Hi Ladies. I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend. I had a great time this 4th of July. I took my daughter to a 4th of July parade on Saturday (my husband slept in) and she and I had a great time. This was her first time going to any type of parade. She and I had a great time and we did not have to spend any money to enjoy ourselves. This brings me to today’s topic which is ways to reduce household spending. With our economy being in a downward spiral I felt the need to share a couple of tips that will allow you to keep more of your hard earned money in your household. Below is a short list that if applied you will start to see immediate savings.
1) I personally found that one of the ways to reduce household spending is to start with some of your household luxuries such as cable or satellite television. With any business it is essential for that company to keep their customers if they want to be a profitable company. With the economy being in the ruts companies are doing all they can to keep you as a loyal customer. This in turn puts you in the driver’s seat. I have done this numerous times and have always been able to reduce the amount that I spend every month on my satellite bill. Call your cable company and let them know that you are spending entirely too much money (on their service) and that you want to cancel the service if you cannot get a better rate. It is the representative’s job to keep you as a customer and he or she will start to proceed to tell you about better offers that they can give to you that will cut down your bill. Make sure that they give you a couple of movie channel specials too. I personally call in every three months to make sure that I am always getting the best deal. I do the same thing for my landline (home phone service) internet, and my wireless service. Telecommunication companies are always coming up with competitive specials to keep you as a loyal customer but it is up to you to take advantage of the offers.
2) For those of you that are always buying breakfast and lunch at work try something new for next week. Try bringing your breakfast and lunch from home and do not eat out for breakfast and lunch. If you add the amount that you spend everyday on eating out you will be amazed on the amount of money you can save. Perhaps limit eating out to one time a week or just on weekends.
3) When purchasing items make sure that you do your research and are getting the best deal before you purchase your item. The internet is your personal resource to making sure that you are getting the best deal on anything that you purchase. I recommend buying products online because you can save a lot of money. Two of my favorite websites to go on is HSN and QVC. They also have their own channel on T.V. and you can purchase your items by calling in if you are watching the show or by going online and purchasing your items. The reason why I love shopping with these two companies is that they always sell great quality products and they have a lot of purchasing power. They buy items in volume and are able to pass the savings right to their customers. I have been shopping there for about five years now and I have saved a lot of money. Some of my favorite products that they sell are the following; Wolfgang Puck cookware; Oreck vacuums; Terri Lewis clothing; Miss Tina Fashions; Cannon; Kodak; Dooney & Burke bags; and more. I cannot possibly list everything that they sell because it will be impossible. Before you buy something go on their website or look on television and see if they have it. You can definitely get a better price with them. They also offer their customers flex pay and easy pay. Flex pay and easy pay allows you to receive the products when you order it and you pay for it in monthly payments and there is no interest. Flex pay and easy pay is not a credit card. It is free to participate you just have to use a debit card or a credit card so they can automatically take the payments out every month.
4) Everyone is going on vacations and trying to have a great time with their children for the summer. You too can do the same thing if you are on a budget. You can go online and find a ton of things to do for families that are on a budget. For example, if you have older children and they like to stay up all night there are some amusement parks that let you get in half price after 4:00 p.m. That could be a nice surprise to take your children to an amusement park in the afternoon and stay out all night. If you check your local city paper you will find that they too offer free events for families.
I hope that I was able to share a couple of good ideas with you. If you have any that you would like to share just post a comment and have a great weekend!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Potty Training Best Practices
Knowing when your child is ready to be potty trained is the key to ensuring success in this big step in your child’s life. There are a number of great techniques out there that have been proven to work. Pull ups have been a big hit with getting children ready for potty training. For you parents that are still struggling with getting your child potty trained this article is just for you.
Below are some best practices that I have used and have found to be a success. As I mentioned earlier before you potty train your child you must know that your child is ready to be potty trained. Just because you are ready to potty train your child does not mean that your child is ready to take that big step. Children are ready to be potty trained at different ages. You can have three children and each one of them may be ready to be potty trained at a different time. It all depends on the child. One of the ways to tell if your child is ready to be potty trained is if your child’s diaper or pull up is dry when you wake him or her up in the morning. If your child’s diaper is dry in the morning this is an indicator that your child is ready to be potty trained. Another indicator is if your child is interested in the potty. An example of this is if you have a potty chair in your bathroom and your child always wants to sit on it this is another indicator that your child may be ready for that next step. If you child always comes to you and lets you know that they are wet then this is another indicator.
