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• Letting the Economic Squeeze Draw You Closer

  “Families cutting back” stories have become a little too perennial in this recession, but I liked this one about the Smith family of Schenectady. Why? Because so many of these stories seem to focus on families that might have to – shudder — send their children to the YMCA day camp instead of Camp Horseysnob or cut down to two Starbucks runs a day. Not something you can work up a big wad of sympathy over, you know?   The Smith family didn’t have a ton off cash and indulgences to begin with – both work hourly retail jobs, and dad works part time. The indulgences they cut were planned amusement park trips this summer and their Friday night dinners out, which were replaced with secondhand bikes, a swingset, and family cooking lessons taught by mom. As a freelance writer married to a social worker in one of the hardest hit areas for this recession, I’ve been Read More... Posted Apr 13 2009, 04:02 PM by Amy Kuras with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: budget, families, recession, saving, cutting back, spending, what matters most

• More Parents Leaving Kids Alone to Save on Daycare

  When code enforcement officers started inspecting apartments in a small Washington-area town, they uncovered an alarming problem. There were kids in apartments all over town - kids too young to be alone, kids whose parents just couldn't afford daycare. According to a Washington Post report over the weekend it's happening all over the country - parents are leaving their kids alone so they can save a little money on daycare. Read More... Posted Dec 22 2008, 03:36 PM by JeanneSager with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: saving money, child welfare, daycare, economy, Jeanne Sager, babysitter, home alone, cutting back, babysitting siblings, kids home alone, helping parents

• When Your Kid's is the Puny Gift to the Teacher

  When we vowed last year to cut out all non-immediate family gift buying, I forgot we'd have to add two members to the gift buying "family" this year: my daughter's new nursery school teacher and her assistant. So much for cutting back.  But as Stefenie Ilgenfritz pointed out in The Juggle yesterday, not every parent agrees on what's considered "appropriate" to spend on the teacher. Is this economy, not everyone can AFFORD to spend on the teacher. Read More... Posted Dec 10 2008, 10:24 AM by JeanneSager with | with 14 comment(s) Filed under: christmas, teacher, christmas gifts, economy, Jeanne Sager, saving, nursery school, cutting back, holiday gift guide, gifts for teachers, buying

• Cutting Back for Kids' Sake

  What with the economy tanking and all, Christmas shopping is a different ballgame this year than maybe it has been in the past. After all, we’ve all done the “one for me, one for you” thing when shopping, or found something when we’re out shopping for others that is just too good a deal to pass up. (The words “too good a deal to pass up” are exactly why I limit shopping trips as much as possible). This New York Times story profiles a few moms who are cutting their spending on themselves in order to buy more for their children. I think this isn’t exactly news – I mean, how many moms think “forget my kids, mama needs some pretty shoes”? Not any of the ones I know. Read More... Posted Nov 28 2008, 03:02 PM by Amy Kuras with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: shopping, gifts, holidays, saving money, economy, recession, cutting back, downscaling, belt-tightening

• Are You Cutting Back This Holiday Season?

  In case you haven't heard, the economy has been doing its imitation of David Caruso's career before he got a part on CSI: Miami (and if anyone can tell me what show that line is from, I will be impressed because it's pretty random). Which begs the question: are you going to spend less this year than you have in the past? Read More... Posted Nov 25 2008, 05:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: news, shopping, deals, electronics, surveys, economy, Brett Singer, they say, bad economy, cutting back, todaysmama, black friday deals, black friday

• Despite Recession, Kids Stuff is the Last to Go

  I'm sure I could be competitive in a martyr mom race. Oh, how I love to talk about being the only one capable of picking up toys around here! But when it comes to family spending, I would hardly go without my own necessities just to ensure my kids could continue with swimming lessons or get a new shirt. I'm all about cutting back for everyone and I don't feel guilty about it one bit. So I'm feeling a little impatient with a bunch of the moms featured here.   Read More... Posted Oct 22 2008, 02:17 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: msnbc, recession, cutting back, spending on the kids