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How Do Stay at Home Moms Get the Holiday Shopping Done?

Stephanie — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:31:00 +0000

One of the more difficult things to do as a stay at home mom is to find time to get out without the kids tagging along, especially when they’re younger. It’s bad enough the rest of the year, but when the holiday season comes and you want to get presents for the kids without them catching you at it, things can get pretty difficult. How can you handle all that shopping when you need to watch the kids?

These are just a few of the ways I handle things. It’s not always easy to get time on my own, but something is usually possible eventually.

Shop Online

This one should be obvious these days, but it’s not always easy to keep kids from peeking over your shoulder, nor is it always a replacement for going out and actually seeing the things you want to buy. When you’ve got just a little time and privacy, it’s one of the easiest. Great selection, shipping free from many sites, this stuff can be good.

Amazon is a common favorite because they carry such an amazing range of things. I also have a deep fondness for ThinkGeek. I’d imagine you have your own favorites too.

Shop During School Hours

If the kids go to school and you have a few hours without them, it’s a great time to get your holiday shopping done. It means watching the clock a little, but that’s not usually a major problem.

Have Someone Else Watch the Kids

I love this option. Usually it’s my husband or a grandparent watching the kids to give me time out for holiday shopping. Grandparents are particularly useful if my husband and I want to go out shopping together. It’s fun picking things out with someone else to talk to, after all.

If you don’t have family nearby, see about trading off with friends. Surely you know someone else who has a hard time getting out to shop because of their kids. Make a deal which benefits you both.

Remember Toddlers Don’t Really Understand Everything

I do a lot of my holiday shopping with my toddler in tow, even if it’s for her. I can show her things, even put them into the cart and buy them, and know that by the time I give them to her, she’ll be excited all over again. She also doesn’t yet have the vocabulary to spoil any surprises for her siblings.

Shop Later

One of the presents my kids ask for most often is that I take them shopping after the holidays or a birthday. They love that a big part of their present is time out with me or their father, whoever they pick. A budget is set, the kinds of things I’ll be willing to buy explained, and off we go. Usually there’s ice cream or a movie involved as well. It’s fun and it ensures that whatever is bought is what that child wanted.

I try to make this one on one time, but it can be done with siblings along if desired. Just make it a little extra special.

6 Work at Home Lessons While Halloween Costume Shopping

Stephanie — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:26:20 +0000

I took Saturday as a family day. Had some fun watching my son’s soccer game (his team won), then took the kids out shopping for their Halloween costumes. We wanted to get out before the selection was down too far. The older two didn’t want anything I could make myself this year, so I only get to be creative with my youngest’s costume.

Watching the kids shop, though, was kind of like watching someone trying to decide how they’re going to work at home.

1. You don’t always want what you think you want.

My oldest was positive that she would be Cleopatra for Halloween this year. She’d been saying so for months. Instead, she fell utterly in love with a Snow Princess costume. My son was sure he wanted to be Spiderman, but the costume he picked was Optimum Prime.

You can be sure that you know what kind of work you want to do at home, but just as sure as my kids changed their minds about their Halloween costumes, a little research may change your mind. Keep an open mind as you consider your options.

2. Shop around.

We didn’t just hit the costume shop nearest us for costumes. We started there so that we’d know their prices, but then checked out a few other places. Good thing too, as that saved us $10 on my son’s costume.

A part of finding work you can do from home is looking for the right job or business opportunity. Don’t assume there’s one thing that will work for you. You might find a similar option has better pay, better benefits, a better chance to earn money, or will just be more fun for you. You also improve on your chances of avoiding scams if you shop around a little and get to know what’s more likely to be a legitimate offer.

3. Make sure it’s a good fit.

When my daughter chose her Snow Princess costume, she first grabbed the one right in the front of the rack. She paid no attention to size. It was only when I pointed out another costume that didn’t come in her size that she looked and realized that she had grabbed too small a size. Fortunately, her size was also available.

That work at home job or business you’ve been considering also may not be the perfect fit right off the rack. Make sure you know as much as you can about what you’re getting into so that you don’t have to start your search all over again unless really necessary. Job hunting is tedious, and business hopping is a great way to avoid success if you overdo it.

