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If you have a LEGO fanatic on your shopping list, you’ll definitely want to check this out. We reviewed all the new LEGO sets for 2021 and picked out our favorites including LEGO DUPLO sets for toddlers, LEGO Star Wars for older kids and tons of super-cool LEGO sets for adults who never outgrew their love of all things LEGO (we totally get it). Be sure to scroll down and check out the interactive LEGO Super Mario sets as they top our list. Happy shopping!

LEGO® DUPLO®


LEGO® DUPLO® Parking Garage and Car Wash

$100 BUY NOW

This fun set is packed with activities for car-loving toddlers.


LEGO® DUPLO® Happy Childhood Moments

$100 BUY NOW

This set celebrates two big family events: Chinese New Year and the first day of kindergarten.


LEGO® DUPLO® Tower Crane & Construction

$130 BUY NOW

Build, zip around in vehicles and knock down some buildings with this set that toddlers will love.

LEGO® City


LEGO® City Wildlife Rescue Camp

$100 BUY NOW

Little builders can create a mobile lab and treehouse camp to help save animals with this fun set.

LEGO® DOTS


LEGO® DOTS Creative Designer Box

$32 BUY NOW

Little creators can build loads of different items to decorate their rooms with this creativity-packed set.

LEGO® Super Mario™


LEGO® Super Mario™ Adventures with Luigi Starter Course

$48 BUY NOW

Whether your kid is a gamer or a builder, they'll love this LEGO set that comes with pieces that work just like the Super Mario Brothers video game. As kids embark on a digital coin-collecting spree through the self-constructed course, Luigi's tiny LCD screen displays various reactions, while his speaker plays songs from the video game.

LEGO® Friends


LEGO® Friends Heartlake City Grand Hotel

$100 BUY NOW

This 3-story hotel has lots to explore from a parlor piano bar to a spa and penthouse.

LEGO® Creator


LEGO® Creator 3-in-1 Ferris Wheel

$80 BUY NOW

This set really delivers as it has three buildable options: a Ferris wheel, bumper cars and swing boat ride.


LEGO® Creator 3-in-1 Surfer Beach House

$40 BUY NOW

Build a surf shack, lighthouse and a pool house with this fun set that also comes with three sea animals – a dolphin, sea turtle and baby sea turtle.

LEGO® Harry Potter™


LEGO® Harry Potter™ Hogwarts™ Chamber of Secrets

$130 BUY NOW

Harry Potter fans will love building and displaying this set that comes with 11 minifigs and a posable Basilisk.

LEGO® Star Wars


LEGO® Star Wars™ Attack of The Clones Yoda

$80 BUY NOW

Display this iconic character on your shelf after you build Yoda brick by brick.


LEGO® Star Wars™ Kylo Ren Shuttle Microfighter

$29 BUY NOW

This Star Wars set makes a fun stocking stuffer.

For Grown-Ups


LEGO® Volkswagen T2 Camper Van

$200 BUY NOW

Get ready to hit the road when you assemble this retro-fab set that lets you live out all your camper van dreams.

—Kate Loweth

Photos courtesy of LEGO. All items were available at the prices listed at time of publication. 

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Photo: Lingokids

The academic journal, Science, recently published a study that shows children today will live through three times as many climate disasters as their grandparents. With people around the world concerned about the current climate crisis, it’s more important than ever to have talks with your children about what global warming is and how to slow it down.

Helping Kids Understand the Climate Emergency
How do we help our children learn that they can take part in helping slow down climate change? We need to emphasize that small actions can lead to big changes.

First, it’s important to explain to them what climate change is and how it can negatively impact the earth, animals, plants, and our daily lives. This isn’t the easiest thing to do, since even as adults, we struggle to understand what climate change and global warming truly means. Conversations about energy sources and carbon dioxide emissions can be overwhelming to children. Instead, we need to talk about concepts and ideas that are familiar and relatable.

For example, you can talk about global warming in relation to how it affects polar bears. The glacial areas where polar bears live are melting away and getting too warm, making it harder for them to thrive. (The temperature has increased 1.9ºF in the past 100 years, according to NASA, and it will be 8.6ºF hotter by 2100.)

Another example is talking about the rise of ocean waters from the melting ice, which can affect coastal areas where people live or go on vacation. Or pollution occuring in the ocean because of people not recycling is another topic that can be talked about. There is so much trash in the oceans that it is making the animals and plants that live in it get sick. If we recycle, it can help with the amount of trash that enters our oceans.

