397 Ways to Save Money: Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less - PDFDrive.com

by Kerry K. Taylor

  colouredplasticspoon.Justmakesureyouestablishcleargroundrules

  forbehaviour(“noshoplifting”comestomind).

  •Anyonecanbakeasimplebirthdaycakefromamix,forafractionofthe cost of buying one from a bakery. If you’re good in the kitchen, get creativeanddecorateitaccordingtoyourchild’sfavouritesportorTV

  ormoviecharacter.There’satonofideasonlineatsitessuchaseasy-

  birthday-cakes.comandcoolest-birthday-cakes.com.

  •Ifyourchildhasasummerbirthday,haveapartyatalocalpark.Splash padsareidealifyourparkhasone—justmakesuretocallthetownhall tomakesurethewaterwillberunningatpartytime.Otherwise,kids

  canplaysoccer,basketball,Frisbeeorothersports.Bringaboombox,

  packthecakeinacoolerandenjoytheoutdoors.

  •Buy toys and games at clearance sales and keep them in a special box.

  Whenyourchildisinvitedtoaparty,pickthemostappropriateitemfor thebirthdayboyorgirl.Don’tbeafraidtore-gift!Ifyourchildgetsa bookortoyhealreadyhas(orthathedoesn’tlike),addittotheboxand passitalongtosomeoneelse.Justmakesuretoattachanotereminding youwherethegiftcamefromsothatyoudon’taccidentallyreturnitto itsoriginalowner!

  •If your child has a friend with a birthday in the same month, ask the parentswhethertheywouldbewillingtohaveajointpartyandsplitthe cost.Thisworksespeciallywellifthekidsareinthesameclassandhave manyfriendsincommon.However,itcancreateanawkwardsituation

  fortheparentsofinvitees,whomayfeelobligedtobuytwogifts.Ifboth birthdaykidsareonboard,consideraskingpartygoerstobringasingle donationtoafavouritecause,suchasananimalshelterortoydrive.

  •Saveonexpensiveinvitationsbymakingyourown.Pickup3×5index

  cardsatthedollarstore.Helpyourbirthdayboyorgirlpainttheunlined side a shiny colour, let it dry and decorate with glitter, stickers or whateveryourchildlikes.Thenwritethepartyinfoonthelinedside.Or youcanencourageyourchildtodesignandprintherowninvitationson

  thecomputer.

  •Sure,youcansaveonexpensivelootbagsbypickinguptrinketsfromthe dollarstore,butwhowantstoaddtothepilesofjunkeveryonealready has?Instead,comeupwithinnovativepartyfavours.Anexample:have

  thekidsdecorateaninexpensivepictureframe,thensnapadigitalphoto ofeachchildwiththebirthdaygirl,printthemonthecomputerandput themintheframe.

  Forgetbrandnamesforbabies. Yourlittleonedoesn’tcarewhether she’swearingBabyGaporZellers,andshecertainlydoesn’tneedbrand-nameshoes beforeshe can crawl.Save thelabel-consciousness for her teenyearsandfocusonbuyingthetypeofclothingyourbabywillbe

  wearingmost:good-qualityundershirtsandsleepersthatwillholdupto manywashings.

  BOTTOM LINE: Baby clothes with prestigious labels can easily be three times the cost of quality outfits from a department store—

  evenswitchingfromBabyGaptoOldNavycansaveyou$10onan

  infantT-shirt.

  Buybiggersizes. Togetthemostoutofyourbaby-clothingbudget, don’t buy items that your bundle of joy will outgrow in a couple of months. Most kids’ clothing is smaller than the labels suggest: an average-sized six-month-old can happily wear duds labelled “9 to 12

  months.”Eveniftheclothesareroomyatfirst,babiesgrowquickly.If youspotagreatdealonclothesthatarebiggerthanyourbabycanuse

  now,buythemanywayandstashthemuntilthey’reneeded.

  BOTTOMLINE:Save30%to50%ifyouplanseveralmonthsahead

  andbuyonlywhenclothesareonsale.

  It’s OK to accept hand-me-downs—especially if they’re brand

  names. Ifarelativeorneighbourhasawell-dressedchildwhoisolder thanyours,dropahintthatyou’reopentoacceptinghand-me-downs.