Of course, sometimes a switch is necessary. What looks good on paper or online isn’t always for you once you get going. Don’t be afraid to try that opportunity on and give it a really good go.

4. Use your imagination.

My oldest is quite imaginative. I usually get comments about that from her teachers, not always in a perfectly positive light. Her Snow Princess costume already has her imagination going. I’ll leave it at that.

Imagination is a great advantage to many of us who work at home. It can help you to think of ways to work at home that others may not have considered. It can help to improve your business or your job performance.

Overdoing it isn’t necessarily a good thing, and you can’t let your imagination take over so much that you never get any real work done. Dreaming of success won’t get you nearly as far as working hard toward success.

5. Make your own.

I get to make at least one of my children’s costumes most years. This year it’s only the costume for my youngest. We bought some silk leaves at Micheal’s, and I’ll be attaching them to a brown hooded top my youngest loves to wear to make her a woodland fairy costume. We got some fake berries and acorns to go along with the leaves. It should be really cute.

When it comes to working at home, remember that you don’t always have to go for the opportunities that are right on the shelf. Don’t stick with the lists of companies that hire people to work at home if you think you can find work elsewhere, or consider freelancing. Don’t assume that the only way to have a home business is to join an opportunity and do it all the way you’re told. Make the work your own. You can improve upon what’s available to you and make a much more interesting home business this way.

6. Decide if you need your own disguise.

Some parents dress up for Halloween, others skip it. What are you going to do?

Online privacy can be a big deal. It’s not so hard if you have a work at home job – your employer needs legitimate information from you for tax reasons, but they shouldn’t be spreading that information all over anyhow.

It’s more difficult if you have a home business online. You have to decide how much personal information you will share.

Some people use a pen name and have private registration on all their websites. Some are fine with a P.O. Box to keep their home address private. Some aren’t at all concerned about using their own names online.

You have to decide what’s right for you. There are a lot of odd people out there and a lot of really nice ones. You have to decide how much you want to maintain your privacy while building a good business. Some find it difficult to deal with a pen name while others wouldn’t go without one. What works for you depends on you and the goals you have for your business.

Come Back Later – A Simple Money Saving Tip

Stephanie — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:12:01 +0000

Most of us like to shop. It’s fun to see all the things you’d love to own, whether it’s new clothes or the latest gadgets. The only problem is that looking often leads to buying, and that’s bad for most budgets. How can you keep your impulse shopping under control.

My own preferred method of handling impulse shopping is to control the impulse part of it. I rarely allow myself to buy on impulse. I have to think about it first.

If you can get past the urge to buy right away, it’s really not too hard. Build the habit of walking away from something you want to buy on impulse. Go look at other things. Maybe even give it a day or several.

The idea is to give yourself time to think if you really need the item or if it’s just a want, and if a want, if it’s worth giving in to that want.

The thing to remember is that pretty much anything you see while out shopping will still be there later. Very few things are all that limited, and most really limited things you might buy on impulse aren’t things you really need. The things you need are more likely to be there day after day, week after week. Even if you don’t buy them right away, they’ll probably be there later.

Coming back to a potential purchase later works pretty well if you have a few options to consider. It’s time to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the things you’re considering. You might find that a feature that attracted you immediately doesn’t matter as much as one you notice with a little more thought.

This even works when it comes to buying snacks when you’re out grocery shopping. This can be good for your grocery budget and your waistline, depending on the kinds of impulse buys you tend to make there. Of course, better yet for controlling your grocery shopping is having a list and sticking to it.

Of course, if impulse shopping is a problem for you, the first step may be finding ways to limit how often you do any sort of shopping that can lead to impulse buys. If you like to just wander shopping malls or online shopping sites, or if you get easily tempted when you see an online review for a product, it helps to find ways to avoid those situations. Look at when you’re getting tempted and how often the temptation is to buy something you’ll be glad you bought in the long run. If you’re getting tempted into far more bad purchases than good, it may be time to find something else to do.

A little patience and a little planning can help you quite a bit when it comes to controlling your impulse shopping habits. What works for you?

What Are You Promoting for Christmas?

Stephanie — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:19:32 +0000

It’s that time of year again, and the brick and mortar stores may have beaten you to it. Are you starting up your Christmas promotions?

