Educational Preschool Gifts that Won't Bankrupt the Budget

Every Christmas, I say to myself, "I'm not going overboard shopping for the kids this year." And each year, I do. But at least, I'm a good bargain-hunter. I may overspend a little but I get lots of bang for my holiday buck! As a teacher and mom, I insist on educational toys and gifts. Here are low-cost, high-learning toys and gifts for preschool-age kids.  Read more

Best Kids' Toys and for 2012 Christmas Presents

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is buying gifts for kids. I love choosing toys, but I'm very picky. I demand that toy gifts I buy have some intrinsic educational value. And there are a lot of junk toys on the market. How do you wade through the chaff to find the best gifts for kids? Here's a guide from a 25-year veteran teacher and 24-year mom of four.  read more

Best Holiday Gifts for Kids Missions

Looking for a great Christmas giving opportunity? Operation Christmas Child is a charitable giving outreach ministry of Samaritan's Purse. Each year around Thanksgiving, thousands of boxes are shipped to domestic and foreign missions. Here's a list of items to put in your Operation Christmas Child holiday gift box. If you missed this giving opportunity, don't worry. Many churches and groups fill boxes for needy kids. These tips apply to local or overseas missions. Use this list to purchase gifts for any toy or gift donation. Gift suggestions are standard to most charity protocol. Christian families, consider using toy donations part of your offeratory. Catholics, remember, Advent is a penitential season; we're required to practice prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Childrens' missions make perfect holiday almsgiving opportunities. Many Jewish families participate in Hanukkah giving. Muslim families, if you participate with toy drives, be sure to check if gift donations are zakat-eligible. I can't speak for all Islamic centers but many in Detroit partner with area missions or have their own giving opportunities for Muslim holiday observances. Read more Best Gifts to Fill Your Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child Box

Black Friday Sales Alternative--Cyber Monday Online Shopping

Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping event of the holiday season. It's probably the biggest online shopping event of the entire year. Save time, headaches and gas money. Skip the post-Thanksgiving Black Friday madness. You can enjoy the safer and more peaceful online shopping of Cyber Monday. Check out cellphone deal finder apps and browse in your jammies. Online shopping can be challenging, though. Every store and merchandiser is vying for your shopping dollar. They ply you with coupons, free shipping and "great deals." How do you navigate the ocean of internet commerce? Here's your shopper's guide to Cyber Monday deals.  read more

Cheap, parent-friendly kids' birthday party tips

As a mom to four kids, ages 24 to 14, I've planned a plethora of kids' parties. I'm also a teacher and I've hosted numerous classroom events. There are some misconceptions among parents, about what kids do and don't want for parties (and gifts). Bottom line is, they're not selfish and hard to please, IF, they aren't taught to be. Planning parties, I've had some great successes and colossal fails. From those experiences, I've compiled a list of tips for parents on planning kids' parties. Being a frugalista, these hints focus on cheap, homemade party ideas. My kids' friends still remember my parties as being tons of fun (it's my secret that most only cost me about $10 to put on!) Cheap, parent-friendly kids' birthday party tips

At-home preschool dramatic play learning center

 As a special needs and former Montessori teacher, my classrooms have always been organized on the learning center principle. Learning centers are rotational play areas were children perform tasks related to specific content areas: math, reading, science, art, practical life, dramatic play. When I had children, I imported the learning center philosophy into my home. The play room was set up like a modified preschool classroom. Got toddler or preschool age kids? I highly recommend setting up learning centers. If you're homeschooling, learning centers are a must. Here's how this Montessori mom designed an at-home dramatic play area. Easy at-home ideas, plus shopping tips for your budding thespian's play area. Montessori mom: At-home preschool dramatic play learning center 

Top 10 (plus a Few) Gift Ideas for Teenage Boys

Let me preface this article by saying that I have two sons, one husband and four brothers, so I have Christmas shopped for teen boys for about 25 years or so! The style of gift they ask for has changed over the years, for teen boys, as technology changes, but the content has stayed very much the same! Top presents for teen boys

How We Got Cheap Wedding Rings (Romantically) Under $200

 When we got married, my husband and I paid for our wedding and reception. To cut costs, we looked for cheap wedding rings. For less than $200 we bought an engagement ring, woman's wedding ring and man's wedding ring. Here's how.  read more

Best Grandparents Day Gifts

With Grandparents Day approaching, the buzz is on the best gifts. This article was written for Mother's Day and lists outside-the-box (and envelope) gift-giving ideas. The concepts apply to Grandparents Day gifts, too. There's a lot of competition for our gift-giving buck. Stores and vendors are ripe with advice about what mom supposedly wants. That's why families should think heart (as in gifts from the) and smart.

Speaking of smart, for Mother's Day shopping (and Grandparents Day, thinking inductively) the best tips I found come from Denver Post $MART columnist Amber Johnson. Johnson surveyed moms about what they wanted most. Essentially, the consensus was to dial down the spending and pay attention to the individual mom's preferences. I'd add skip the three Cs (cards, candy and cut flowers). If you want to send a card, don't buy one. Use free printable greeting cards from my blog. And for shopping, use this advice for grandparent gifts, too. Mother's Day Gifts

Back to School Eye Exam and Glasses from Walmart, Best Gifts for Kids

There's one aspect of back to school preparation that sometimes gets overlooked--eye exams and glasses. We scrupulously follow school supplies list. We buy pencils, notebooks and backpacks. We shop for school clothes and shoes. We stock the cupboard with healthy school snacks. But we forget the one thing that can make or break a school year for a child--good vision. This year, give the gift of sight with Eye Exam and Glasses from Walmart 

Health Experts Warn Parents to Skip Cellphone Apps, Games for Kids

Popular items for the holiday shopping season are cellphone games and applications for children. Education and health experts say parents should skip all apps. Developmentally, they say, kids need unstructured, creative play, not games like those played on a tiny, digital screen. Here are facts about kids and cellphone apps. read more

Great Books for Homeschooling Families--Cindy Neuschwander "Sir Cumference" Books

Cindy Neuschwander writes math math books for children. With Wayne Geehan illustrating, Neuschwander has given us books about Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter and Radius their son who solve math and geometry puzzles and medieval mysteries. Children learn about geometry, measurement, counting, algebra, formulas and mathematical concepts from the charming tales, told like medieval fairy tales. These books make great gifts for homeschooling families. Read more at read more

Michigan Cuts Charitable Contributions Tax Credits--Giving Proactively

No More Public Charitable Contributions Tax Credits for Michigan As of New Year's Day, residents of Michigan can no longer claim charitable contributions to homeless shelters, food banks, community foundations, public universities or other nonprofits on their state income tax, says CBS Detroit. As part of the Public Act 38 budget cuts package, Gov. Rick Snyder repealed Section 261 of the Michigan Individual Income Tax Act, eliminating charitable giving credits. Non-profits are hopeful that people won't stop giving despite the loss of the income tax credit. But these are tight financial times: unemployment is high, costs are sky-rocketing and cuts are happening everywhere. This was written as straight news so I couldn't add commentary, but here's one suggestion. Instead of giving to colleges and universities, try supporting one college student. If you list it as a gift, you may be able to claim that as a tax deduction. Another option in lieu of lost tax credit: donate used goods instead of money to charities. You can claim those donations on federal income tax and you aren't out such a large chunk of change. Consider donating durable or consumable goods to homeless shelters, too. That way you can be sure your donation is wisely spent. Here's information about these changes for residents of Michigan to make proactive donations. Read on ...