. When we moved to Arizona, we had been homeschooling our three children for one year. Because we didn’t have to consider the schools, we could find a fixer-upper in a nice neighborhood with a not-so-great school district. When we moved eight years later, our house sold for over asking to a couple in their 50s who also didn’t care about the school district.

If, instead, we had considered the school district, we would have had to buy a house in a neighborhood that was outside our price range. We would have struggled financially to make a house payment in that neighborhood. Homeschooling offers you incredible freedom.

Final Thoughts

When house hunting, remember location is everything. If you find a good house in a nice neighborhood with a bad school district, don’t automatically rule that house out. You have options for your children’s education that don’t require you to live in the best school district in the area.

Is It Child Approved? The Best Home Buying Checklist When You’re House Hunting with Kids

Yaaa, We Sold Our House. . .We Hope

The Benefits of 1000 Hours Outside

January 19, 2023 | Leave a Comment

I have heard of the 1000 Hours Outside movement for the last few years, but I never tried it because we lived in Arizona, where it was too hot most of the year to spend much time outdoors. Now, we’ve moved to a more temperate climate, so in 2023, we’re joining the movement. There are many benefits of the 1000 hours outside challenge that I’ve already seen for our family and expect to increase as we get further into the year.

The Benefits of 1000 Hours Outside

These are some of the benefits I’ve seen so far:

More Family Time

My husband works a lot, but he enjoys spending time outdoors. So, he joins us whenever we head out for an outdoor adventure. Likewise, the girls are teens and don’t like to do as much together, but they, too, join in for outdoor activities.

More Frugal Entertainment

We’ve found immersing ourselves in nature is a frugal endeavor. Recently, we took a road trip to a location 70 miles from our home. First, we walked around some college campuses that our kids wanted to see. Then, we went to a nearby cemetery where we found the graves of Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony. We spent several hours outdoors exploring; the only cost was the gas to get to the city.

Better Physical Fitness

Since we started this challenge, we’ve been more active. The girls will take two-mile walks with me to rack up more outdoor time. In addition, we’ve resumed hiking as a family, something we haven’t done for years.

Better Behavior

When our kids were younger, I noticed a direct correlation between their time on devices and challenging behavior. They were grumpier and more aggressive as they spent more time on electronics. They’re older now, so the behavior challenges are more nuanced. However, I notice that they seem more peaceful and relaxed when they spend time outdoors.

Less Reliance on Technology

When kids get bored, they turn to electronics. If they’re outdoors doing activities, they don’t have electronics to turn to. Most kids today (and adults!) rely too heavily on electronics. Stopping this behavior cold turkey is difficult, if not impossible in our society. However, you can diminish the time you and your kids spend on electronics by replacing that time with something better, like time outdoors.

I wish we had started the 1000 Hours Outside challenge when my kids were toddlers. They would have grown up knowing so much more about nature. They would have found being outdoors a natural way to live. However, it’s never too late, which is why we’re embarking on the challenge now, while we still have time.

Final Thoughts

The earlier you start immersing your kids in the outdoors, the better. However, your kids are never too old to reap the benefits of 1000 Hours Outside challenge. Our kids are 12 and 14, and they’re still benefiting. So, what are you waiting for? Put on your jacket or sunscreen, depending on the weather, and enjoy the great outdoors.

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