  (Sometimes people are reluctant to offer, for fear you might feel insulted.) Name-brand clothes usually hold up well, so kids typically outgrowthembeforetheywearthemout.Andmanykidswouldrather

  wearpreviouslyenjoyedclothesfromHollisterorAmericanEaglethan

  newstufffromtheWal-Martclearancerack.Evenpreteengirlsareoften happy to accept cool clothes from an older kid they look up to, especiallynon-intimateitemslikeajacketorhandbag.

  BOTTOM LINE: Inheriting a gently worn Abercrombie & Fitch hoodiewillsaveyou$50.

  Stick to clothing basics. Two-piece outfits look cute, but it’s frustrating when your child outgrows or tears the knee of the pants, making the matching top useless. When shopping for little-kid

  wardrobes, think about mixing and matching. Choose primary colours and simple styles for shirts and pants so you can create several combinationsfromafewbasicitems.

  BOTTOM LINE: A two-piece outfit from a baby boutique can top $40, while the same amount can buy you several well-made

  coordinatingtopsandpantsatadepartmentstore.

  Findagoodconsignmentshop. Kidsoutgrowclothesatadizzying pace, and it won’t be long before you have boxes of too-small togs. If youaren’tplanningtohaveanotherchild,openanaccountwithalocal

  consignment shop that will sell your child’s clothes and give you a portion of the price. (Many take used toys and books, too.) If the consignment shop sells adult clothing, you can bring in items you no longer wear and use the credit toward clothes for your baby. Some peopleevenpickupitemsatgaragesalesandsellthematconsignment

  shopsforaprofit.

  BOTTOMLINE:Ifyoubuyqualitykids’clothesandlookafterthem,

  youcanrecoupacoupleofhundredbucksayear.

  Buyclothingattheendoftheseason. Thisonetakessomeforward thinking,butthepayoffcanbehuge,especiallyonexpensiveitemslike coatsandboots.Moststoresofferdeepdiscountsonwinterclothingin

  FebruaryandMarch:buyonesizebiggerthanyourchildwearsnowand

  putitasideuntilnextyear.Youcanalsofindsimilardealsatthevery beginning of winter, when retailers try to offload last year’s styles to makeroomfornewinventory.

  BOTTOM LINE: Time things right and you can pick up a $100

  snowsuitforhalfprice.

  Collectpoints. InadditiontocollectingrewardsfromAeroplanand AirMiles,signupforloyaltyprogramsatthestoreswhereyoubuykids’

  stuff. Many major Canadian retailers have point-collection programs, suchasSearsClubandHbcRewards(fromTheBay,ZellersandHome

  Outfitters).Maximizethebenefitbyshoppingonbonusdays:ifyoubuy

  diapers at Shoppers Drug Mart, wait for the promotional events that offer20timestheOptimumpoints.Ifyouspend$200(itdoesn’thaveto beallatthesametime),youcanredeemthepointsfor$75,forasavings ofalmost40%.Evensmallretailersofferloyaltyincentives—somekids’

  shoe stores, for example, will give you every fourth or fifth pair free.

  Anddon’tforgetgrocerystoresandthegasstationwhereyoufillupthe minivan.

  BOTTOMLINE:Ifyoufrequentthesamestoresweekinandweek

  out, you can save hundreds of dollars annually redeeming your rewards.

  Reduce your losses. Visit the lost-and-found at your child’s school and you’ll find enough hats, mitts, gym shorts and shoes to clothe a smallnation.Ifyourchildroutinelylosesstuff,investinacontainerof iron-onorstitch-onnametagsthatwillhelplostitemsmaketheirway

  home again. Or simply buy a laundry marker and w
rite his name somewherediscreet.(Ifyourchildthinksthisisdorky,makeitclearthat any lost clothing will be replaced out of his allowance or birthday money.)Ifyourkidsattendsummercampswherelossesareinevitable,

  buy a “camp wardrobe” at a thrift shop so you won’t get worked up whensomeofitdisappears.

  BOTTOMLINE:Acoupleofbucksforapermanentmarkerwillpay

  foritselfmanytimesoverifitrescuesjustonepairofshoes.

  Takethetaxbreaksforchildcare. Thefederalgovernmentallows dual-income families to deduct child care expenses, including daycare, nurseryprogramsandsummercamps.Youcanalsodeductanymoney

  youpaytoaneighbourorrelativeoverage18whowatchesyourkids

  whileyouwork,butyou’llneedareceipt.Youcandeductupto$7,000a yearforkidsunder7,and$4,000annuallyforolderkidsupto16.In

  mostcases,thespousewiththelowerincomemusttakethededuction.

