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Why I’m Asking for Cash for Christmas in Lieu of Gifts for My Daughter’s

December 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Christmas is fast approaching and almost every day I get phone calls and text messages asking about gifts for our daughter. Everyone wants to buy her something. Friends, grandparents, cousins, neighbours. She’s only two and half years old! There isn’t much of anything she actually needs and really she’s still too young to know if she wants anything. While we as parents can get away with it (i.e. before she’s old enough to ask for stuff) we’re asking that people limit or exclude physical gifts for her.

We as her parents take care of her wants and needs and I think we do a pretty good job. She has all her needs taken care of and more than enough ‘’extras’’ in her life in the form of toys, books, treats and special events. Selfishly I don’t want a house overrun with her toys and ‘’stuff’’ either. I think it’s important to keep the level of ‘’stuff’’ she’s surrounded with at a realistic level. While I accept that people like to buy things for her, she doesn’t need much and so I would rather have the cash instead.

Cash for Christmas

With a cash gift, instead of another stuffed animal or doll, we can do more for her. First we could invest it her post-secondary savings account. I would much rather have $20 invested for the next 16 years than a toy she’ll play with for a few days which we’ll then end up donating or throwing away depending on its condition. We could also put it towards a special event or experience for her. This coming year we have plans to enroll her into a few dance classes for example. I would rather see her experience something new and exciting that can really help form her as a child than a simple toy she won’t have much interaction with.

I’m not a total scrooge. I understand that for her toys are fun and we will be buying her some new fun toys and books to play with but if I allowed everyone person who has inquired our house would be littered with too much stuff. Too much stuff can lead to unnecessary expectations for her too. I don’t want her growing up with extreme Christmas expectations either. Gifts, though fun, are not the main focus of the season.

In me explaining that we would rather have cash (and/or books) in lieu of gifts has been very well received by people who have inquired. Once I explained what our plan was and why we wanted to limit the volume of gifts she got people seem more than happy to give cash in her name instead (one less gift for them to buy too!). People loved the idea of contributing towards something much ‘’larger’’ in terms of post-secondary or experience such as her dance classes. I have also accepted that some people (aunts and grandparents) genuinely enjoy buying things for her and that’s ok, as long as they don’t go too crazy 🙂

It is too easy to go overboard this time of year. I don’t want people feeling like they need to get her anything and if they do I just want to give the option of contributing to something more.

How do you manage request and gifts for your children for Christmas?

Catherine

Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.

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Sleeping, Outings and Other Tips to Remember During Potty Training

November 19, 2014 | Leave a Comment

In case you missed it:

Post one: Preparing to Potty Train a Toddler

Post two: Potty Training a Toddler in Less Than One Week

Like everything else, do what you feel is best for your child when it comes to outings and bedtime (or naps). I chose to keep our daughter in a diaper for naps and overnight the first few days but reminded her we only used the potty now. After she awoke from all naps and bedtime dry for four days straight and we got rid of diapers for sleep by day five when she woke us up in the morning by yelling ‘’I have to go pee’’.

Starting the second day we left the house in her new underwear driving to daycare. I always make sure she goes potty immediately before leaving the house (wherever we’re going) and we’re usually good to go for a while. In the beginning I made sure to ask her every few minutes if she had to pee and even if she said no, would attempt every 30-45 minutes (where the travel seat comes into play). Now, three weeks into it, I just trust she’ll tell me.

Since day two we have had almost no accidents and the two accidents we did have were my fault, she told me she needed to go and I didn’t get to her fast enough.

Things to remember about potty training:

There will be accidents, when they happen make sure the child knows it’s no big deal. We don’t need them feeling any sort of shame.
The first day I felt like I was making little to no progress initially with the amount of accidents but after nap and starting afternoon there was only one accident and going 30 minutes plus between potty time!
Every child is different and unique. I ‘’just knew’’ my daughter was ready so it was an easier transition. She has been ready for a few months now but I didn’t have the patience to do it until recently.
If you child has alternative childcare make sure they are aware of your potty training plan and will be able to stick to the plan. For us, I requested she stay in underwear all day and go to potty at least every 15 minutes to start. Every day I would let her sitter know how the day would go and we stayed in constant contact throughout the day.
Trust your instincts. If you don’t feel like your 18-24 month old child is ready despite the books suggesting they should be, don’t worry about it. They will get there, give it time.
Spend time getting to know your child’s bathroom signals. My daughter has always been shy about going #2 and fought doing it on the potty a bit, almost as if she would get in trouble, but since I recognized the physical cues she gave, I didn’t let her off the potty until she went. After she did this two to three times she realized it wasn’t a big deal and was fine to go.
Make use of public washrooms or allow them to see you go so they get used to them and so they know they’re ‘’not scary’’ as the loud flush can scare some kids.

