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Seven Things to Get at the Library for Free

If you haven’t visited your local library in a while, you might want to plan a visit sometime soon. The library is a very different place than it was just ten years ago, thanks in part to current technology. Plus, with the economy, there is a new need for additional services, all of which most community libraries are trying to provide. They are doing a very good job of it, too. So get that library card out (or sign up for one) and start saving. Here are seven things that you can get at the library for free. • Free … Continue reading →

Parenting Special Needs Magazine Celebrates Third Anniversary

Have you looked at this online magazine yet? Parenting Special Needs Magazine, or (PSN), has officially been around for three years now. The entire magazine is available for parents to read for free right from their website. In general, parenting magazines are designed to give advice, tips, and inspiration to parents of infants, young children, tweens, and teens. Unfortunately, the majority of these types of magazines focus on ideas that are not exactly relevant to parents of children who have special needs. That is why it is especially nice to find a parenting magazine that is actually dedicated to issues … Continue reading →

Organizing Your Freezer for Freezer Cooking

While having an organized freezer is important for day to day living, it is even more important when you practice freezer cooking. Mystery meals wrapped in freezer bags, freezer paper or aluminum foil can repeatedly be rejected until they are little more than packages of ice. Here are some tips on how you can keep your freezer organized and your meals flowing forth from it. Organize for variety While humans love to categorize things in the simplest form, putting all of the same meal together can actually work to your disadvantage. it is much better to mix up the meals, … Continue reading →

Reducing the Cost of Raising a Child

If you read yesterday’s post, you know the estimated cost of raising a child. Now, I’ll take those expenses as outlined by Bankrate and go through some ways of reducing them. Let’s look at some of these expenses and general ways to cut them down. Obviously each person’s situation is different, but these are some ideas to help. Groceries: cook from scratch, use coupons, avoid convenience foods, and make your own lunches. Clothing: Take advantage of hand-me-downs, used clothing sales ad ear-end discounts. Bigger home: Bunk two children in one room, reduce the clutter in your current home to make … Continue reading →

Free Heat 2

Do you know all of the places to find free heat? From taking advantage of normal household tasks to building your own free heat machines, there are many ways to grab some free heat when you need it. If you missed the first post on this topic, click here: Free Heat Our home is zoned into two zones for heat. Because of this, I usually keep the upstairs heat turned on only enough to keep the pipes from freezing during the day. It gets very cold up there. However, when I iron I am soon pretty warm, The ambient heat … Continue reading →

It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for Thrift Store Bargains 2

As you wonder what to do with all of your leftovers, take advantage of other people’s leftovers, too…leftover stuff, that is. This is the best time of year to get wonderful merchandise for pennies on the dollar at your local thrift store. If you missed the first part of this topic posted earlier today, click here. You should also find a lot of toys, as parents, overwhelmed with all of the gifts, either donate brand new items in an effort to bring the gift giving under control, or donated older toys to make way for the new ones. I found … Continue reading →

Preparing for Worse Times Ahead

While we would all hope that the economy is going to get better soon, the reality is that it will probably get worse before it starts getting better. Leading analysts say that it may be 2010 before we can expect an improvement. This means that there will be further job losses, higher prices and the possibility of shortages as business fail and manufacturers have to reduce their production. To give yourself peace of mind, start doing what you can to prepare. Ideally, you should have three to six months of living expenses squared away in an emergency fund. While this … Continue reading →

What to Do When You Can’t Afford Preschool

If you find yourself in a situation where preschool is out of reach financially, what do you do? Is your child doomed to fall behind before she even reaches Kindergarten? Will he grow up to be unsocial and labeled slow if he doesn’t attend the best early learning program? Research does show that early childhood education in the form of a quality preschool program does give children an edge over those who do not attend. But with preschool costs soaring, not everyone has the option of sending their child to preschool. Before you panic, let’s review a few things. First, … Continue reading →

Guide to the Rotavirus Vaccine

When it comes to your baby, I am of the mindset that the more information you have at hand, the better chance you have of making the right decision for your baby. Immunization is a highly debated topic among some. Many parents choose not to vaccinate and are trying to enact laws that make it illegal for a child to be refused private daycare because of lack of immunization. Other parents believe wholeheartedly in the power of vaccinations to protect children from potentially fatal diseases and oppose measures that would allow non-vaccinated children to be enrolled in private day care … Continue reading →

Practical Gifts for a Frugal Family Part 2

Are you looking for some practical gift ideas for someone who is frugal? We are continuing with our brainstorming. If you missed the first post in this topic, click here to catch up: Practical Gifts for a Frugal Family. And, now on to some more ideas… Freezer bags or containers Chances are that a frugal family is buying in bulk and freezing ingredients and meals. And chances are also good that they may be using the same freezer bags over and over again. Give them the gift of freezer bags and containers to help them keep on track. Since this … Continue reading →