Dad Blogs - Useful Parenting Tips for Dads » Money

9 things for kids NEVER buy used

Paul Banas — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:44:35 +0000

it's almost always a good idea to shop used, especially for kid stuff, since they grow out of it so quickly. However, there are things best left behind on your trip to the neighborhood garage sale.

Cribs and children’s furniture - Only because you may not be aware of safety recalls. If you buy, be aware.
Car seats - a good, new car seat can be very cheap. With used, you don't know the quality of the seat and padding which degrades greatly in an accident, with use, or by being dropped on the ground. Heaven forbid, your child ever needs the protection of a car seat, but if he or she does, you want it to work.

Eight ways to save money you may not have thought of

Paul Banas — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:08:13 +0000

Switch from premium to regular gas : Okay, this one is not for every family car, but if you're using premium just because you think it's like name brand whiskey versus bar stock, you may be throwing a lot of money away. ... If you have boys, get them in the habit of doing this from an early age and it won't be an issue until you can tell them it's a luxury they can pay for with their own kids allowance. ... Plan weekly family and kids activities that keep you from spending money on food or entertainment because you're bored : If you plan a family walk every Saturday morning, you have less time in the day to spend more money and you teach your kids good fitness habits.

Seismic economic shift to create more stay-at-home dads

Paul Banas — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:34:37 +0000

In a recent interview with Seattle Post writer Paul Nyhan , we discussed how this current economic crisis could dramatically change the family dynamic in a way not seen since when women entered the workforce in droves during World War II. ... With the recession on the brink of becoming the longest in the postwar era, a milestone may be at hand: Women are poised to surpass men on the nation’s payrolls, taking the majority for the first time in American history. ... Women tend to be employed in areas like education and health care, which are less sensitive to economic ups and downs, and in jobs that allow more time for child care and other domestic work.

Stay-at-home dads can make millions doing Fantasy Fishing!

Paul Banas — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:48:53 +0000

Michael, Minn., studying to be a police officer, has won $1 million as the FLW Fantasy Fishing champion.

... Now, this is a concept and I wish I had thought of it before wasting all this time working on GreatDad.com and another full-time business venture. I could have been making millions of dollars in the fantasy sports arena where you "reel in" millions just by drawing cards with fish on them.

Frugal fathers guide to garage sales

Paul Banas — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:11:07 +0000

If you have small kids, you know that every year brings new needs and wants, which means more things outgrown. That includes toys, accessories and clothing. Some things you'll want to keep, but many things lose their utility very quickly after the stage has passed. I'm thinking toilet training especially. The good news is that a lot of things can be sold easily in a garage sale, and you can use some items to draw more visitors.

Four financial tricks to make your child money-savvy

Paul Banas — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:35:06 +0000

Jonathan Clements, in the Wall Street Journal today, had some useful reminders for moms and dads trying to teach their kids good money skills. We actually practice some of these on our eight-year old. Our friend, Harvey Beck at ActiveAllowance.com writes a lot in his blog about his money experiments on his two boys and finds that a lot of these strategies really work. All dads should try these things just to see if it helps to quell the "I want" and "I need" reaction to all the buying stimuli kids are exposed to.

1. Postpone joy - Clements suggests offering to trade a $5 per week allowance for $7 if the child is willing to wait an extra week for it.