Let kids save for their own college fund by encouraging them from a very early age to earn money by getting paid for what they enjoy doing! Our little boy who is now three loves dogs, so we offered to walk the neighbours’ dog for $5 a week. It makes us get out for exercise […]
Cloth nappies save thousands of dollars! Now days you can get a variety of different kinds and they are so effective. My complete set costs less than $500 (could have been less if I made them myself too!) and they have done my daughter who is now toilet trained, and my son now! I have […]
We made our children a play area using saw dust instead of sand and an old bath instead of a paddling pool – it’s deeper and elicits louder screams of delight.
Here’s a playdough recipe. You will need: 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, 4 tsp cream of tartar, 2 cup water, 2 tbsp cooking oil, and food colouring of your choice. Mix dry ingredients together. Add water, oil and colouring. Blend until smooth. Stir over heat until mixture comes away from the sides […]
Use off-cuts from roof guttering (plastic) for a cool sloping track four your kids cars to go down. My son loves them, and they are free!
School Holidays… Can’t afford a school holiday programme? Then get together with friends and start your own. If you can only get one day a week off work, then get your mates to do the same thing, (different days), and drop your kids at the appropriate house with their packed lunch. Arrange between yourselves different […]
Don’t bother buying cot sheets – they look pretty, but your child will outgrow the cot in a year or two. Instead, buy and use single bed sheets, which (if you buy the right ones) will last the child until it leaves home! Simply fold them in half when using them in a cot.
Community groups like Parents Centre, Plunket, Council Libraries, Churches and Community Centres run cheap Story Telling, Coffee and Music Groups.
Charities/Community Groups like Plunket, Parents Centre and Playcentre run courses for parents, to learn how to make toys.
Borrowing toys from toy libraries means that the children get to play with a variety of toys and the bedrooms aren’t cluttered up with rarely-played-with toys.