So part of the blog's identity crisis stems from my inability to decide what my intentions are with the blog.
It's a personal blog, for sure, but it's not intimate enough to be considered an open diary for our close family and friends, or anonymous enough to really go the distance in that regard. You know, like the blogs that get away with post after post about the hilariously awful mother-in-law or lady part issues. (As much as I might like to try that avenue...)
It's not overtly themed, either. Sure, it delves into the topic of stay-at-home-mom-ness a lot, but I don't talk about my experiences as a military wife (in fact, you might not have even realized I was one until that sentence) or do much else to distinguish myself from the hundreds of thousands of other mommy bloggers.
I do like the idea of writing more "how to" and review posts, particularly that explain my brand of yuppy/hippiness, and with that in mind, I thought I might share a few of my tricks for saving money and saving time in the Yuppy Hippy household.
1. Cut your kid's hair (and your own).
I'll be honest. No one has ever rushed up to me in the middle of a Target shopping aisle and asked for beauty tips. In fact, the last time a stranger approached me in that manner she was a Mary Kay rep looking for makeover candidates. BUT, I don't think I'm a complete disaster, and I do manage to keep my hair looking neat and "on trend."
I don't use fancy scissors (I paid $10 for a pair at Rite Aid), and the majority of my knowledge stems from YouTube videos, so don't expect anything too dramatic if you choose to follow this path. And do expect to belly up to the salon at least once a year -- it's hard to resist the afterglow of a beauty blowout when you're craving some self-confidence. It's also really hard to do your own highlights.
The greater savings comes in cutting your kid's hair. I looked up the kid-friendly salons around Virginia Beach because Little Guy's hair grows at an alarming rate and is always in his eyes. I knew he would need something like those kid-specific airplane seats to keep him busy during the cut, but was SHOCKED to learn those facilities charge upwards of $18 a cut! So, out came the $10 Rite Aid scissors and up went the YouTube page search.
It took me three rounds, one with The Husband playing referee and "Rio" on the TV, and another two in the bathtub, before I got everything evened out, but it honestly was not that difficult and I've done the subsequent cuts at home with just one trim.
If you're looking for a good video that explains the proper "angles" and techniques you'll want to follow, click here. You can also try practicing on your spouse first, but be forewarned even they can't mimic the squirminess of a little boy determined to watch the haircut happening at the top of his head.
2. Keep a laundry basket in the main room of your house.
In our home, this is the living room.
I stumbled upon the efficiency of this placement after returning home from Christmas "vacation" (the quotation marks are very much needed in our case), when I moved three laundry baskets into the living room while I took a solid week to unpack. One became a semi-permanent fixture, and after a month or so I realized I was getting the laundry done at a way more practical rate for our family of three.
Why? Well, having the laundry basket front and center forces you to realize how much has piled up. It also consolidates all of the family laundry, instead of allowing small piles for each family member to mount until they reach washing load proportions. (Previously, I had a laundry basket in my master bedroom closet, in Little Guy's room, in our bathroom, and in the guest bedroom where The Husband keeps his closet. That's four baskets that are allowed to fill up at a rather slow rate since only one person is contributing to the pile.)
Now I do one load of laundry a day, and no one goes without clean underwear because their pile is smaller than the other. Also, the majority of Little Guy's outfit changes happen in the living room, and it means I have ten steps less to take to reach the laundry basket in his room. And I get to practice my jump shot from the couch. Sweet.
A few weeks ago, I purchased a slightly more decorative hamper in order to have more aesthetic appeal in the living room, but honestly, it's not that hard to move it to another room when company comes a'knockin.
3. Get rid of cable. Become a Hulu addict.
We finally got rid of cable when we moved to Virginia because I came to set up home a few weeks before our furniture arrived from California and the cable man said I couldn't hook up the TV without, well, a TV. I tore up the contract there, and also ditched the landline telephone.
For $40 a month, we have our Internet connection and a laptop that is hooked up to our 50-inch plasma screen. We don't pay for a Hulu subscription -- yet -- since we don't watch enough TV to justify the $7.99/month they charge, but the more movies they add, the more I consider it.
The shows we watch on Hulu: Modern Family, Happy Endings, The Office, Parks & Rec, 30 Rock, and I watch some embarrassing prime time soaps that I won't get into here. We buy series run of other shows, like Dexter and Mad Men, and it's been a great way to save $80/month.
4. Use coupons.
Okay, there are way too many awesome coupon blogs out there for me to have anything to add to the conversation other than this: Do not be intimidated! And what I mean by that is, don't be discouraged if you can't get items for free or if you don't leave the local Food Lion with 23 deoderant sticks for $1.33.
Start small, and if you're like me, you can just remain a small-time couponer and be satisfied with that effort. Subscribe to your local Sunday paper for coupons. If you're so inclined, do some web-based research and print coupons online for brands/products you particularly like. I don't go too crazy with this, but on the weeks I do remember it definitely saves some money.
We don't buy enough processed foods to really make a huge impact -- and I don't want to buy more to do so -- but I save about $30 a week on the few items that we do purchase (like spaghetti sauce, condiments, soups, eggs, some cereals and beauty/health supplies).
I only shop on "double coupon" days at my local grocery store, and I avoid any coupons that aren't for items I wouldn't regularly buy. I also bring reusable bags to the grocery store (savings: 5 cents per bag) and use my military ID to get an additional 10 percent off store-brand items. (Check with your grocer to see if they have similar programs for AAA, military families, local booster clubs, etc.) Our store (we shop at Farm Fresh) doesn't use a rewards card, but instead offers a receipt for savings on their store-sold gas, which we save and use once a month.
My goal is to become better about shopping around store sales. Right now, we just pay attention to the signage around the store, but I do think I could do better meal planning if I would just spend some time looking at their flyer on Wednesdays.
5. Find less expensive alternatives for your gym and kid activities.
It honestly bothers me that Gymboree charges $50 a month for their "classes." I'm not knocking their services, because I know several mothers who swear by their Gymboree time, but that is such an ugly number for a family on a budget.
Instead, look to your city's recreational programs and libraries. I'll admit it was a pain getting Little Guy signed up for our local library's story time (there are only 12 spaces, and I got the final one after calling and getting a busy signal for THREE hours on the day registration opened), but it's free and just as good as a Gymboree activity. In many smaller cities, there isn't even a registration requirement.
We're lucky that Virginia Beach has a fantastic parks department. Once a week we take Little Guy to Mount Trashmore where he can explore a HUGE playground and as much mulch as he can fit into his mouth. The other days we walk to our local playground (it's less than a mile stroll) and let Diesel run around the field as we swing. We also hit up the bike/running paths every once in a while for a change of scenery.
Virginia Beach also has the best recreational department that I've experienced. For $79 a YEAR, I get full access to six recreational centers, each one with a pool and gym equipment that is as good as any YMCA. We spent another $32 to sign Little Guy up for swim lessons, and for a similar fee I can take a number of aerobics or strength training classes. The only thing lacking is child care while I work out.
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