Soccer Practice Ballet Practice Money Practice |Adventures of Frugal Mom

The laundry list of things we do to be good parents doesn’t stop after we see our children off to the bus stop. We’re constantly juggling to buy the right things, make the right choices, get the kids to practice and save as much as we can while affording a life for our families.

Prices for just about everything have gone up. It’s hard enough figuring out what to eat for lunch; you needn’t worry if you can afford Billy’s soccer outfit or Emma’s ballet slippers. In these economic times, it’s a precious balancing act to get everything that’s needed to foster happy children and to make up for the strain on our wallets.

Companies are well aware they need to cater families. Most are focused on saving you money for the necessities to keep our goalie from letting the opposing team score. Our little ballerina must do the perfect stretch in her bright pink tutu. Retailers know you want your children to be social and to succeed. And they want you to succeed as both as a consumer and a frugal parent.

Just about every business has an online entity. Old-fashioned brick building stores have a prominent presence on the internet. They contribute to charities to show they care about society. They contribute to our families by offering special deals and discounts with promo codes and printed coupons. Offering us savings is a way for them to keep business booming during rough economic waters. It’s a win-win situation.

Typically, when the average American thinks of “retailer” a lot of businesses come to mind: Walmart, Best Buy, Sears, and the like. But retail encompasses many more companies; not just those who are constantly in the news. Retailers like Meritline, B & H, and JC Whitney are some lesser known retailers. Although these companies are not consistently in the spotlight, they do offer special promotions and savings to their customers in much the same way the bigger retailers do.

Remember some sites allow you the benefit of not only a percentage-off the purchase price, but free shipping on automotive parts in some cases. Meritline offers discounts for merchandise on their huge selection of office equipment, gadget, and apparel website. Likewise, B & H specializes in photo and video equipment and offers comparable discounts on their goods. There are just about as many discounts available as there are retailer websites! (Simply use a search engine to find discount codes for your favorite retailer.)

There’s even online companies whose sole task is to help us find the best options for financial matters beyond what material goods Billy will need when he becomes an Eagle Scout. Wouldn’t it be nice to have interest rates for credit cards and savings accounts laid out for us to make black-and-white comparisons? Websites dedicated to this very feature are popping up on the internet. Some sites also offer a side-by-side analysis on best bets for your money. Choose a financial product and the site provides you all you need to know to make a sound choice for a money-saving future. That means even more money in your pocket to set aside for Emma’s acceptance into Julliard.

The internet has not only changed the way we interact with the world, as we discussed here, but it’s allowing us to save as much money (and time) as we can from the comforts of our own home. No need to miss the kids’ soccer practice or ballet practice. Your wallet and family will thank you!