Potty training can be very challenging but taking time to prepare yourself and your child will make your life much easier.

Did you use any special tricks when potty training?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

What to Keep in the Car for a Toddler

November 12, 2014 | Leave a Comment

I love my daughter.

I feel like I need to get that out there when I discuss her behaviour at times. She is an amazing kid when she’s in situations where she’s expected to be just that, a kid. When we put our otherwise perfectly behaved two-year-old in situations where we expect her to suddenly act like an adult and different from the free spirt she usually is, we’re (surprise, surprise) often faced with backlash.

Two is a bit of an awkward age. She knows and understands so much about her world. She talks to me and has opinions about things yet she doesn’t exactly know how to control herself all the time. She gets frustrated sometimes and isn’t quite at the age of being able to tell me exactly what’s going on. She doesn’t understand why we’re always telling her she has to walk (and that we’re not carrying her) but that when in the grocery store we won’t let her walk freely as we do 97% of the time and thus can have mini freak-outs about being contained to the cart. Getting anything done with a toddler can be an experience but with a few preparations it doesn’t always have to be a stress-filled outing.

Food

I’ve never met a kid who didn’t like to eat. My daughter will do just about anything for food. I don’t leave the house without a purse full of snacks. I especially prefer things there are multiple of, things that take longer to eat than just one cracker sort of thing. I like stuff like dry cereal, raisins, fresh fruit cut up, cheese cubed and popcorn. Unlike adults who throw foods by the handful in their mouth, a toddler will each the popcorn one kernel at a time which, in turn buys you time to get your errand done!

Picture Books

I also have books when we go out, there are a few books that live in our vehicle so I’m not looking for them every day. Specifically I like look and find picture books with busy pages so we can talk about multiple things without getting bored (think: show me something red, where are the balloons, what is the boy holding). The types of books that can elicit a lot of different conversations are the best. Never bring books with removable parts because they will get lost.

Necessities

This goes without saying but make sure you always have extra diapers, wipes, potty’s and a change of clothes. I can’t very well expect much in terms of behaviour when she needs the bathroom but still scared of public washrooms, or spills a drink all down her shirt and now uncomfortable. Sometimes managing the basics are all we need.

We love our little balls of energy but sometimes when we need to get stuff done they can be a little difficult to deal with! Though it sometimes takes a little additional planning when leaving the house for an extended period of time, having distraction vices for the kiddo can be a life saver!

What are your favorite way to keep kiddo occupied while out and about?

Catherine

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Potty Train in Less than a Week: Your Step-by-Step Guide

November 5, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Now that you’re ready with all the supplies and have mentally prepared yourself for what could be an uphill battle, I will share with you the step-by-step process I used to potty train my two-year-old in less than a week.

Set aside a day

Some things I read suggested setting aside a weekend or upwards of a week alone at home with the child, for me I decided to set aside a single day where there was zero distractions, just her and I to get acquainted with the new potty. I picked a day I had off and knew we wouldn’t have visitors or anything to interrupt our day. Leading up to the day I started talking about the potty and how she was soon going to learn how to use it.

When the day arrived I informed her that after mommy showered and she ate her breakfast we would be hanging out and spending time learning how to use the potty (ideally you can do this before kiddo wakes up so you’re ready as soon as they wake).

When the time came, I removed her diaper and sat her on the potty to pee. Once she did we put on a new pair of underwear which we both got really excited about. I told her when the panties were on we couldn’t pee in them like she did with a diaper and we would now be using the potty only for all pee and poo. Though she agreed with me I expected there to still be accidents, and there was, initially.

