Learning, Sharing, and Teaching > Mini Money Mustaches

Tips on saving money on a toddler/preschooler

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cats:
As @MrsCoolCat mentioned in the "tips on saving money on a newborn" thread, we should have some tips for other age groups as well. The pressure to spend $$$ on crazy gadgets and tons of clothes is not quite so much there for the 2-5 age range, but the opportunities to drop major dough are still out there.  So, tell us, how do you save money on the kid stuff once you are out of the newborn stage but before your kid is off to kindergarten?  What do people tell you you "MUST" spend money on that you just...don't?

TheWifeHalf:
A lot of their play clothes came from garage sales.
We made a sandbox out of 10 x 10's, and bought almost all of the toys at garage sales too.  Some of my best finds were cheap Little Tykes toys, and old Tonka trucks, from the 60's, like my brothers used to have.
I used to just let them use the hose, at a small trickle, and play. The neighbors even commented on our they would see our kids out there for hours.

elliha:
I have found it much harder to save money on older kids. Clothes often get very worn so second hand is not as easy but still there to an extent. I find sales to be a better use of money that way actually, I buy 1-2 sizes up if it is basic clothes, 1 size up if it is the wrong season or the same for older kids sometimes. We don't do activities before they are 4-5 and then one at the time and cheap ones. The daughter has so far done one semester of jujitsu and wants to do soccer or floorball. I think we will go for soccer as that is easier to find for younger kids. When she is a little older we might re-visit martial arts but it is on hold for a while.

Kids like cheap things if you don't overflow them with expensive things. If they get to do expensive things all the time they will grow sick of them but if they are done from time to time they can be a treat that is appreciated. My kids love going to a fun land and appreciates it since it happens maybe 2 times a year, I know people who go every other weekend and their kids ask to go to the fun lands in neighboring cities because they are sick of the two we have because they go there all the time. My daughter is soon going to get to go to the cinema for the first time, we just need to find a good film. My kids like free stuff like going to the park or swimming in a lake. That is our level.

cats:
My "tips"

-Keep cultivating any sources of hand-me-down clothes.  Also, be okay with your kid going off to daycare wearing the same clothes s/he wore yesterday, so you don't need as many outfits.

-Our library has a great program where you can get free or discount passes to lots of kids museums, zoo, space center, etc.  Instead of signing my kid up for soccer, gymnastics, etc. at age 2, I schedule him a different outing each month.  Try to coordinate with another mom & toddler to make it a social date for myself, so then I also save some $$ and time on not having to  schedule coffee dates, etc. so often to get my own fix of adult interaction.

-Toddlers do not need fancy pre-packaged toddler foods.  Say no to pouches, kids' branded snacks, etc.  Your grocery bill will thank you.  Alternative easy/healthy snacks for us include frozen peas, cucumber slices, whole fruit, pistachios/cashews (nice and soft for kids still learning to chew), hard boiled eggs, and a concoction our son calls "bar" (food process together 3 c. oat bran, 1/2 c. almond butter, and ~6 large pieces of cooked fruit like apples, peaches, etc.  Spread in a large pan and bake at 325F for 40-60 min, until the center stops jiggling.  Freezes well.).

-You don't need to hire a babysitter to get alone time with your spouse.  If you are both working and work near each other, have dates on your lunch break.  Schedule "date night at home"once a week where you put the kid to bed and then have a nice adult dinner with wine afterwards.

mxt0133:
You can blow a ton of money on clothes because they are growing so fast.  Consignment stores and Goodwill will save you a boat load.  The don't have a sense of self yet (ego) at that age and it is really on the the parents that care about what the kids wear.  So it's up to you either buy new $30 shoes or used ones for $7 that will only be worn for 2-3 months.  You just have to put in a little more time to anticipate and be on the lookout for what they will need in a few months as their inventory won't always have the exact item or size you need.

Friends and Craigslist for pretty much everything else that they need, bikes, scooters, toys.  We just came from our aunt's house and came home with a Scuut bike for my youngest for free.  I have been on the lookout for a used one, brand new is $100 which means I have to earn $140 gross, they go anywhere from $15-$50 on Craigslist. 

Birthdays can also be a money pit, you are going to be invited to birthday parties that can easily cost $2k-3K, that are held in banquet halls, with catered food, DJ, photo booth, bouncy house, ect.  This can make it seem normal to spend that kind of cash for a child under 5 years old.  Trust me it's not.  You can do parties at you house or in the park which can cost well under $300 with a bit of prep-time and clean-up.

Books are the only things we really don't put much effort in trying to save because we use the library so much we have two shelves in our house.  Once for borrowed books and one for our own books.  I'm the one the usually buys them books about once a month to support our local bookstore.  We will spend hours there and just read a half dozen books that look interesting and then go to the library to borrow them.


Likewise we also give a ton of stuff away or put it up on Craiglist to pay it forward.

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