RobertD's comments

Frugal Living: Have a Half Day - Blog Entry

07 Jan 2009 12:22 PM

I like the concept although we arrived at from a different route. When we started our budgeting life the goal was not to become more frugal it was just to payoff our debts. When you first start to pay down a lot of deb not much happens so for the first few months we kept cut back more just to be able to pay a little more. After a few months you realize that most of what you cut you do not miss, this made us even bolder, we cut even more especially the grocery bill. We now eat less then half the meat we use to, and 90% less prepared foods, but we eat as much of the rest as we always did, except bread. I started baking my own and bread consumption went up by about 20% but it does cost about 60% less.

Those looking for hints to cut cost an help making a budget check my website www.budgetingsense.com or try www.wisebread.com another great resource.

Walking Around with a Sippy Cup - Blog Entry

07 Jan 2009 11:37 AM

Although sippy cups are a great invention to cut down mess, they worked great with my daughter and are a wonder for many of our friends. The problem is not the sippy cup it is the parents not taking responsibility for their children. Even two year old children behave better when their parents enforce some order to their lives. Our daughter was never allowed to wonder around with sippy cups just anywhere. But today I face a similar problem to the art gallery person, we have some friends that just let their toddlers (all their children) do as they wish, the cost of them coming for even a short 15 min visit adds up in real damage ($). Yet we have other friends with multiple toddlers, whose kids you enjoy seeing around for several hours, why because they are behaved even while getting a drink.

The real issue is behavior we parents are dropping the ball on that one big time, and although I am better at then a lot of people I see much room for improvement. I have one friend who I use to think was too tough on his kids even when they where toddlers, but do you know that today they are teenagers and he has a great relationships with them. His oldest girl told me that the one thing she always knew was that her dad loved her and especially so when he cared enough to make her behave.

Our children need structure and control in their lives how else are they ever going to learn right from wrong if we do not care enough to make them behave.

On my website www.toddlersahoy.com I hae been sharing the things we have learned so far in life and those that my parents and grandparents knew already.