Home Haircuts for Kids - A Great Way to Save Money

If you're looking for an extra way to save some money each month, consider giving the kids haircuts at home. Mom can do it or dad can do it. It really isn't that hard and with a few haircuts under your belt you will be a pro.

For cutting boys' hair, you will need to invest in a set of hairclippers and these can be purchased at many different types of stores. Your local Walmart or Target usually carry them. For your first haircut or two, I highly suggest using one of the attachments so you don't take off any chunks of hair or make any gouges. Believe me, the learning curve for cutting your kids hair is not very long.

For girls' hair, all you need are some good hair-cutting scissors and a comb. It is much easier to cut a little girl's hair if you first wet the hair with a brush or comb, combing through to make it wet but not soaking wet. You can play Beauty Shop with your daughter and make it a fun event.

Just remember, practice makes perfect. Although it takes a little time for each haircut, consider that you actually are probably saving time, since you won't have to drive to the barber or beauty shop. Over the course of a year you can save a lot of money, especially if you have more than one child. An average charge of $15 per child comes to $180 per child per year. That's a big savings. Hey, you can even save more money by cutting your husband's hair ... I do. And that will save you about $200 more a year, not including the tips! Maybe you can get the tips!

Coffee Lovers - How You Can Save $1000 A Year

I love Starbucks just as much as any coffee drinker. I even asked for a Starbucks card for a Christmas present. But I just read something that came as a big shock to me. If I start making my coffee at home and put it in a stainless steel thermos instead of buying that $4 cup of coffee that I have become accustomed to, I can save about $1000 a year. Yes, you read that right!

Figure. If you buy one (only one, mind you) $4 cup of coffee every working day of the week, that will total $1040. Most of us have more than one cup on occasion, so we will take that into consideration and round up to $1100. But if you buy a thermos for $20, filter/papers for $10 and coffee for a year for around $60. (assuming you already have a coffee maker, as most coffee drinkers do)... and make that morning cup of coffee to take with you ... you will save a hefty $1000 during the year.

This is a major, major savings, and well worth the consideration. So sorry Starbucks but we're all in this boat together!

2009 Recession Survival Guide

As we start to think about the new year that will be starting soon, we are all trying to find ways to cut back on our expenses. Many of us have gotten used to buying anything we wanted whenever we wanted. Obviously, this has contributed to the financial state of the economy.

We all have to tighten our belts now and here are some strategies to help.

1. COMPARISON SHOPPING
If you really need to buy something or are still doing limited shopping for the holidays, use the many comparison shopping websites to check prices and also find free shipping if you are ordering online.

2. NEGOTIATE
When buying anything, whether it is clothing, applicances or a car, ask for a discount or if they can do better. You can even ask your existing credit card companies for a lower rate, especially if you have been a good customer of theirs. Remember that paying cash increases your chances for a discount, since retailers can avoid paying credit card transaction fees.

3. REFINANCE YOUR HOME
If you are in a position to do so, now is a good time to consider refinancing your home since interest rates have come down. You can also think about including some high-interest credit card balances in your refinance deal, perhaps saving you thousands of dollars a month in payments. If you are really having a tight time, financially, this is a possible option.

For a more detailed read of the 2009 Recession Survival Guide, found on Yahoo Finance, go to: http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/106242/Your-2009-Rece...

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Recycling Materials for Future Craft Projects

You can be a great example to your kids and show them what recycling is really all about on a personal level that they can help implement. Start saving items that you might normally discard that can be used for some of the fun projects here on Ziggity Zoom.

Although most of the preschool craft projects here at Ziggity Zoom make use of inexpensive materials, by saving items that you might normally dispose of not only will you be recycling but saving money as well. Save items in a tucker tote or cardboard box marked "craft projects" but always be sure to wash and thoroughly dry any containers or lids that were for food products. These are some of the things to start saving:

Yogurt cups/ lids
Plastic caps
Egg Cartons
Toilet paper tubes
Corks
Stray socks
Buttons
Bottle Caps
Extra straws

To inspire even more creativity, ask your kids if they have any of their own ideas for using some of the collected, recycled materials. Maybe they will want to make a free-form robot, monster or mermaid. Encourage them to do this and praise them for their efforts. Children's art has such a wonderful, naive quality to it. It is actually one of my favorite art forms.


