Indian Names and Parenting

Cost cutting tips for parents – How you can save on parenting expenses

Parenting is surely an expensive affair and you will realise that your monthly budget is not the same anymore. You now have the additional expense of a new member in the family and the whole affair is cutting into your wallet. To add on to the situation, the current recession makes it even worse, job losses and pay cuts are the order of the day. It is time to stretch your money to the last bit. That makes this article, a must read for every young parent as we are listing some useful cost cutting measures.

Parenting Tip 1: Avoid illness
Doctor bills and medicines are the most expensive items when it comes to parenting. Toddlers and children are prone to illness and infections and it is best if you can avoid situations and places which may invite diseases. Use only boiled water, avoid visiting patients/ hospitals with your kid, maintain cleanliness etc. goes a long way. Prevention is better than cure makes perfect sense now.

Parenting Tip 2: Buy stuff in bulk
Diapers, baby wipes, nappies, wet tissues, these are the items that disappear fast because of consumption and there is no way you can control it. It makes sense to buy these in bulk. Apart from the price advantage, we have seen that when you buy the same in bulk, they usually add some 10/ 20 pieces extra as free.

Parenting Tip 3: Home made baby foods
Packaged baby food and cereals are expensive but very vital for the overall nutrition of your baby. But instead of feeding your baby 4-5 times a day with the same, you can alternate it by using home made baby foods. You just need to get the right cereals and grind the same in proportion to make excellent home made baby food. Consult some elders and they will tell you the secret to make this. Remember packaged baby food is a recent invention.

Parenting Tip 4: Use the Internet
You are already paying your Internet bill, use it to the maximum. Instead of hunting the neighborhood music shop for CDs of rhymes, cartoons etc. use Video sharing sites like YouTube to play the same. Instead of buying story books, use websites that list the same. We ourselves have a good collection of moral/ bed time stories.

Tags: cost cutting, good parenting, parenting tips, parents, tips

We had a blast this weekend at home. It was one of those lazy weekends but my sister had other ideas. She had got this set of dresses from the local drama store and we managed to deck up Y2 and Ri2 in some traditional Jai Sri Krishna attire. While Ri2 was ok with it Y2 didn’t have the patience to go through the full makeup, this explains why he isn’t 100% Jai Sri Krishna 🙂

jai_sri_krishna_at_home

jai_sri_krishna

The whole dress set cost us only Rs. 100 and you will have many more choices. Animals, Plants, King and Queen, you name it and they have it. You just have to spot the right shop in your locality. Rest assured, this is sure shot family fun and a memorable gift when your child grows up.

Here is another gem.

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was making the dinner. He handed her a piece of paper with his writing on it. After his Mom dried her hands, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: Rs 50
For cleaning up my room this week: Rs 10
For going to the store for you: Rs 20
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: Rs 20
Taking out the garbage: Rs 10

Total owed: Rs 110

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:
No Charge

For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you:
No Charge

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years:
No Charge

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead:
No Charge

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:
No Charge

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is:
No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do love you.”

And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: “PAID IN FULL”.

Moral

We will never know our parents worth till we become a parent. When it comes to our parents, we indeed have a lot to give…besides money!

Tags: mother, Parenting