One of the best methods to potty train your child is to take away their security of having a pull up or a diaper on. If you think about it a child goes from wearing a regular diaper to wearing a pull up and sometimes it is confusing for a child not to think that they are not suppose to go in their pull up. You can try potty training your child by taking off their potty pants and just let him or her wear a t-shirt with a bear bottom. Before taking that step show your child the potty and play word or song games about where to go when you need to use the potty. Once your child has that down pack that is when it is time for you to just let him or her wear a shirt and bear bottom around the house. Your child will definitely try and give you a hard time about it. After all they have been wearing diapers since they were born. It has become a security blanket for your child. Remind your child that when they have to potty they have to go to the potty and take care of their business.
Another method that may work for your child is to get your child excited about wearing big kid underwear or panties. Explain to your child that only big girls or boys that go to the potty get to wear them. Reward your child when they use the potty by allowing him or her to wear their underwear or panties.
Extrinsic rewards (tangible rewards) is another popular method in getting your child potty trained. You can create a vibrant poster by going to the art store and getting some supplies. Each time that your child uses the potty you can give your child a sticker to place on their special progress poster that you created for your child. Or you can purchase little trinkets to give to your child each time he or she uses the potty.Always remember that potty training should be a fun time for your child. This is your precious child taking their next step in life. Do not stress out if your child is not getting it. Potty training takes time and patience. You can use one of these methods or a mixture of these methods and other methods that you may want to try.Share some of your successful potty training techniques.
If your child is in daycare make sure that you have a discussion with your child's day care teacher to make sure that the teacher is on the same page at school. Make sure that you are aware of the number of times that your child will be going to the potty. Also make sure that you get a weekly progress report of your child's progress.
Below are some best practices that I have used and have found to be a success. As I mentioned earlier before you potty train your child you must know that your child is ready to be potty trained. Just because you are ready to potty train your child does not mean that your child is ready to take that big step. Children are ready to be potty trained at different ages. You can have three children and each one of them may be ready to be potty trained at a different time. It all depends on the child. One of the ways to tell if your child is ready to be potty trained is if your child’s diaper or pull up is dry when you wake him or her up in the morning. If your child’s diaper is dry in the morning this is an indicator that your child is ready to be potty trained. Another indicator is if your child is interested in the potty. An example of this is if you have a potty chair in your bathroom and your child always wants to sit on it this is another indicator that your child may be ready for that next step. If you child always comes to you and lets you know that they are wet then this is another indicator.
Best Practices for Potty Training
One of the best methods to potty train your child is to take away their security of having a pull up or a diaper on. If you think about it a child goes from wearing a regular diaper to wearing a pull up and sometimes it is confusing for a child not to think that they are not suppose to go in their pull up. You can try potty training your child by taking off their potty pants and just let him or her wear a t-shirt with a bear bottom. Before taking that step show your child the potty and play word or song games about where to go when you need to use the potty. Once your child has that down pack that is when it is time for you to just let him or her wear a shirt and bear bottom around the house. Your child will definitely try and give you a hard time about it. After all they have been wearing diapers since they were born. It has become a security blanket for your child. Remind your child that when they have to potty they have to go to the potty and take care of their business.
Another method that may work for your child is to get your child excited about wearing big kid underwear or panties. Explain to your child that only big girls or boys that go to the potty get to wear them. Reward your child when they use the potty by allowing him or her to wear their underwear or panties.
Extrinsic rewards (tangible rewards) is another popular method in getting your child potty trained. You can create a vibrant poster by going to the art store and getting some supplies. Each time that your child uses the potty you can give your child a sticker to place on their special progress poster that you created for your child. Or you can purchase little trinkets to give to your child each time he or she uses the potty.Always remember that potty training should be a fun time for your child. This is your precious child taking their next step in life. Do not stress out if your child is not getting it. Potty training takes time and patience. You can use one of these methods or a mixture of these methods and other methods that you may want to try.Share some of your successful potty training techniques.
Partnering with your Child's Daycare Provider
If your child is in daycare make sure that you have a discussion with your child's day care teacher to make sure that the teacher is on the same page at school. Make sure that you are aware of the number of times that your child will be going to the potty. Also make sure that you get a weekly progress report of your child's progress.
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