Saving Money on Toysby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 27 Jul 2007 04:28 AM Toys may not seem like a big expense at first, but they can certainly add up. And, I'm not even talking about those expensive "it" toys. If you have been keeping track and recording your expenses, have you seen any everyday spending going toward toys? What about birthdays and holidays? Summer pool toys and outdoor toys? Books at the grocery store and dollar store items? Let's face it, the amount a family can spend on toys can cost a good chunk of money. With three young children of my own, I can certainly testify to this. Here are some tips, though, that can help you reduce your expenses by saving money on toys. One of the most obvious ways to reduce your toy expense is to reduce your toy volume. Now, I'm not suggesting that you deprive your kids or anything. But chances are that there are a few toys that your children play with over and over again while pretty much ignoring the rest. Do your children get bored with their toys easily and need new ones to engage them? A simply strategy is to divide the toys into two or three groups and rotate them. Have only one group out at a time. After a period of time (days or weeks), switch to another group of toys, putting the first group away. They will be able to "rediscover" their old toys and play with them as if they were new ones. This really works, especially for children preschool age and younger. Another way to get "new" toys is to host a toy exchange. Gather those toys that you and your children are willing to part with and ask friends and family to do the same. Then everyone gets together. Serve simple snacks and exchange toys. Your children will get new interesting toys, and you will de-clutter your old toys, all without spending a cent. Look for more ideas later today! Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites. Related Articles: The Frugal Baby: Disposable Diaper Secret Finds Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags frugal, Kids, save, toys, thrifty Discuss this article
|
Frugal categories |