Brick and mortar stores are doing so already in some locations, and more will do so in the near future. It may feel early, but if you aren’t ready for Christmas now with your online business, you should be thinking about what you’re doing to make the most of the biggest shopping season of the year.

You can start by checking to see which of your shopping pages need to be updated. Are they offering current products?

Next think about what you would like to start promoting this year. Get those pages and/or sites up and running.

Don’t feel as though it’s too early. Lots of people start shopping for the holidays early. There’s no need to miss out on sales just because you feel that it’s strange to be thinking that way already.

I don’t mean for you to decorate your sites all in Christmas colors, of course. And please don’t autoplay Christmas music when people come to your site. There’s plenty of that in the malls. All you really need is to have your sites set up to make some good money for you over the holiday season.

Are You Being Careful About Gift Cards This Year?

Stephanie — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:05 +0000

For so many years, the gift card has been the gift of last resort… or sometimes first when you just want an easy solution. But they have disadvantages that are present every year… and potentially more than usual this year.

Gift Card Negatives

1. Companies going under.

If a company files for bankruptcy, they may or may not have to continue honoring their gift cards. It depends on what the court says. Once they close, of course, the card is no good anyhow.

You can try to get around this by only shopping with companies that aren’t currently having going out of business sales, but it’s hard to predict who will be next. The numbers are pretty scary.

2. Some states allow them to expire.

This isn’t allowed in California and several other states, but many states allow companies to put an expiration date on their gift card. Not fair when you think about it, since the company has your money in exchange for a little piece of plastic, but it’s something to be aware of.

3. Fees.

Depending on the rules of the state the card is purchased in, there can be fees as well. Fees for using the card, checking the balance, or even for failing to use the card over a certain time period. Sometimes there’s even a fee for the purchaser in order to activate the card.

4. They can limit options.

If you give someone a gift card, be very sure they can and do enjoy shopping at that particular store. There’s nothing like finding out you have a gift card for a company that doesn’t even exist in your city and doesn’t have an online option.

Then there’s the “sure I can get there, but I hate the selection” problem. Not everyone likes every store.

5. Some people aren’t sure how to handle the balance.

When the card gets down to just a couple of dollars, a lot of people don’t know how to finish it off. It’s easy, but many aren’t comfortable with it.

All you have to do in most stores is give it to the cashier first. They apply the balance to the purchase, then you pay the rest normally. However, many companies count on customers feeling a reluctance to do so, as they get to keep any unspent balances.

6. Some card balances are easily stolen.

Sometimes gift cards on display give away too much of their information. Thieves note this down, then check balances online regularly. When one appears, they spend it online. Make sure the cards you buy hide at least part of the information needed to activate and spend the card.

Gift Card Positives

1. You know the hobby, but not what’s needed.

A gift card can be a great, personal choice if you know someone’s hobby, but not what supplies they need. If you know where they shop, you can get a gift card to that store and they’ll probably be delighted.

2. Easy to send in the mail.

No outrageous shipping fees to send a gift card across the country. On the other hand, you do have to worry about theft. But checks face the same problem in the mail.

3. No waiting for recipient to cash your check.

There’s nothing like finding out that someone took two months or more to cash their holiday gift check. It can really mess up your personal bookkeeping.

4. You can give “experience” gifts.

Very nice when you don’t want to give things. Memberships work in some cases, but if they’re too expensive or unavailable, a gift card for it can work well.

Things to Know Before Buying a Gift Card

1. What state laws apply?

Can the card expire? What about fees?

2. What are the terms and conditions?

Some of these will contradict state law because the same card is sold in many states. You’ll still want to know, so you can figure out what applies.

3. What happens when the purchase is less than the card amount?

Many stores just leave the balance on the card, but a few will give cash back.

4. What happens if the purchase is more than the card amount?

Sometimes this is harder for the store to handle than other times. Some stores will want the gift card first, while others will want it second. If it’s too confusing, the card may be difficult to use.

5. How is the card registered?

This can protect you from gift card thieves who note the information on unsold cards, then try to use them before the legitimate purchaser. If too much of the card information is freely available before purchase, you may end up giving a worthless gift.

What Really Happens in Liquidation Sales?

Stephanie — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:35:44 +0000

This year there are a lot of stores shutting down. That means lots of liquidation sales and great bargains, right?