For this first day I chose to keep her in a shirt and underwear only. We stayed very close to the bathroom all day and only did simple activities like read books, color and play with toys. No TV, movies or interactive games that have the potential to ‘’suck them in’’ as we need them to be aware of their bodily functions and don’t want a fit when we tear them away from the activity.

Set a time

I used my loud kitchen timer and set it for every 10 minutes. When the timer went off we both got really excited and yelled ‘’it’s potty time!!!’’. We ran to the bathroom as she sat on the toilet. The time will need to be adjusted. I started with 10 minutes but she was peeing a little every six or so minutes so I decreased the time from 10 to 5 for about an hour then started increasing it by 5 minutes once we had an hour with no accidents going every 10 minutes. Because I was making her drink a lot more than normal (to encourage the pee) she was able to pee even a tiny bit every time I put her on the toilet. For this we both got really excited and if I thought she needed it, I’d give her a treat, 90% of the time be clapping was enough reward for her.

By the end of the first day we were going 30 minutes between potty times and she was starting to tell me she had to go potty without the timer.

By the second day we had one accident only at daycare, dry nap. Treats stopped today for us but you may need to continue them.

Day three, still potty every 15-25 minutes per our reminder and zero accidents, dry nap. Accident free two-hour outing.

Day four she was telling us when she needed, if she hadn’t gone in 40 minutes, we remind her. She started waking in the morning telling us she needed to wake up and pee.

Day five, still no accidents on her vocalizing when she needs to go only. By this point she is also climbing onto the toilet and mastered taking her pants and underwear off 100% solo.

Day six onwards- zero accidents, all naps dry, dry overnight, no issue when travelling and running errands.

Keep everyone in the loop!

If you child has alternative childcare make sure they are aware of your potty training plan and will be able to stick to the plan. I let the daycare know everything I was doing so the next day she could pick up where I left off. For us, I requested she stay in underwear all day and go to potty at least every 15 minutes to start. Everyday I would let her sitter know how the day would go and we stayed in constant contact throughout the day.

Potty training is very individual, these are the steps I used to get started with potty training. Next week I will discuss the steps I used for outings and naptime as well extra tips to remember!

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

The Need to Take the Disgust Out of Halloween

October 22, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Growing up I loved Halloween but not for the regular ”kid” reasons. I just used to love the excitement, the crafts and the fun movies, which as an adult, I still do. I was never, and still am not someone who enjoys dressing up, Halloween night was fun to be with friends but I was always terrified I was going to get jumped by some ”high school kid” and they’d steal my candy (an unnecessary fear), this resulted in me not venturing too far from home and coming back fairly early from my trick-or-treating ventures.

As I got a bit older my best friend and I would watch scary movies together leading up to the ”holiday”. Classics by Hitchcock usually. I also had a soft spot for the old Ernest Scared Stupid but growing up I was never exposed to really gruesome stuff and I was scared as much as any child or young adult should be. I didn’t need decapitated babies, bloody pick axes or zombies with trachea’s hanging out of their mouth to scare me. Exposing me to Freddy Krueger was enough. At what point have we as a society become so desensitized to everything that the movie Psycho is a casual weeknight family movie?

I am by no means prudish in any way but as I approach my daughter’s first Halloween where she will be trick-0r-treating, I shudder to think about how I am going to explain some of the over-the-top decorations we’re bound to see. Dead bodies, bloody body bags, severed limbs… What happened to spooky skeletons and witches? There is line with Halloween that often gets crossed.

My sister-in-law is one who has always loved the goriness of Halloween, the bloodier the better in her eyes, but she contains the over-the-top decorations for the inside of her house where, when kids come to the door, they cannot see anything but if you’re an adult attending her annual party, be prepared for plastic, bloody, severed fingers to be served with your appetizer. My point is that there is a time, place and appropriate audience. If you and your friends enjoy said decorations, by all means share them together but don’t expose the rest of the world to them.

It’s not just kids that worry me. There are many people going through many varying personal issues where Halloween decorations could be upsetting. While I’m willing to bet a scary witch or ghost on your front porch won’t bother many people, hanging a noose around what looks like a bloody, plastic body bag and hanging it off your roof (real thing in our neighborhood last year), likely will.