  BOTTOMLINE:Ifyouearn$40,000ayear,reducingyourtaxable

  income by $7,000 puts $1,600 to $1,900 back in your pocket, dependingonwhichprovinceyoulivein.

  Trade child care. Organize a babysitting co-op in your

  neighbourhood: by watching other people’s kids, you earn points you canredeemforchildcarewhenyouneedit.Searchthewebfor“howto

  startababysittingco-op”foralonglistofarticlestogetyougoing.Or,if youworkpart-time,trytofindanotherparentwithanoppositeschedule andwatcheachother’schildrenwhenyou’renotworking.

  BOTTOM LINE: The going rate for teenage babysitters can be as muchas$10anhour,sotheco-oproutecansaveyouaround$20

  onanightatthemovies.

  Discoverhomemadetoys. Youdon’thavetobeanelftomakesimple toys.Youngkidslovehomemadeplaydough(mix2cupsofbakingsoda,

  1 1/2 cups of water, 1 cup of cornstarch and a little food colouring), shakersmadewithcontainersanddriedbeans,magneticfishingponds

  orsimplesortinggamesmadefromrecipecards.Biggerkidscanmake

  coolstufflikeamarshmallowgunforacoupleofbucks’worthofPVC

  pipe.Trollthewebfordozensofideasandinstructions.

  BOTTOMLINE:Savethe$40you’dspendonatubofLincolnLogs

  bymakingasetofblocksfromthemouldingsleftoverfromareno

  project.

  MakeyourownHalloweencostumes. Store-boughtcostumescanbe

  absurdlyexpensive.Withsomeimaginationandatriptothethriftshop

  andthedollarstore,youcanmakeyourown.Lookonlinefordozensof

  greatideas.Ayoungchildcouldbeaclown,ahippie,abunny,apirate oramummy.Anolderkidcangowithacharacterfromateenbook,

  such as a vampire from the Twilight series, or a movie— Napoleon Dynamiteand Junohavebeenpopularinrecentyears.

  BOTTOM LINE: A homemade costume will come in $30 to $50

  cheaperthanastore-boughtsuperhero.

  Buyonce,refilloften. Kidslovehandsoap,bubblebathandother personal hygiene items that come in containers decorated with their favouriteTVorDisneycharacters.Butinsteadofbuyingtheseoverhyped and overpriced items regularly, buy them once and then top them up withgenericrefillbottles.Youcanevenaddalittlewatertoliquidsoap tostretchitfurtherandmakeiteasiertolather.

  BOTTOMLINE:You’llpaymorethan$4fora250mLbottleofhand

  soapifithasakiddiedesign.Genericsoapinarefillbottle(1.5to2

  L)worksouttolessthanone-sixthofthatprice.

  Buyholidaygiftsayearearly. Youcanreduceyourholidaybudget enormouslybystockingupontoysandkids’clothingwhenitgoeson

  sale immediately after Christmas. This is also the best time to get decorations,ornaments,cardsandwrappingpaper.Fornieces,nephews

  andotherlittlefamilymembers,keepaneyeoutforsalesallyearand

  stashthelootuntiltheholidays.

  BOTTOMLINE:WaituntilJanuaryandyoucanexpectsavingsofup

  to75%onanythingwithaChristmastheme.

  Buyschoolsuppliesinsummer. Unlikecalendarsanddayplanners, which end up in bargain bins as soon as the new year begins, school supplies are actually cheaper before the academic year starts. Stores competehardtogetyourback-to-schoolbusiness,soAugustisthetime

  to buy the supplies your kids will need, such as pencil crayons, notebooksandbinders,mathsetsandadictionary.Back-to-schoolsales

  arealsothebesttimetobuypricieritemslikeknapsacks.

  BOTTOM LINE: In the long run it’s better to pay $30 for a good-qualitybackpackonsalethantobuyacheaperonethatwon’tlast

  theyear.

  Givepersonalizedteachergifts. Teacherslovetobeappreciated,and thegoodonesdeservelavishpraisefromkidsandtheirparents.Giftsare anicegestureduringtheholidaysandattheendoftheschoolyear,but teacherssecretlyadmittheydon’tusehalfthestufftheygetfromtheir students.Forgetthe“World’sGreatestTeacher”travelmug,thescarfand thestationerythatnoonehasusedsinceemail.Instead,haveyourchild write a personal card and give it to her teacher with a dozen home-bakedchocolatechipcookies.