Maybe. Then again, maybe not.

My mother called me the other evening about a story she’d seen on the news on the liquidation sale at one company going out of business. It seems that they just put higher prices on over the usual prices, so the discount really wasn’t as good as it seemed. The people from the news station easily peeled back the new tags to see the old prices.

In some ways this doesn’t surprise me. I worked for a company once when it was going through a liquidation. I can’t recall offhand if they changed the price tags, perhaps they did. They would have been more subtle about it, as it was as jewelry store and the tags were small. To change the prices they would have had to recall each piece back to the main office and retag. Can’t recall now if that happened or no.

But there’s another common thing that happens, and this I do remember well. More merchandise than the store usually carries is brought in. The liquidators do this because they buy up the inventories of the stores they are liquidating. Anything that doesn’t sell in one liquidation sale can be sent to another.

Obviously, this stuff is easy to mark up.

The best thing you can do before going to a liquidation sale is to check out the prices for the same items as seen online or in other local stores. This can quickly give you a feel for if the price has been raised to make it look like you’re getting a great discount.

Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren’t.

As with any other kind of bargain hunting, it’s up to you to know exactly what is and is not a good deal for you. Don’t get sucked in by the need to shop while there’s still a decent selection. You need to be saving enough to make shopping at a store that won’t be there if there’s a problem with the merchandise worthwhile.

Shopping for Maternity Clothes

Stephanie — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:00:12 +0000

Goodness. I’d forgotten how miserable shopping for maternity clothes can be. Thank goodness I have a couple of skirts that will work well for me for a while yet! My jeans, on the other hand, are tight already.

Working at home means that I can just do the unbuttoned trick, or even unzipped if that’s what it takes for comfort. It’s a definite advantage since I really don’t want to spend a lot on maternity clothing. I’m quite determined that this will be the last baby.

I hit the mall this weekend, mostly because it felt nice to get out of the house alone for once. I’m sure many of you know what I mean. Sure, my husband and I got to take a trip last weekend without kids, and it was nice, but really hurried with all the househunting and quite draining.

I have to admit, the selection looks better now, but so many department stores don’t carry any maternity clothes in their stores, just online. Out of 4 department stores in the mall, only Penneys had any in stock. Add in the fact that most maternity clothes are insanely priced, and it’s no fun at all. The Penneys clearance would have been nice if I had liked any of it. Some of the tops were just $3.97!

The lack was funny in one store where I couldn’t find a store directory. I asked an employee, and he directed me to the Junior’s department. I mean, I’ve heard that teen pregnancy can be a problem, but really!

I tried the new Secret Fit Belly jeans over at Motherhood Maternity. These aren’t badly priced, but for me they just didn’t fit right at all. Not comfortable to sit in.

I’m currently figuring on checking out what’s what at the local thrift stores… assuming I can remember to get out when they will be open. They keep short hours around here.

Target also seems to have a decent selection, at least online. I figure I can go to the store and see what fits, then checkout the online selection which is generally much larger.

I have a nice little budget for this shopping, so all I have to do now is find the clothes I want!

Have You Ever Tried a No-Spend Day?

Stephanie — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:04:44 +0000

I’ve seen people talk sometimes about having a no-spend day. They buy nothing that day. It can be a help, certainly, if you tend to buy something every day. But if you’re like me, working at home all the time, it’s not going to change your spending habits that much.

In some sense, of course, you do spend every day. The food you eat was bought at some point, and it certainly costs you something when you consume it. There’s the cost of your housing. Any subscriptions you have, whether to a magazine, your cable television, even power and telephone bills.

However, if those little daily purchases are eating up your income, having no-spend days regularly can really help. You can have the kids bring lunch to school instead of using money to buy it. You can eat at home rather than eating out, or bring lunch if you have to go to work. Odds are these will save you over eating out, although school lunches may be pretty cheap.

The idea can be extended to the shopping you do need to do. No-spend can be no impulse purchases when you’re at the grocery store. Stick to your list instead.

Take the idea of not spending, and apply it to the various times that you do need to spend. If you have the habit of buying lots of little stuff you don’t really need, it can help more than you might expect.