There are lots of books that can help explain climate change and what we all can do to help. For example: Old Enough to Save the Planet or The Story of Climate Change are great options. You can also teach your children about young environmental activists like Greta Thunberg, who started the international movement #fridaysforfuture.

10 Steps Children and Their Parents Can Do to Help the Environment

Modeling behavior is key. Be the example to your children and show them one person can make a big difference with these easy to do examples:

  1. Turn off computers, televisions, and other devices when not in use.

  2. Save water by taking shorter showers and turning off the water when brushing your teeth.

  3. Use reusable food containers and water bottles at school instead of plastic ones that are used once and thrown away. Let your kids pick out their own special containers and bottles to pack for school.

  4. Turn off the lights after leaving a room. Open a window in the morning to let in colder air instead of turning on the a/c. During colder months, wear warmer clothing and pajamas instead of turning up the heater. Power plants emit a lot of air pollution, so cutting back our energy usage is important.

  5. Recycle. Make it a fun activity for kids by having different colored bins for the different items and make it part of their daily activities.

  6. Reuse. Find items in your recycling bins that can be repurposed for crafts or imaginative play.

  7. Walk or ride a bike instead of driving. It’s a great way to save on gas, get exercise and spend time as a family.

  8. Create a vegetable garden together to help everyone be more excited to eat more vegetables and less meat. #meatlessMonday

  9. Teach them to always put their trash in trash cans or recycling bins. Go for a walk in a neighborhood park or beach and pick up any trash you see! Make it a fun competition and see who can collect the most!

  10. Use cold water when washing laundry and hang dry your clothes instead of using the dryer to save energy.

Encourage your children to have these conversations with their classmates and teachers. Have them ask their teacher what they can do at school to help make it part of their daily activities. Always emphasize and praise that their small contributions can lead to big changes that are beneficial for our world.

How Can Lingokids Help Your Kids Understand the Climate Catastrophe
At Lingokids, we firmly believe that children learn by example. We want to make a difference and help you raise the children of the future. For example: improving upon their critical thinking about important issues like climate change or their creativity when it comes to thinking about how they can help their neighborhoods.

At Lingokids you can find entire in-game lessons that are focused on protecting the earth. Your child can enjoy games, songs, and traceables while learning about recycling and sustainable habits. Throughout the app, they can also learn about animals and ecosystems all over the world, from the North Pole to tropical rainforests.

By expanding children’s awareness of these environments at an early age, we can set the stage for conversations and then actions around protecting endangered animals and nature conservation.

Sara Mateos-Aparicio
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Sara Mateos-Aparicio is the Communications Manager at Lingokids, an early childhood education platform. Sara studied Journalism in Madrid, writing for years for radio stations and print magazines. Sara has worked for a variety of education startups, most recently joining Lingokids in 2019 to lead their communications initiatives.

This Saves Lives, a snack brand on a mission to end severe acute malnutrition in children, has created a special limited-edition #BeTheOne Essentials Kit in partnership with STATE Bags. The kit, which includes one Lorimer Fanny Pack, one box of This Saves Lives’ Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Bars, one face mask and two branded pins, is now available for purchase online for $105. Each purchase will help save the lives of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition worldwide, while also providing virtual tutoring to children in underfunded neighborhoods across the United States.

Be The One

The impact of COVID-19 on children worldwide is incredibly substantial. Every 11 seconds, a child dies due to severe acute malnutrition, and this number has more than doubled as a result of the pandemic. In addition, low-income and high-risk children in underfunded neighborhoods across the United States are struggling in school due to a lack of available resources. The partnership between This Saves Lives and STATE Bags was established to increase awareness around the significant needs of children throughout the world and inspire consumers to get involved in making a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

“New Year’s resolutions are typically long-forgotten by February, so we’re making it our mission this year to help people make a resolution they can actually keep,” said Todd Grinnell, co-founder of This Saves Lives and actor. “We created #BeTheOne to help encourage consumers to ‘Be the One’ to make a real difference in the lives of those who need it most in 2021. We’re honored that STATE Bags, a mission-driven brand with values closely aligned with ours, has partnered with us to not only offer an exciting limited-edition bundle with our combined best-selling products, but to really increase awareness of the considerable needs of children around the world and how consumers can help.”