  BOTTOMLINE:Savethe$20youwouldhavespentonatraditional

  gift.

  Explorenewinterestsslowly. Ifyourchildwantstoplaythedrums, youdon’tneedtoimmediatelybuyanewkitandsignherupforthree

  months of lessons. Consider renting an instrument first, or borrowing onefromafamilywhohasgonethroughitallbefore.Ifyoudosignup

  for lessons, don’t commit to anything long-term until you know your childisgenuinelykeen.

  BOTTOMLINE:Long&McQuade,anationalchainofmusicstores,

  willrentyoua$450drumkitforjust$25amonth.

  Setlimitsonactivities. Kidslovetotrynewactivities,and parents shouldnurturethisdesire.Butthatdoesn’tmeanyouhavetosignthem

  upforsoccer,softball,dance,horsebackridingandpianoallatthesame time.Multipleactivitiesareahugestrainonthefamilypurse,andbusy kidscanbestressedoutandsurly.Considerallowingyourkidsonlyone extracurricularactivityperseason,andencouragethemtospendmore

  timepractisingtheirchosensportorskill.

  BOTTOMLINE:Withmusicanddancelessonscosting$100amonth

  or more, cutting out the weekly sessions for an overprogrammed pianistorballerinacansaveover$1,000annually.

  Organize an equipment exchange. Sports equipment—especially hockeygear—cancostafewhundreddollarsayear,andyourkidswill

  outgrowitquickly.Talktoyourlocalsportsleagueaboutorganizinga

  used-equipmentsalewhereparentscanbuyandsellgentlywornskates,

  helmets(makesurethey’reingoodcondition)andotheritemsortrade

  them for larger sizes. As a bonus, you can donate leftovers to organizationsthatcollectsportsequipmentforthoseinneed.

  BOTTOM LINE: Pick up a composite hockey stick from an older childwho’soutgrownitandsaveatleast$50.Unlikewoodsticks,

  compositescaneasilylasttwoseasonsofminorhockey.

  Carpoolwithothersportsparents. Ifyourchild’sscheduleisfilled with hockey or dance practices, ask other parents if they’re willing to split the driving duties. Even a small vehicle will do the job for two adults and two kids, and if parents are willing to skip practices when they’renotbehindthewheel,youcanevendividethemilesamongthree

  or more families. Successful carpooling requires everyone to share the jobmoreorlessequa
lly,sodon’tskimpattheotherparents’expense.

  BOTTOM LINE: The Canadian Automobile Association estimates

  that driving a minivan costs more than 15 cents per kilometre.

  Knockjust20kmaweekoffyourodometerandyou’dsavealmost

  $160annually.

  Find creative ways to save on treats. Summertime isn’t the same without frozen treats, but heading out for a cone at Baskin-Robbins every week can leave you cold. For young children, simple and

  inexpensivefreeziesarejustasgoodasgourmeticecream.Ifyourkids likecannedfruit,savethejuice,addalittlewaterandpouritintofunky ice-cube trays (available at dollar stores). For older kids and adults, freeze individual containers of yogurt: you can even buy plastic

  “handles”thatmakethemeasiertoenjoy.

  BOTTOM LINE: Substitute homemade frozen goodies for a trip to Baskin-RobbinsorDairyQueenandafamilyoffourwillsave$10a

  trip.

  Forget convenience foods in the lunchbox. Making kids’ lunches canbeachore,andit’stemptingtolookforconveniencefoodsthatsave time.Butyoupaydearlyforgainingperhapsafewminutesaweek.Give

  upthoseindividuallywrappedpiecesofcheddar,pre-slicedapplesand

  otherpriceylunchboxitems.Saveabundlebytakingafewminutesa

  day to make up your own portions and roll them in plastic wrap or snack-sizeresealablebags(whichyoucanwashandreuse).

  BOTTOM LINE: You pay big time for convenience. Singleserving

  packagesofbabycarrotsanddipcostabout$1each.Thatsame$1

  can buy a one-pound bag of the exact same carrots—about one-sevenththecost.

  Stretchyourdollaratkid-friendlyrestaurants. Lookforrestaurants thatofferfreeextras.Forexample,EastSideMario’sdolesoutall-you-can-eatsouporsaladandbreadwithmanyentrées,whichgoesalong