Halloween has the potential to be a really fun ”holiday” (a term I use loosely). There are some amazingly fun Halloween movies that despite my Grinchiness with dressing up, I really love to watch every year. The over-the-top gore just takes away the fun of it for me and my family and makes us not way to do anything at all which, let’s be honest is no fun for kids.

Young children don’t have the life experience we adults do, and someone who is dealing with personal issues shouldn’t have to avert their eyes or have memories flared up because of a neighbor’s decorations. Be sensible and aware of your audience and have a fun and safe Halloween!

Do you think Halloween Decor has gone too far?

Catherine

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The Best Smiles in Life are Free

October 15, 2014 | Leave a Comment

It’s been a while since I was actually in a McDonald’s restaurant, but I vividly remember the old menus growing up that, at the very end said, ‘’Smiles are always free’’. My experience in being a mom is that the best smiles are, in fact, free but that doesn’t stop me as a parent from chasing the need to see my child smiling through my unnecessary purchases.

I don’t even realize I’m doing it most of the time. Last weekend I had to go to a local big box store for an item. I was there to return something, that was it. I had no intentions of even walking around the store but when I realized I had some freedom (I was alone, no kid, no husband), I decided to capitalize on my few free moments and wander through the aisles. Given that I actually hate shopping, and am very much someone who likes to accomplish as much as possible in any given day, it was out of character for me to even want to do this, but I did.

I was scoping out the newest stuff and staring in disbelief at all the Christmas stuff that was already out, as Halloween hasn’t even passed, when I found myself walking through the book aisle. Again, innocently browsing at what was there, I instantly picked up a book with my daughters favorite character’s on it. The thought process was something like this:

‘’I need to buy this for her! She will love it and put a big smile on her face when she sees it!!’’.

At $3.50 I wasn’t breaking the bank but, though I didn’t realize it at the time, I was doing it selfishly. Though the book was for her, the book was more for me. For me, as her mom, to see her eyes light up and smile when I hand it to her.

It wasn’t until after I gave her the book when I realized what I had done. Though she was appreciative of the gesture, and thanked me for it, what she really wanted and what really got her excited was me. I had been away from her for a few hours and she wouldn’t care if I had a 10 pound chocolate bunny in my arm, she was just excited to see me and go back to mommy-daughter play time.

When I really think about it, the biggest smiles and reactions are never from when we give her something, be it a special after dinner treat or new book, it’s from when we’re sharing time together, building forts on the floor and hiding from invisible monsters, when we’re in a tickle fight or coloring a picture together. Though I will still buy things for her, I won’t buy something with the selfish intention of seeking out a smile because I know in my heart I have it in me to make her smile bigger than any object.

Catherine

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Frugal Fall Family Fun!

October 8, 2014 | 1 Comment

Fall can be a temperamental time of year. Where I live, yesterday was beautiful, sunny and a great day to be outside where today is dreary, wet and all round nasty out. Anytime we go through a seasonal change, Mother Nature doesn’t seem to know what to do with herself and goes to extremes. While in the summer we spend most all of our days outside, in the fall we start outside and often end up indoors.

There are plenty of frugal, fun fall activities the entire family can enjoy, even with Mother Nature’s temperamental state.

Hike

I don’t know what it is about the fall but as soon as the leaves start to change and the weather cools off I want to find a walking trail or hill and get outside. More than any other time of year I want to be outside and doing it with the family is a perfect outing. If you have young children hiking up a mountain side may be too much but you can likely find a decent walking trail you can all run around on (or bring a stroller/baby carrier).

You-Pick

Nothing screams ‘’fall’’ like picking your own apples or pumpkins. Not only is this a cheap way to get a large volume of fresh produce, it’s a lot of fun and can be done with kids of any age. Young kids will have fun picking the apples off the ground where the older kids can carry what is sure to be the big heavy bag! Pumpkin patches are also great fun to run around in and explore, if they are one to grow extra-large pumpkins, kids will be sure to have fun marvelling at their sheer mass.

Baking

Though I love baking for Christmas, I love the flavors of fall baking more than any other time of year. Once you come home with your fresh bag of apples have family time in the kitchen baking up a storm! There is sure to be a task for kids of all ages from searching out the recipes to dumping the measuring cups into the bowl. Though you can be sure there will be a much larger mess than if you had done the job yourself I can promise it won’t be as fun.