Be the One

“The impact This Saves Lives is making by providing life-saving nutrition to children in need is truly inspiring, and it’s a mission we knew we had to support,” said Jacqueline Tatelman, co-founder of STATE Bags. “We’re passionate about helping children in the ways they need it most, from offering free 1 on 1 tutoring for kids struggling to keep up during COVID-19 to donating fully-packed backpacks at our signature bag drop rallies, it made sense to combine our efforts to make a larger impact together in 2021.”

“It’s incredibly heartbreaking to see the impact the pandemic is having on children throughout the world. Kids are dying of severe acute malnutrition at an even higher rate due to COVID-19,” said Kristen Bell, This Saves Lives co-founder and actor. “I’m so happy This Saves Lives has partnered with STATE Bags for the #BeTheOne campaign which helps combat injustices in our country and worldwide.”

To shop the limited-edition #BeTheOne bundle, visit statebags.com/products/betheone-essentials-kit. To learn more about This Saves Lives’ #BeTheOne initiatives, visit ThisSavesLives.com/BeTheOne.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of This Saves Lives

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As a first responder, I’ve come across my fair share of heartbreaking scenes: people losing homes to fires, teenage suicides, messy car accidents, and elderly patients who have had to go to the hospital alone because of COVID restrictions. As a father I count myself lucky I haven’t had to come across any pediatric patients yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

As an Emergency Medical Technician in training, we learn to prepare for the worst, and that includes treating children whose lives are in danger. So when any of my friends ask for first time parenting advice, I always tell them the same thing:

The best thing you can do as a new parent is to take an infant and child first aid and CPR course.

My wife and I took one offered by the local community college once before my daughter was born and again right before my son was born. We were fortunate enough with my daughter to never need the skills that we learned, but my son was another story.

As a tactile child, he very much liked to explore his world by putting everything and anything in his mouth. He’s also one of those kids who likes to chipmunk food in their cheeks while they play.

First, it was a piece of leaf. Then it was part of a cracker, a chunk of chicken, a crispy piece of kale, and—just a few weeks ago—a piece of half-chewed sandwich.

Every time our first aid training kicked in. Five quick back slaps and the food came right out. And if that didn’t work, I knew exactly what I’d need to do next—five abdominal thrusts—to keep my son breathing and safe. 911 is a wonderful invention of modern civilization but when minutes count the best thing you can rely on is being prepared for the worst.

If you’re in the US, the American Red Cross and American Heart Association (AHA) both offer Infant and Child First Aid and CPR classes in just about every town and sometimes even online. They can generally be completed in about 6-to-8 hours.

You can find Red Cross classes here and AHA classes here.

As a parent, you already know how wonderful—and stressful—kids can be. Take the time to reduce some of that stress by learning how to help save them from their wonderfully curious selves.

By day I'm a father of two wonderful young kids as well as a software developer with a regular mid-life crisis. By night I'm a volunteer firefighter and EMT-in-training. As a former philosopher I'm particularly passionate about helping others lead a happy and healthy life through self-reflection.

This year educators have gone over and above while facing challenges of their own. A new clothing subscription service designed exclusively for teachers has launched just in time for the holidays. Powered by rental technology platform CaaStle, Teacher Style Box is a subscription service just for teachers that features 100s of popular teacher styles with fun curated collections like “Teacher Boss” and “Casual Friday.”

Teacher Style Box

Brought to you by the same team that created Bored Teachers, Teacher Style Box is the most affordable clothing rental subscription service on the market priced at $45 per month. Members will receive 2 items at a time that they can wear as long as they want and when they’re ready, they can swap them out for 2 new styles all month long with unlimited exchanges. Teachers can easily browse endless handpicked styles that allow them to feel confident for every occasion in their work life, whether it’s a comfy classroom favorite, classier outfits for parent-teacher meetings, or cozy fits for those beloved casual Fridays.

Teacher Style Box members also benefit from:

  • FREE professional dry cleaning
  • FREE shipping both ways
  • Exclusive teacher discounts on any items they love and want to keep up to 80% off retail prices
  • Risk-free wear-and-tear policy—allows teachers to wear quality, comfortable styles worry-free at school during hectic days in the classroom

“We’re really excited to be bringing such a fun and convenient concept to teachers, especially after what’s definitely been the most difficult year in their careers,” said James Tarantino, Operations Manager at Bored Teachers. “Teacher Style Box came to life by listening to the feedback from millions of teachers and combining it with the retail industry experts at CaaStle to provide an affordable clothing solution for teachers. Teachers work so hard and definitely aren’t paid enough for everything they do. We hope Teacher Style Box can help save them some time, money, and headaches.”

