13 Things We Don’t Buy to Save THOUSANDS a Year!
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
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I’m a 10th grade teacher and I love that you don’t have phones for your kids yet. I see so many kids sucked into their phones all day long. You’re protecting them from so much!! And keeping their imagination going.
I taught high school for 11 years. It always made me sad to walk by a bench full of high school kids in the hallway who were sitting silently on their phones instead of talking and hanging out with each other. Maybe that makes me sound super old, but my best memories of that time involve laughing until I cried with my high school friends!
I work at a catholic high school and the amount of mental health issues caused by social media is staggering. Phones for teenagers are not a great idea. Also, regarding travel sports it drives me nuts when parents ask for financial aid for tuition citing the high cost of extracurricular sports training. Clearly sports are more important than education. 😟
I agree, I taught HS for 11 years and phones created issues in the classroom and then social media created issues outside of the school day that then spilled over into the classroom.
I worked at an elementary school. One of the employees asked for help via Facebook for her girls cheer expenses. At the same time she showed off her new tattoos. Those are expensive.
Every last one of these is a gem! So many people get caught up in what everyone else is doing, and feel the need to compete. Giant birthday parties, expensive tech for every family member, going thousands into debt for Christmas. Having to decide whether to get dog food, or human food. It's getting real, folks!
As a middle school teacher, thank you for not giving your young teen a phone. My students with phones are usually sleepier in school, more disrespectful, and hard to keep interested in school activities. Just a correlation, but it’s a strong correlation!
Yes, I saw the same things as a high school teacher for over a decade
Good for you with scale down birthday parties. The cost of a big birthday party is ridiculous!
none of us had big kid parties. we had family celebrations with friends invited
I do not blame you for waiting to give kids a phone. Good for you ❤
Allowing your children to have a phone is a way to know where they are through the ap "Find a Friend". I know that I would have had a lot of fewer worries when my children were growing up.
One of my pet peeves is the extravagant spring break vacations people who are struggling financially take. I am very particular about my expenses. I love this one Mindy.
We gave our kids spring break vacations when they were rising seniors. Each a family affair. Each one planned and budgeted for. The memories well worth while.
2020 ruined birthday parties for my kids. Since then, we've stopped doing parties. Instead, we do experiences, just me and my kids (single mom). Last year, for my oldest's 13th, we took a road trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. My kids LOVE making memories for their birthday. I still get the a few gifts, but we can take a trip or do an outing for LESS $$$ THAN A PARTY. It's insane how much parties cost these days.
Love that idea, we have also done that.
I'm on round 2 with helping my daughter raise my grandson, who is now 14. They live with us. She was 16 when she had him and I did the majority of the baby stuff. When he was little, we had bowling birthday parties but quickly switched to a nice meal out with his godmother and her now fiance. When he hits 16, we will take him to see his first rock concert. I did that with my children. So far, he doesn't have a cell phone even though he wants one, and there's really no need for him to have one since I'm always there to pick him up early plus we have a landline to call his friends. He doesn't play sports, and I totally get limiting it to one or two activities. My kids did ballet, soccer, baseball, football, and Scouts, which is the only thing my grandson does besides being involved in our church's youth group. I would never consider Disney because of the crowds. Honestly, I think people do too much nowadays, and it's always about keeping up with the Jones. It's nice to hear there are other people out there who do what's best for their kids .
Your house is beautiful! I no longer buy home decor as well. I look at it as just one more thing I have to dust! Forget it! Less is definitely more!
I love a non-cluttered home. Makes my heart so happy. I am not a pack rat. My husband use to get upset with me for my purging. lol. I have no talent for decorating anyway. I no longer have any TV extra apps except my internet service. Saved me tons. My down fall is my office. It looks overwhelming. That is due to lack of storage bins or file cabinets. My procrastination.
We are holding off on phones as long as possible too! As far as birthdays go, I did the crazy parties when my kids were younger, and it was my creative outlet! I loved making all the decorations and having adorable themed food. I feel now though, my kids are at an age where I would rather treat them to experiences, so that has become our birthday plan- they get to pick an excursion that can be done in 1 day and pick a restaurant meal.
In the UK< we generally only decorate for xmas We don't decorate for any other holidays.
Along with many other commenters, I am a high school teacher. Thank you for the way you are bringing up your children. I have seen so many entitled kids today. It is so sad because they will have a really rude awakening in the real world. I admire and respect your stand on the things you mentioned concerning your children. Again, you have made a great video that we can glean wisdom from. Thanks, Mindy!