It's amazing what wonderful creations can be made from discarded and saved items. From our activities section you can choose fun things to make, such as a pirate or princess castle from toilet paper tubes, a colorful bowling set from fast-food drink containers, or a cute puppy sock puppet from a stray sock. Be sure to check out the projects in detail and to check back often as new projects will be added regularly and you might find some new materials to start recycling!

Take Advantage of Thrift Shops for Kids Clothing & Save Money

As an avid thrift store shopper, I guarantee that you can save a bundle of money by shopping at second-hand stores. It always amazes me that I can leave with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise for less than twenty dollars or less.

Some of my favorite pieces of clothing have been purchased at thrift stores. You can often find clothing that has never been worn, with tags still attached. If you pay attention to some of the most eclectic NY apartments featured in magazines, some of their most unusual finds have been from thrift shops or discarded for trash.

If you live in a fairly large city, your options are increased since you will find a greater number of thrifts to choose from. The best items usually can be found in areas that are located in more upscale communities. But don't forget to check out any thrift shop close by. You never know when you might come across that great find. Some great pieces of art have been purchased this way.

If you are shopping for kids clothing, thrift shops and garage sales are the way to go. Next-to-new furniture can also be found. My friend is basically furnishing her entire house this way. If you haven't tried thrift shopping before now, it's a good time to start!

Switch to Cute Kid-Friendly Cloth Napkins for your Kids and Family and Save Money and the Planet

Does your family go through a ton of paper towels and napkins?

Here is an easy way to save money and help out the environment at the same time. Buy 1-3 packs of brightly colored, cotton cloth napkins, bar towels or wash clothes and a few dish towels. Use the small cloth napkins or towels for your family at breakfast, lunch and dinner instead of using paper towels or paper napkins and use a dish towel to dry hands after washing them. Just remember to switch out the hand towel daily for a clean one and let air dry between uses. The cloth napkins are great because you can let kids pick their own color or assign a favorite color to everyone in the family. Just make sure to have enough to get through several meals before you have to wash them. At my house some of the cloth napkins need to be washed after 1 use and others can be used again before being washed.

The cost breakdown- the average family goes through several rolls of paper towels a month. My family was using at least 1 roll of paper towels every week and some weeks we were going through them even faster. In an average year, we spend $60.00-80.00 on paper towels and create several trash cans full of trash from those paper towels. By using cloth napkins and dish towels, in place of paper towels most of the time, you can cut down on your trash, your monthly cost for paper products and help to reduce our use of paper goods that come from forests.

The cost for dish towels varies but you can get a 7 piece kitchen towel set from Target for $14.99 or a 3 pack of kitchen towels (trendy designs) for $6-15.00 and there are less expensive options available if you buy a set of white no-nonsense bar towels for a few dollars. I would recommend having at least 7 on hand so you can easily replace a dirty one with a clean towel or wipe up a spill with an extra towel. So, for between $15.00-$30.00 (if you buy 2 packs) you can cut down on the amount of paper products you are buying and using. The cute cloth bar towels in the picture were from Target and ran about $4-5 for a pack of 4 towels/napkins.
If you are already a smart shopper and wait until the dish towels or napkins are on sale and use a coupon, you can probably get enough napkins to last the week for next to nothing. Or for those of you that are very crafty and handson, you could take an older towel or sheet and cut it up into enough napkins for the week- but you will have to finish off the edges.

Just How Frugal Are You?

Its officially a new year and talk is everywhere of people saving money, spending less or reusing what they have. For some it is a necessity- either a job loss or other financial problem, for others they are concerned about their future, and for others it is to make every penny go further so they can save more or live on 1 income. W

What ever the reason, there are plenty of good reasons to save, spend less, reuse what you have, find products that help you spend less, and more. We want to hear from you- how to you save money, spend less, make your money go further, or what creative things do you do to have fun without breaking the bank?

Tell us-

Do you reuse your plastic baggies, or keep aluminum foil after using it to cover something,
Do you only buy food items when you have coupons and buy it in droves?
Do you have family movie or game night when the movie is showing on TV?
Do you wear your jeans a few times before washing them?
What things do you to save money?

What about running the quick cycles on your dishwasher or washing machine? Do you hang dry your clothes or use a low energy setting?