Teacher Style Box offers gift certificates for 1, 2, or 3-month memberships at discounted prices. Gifted via email, giving a Teacher Style Box membership allows consumers to show their appreciation for all the fantastic work teachers have always done, especially this past year. For more information on how to give a Teacher Style Box to a teacher in your life, visit https://www.teacherstylebox.com/pages/give-a-gift.

“We are excited to launch Teacher Style Box to support teachers, the people who embody the essence of essential workers, and whose commitment to their students has not waned during this challenging time,” said Jessica Kahan Dvorett, SVP, Growth at CaaStle.  “Teachers often spend their money on their students ahead of themselves, so offering an affordable solution that enables them to feel confident whether they are teaching in-person or remotely was important to us.

“Unlimited clothing rental subscriptions provide a cost-effective solution that enable consumers to introduce variety in their wardrobes and to have fun with fashion for a fixed monthly price. Teacher Style Box is the first time we have curated an assortment with one community in mind, and we are honored to be supporting teachers as a thank you for always supporting their students,” added Dvorett.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Teacher Style Box

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Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but many families have different inclinations when it comes to nicknames at home. Parents call their children various names that range from the cute and funny to the ridiculously weird. And I think it’s okay. Parents have dibs on their children’s names and whatever they choose to christen them sticks for a very long time, at least until they start revolting.

Husbands and wives also have pet names for one another. Often, names they call each other could even be used to interpret the partner’s mood.

Honey

Boo

Bae

Babe

Those are good signs that everything is fair in the relationship. Sometimes, it’s a good sign that maybe there could be some action in a full moon. But when she starts using your first and last name in a single sentence and starts to sound like your mum? Then you know there’s trouble.

But, hey, the dynamic is expected. It’s predictable and traditional. There’s a minimal amount of pet names children can call their parents. For the most part, we have Daddy, Papa (Baba), Pops, Dad, and by his first name when the parent is a new step parent trying to gain the partner’s children’s endearment—at least that’s what I see in the movies. Then for the mothers, we have Mum, Mommy and Mama. There’s just some unspoken rule that the names don’t go beyond these.

But what happens when children start to break the rules? What happens when children begin calling parents Honey, Boo and…Babe. Yes, Babe! That’s my predicament and there seems to be no way around it. Let me give you some background, so you’ll understand why I feel it’s weird.

An Introduction to African Naming

It takes several years in the typical African family before children find out their parent’s real names. If you ever did find out their names, it was probably on some loose documents. I found out my parents’ names from their wedding invitation card I found lying among some old papers. I think I was around 11 years old at the time.

Here’s how it goes down in Yoruba Culture in Nigeria. From the moment you get married and start having kids, your entire identity centers around either the name of your first child or where you live. So, my elder brother’s name is Ayo. To every family member, especially the second generation, my parents were no longer Olufemi and Olaitan but were now called Daddy Ayo and Mummy Ayo respectively.

And that was the same for all my aunts and uncles. I never knew their first names. It was Mummy Ikeja, Mummy Ikorodu, Mummy Isolo, Daddy Moyo instead of their first names. I remember when I heard one of the elder cousins referring to my aunt, whom I had known for years as Mummy Temidayo by a different name. I was like, “Whoa, is that her first name?” So I thought, hey, Aunty Bose sounds way cooler than Mummy Temidayo, at least, it was less of a mouth full.

I received the lecture of a lifetime the day I tried calling her Aunty Bose. That’s when I knew there were rules behind the names and that the ruling nomenclature wasn’t by default. Then I knew that it was either Mummy Temidayo or Mummy Ikeja (Ikeja is where she lived). The only exception to this rule was when you knew the aunt or uncle before they married or started having children. Of course, in that case, the aunt or uncle didn’t have a child to steal their identity. Now let’s get into the bizarre stuff.

My Christening & the Pet Name that Won’t Go Away

My wife and my brother’s wife are quite close. For some reason, they both decided to call my elder brother and me the same pet name: Babe. My wife had decided earlier before we started having children that we weren’t going to follow tradition. That meant no changing our identities to prefixes of our first child’s name and no naming ourselves after a location. But with the use of a pet name, our children won’t still know our first names, which was cool.