Excellent springboard to examining the “needs” versus “wants” in our lives.
I learned 30+ years ago that I am not comfortable with vacations. I was laying on a lovely beach and calculating how much it was costing me per day, per hour, per minute and I wasn’t enjoying it.
Now I use my “vacation” money to purchase a lovely piece of furniture, curtains and bedding to refresh a bedroom,, or a piece of artwork. All things that last longer than a week. It works for me and makes me happy. 😃😃😃
Totally agree with you on the no cellphones zone and no travel sports. Your children will thank you for it later in life because they had a fun, wholesome childhood. They’re only young once. Why speed them up on adulthood?
Stand firm about phones with your kids. As long as strictness is moderated by lovingkindness, it is good for kids. When our kids were in school I once asked one of them how they described their parents to other kids. One said, "I say you're really strict and really cool." I can live with that. There is so much danger out their waiting for our kids online that parents need to monitor and control how much access, what kind of access, and when the access can happen. Once they do have phones of their own, a good rule is that at bedtime, you hand your phone to your parents for the night.
Yep. I totally agree.
It’s wonderful that you and your husband are in agreement on these things, and come up with a plan to accomplish them❤
Our children are grown with their own families now. It’s heartwarming to hear them talk about our camping trips when they we’re young. My husband and I have a boat that we use very often as we love to fish.
We live very rural and up until recently was unable to have internet available to us. We were two of the last houses holding out to sign up. The company rep came to our house twice. Each time the price was lowered ten dollars. Finally signed up. As we live in a place that cell phone service is extremely hard to get and limited. The internet co that we have now offers cell service that works here at a much lower cost. Actually internet and cell service with them is half of what we were paying just for cell with a different company.
Totally agree with everything you have said Mindy!! Except having pets - I need my fur babies 😊
I love that you mentioned Disney. I have never been. I decided for my 35th birthday, I'd plan a trip and go. It is so incredibly expensive just for lodging and the tickets. It cost us less to do the Mighty 5 road trip in Utah. No wonder my family could never afford it when I was growing up. I can't believe people outside of those that live nearby can go multiple years in a row.
Honestly don't understand why people love it so much. A couple times in a lifetime has been enough for me! 😂
We aren’t getting our kids phones till they start driving. We go to the movie theater during the summer when it’s free. A couple local theaters offer free movies for kids during the summer. Very cost effective with our four kiddos!
Oh wow, that's a great deal! They used to do $2 movies (a few years old) once a week in the summer. My kids outgrew the movies they show, but it was a nice kid's activity in the air conditioning when they were younger!
@@SeeMindyMom -most of its old kid movies but it’s fun to see on the big screen!
Our local theater has $6 tickets on Tuesdays. We usually take advantage of this for any movies we see. There are special exceptions once or twice a year. We only see movies in the theater when it's one we REALLY want to see.
The best beverage bargain is to make a pitcher of iced tea at home. A box of 100 black tea bags is $2.09 at Aldi.
So true. My dad used to make sun tea all summer, too!
Add some peach tea bags to it to make it special
My Mom used to make Sun tea in the summer when I was a kid! She would sweeten it with Sweet n low. It was the 80s. Whenever I go out to eat and get iced tea, the unsweetened kind, I put Sweet n low in it. It’s the only thing I like with Sweet n low.
Iced tea sounds so good right now
Mindy, as always, your honesty is so refreshing! I don't spend money on those things either, and I don't feel like I'm missing out at all! It's important for us to keep our brains in check when we are constantly bombarded with consumer messaging! Great video!
So true! I try to keep that in mind with my work as well. It's a delicate balance!
We don't do a lot of these, too. We don't eat out anymore. The last time we did, I ended up in the ER with a severe Crohn's flare-up. The only holiday decor I have was made by my best friend. I didn't get my first cellphone until I was a senior in high school and it was prepaid. I had to buy my own minutes after the first minutes ran out. We don't do large birthday parties or holiday celebrations. We don't have satellite or streaming services. We own over 500+ movies. PS, please keep me in your prayers. I didn't get good news from the CT scan.
Prayers for you!!
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that about the CT scan. I will keep praying for strength, for answers, for proper care, and for complete healing!
@@rachelday9585 thank you, Rachel.