Craft Time

Construction paper turkeys, wax paper leaves, pumpkin paining or carving, there is no shortage of fall crafts for kids of all ages! The younger kids can pick the pattern for pumpkin carving and you or older kids actually do the carving. Craft time is something I’m just starting to explore with my daughter and its bringing floods of memories from my childhood, so much fun and super cheap. Dollar stores make craft time that much more affordable too when you do need to go out and buy craft supplies.

Fall is when nesting mode kicks in for me. Fall and winter, more than any other time of year, are about family time for me. We need to just enjoy being together. It’s about having fun and creating memories, not spending money.

Catherine

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Toddlers and Television: Keeping TV Time Minimized with a Schedule

October 1, 2014 | 2 Comments

There is a growing concern for the amount of screen time children should be restricted to, and rightfully so. This includes TV’s, computers and other devices like phones.

If a child is partaking in these activities they are not doing more time valuable things like reading books or exploring the word around them. While I couldn’t agree more with this concern, we do allow our two year old to watch some television. While I do think too much TV time is detrimental for many developmental reasons, I don’t think a little bit is harmful and if anything could be (gasp) beneficial depending on what it is your child is watching.

How We Structure TV Time

The TV time in our house is limited to a few minutes in the morning and evening. This works well for us. When we wake in the morning, after I get my daughter ready for the day I allow her to watch one 20 minute TV show that was pre-recorded allowing my husband and I to grab showers and get dressed. The same is for the evening when we get home from the day. While I’m prepping supper, and my husband is tying up loose ends from his work day (which is almost always brings home) we allow another 20 min episode to give us time to get everything organized.

After the show is over the TV goes off and she has the options of playing, coloring or reading her books. I don’t like her jumping right into toys and books as soon as we get home because it makes a mess just as we’re trying to get organized. She also usually wants one or both of us to engage with her when playing (she’s an only child) so we need those few minutes to deal with our stuff so we can devout attention to her and the amazing block tower she built for us.

Hand Picking Shows

My husband and I have also gone through and hand-picked the shows we allow her to watch. There is a lot of really bad, and just plain dumb television shows for children. If she’s going to be watching something it has to be fun but also reasonably educational. We have our favorites and have pre-recorded a few episodes of each.

Our daughter knows that watching TV is a special treat of sorts. While we’d never disallow books, if she has a bad attitude or doesn’t listen to us she won’t be allowed to watch television.

Our experience with the shows we’ve picked for her has been positive. She’s learned things from the shows that she tries to teach us. Just the other day she told me a kangaroo was a marsupial and that airplanes have engines. While they’re simple lessons she has fun watching the shows, learning about new things and proud of herself for telling mom and dad about her new-found knowledge.

Books and playtime should always take priority over any screen time but I am of the opinion that it’s not a bad thing once in a while, I’d rather know exactly where she is while I’m in the shower than worrying about her tearing the house apart!

Do you allow any screen time for your toddler?

Catherine

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How Do You Know When You’re Ready For Baby Number Two?

September 24, 2014 | Leave a Comment

My husband and I were lucky in the sense that we didn’t get much slack from our family and friends about when the baby was coming as soon as we were married. We managed to enjoy each other’s company for three years before baby was born and we had a lot of baby-free fun. It is my opinion that, when possible, it is important that a couple to really get to know each other before welcoming someone else into the family.

In our three years pre-kid we got our house in order and had fun with friends and family, partaking on a few vacations that would otherwise be difficult with a child. Until we had our daughter we didn’t know just how empty our lives were.

Having our daughter was the best thing that ever happened to, not just my husband and I, but for our entire family. We were still healing the wounds from a very difficult year and she light our world up. She was proof that good things can and do happen in this world. I really don’t think there is a perfect time for a child but sometimes things have a way of working themselves out to seem so.

Though she was very much planned we weren’t prepared entirely. We were overwhelmed with how little we were prepared but in the end managed to scramble though my challenging pregnancy and follow-up maternity leave. When it comes time to have number two, how will we know when we’re ready?