Male Pattern Blindness

Stephanie — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:14:18 +0000

That’s right, male pattern blindness. It’s the only explanation I can come up with.

Don’t get me wrong. My husband’s wonderful. But if something doesn’t particularly interest him, he just won’t see it. On the other hand he’s a wonderful husband and excellent father.

Then there are times like this morning. He decided to go to the grocery store after taking our son to speech therapy. I mentioned he’s a good husband and father, right? He wanted to get a couple things there and I told him we were out of milk.

He couldn’t find the milk I usually get, which has a discount if you buy two gallons. He’s quite certain it wasn’t there, even though I’ve shown him it before, and it’s always in the same place. But hey, he bought milk, so the complaint is minimal.

He also decided to clean the kitchen today. Well, more precisely he loaded the dishwasher. I don’t think he has wiped down the countertops ever without being asked. Honestly. Not once.

Yes, I know it can be impressive that he sees the dishes in the sink, since some don’t even do that much. My tactic is simple. I let them pile up. Eventually he will want to use the sink, realize he can’t, and voila! I have a dishwasher being loaded by my husband.

I try not to let things get that bad too often. It’s not a situation I like. Good thing I know how to ask him to help out too.

I think he does better than average in some areas. He doesn’t too often ask me where something is when it’s right where it belongs, where it always is. But then it’s generally something he wants.

If it doesn’t particularly interest him, on comes the blindness! It ensures that I do most of the shopping so I know we’ll have enough food (and that it’s healthy!) and handle most of the cleaning unless I ask otherwise or company’s coming. Dirt and clutter are all but invisible any other time.

We’re fortunate in that I’ve always been good at finding things. It probably helps that I look behind and under stuff as necessary. If neither of us can find it, well, it’s time to blame the house gnomes.

As of yet, there is no cure for male pattern blindness, but any researchers out there would have the encouragement of millions of wives.

No related posts.

How to Control Your Food Budget as Prices Increase

Stephanie — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:31:05 +0000

Food prices have been hit hard by inflation of late, with the worst increases in about 20 years. Meat, milk, bread, eggs, produce all cost more than they used to. It’s getting harder and harder to feed a family healthy meals.

Fortunately, it’s not necessarily impossible, merely more challenging.

One of the simplest things you can do to help your food budget is to cut waste. Here in the United States tremendous amounts of food are wasted by most families. If you work harder on using up your leftovers you can save a significant amount of money.

For example, pack up dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. You can eat them yourself or send them with an ice pack with the kids to school if it’s something that tastes good enough cold. A thermos bottle can help with foods that should be eaten warm. Just make sure you heat the food hot enough that a good thermos will keep it over 140 degrees F.

Think also about what you’re eating. If you can cut back on the amount of meat you consume in a meal and/or have the occasional meatless meal you can save quite a bit. Beans, rice, lentils and such can be significantly cheaper than meats. Vegetarian meals can be quite tasty.

Similarly you can reconsider the cuts of meat you buy. Cheaper cuts can still taste quite good if prepared correctly. Crock pots are great at making even cheap meats tender.

With chicken, buying a whole one can have advantages. It’s enough for 1-2 meals, depending on the size of your family, and you can make soup from the leftovers for yet another cheap meal.

But much of your savings come down to how you shop for food. Start paying close attention to the flyers that come from grocery stores near to you. You won’t save if you’re driving too far, but if you’re lucky you will have at least a few stores to choose from. You may as well shop each for the items they have at good prices.

Keeping a price book can be a big help. You can do it alphabetically or by the order of the items in the store you shop most, but know what regular prices are and what standard sale prices are. This helps you to figure out if it’s an unusually good deal that you should stock up on if you can, or if you need to figure out an alternative that week.

Coupons can also be a help if, and I emphasize IF, they are items you would be buying anyhow. If you weren’t going to buy it, you can end up spending more money and ending up with things you aren’t going to use up.

Plan your meals around the coupons and deals that you find each week. By planning ahead you can buy only what you need and reduce your food waste still further. It also helps to limit your spontaneous purchases if you can tell yourself you aren’t going to use it.

For those who have the space and a sufficiently green thumb, gardening is another option. A good garden is exercise combined with a food source. It’s also great for teaching children about where their food really comes from. And of course homegrown produce simply tastes better.