@@SeeMindyMom thank you, Mindy. I truly appreciate all the prayers.
Praying
Travel sports are a major pain! It was so stressful back when my boys were young!
My car was my Mom’s when she could no longer drive. The car is 23 years old this year and runs great. I take very good care of it, but soon it will need to be painted. I’m very lucky to have it.
I have a 23 year old car too. Very low mileage and I’m satisfied.
@@NaomiC336, same here, low mileage, we are lucky. I don’t have to have a fancy car to drive, I just need to get from point A to point B.
I had my mom's car til it was 25 years old, then gave it away.
We didn't allow our son to have a cellphone until he was 18 and on his way to college. Our current cell service costs my husband and I $25/month each. We haven't had cable in about 15 years. We have no streaming services. We don't buy books. We use the library and Amazon Prime. Birthday parties have always been cake and ice cream with family and maybe a few friends. Keeping it simple makes life so much easier and more rewarding.
A lot of good points. I drive the newest vehicle and it is a 2006 Yukon! I love how you move around in your videos and show examples or clips of what you are talking about instead of sitting in one spot and talk the entire rime. Thanks for sharing what y'all do to save and stretch that dollar!
Thankyou .. most enlightening and thought provoking .
You make so much sense! People should really watch this video! I am sending it to my nieces and nephews! Keep up the amazing work you do!
We did the pay as you go phones for our kids. It was mostly used to ask for rides after dance practices. The high school took out the pay phone. I purchased the phone and they had to buy the minutes. Love your channel!
I really love how you shared this and explained it
We did small family gatherings for birthdays once they were over 5. We don’t believe in buying a lot of gifts. We like to travel and have experiences outside the home.
Thanks Mindi for such a real approach to your video! I appreciate this and remind ALL to be kind and respectful to other parents in regards to the way they choose to parent/structure their families!!❤
I agree with you in so many of these choices. Freeing to recognize quality of life priorities versus following the crowd.
Wow! This was such an informative video. I learned so much about areas we can cut back on. Thanks so much Mindy for this video!
You spoke so many truths in this video, thank you!
This was so interesting! Thanks for sharing your life!
My primary splurges are Pandora plus and having my car detailed! I had it done once professionally and I’ve wanted it done ever since then!
No phones here either and recently we had an electronic detox and it worked great! We are continuing it here - kids spend more time outside playing with neighbors especially we are stationed in Hawaii, summer 365 days a year.
For birthdays - we just ask a child what he/she would like to do in his/her birthday and we roll with a plan. My oldest wanted to ride a Frontrunner train back in Utah and we made it a trip going to Salt Lake and back with stops at places he wanted to visit.
My daughter picked to go to This is the Place park and had a blast.
We roll this way and kids love it. ❤
These tips are solid Mindy, thank you.❤
So glad! Thank you for watching!
Like others have so beautifully said- I loved this video and how you present the information. We dont splurge on some of the services like you do on cleaning etc but we love our boat and fishing which just highlights how important it is for everyone to have these conversations and work out what works for their family! Thank you Mindy 😊
Totally agree with the phones!
I'm so glad to hear you are a non-kids phone family. We have a flip phone our kids can use if we're on a date or are out and may need to call us. It is a constant battle, but we also believe in the importance of staying off of them!!! Seriously, so glad to hear your family has this as a value you too!
Love this, great ideas and inspiration.
Glad you like them!
Both of my kids got cellphones when they started middle school. The reason for this being that that’s when they started going to and from school by themselves. We live in NYC so it’s just big on the public transportation here. However, if it wasn’t for that, I would’ve ABSOLUTELY waited to get them phones. 100%
I can totally understand that!
Same here.
I agree with everything you listed except, Disney, I think all kids should go see Mickey and Minnie at least once while they're young. 😊
Deff agree . Love Disney !
Love your common sense spending and budgeting!
Good for you mom. My kids didnt have a phone until they were in high school. Hold out for as long as possible.
Thank you! That's our plan!
Mindy I love this! Not only are these items financially smart, but it takes SO MUCH pressure off children!!! I feel this is soooo important and overlooked nowadays. Thank you for sharing
Great video! I ordered the Silicone Microwave POPCORN POPPER and we have been very pleased!