There is nothing wrong with only having one child (there’s also absolutely nothing wrong with electing to have no children) and for the first 18 months of our daughter’s life we thought we may be done. We loved our little trio and didn’t want to disrupt our routines. We slowly came to the realization that we would in fact, eventually, try for another. Our sisters are our best friends and if we can provide that relationship for our daughter that would make us happy, but when, and how, will we know when it is the best time to add to our family?

Our Finances

We are comfortable with our current expenses. I can tell you we would not be comfortable increasing our daycare budget by much though. Until our debt is paid off by a significant amount, if not entirely, we will not be able to comfortably afford another child. If we have a son, we will also need to provide some things our daughter didn’t have, like a new wardrobe. Though I’m fine with a potential son playing with his sister’s toys, I draw the line at wearing dresses. We also need to be prepared for me potentially being put off work early again. Beefing up our emergency fund will be necessary.

My Health

I would be really upset if I got pregnant right now. Though I am healthy by definition, until I lose at least 15 more pounds I wouldn’t be comfortable going through another pregnancy.

Our Daughter

Prepping our first-born for the potential arrival of a sibling will take time. Even though we’re years from having a second child (two to three) we’ve already started asking her if she’d like a sibling. Planting the seed that there very well may be a new baby in the future. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming and you do have nine months of pregnancy to also introduce the child to upcoming change.

There is no perfect time for a child. There will always be that thing on your list that seems more important but that doesn’t mean you can’t be as prepared as possible for if and when it does happen.

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

How to Make Your Morning Run Smoothly

September 17, 2014 | Leave a Comment

I wear many hats. Not only am a Mother, the most demanding job of all, but also a wife, a full-time employee, a freelance writer and blogger. I make time for friends and family and occasionally, myself. I like to go to the gym and love to have my nose in a good book. The problem? I need about 39 hours in a day to accomplish everything I set out to do.

With a lot on my plate every day, I need to do everything in my power to make sure my day starts out on the right foot. If my morning is chaotic, the rest of my day will follow suit. There are a few things that you can do to make sure your day starts out right and maximize the hours in your day.

Sleep

Trust me, I’m the guiltiest of this but lack of sleep will kill your day. Everyone has a number, for me it’s seven. Seven hours of sleep is exactly what I need to accomplish everything with energy. This doesn’t mean starting to get ready for bed at 11pm if you want to wake up at 6am. It means starting to wind down earlier and get ready to be asleep by 11pm.

Use Your Evenings Wisely

After my daughter goes to bed I make sure the mess from the evening is cleaned up (nothing worse than tripping over toys from the night before at 630am) and lunches are made. I don’t mean deep clean with floor scrubbed but at the very least make sure basic messes are cleaned and surfaced are cleared. If I attempted to leave making lunches for my family until the morning it simply wouldn’t get done and we’d all end up spending more money than we want because lunch wasn’t packed.

I also make sure everything we need to run out the door is right there, by the door. I don’t want to waste 10 minutes in the morning looking for the car keys or my purse. If you have kids make sure their bags are also packed and waiting by the door.

Stay on top of Laundry

Have you ever attempted to get dressed in the morning only to find the shirt you need to downstairs still in the dryer? If you stay on top of the laundry, meaning when you start a load finish it, including putting it away your life will be so much easier. Staying on top of laundry also allows you to lay your clothes out at night if you’re so inclined.

I understand that some things will have to wait. If you can’t get the dishes done, at least pile them neatly and get them rinsed until you do manage to find a few minutes to get them done. You know your morning the best and you need to sit down and figure out what will make it work for you. Maybe setting your coffee on a timer is necessary? Whatever it takes to get your day going as smoothly as possible will make the rest of your life that much easier.

How do you manage the chaos of the morning?

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

Why Your Family Absolutely Needs an Emergency Fund

September 10, 2014 | Leave a Comment

If you don’t already have one I’m here to tell you why you, especially with family to care for, you absolutely need an emergency fund established.

My husband is currently in a precarious position with his job. There are some possible issues on the horizon regarding the stability of the company and the direction he’ll go in professionally. He is well-liked and educated in his area of work and I know he’ll land on his feet but the thought of something happening while he’s lining all his ducks in a row scares me. We can’t afford to have him off work for more than a few days at this point in our lives.