It started with “Babe” to my wife and “Daddy” to my daughter. That seemed like a relatively simple and logical arrangement that didn’t seem to stray too far from tradition. But now it seemed the tables have turned and tradition has flipped on its head.

Now, I’ve become Babe to everyone! My daughter calls me Babe like it’s my first name.

“Babe! I need a snack!”

“Babe! Please, I’m hungry!”

I hear my brother is facing the same thing too. His son calls him Babe!

So do I sit her down and give her the same lecture I received years ago? Will being strict about what she calls me cause a strain in our relationship?

Well, she’s just six anyway. She’ll probably outgrow it, right?

Olugbenga is a Professional Writer focusing on Spirituality and Motivation. He writes actively on Medium Publications. He runs cloakoffire.com, where he writes on spirituality and olugbengawrites.com to offer professional writing services. When he is not writing, he plays house with his wife and two daughters, who all call him Babe.

If you hate wearing masks, there are face shields on the market that can offer protection comparable to, if not better than, a face mask. Rebel Shields was inspired by 8-year-old Summer Soleil and invented by a nurse. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity. 

face shield

Once “stay at home” orders hit, Soleil wanted to start a company with her idea to solve a current problem. After Soleil’s father became ill with COVID-19, her entire family needed to quarantine on separate floors. They searched for face shields instead of masks to wear around the house since they would need to be wearing them 24/7. A nurse treating COVID-19 patients designed the Rebel Shield visor with Soliel’s input, in the hopes adoption of face shields would help save more lives. 

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, “In a simulation study, face shields were shown to reduce immediate viral exposure by 96% when worn by a simulated health care worker within 18 inches of a cough.” Additionally, there is greater protection all around because the shield does not touch the face. The shields are reusable and clean easily with soap and water.

The visor is attached to a steel hinge, so the wearer can flip up the visor when not in use. The graphic is made of perforated film for clear one-way visibility and a padded headband makes the visor comfortable enough to wear all day.

These face shields are available at www.rebelshields.com

*Editor’s Note: According to the CDC, children under age 2, or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance should not use a cloth face covering.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Rebel Shields

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The other day, someone I didn’t know reached out to me and complimented me on how brave it was that I am so open about my experience with postpartum depression.

I was flattered, to be honest. But the only thing I could think to say back, besides thank you, was that I wish someone had spoken out about it before I did.

I know doctors talked about it in articles you could find in mental health magazines. There were some celebrities that had discussed their situations. But no one sat my pudgy pregnant little butt down and said, “Okay, you have a history of depression. Here is what you need to know about what happens after you deliver this baby.”

I wasn’t reading mental health magazines prepping myself for what I would think was the “baby blues”.

What a difference that would have made. I could have saved myself a lot of tears, a lot of dark thoughts, a lot of grief, and a s**t ton of doubt.

Doubting if I was good enough to be the mom of this beautiful baby boy.

Doubting if I was letting my child and my husband down.

Doubting if I was meant to be so lucky.

Doubting if this is the life I was supposed to be living.

Doubting if I should actually get out of bed.

Doubting that I was doing this whole thing the right way.

Doubting that anything would ever change.

And scared sh*tless that absolutely everyone would tell me I was overreacting.

That’s exactly why I didn’t talk to anyone about my postpartum issues. I was doubting everything. And I was scared. Of the stigma. And scared of people I love looking at me in a light that was anything but the perfect mom I had envisioned I would be.

I was absolutely terrified that if I got out of bed, picked up the phone, went to the doctor or even told my husband, that I would be labeled as a bad mom. A mom that wasn’t good enough to have an amazing, sweet, precious baby boy like the one I had. I thought people would look down on me. That they would call me “crazy” or “insane.” I worried that they would think I was an unfit mother.

Looking back, I spent about three weeks in bed, in the dark, crying, pumping, nursing, changing diapers, sleeping, repeat, repeat, repeat. The days rolled by and I didn’t know day from night. I didn’t care to know. I was flat. Sad. Depressed. Unmotivated. Scared. Doubtful. Insecure. Lonely. Undeserving. And unable to express any of those emotions because it took too much energy.

At that time, I was not the mother that I wanted to be, but I was NOT an unfit mother. My baby boy was getting all of his needs met. He was being fed and changed.