Absolutely agree with the birthday party thing.... it's gotten rediculous
I'm decoratively challenged as well. I just swap out my porch flags for holidays. 😊
Really enjoyed this video, we made very similar choices when our kids were young. I also agree with passing on Disney too. We did go, as my MIl very kindly covered most of the cost and we were able to drive ( a borrowed van from my SIL), which saved considerably. However, it’s not a trip our sons ever mention, verses taking about all of the camping trips we did as a family over the years. With camping, my husband and I were both relaxed which I’m pretty sure made it more fun for our kids. What I remember of Disney was it was Hot and soooo crowded. I also think they had almost as much fun in the hotel pool as they did at the park. 😂
Yep. I'm afraid I would just stress myself out trying to "get my money's worth"! LOL.
You bring up many good ideas. My children are grown now. I “inherited “ two of their cats and also have two small dogs. They enrich my life and keep me company. ❤
Loved this video, thanks!! LOL on your dad's thoughts on best boating days!! 🤣😂 I'm the same way on tech upgrades - only when it breaks. I live in south FL. We took the twins to Disney once, age 5, and never went back, biggest rip-off of any amusement park out there, ditto for Universal, et al.
It's decor for me as well, I only do very minimal for Christmas and the other holidays are a no for me
We pay for extras on car & home with usaa as well. The home insurance ones give us peace of mind in case of certain events of home repairs & it's cheaper to pay a little for that then to fork it out for a slab leak or mold in the walls in a bath leak.
Same for phones for our kids also!!
I agree with everything you said. We were frugal raising our kids, had a great time with them. They are grown and raising great kids.
I buy folgers in bulk, and spruce it up by buying flavored coffee bags (chocolate is my go to) when it’s bogo. The flavored coffees actually go a long way, and mixing a small bag with one of those big 26 ounce tubs gives you a nice flavored brew that lasts a lot longer. I just hold on to an empty tub to divide in half, then dump half the flavored bag into each tub. Shake, close, and brew when ready.
Same here for phones. No phones will be purchased until you get a drivers license.
Just stopped at Starbucks on the way to our old house to check on work progress for listing on the 18th. The drink that I was paying 5.75 pre pandemic is now nearly 9.00!!!! We don’t even have a Starbucks where I live now! YAY!
That's why we had a home birthday this year. We have game devices purchased by relatives for Christmas/ birthdays, a virtual game table gifted for christmas by family also & boards games. So naturally, we did an all game party. Next year, he wants to go to the retro arcade restaurant. We will pay for food & all the parents can purchase an all-day game card for $10 per kid. Not a bad deal or trade off either. Food isn't too bad & no clean up at home.
I agree!
100% about the sports! Thank you for addressing this!
I am writing this as we are roadtripping to FL with 4 kids. We are using my parents’ timeshare, going only to one theme park for one whole day. Our resort has tons to do for free since we are considered owners and we have a full kitchen that we use the heck out of. We do go out for dinner for one meal but the rest is cooked by ourselves.
This sounds amazing!!!
I go to matinees on Tuesdays at our local Regal Threatre. 2 adults plus the largest popcorn is just under $20, so I'll go once a month or so.
That’s a good deal! I would do that, too. I just took my oldest daughter to see the new Dune movie. We both commented it had been months since we had been, like I mentioned in the video. I think I only saw 2 movies in the theater last year. So crazy.
2 matinee tickets was $24! 😳
I so appreciate the way you present information on issues that are budget busters for some and they may not realize it. We believe in quality and dependability on big ticket items and also experiences. My husband’s car bought brand new in 2004, just turned 400,000 miles in February. She might have cost more than other cars when we bought it but it is still going strong! We also save for vacations some might think dull, but suit us and our interests.
5:39 thought you were going to say “cedar chest” that’s an old style piece of furniture 😄
We do the same for birthdays in our family - the birthday person picks the food and what kind of cake and we celebrate at home with family and close friends. Big birthday milestones we might go out to eat as a smaller group.
We go to a bowling alley and eat whatever the kids want to eat that day. My oldest was invited to a party where the parents rented full sized water slides and a whole park. Each kid got a super soaker. I told my son, I am sorry but that won't ever be us.
I have been rotating out streaming services for years. Everyone thought I was crazy bc "how annoying and "inconvenient". But now they do it too bc there are so many and it gets really expensive!
Yes, a lot of the services give you one month free and then can cancel. Good if you find even just one show to watch.
This is a great video to start important conversations.