We are not currently in a position to have a large emergency fund of the standard three to six months’ worth of expenses. While we’re working on paying off the rest of our student debt and car loan, we have a small emergency fund that won’t float us more than two weeks if something does happens to his job.

Losing a Job

Reason #42764 I want to get this debt paid off is to beef up our savings so if we’re ever in a situation with one of our jobs we don’t have to worry. Especially when children are involved you need to be prepared for the possibility that something may happen to your employment situation regardless of how secure your job may seem. Unforeseen circumstances are always a possibility. You need to be prepared if your financial safety net (ability to bring in income) come out from underneath you.

Medical Emergencies

The second biggest reason why your family needs an emergency fund is medically related. We always hope something doesn’t or won’t happen but bad things happen to good people all of the time and you need to be prepared. There’s nothing worse than having stresses, especially financial, on top of being sick or caring for a sick family member. There is a local family of five and both parents, within two weeks of each other, were diagnosed with two different forms of cancer. Life isn’t always fair. They have managed to rally the community together to help the children in any way possible because the family has a long road ahead of them. With a proper emergency fund in place the parents can focus on overcoming this illness rather than how they’re going to afford the childcare bill or keeping the house warm this winter.

It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as getting diagnosed with cancer though. My husband was diagnosed two years ago with something that requires regular medication, the initial few weeks of medication and supplies, even with private insurance, still cost us a few hundred, un-budgeted for, dollars. It was after this diagnosis that we started saving for our emergency fund. The stress of the unknowns, and how it could possibly effect his ability to work (leading to decrease in pay) was enough to scare me.

Life is unpredictable. No matter how well you forecast, there will always be unexpected expenses, if you have the funds in place to pay for them you can move through life relatively stress free.

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

5 Tips for Planning a Cheap Family Getaway

September 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Last weekend I had the luxury of getting out of town with the family, even though we didn’t go very far it was so nice to just get out of our normal routine and boundaries. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to enjoy a family getaway. We managed a weekend away for less than $200 by finding some deals and capitalizing on cost savings, you can too.

Shop Around

We knew we’d need a hotel for the evening but weren’t interesting in spending a ton of money. I also knew we’d likely be spending a decent amount of time in our room given that we have a little on who is asleep fairly early so wanted it to be comfortable and spacious for my husband and I to enjoy while she was sleeping, without being overpriced. The internet makes searching for stuff like hotels a breeze. I found exactly what we needed for below the price we were willing to spend.

Look for Discount Options

We were planning to attend a specific event, if we signed up for notifications from the hosting vendor we would be granted a 25% discount on ticket price. Given that there we a total of seven of us traveling it saved us a decent chunk of money. We also saved on parking at the event itself because they considered us a carpool (more than 4 people), a nice surprise.

Enjoy and Seek Out Perks

I hate paying for parking at hotels, given the rate at which they charge you to sleep in a room I think it’s insane to charge upwards of $40 per day in some cities to park your car on top of room rate. I always look for hotels with free parking before ever paying. I also compare the room rate for breakfast vs. no breakfast included. At our particular hotel not only did we have free parking for only $10 more per night then the other hotel we were looking at, we got hot breakfast included. Our family of three certainly can’t eat (out) for less than $10. The hot breakfast is almost always worth the money to me.

Share Costs

A few family members were traveling with us to go to the same event to we decided to cut one of the cars out and share the cost in our vehicle instead. They save on wear and tear on their vehicle and we shared the cost of gas which was a help to both parties involved. We also shared a hotel room. Paying for the larger room and extra persons charge was still significantly cheaper than us each getting a room and it was nice to have the extra company!

Bring Your Own Snacks

Buying snacks on the road can get expensive. We always pack our collapsible cooler with drinks and light snacks for us and kiddo so we’re not tempted to waste money at gas stations and pit stop locations. We have a child who much prefers to graze throughout the day then eat larger meals so this works especially well for us.

With a little planning it is possible to plan a weekend away with your family and not break the bank. Proper budgeting will insure you can get away without worrying how you’re going to pay for it all when you get back!

Catherine

plungedindebt.com

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