Ways to save and "shave" on your monthly budget

We all love to save money. I get so excited to know how much money I saved on my receipt monthly. I think of it as a present to my household; to me. I came across Dollar Shave Club a razor subscription company that prides itself on shaving time and money for its members by sending quality razors to their door for as little as $1 a month. This got me so excited to know how much money I saved on my receipt monthly. Not only do I like to save money but what I do have, I like to recycle the things that I often use. There are plenty of ways to recycle the things you use daily. When you are out at the local grocery store, make sure to remember to grab a few more plastic bags for kitty litter. Cleaning your felines litter daily helps keep the house smelling better. I realize it can be a PITA sometimes when you forget or have other things to do. But you have to think about your furry baby; he/she can't flush like we can and their own special

territory does need to be cleaned so they can have room. Think about the close proximity of their genitals to the litter. It is a much more safer and cleaner way for them. No one wants their furry babies to get an infection due to lack of hygiene of the feline kind. Speaking of hygiene, children and babies often have accidents in their clothes that you can not foresee. Bring a few bags (just in case) in their diaper bag or in the car. We even use those trash bags to pick up the accumulation of trash during those long drives. They are easy to obtain and easy to dispose of. Another way those bags can be recycled into good use is if you forget your umbrella at home but there is a downpour outside, use one of these as a temporary umbrella so you don't get wet and eventually sick. Come to think of it, using and recycling these plastic bags can save you money in the long run. And what of those cloth bags that you can buy for $.99 at the store? I have a million of them stuffed in my closet somewhere. Then one day as I was looking at Victoria's play corner, I thought to myself “She will never play with all these toys”. So I have decided to kill two birds with one stone (in the long run). I watched to see what toys she likes to play with on a constant basis. Then that night I put the toys in one of those cloth bags and kept it next to her toy box. When she plays on the living room floor (she is currently trying her hand at crawling) she 'discovers' what toys are in the bag. Then, when floor time is over, I sit with her and the bag. We both grab toys littered on the living room floor back in the back. I am trying to teach her to clean up. I like to do most things ahead of time. It saves my time to do the things I like to do so I can play with my grand daughter or hang out and watch a movie with my daughter. Doing things early can save time and money. My daughter likes to prepare the 'next-day' bottles for Victoria each night after she gets home from work. She makes 24 to 30 ounces-worth instead of one by one. It is easier for her because she knows that if she has to get up in the middle of the night (yes that does happen once in a while), she doesn't have to pinpoint how many scoops to mix with where the water level is in the bottle. She doesn't have to make a bottle with one eye open; being so sleepy. Everyone is happy (especially me because I am sleeping!) This makes it easier to just grab a bottle before she wakes, warm it up, and it will be welcoming when she is alert. Simple.

I have never been good about keeping up with the house. But I do know that you can only eat an elephant a bite at a time. So while I clean the house, I pick my domestic battles. Monday I choose to clean the living room and hallway closets plus do my dishes. Tuesday I prefer the kitchen and bathroom probably because they are easier to put together with the mopping and same basic cleaning supplies. I also do my dishes that day as well. On Wednesday I tend to drop it a few notches by cleaning my bedroom and the balcony as well as doing the day's dishes. Thursday its off to a fun-filled day down at the laundry mat. Finally it is Friday and I decide to clean up in the living room some more and finish the never-ending pile of dishes. Weekends everyone picks up after themselves! I'm done!!!

Wanna know a great place to shop for baby supplies? Remember to hit this consignment shop!

When I just moved up to Tennessee to be with my sister and her family, she gave me some really good advice on where to go to buy baby and children's clothes and equipment. I would see her come home from shopping capturing really good deals for her boys to wear to school, church functions and on weekend outings. I couldn't believe she told me about a consignment shop. Where I come from, the consignment shops are very small and do not have much to offer in cleanliness and quality.“Have you ever heard of 'Once Upon a Child?” she asked. To be truthful, my daughter was in high school and I never predicted that I would have to shop for children's clothes in the near future. So here I am helping my daughter 'hunt and gather' baby supplies for my grand daughter Victoria. As I am scouring the internet or Brick and Mortar shops, I then remembered the advice my sister gave me years ago. Victoria's BouncerOnce Upon a Child is a consignment shop that buys and sells gently used toys, clothing and baby furnishings that allow you to acquire quality merchandise for such a great price. These products that they sell are of

value and they always meet the standards with their products to be sure they are not on recall. Remember, these products are from your area, as in they buy products that are gently used from local parents whose children grew out of these stages of clothes. Once Upon a Child buys them for a good price and all you have to do is stop in to one of their many consignment shops and browse. It isso nice to finally find a children's boutique that will buy your gently used children's items by making an offer, selling the items for you. It is their way of 'paying it forward' for the rest of society. Personally while I was walking in the aisles of their store, I found so many cute baby clothes, children's clothes (both boy and girl), baby strollers, carriers, baby bathtubs and so much more. I did buy a few onsies from the infants aisle for little-to-nothing. And I also purchased a bouncer for $6! It is a steal! I couldn't believe how affordable Once Upon a Child is on my wallet. Think of shopping for your children. Think of an up-coming baby shower that you are invited to. Think of your nieces or nephews that could benefit from Once Upon a Child. Think of being able to give back to your neighborhood consignment shop called Once Upon a Child. You will be glad that you did. http://www.onceuponachild.com/

On the hunt for the perfect nappy

Seeing how there are so many disposable diapers on the market, we are lucky to live in an age where we can choose what we think would be best for our babies. My mother had the choice to use disposable diapers with me, I had an even better choice to use (and choose) what disposable diapers I wanted to use with my daughter and finally she will have a better choice of the disposable diapers for her daughter. Isn't that the way it always is?

Let's see....off the top of my head, I believe my mom had to use Pampers with me. They are durable and absorbent but does

Pampers

not have any available to protect your baby while sleeping throughout the night although they do have a bed-wetting protection called Underjams. Created in 1961, they come in a variety from preemies to size 7. Size 7 is the only size for Underjams and Cruisers. Having several sizes of pampers to choose from, Swaddlers and Baby Dry are only for newborns and infants. Baby dry is also for toddlers as well as Cruisers. They even have their own disposable training pants called Easy Ups. Pampers promotes more baby products such as disposable bibs which they call Bibsters and their own brand of baby wipes. A good friend of mine told my daughter that she really likes the way that Pampers feels but the price is way out there. There are some generic brands that have the same feel but without breaking the bank.

Huggies

Designed in 1968, Huggies brand was introduced to the market from Kimberly-Clark. The company, based in Irving, TX is one of the biggest producers of mostly paper-based consumer products in the world. They had developed another type of diaper different from Pampers that are unique in size and quality. My little sister typically uses Huggies products because of the feeling of the baby wipes. As I have stated before, most of the population like the feeling of Pampers while Huggies are known for their texture in baby wipes.

So. On one hand, you have Pampers which are extremely expensive and on the other hand you have Huggies which are very reliable in the absorbent area. So what do you do? Do a little research and you will probably find out that Target brand Up and Up is probably the most reliable diapers with the most affordable prices going around.

http://www.pampers.com/home

http://www.huggies.com/en-US

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Huggies_vs_Pampers

http://www.target.com/p/up-up-baby-diapers-bulk-pack-select-size/-/A-14043501