When we go on a longer vacation to a new place, instead of the usual souvenirs, I buy a small decoration for my Christmas tree. I try to find an animal or bird handcrafted by a local person. My small Christmas tree doesn't need updating each year as each decoration has a story.
Love your video thank you from UK❤❤
Thanks for watching!
Our family also forgoes many of these. It makes me feel a little less crazy watching this. The big one is pets. My kids hate this one but we're not in a place to own our own home atm and the fees for having a pet in a rental situation are astronomical.
I don't do holiday decor either. I do a little Easter and more Christmas but even Christmas is getting less and less.
I did less for Christmas this year, too. It took me only about an hour to put it all away, which was so great after Christmas!
@@SeeMindyMomyes I despise the put away LOL 😂
Absolutely love your tips ❤
Thanks so much!
The overblown birthdays have never been attractive to me. We celebrate with family and occasionally have a group event with friends. Also, I live really close to an amusement park but still dreamed of a disney vacation. We did it once, small scale. And I learned that a theme park is a theme park. Disney is just more walking and more waiting and more $$$. I’ll stick to our local season passes.
Our family stopped drinking soda a year ago
Totally on board with your views re: no phones for kids, high-level sports for kids, and playing outside and engaging in real life social activities. Board games are big in our family, we go for walks together, and have deep conversations about important issues. I’m proud of the adults our kids have grown into. I’m sure you’ll feel the same way in a few years after your kiddos leave the nest!
Yes, love these! I do love my dog kids though and we spend lots of money on them when they need care, but that is our splurge.
I feel you on the pet front. I was against a dog for so long. My husband wore me down eventually though. We have 2 adults, 7 children ages 14 down to 2, and 2 dogs a 4 year old beagle that we rescued 2 weeks ago and a 1 year old Australian shepard we purchased at 12 weeks of age from a breeder
Totally agree with u about the phones and kids. Our kids weren't allowed to have a cell phone till they were in grade 10 in high school. The only reason for that is because we lived in a rural area and our kids were on a school bus. It was for emergency purposes and we also requested to view our kids phones periodically. Just like they could answer our phones for us. It was about them not having secrets and keeping communication open.
Great video.
Good job mom and dad on the phone thing!!! GREAT video
Thank you!
Great video!
I’m settled in Europe but I could relate to a few things in here. And I feel a little less guilty of not doing the things that other parents do. I too held off giving a phone to my son as long as I could. He got a phone only after he turned 14 and when he absolutely needed one as now he goes to school and his activities on his own. So, knowing where he is keeps me a little less worried.
I keep a bottle of Mio in my car and then get a courtesy water while I'm out. I don't need to buy the combo meals. I have a drink and I don't need the fries.
Very good video. There is so much that we can spend our money on. Buy right, buy what works for your family. I buy frugal when I can so I can buy "big" when we want. Thank you!
On animals, chickens are the way to go. They eat my scraps and feed my kids ❤️
My house is less sparse than yours. Got sick of dusting all that stuff. Don’t drink soda but will make iced tea and take it with me when I run errands. Yummy
I waited to get my kids a phone until they started driving. Then we discussed where the phone was going to be when they were driving and how or when to answer it.
An important conversation! I've been thinking about that, too!
We don’t go to the movies any. Just a preference… and stay busy. No maid… no extras in the car… I don’t decorate much at holidays…. I have cable tv but fixing to dc it since we aren’t home enough to justify it…. We do take short small trips… a few times a year. In which are mostly local and I do the cooking… but I love my life. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything… wait… I don’t have all the extra bills!😂 good topic… it gets people to think!
we have streaming services we get free thru other cc/bills. We try to take as many of the perks from the ccs as we can
And on the tech! And the parties. I told my kids (ages 9 and 10), we're done now with the parties! Smaller, more meaningful experiences like the ones you mentioned!
We can still go to a matinee on weekdays for $5 so it's an extra special treat when my grandson has a doctor's appointment we schedule it so we can go to a movie too and he takes the full day off of school (he goes year round as a special needs child so he really needs occasional mental health days off).
That is so great! If we had $5 matinees in my area, I would probably go more often! What a special treat for your grandson, and such important time with his grandparents!
We have 2 kids now 26 and almost 30 at birth to 5 they got a family birthday and a toy request! Through school it was a overnight friend with a party usually pizza was involved but back then prices wasn't so crazy town!!! And now since probably 18yo lol they've been given $20 and wetake them to their choice out to eat! But recently we've been cooking at home only mom does best lol