And I did love on him and snuggle him. But most of the time that I was loving and snuggling him, I was crying and apologizing to him for not being the mom he needed and deserved.

Thinking about that now makes me so sad. The mom he needed was in there, she just needed some help finding herself again.

I did eventually find myself, and saw the light at the end of that scary, dark tunnel. But it took a long time and a lot of soul searching. And a lot of convincing myself that all those doubts were just that, doubts. None of them were true.

So I decided that I needed to share my story. And I think that a lot of people have benefitted from hearing it.

I’m not telling anyone to start a blog and post all their failures as a mom for the world to read, but if you have experienced PPD, or Postpartum Anxiety—which I also think I had or any other postpartum issue, don’t be scared to talk about it. It is so much more common than anyone admits.

And I can promise, if you share your experience, you will feel a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. And you could possibly help save a life. The only thing it can do is help. But mostly, I think it will help you.

Until next time,

Jamie

This post originally appeared on HashtagMomFail.com.

I am a full time working mom with two little boys, Henry and Simon. I write about real life and real life gets messy. Contributor for Motherly, HuffPost Parents, Scary Mommy, Today Parents, Love What Matters and Her View From Home. 

The reality of being a parent is that it requires a lot of time, devotion and, of course, money. 

Streamline Grocery Choices

A lifelong struggle in my household, in particular, is entirely focused on one single question “What are we going to eat?” Not because we don’t have enough resources to buy food or any other similar reason. The reason that this question almost puts me in a triggered shock is the fact that nobody is willing to offer any ideas. They don’t know what they want to eat, but as it sometimes turns out, they didn’t feel like having what I’ve prepared. 

That’s why I started organizing weekly menus and stopped dealing with the question altogether. But what I’ll sometimes do is offer two options to choose from and that’s it. Also, I started organizing the menus according to ongoing sales at my local grocery store. This way, not only do I save my time and nerves trying to figure out what to eat, but I also manage to save some money.

Reuse & Recycle

Another thing that allowed me to really cut costs is saying yes to hand-me-downs. The fact is that I come from a particularly large family so I’ve always been used to receiving and enjoying other people’s hand-me-downs. Since I have two older sisters, I just couldn’t wait for them to ask me whether I wanted some piece of their clothing that doesn’t fit them anymore. Oh, it was like Christmas all year round! 

That’s why I’m always on the lookout for some hand-me-downs that are still in good condition. Also, I, almost entirely, have given up fast fashion and only choose to buy second-hand. 

Side Hustle 

While we all wish to find ways to save money, we can’t really do much if there’s no money to save. Honestly, we were really struggling financially when the babies were little because they used to require constant attention. But, as they got older, I started thinking about getting back in the business game. Working from home is definitely not easy, especially when you’re a full-time stay-at-home parent. However, when there’s a will there’s a way. 

Use Tech to Help Save

And by “technology” I mean apps. Money-saving apps to be more precise. Since in this day and age, you probably have some sort of a smartphone that’s also probably somewhere at your arm’s reach, why not use it to save money? 

Thanks to some amazing geniuses, you can now use various apps that scour the internet for you in search of the best possible deals you can find. Aside from apps, there are also browser extensions that can easily match the prices and present you with the best deals. So, don’t be lazy and use these to your advantage. You won’t believe just how much money you will save in the end!

Teach the Value of Money

This is something that, if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t quite understand until I became a parent. To me, this advice sounded like something people say when they have nothing else to talk about. However, it turned out to be one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard. 

While you certainly won’t make your child pay for themselves for every single thing, you should start teaching them as early as possible about the value of money. The fact is that they can’t really grasp this concept entirely but if they learn that they can’t simply ask for anything they see you will be teaching them a valuable life lesson. What I did is I made a pact with my daughter that every time she sees something she wants—but doesn’t need—she can get it as soon as she can afford it herself. 

In the end, no matter how good you are with managing finances and no matter how careful you are not to overspend, the fact is that you won’t always be successful. So, don’t be too harsh on yourself, give yourself a break and enjoy raising your beautiful kids. It’s not all about the money but having money sure does help.

 

Jessie Connor is a passionate writer and researcher from Brisbane, contributor at several business and lifest‌yle blogs, hooked on yoga and healthy living. She loves to spend her free time travelling, reading and of course – shopping!