Funky Frugal Mommy

Teaching financial literacy to children is something all parents struggle with. Part of the issue is the fact that many parents don’t know when the appropriate age is to start teaching their kids about money. The other part of the problem is that kids generally aren’t interested. They’d rather have fun doing something else — and that’s understandable!  The good news is that there’s no perfect age to start teaching your children. As you know, children naturally start paying attention to your actions when you go shopping, withdraw money from the ATM or visit the bank. They realize early on that money is needed to buy things.  When you notice your child picks up on these basic financial actions, you can take it as your cue to start teaching them about money and how it works. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it on your own! There are tons of games and methods out there to help you instill a sound financial foundation. For instance, Wikibuy has created financial conversation starters fo

Summer is flying by and pretty soon school will be back in session. Is your child ready to get back into the daily scholastic routine?  The folks at Brainly — the world's largest peer-to-peer learning community of students, parents, and teachers— asked 600 American parents whether they feel their children are ready to jump back into the daily grind of school. Nationwide 56% of parents say they think they're children are prepared to go back to school. Missouri parents led the pack with 85% saying that they thought their kids were ready to head back to school. Virginia followed with 80% saying the same and the top three was rounded out by Arizona at 69%.  Brainly  has put together a list of 5 tips for parents to help their children prepare to head back to school.  1. DEVELOP A SLEEP ROUTINE NOW Getting up early for school can be jarring for middle and high school students who have been used to sleeping in all summer. 62% of parents said they are worried their kids will have a har

It’s summer and it’s getting to the point where the kids are driving you crazy and constantly saying “I’m bored” and “there’s nothing to do.” It’s time to fill their summer with some exciting games and toys that will have them laughing and making memories all summer long!  Goliath is a huge leader in some awesome toys for every season but these are the top picks for summer fun!  The kids absolutely loved learning how to use this one! It is perfect for encouraging hand eye coordination!  Get ready to have H2-Oh so much fun with the Zoom Ball Hydro! Hold on to one set of handles, while your friend holds the other. Open your arms quickly to send the Zoom Ball over to your friend! Be ready to send the Zoom Ball back- you never know when the balloons will pop, and soak you in water! The Goliath Games Zoom Ball Hydro Features: 1 Zoom Ball Hydro 10 Water Balloons For 2 players, ages 8 and up Zoom Ball Hydro -  https://www.goliathgames.us/product/zoom-ball-hyd

Summer is almost over and it is time to start thinking about back to school shopping and all the hype that surrounds it. Believe it or not your children will survive the entire school year without the most popular shoes and brand new wardrobe. I stress to my kids constantly that being cool has nothing to do with what you wear, when I was growing up it was a huge deal and I was bullied constantly. Times have changed and young people are much more accepting and understanding. I have saved hundreds of dollars each year on back to school shopping using these great tips! Buy Used Used clothing is equally as good as brand new and when you shop at places like Value Village you can get great brand name clothing for a much more reasonable price. There are a number of other second hand stores that carry some great finds as well. Let's not forget the Facebook marketplace for used clothing as well. As other peoples kids grow they sell their items on Facebook to make some cash for stuf

The personal-finance website WalletHub today released its  2019 Back-to-School Shopping Report , which includes the results of a new nationwide survey as well as picks for this year’s Best Credit Cards for Back-to-School Shopping. WalletHub’s back-to-school resources also include a  Sales-Tax Holiday Calendar  highlighting the best times to buy in each state.   Back-to-school season can be very expensive, and we could all use some extra ways to save. But it won’t just be parents and teachers packing new plastic on the first day of school this year. Millions of children will have credit cards in their pocket or bookbag when the first bell rings. Parents aren’t quite on the same page about whether their kids will have credit cards in homeroom, however. Nearly 3X more dads than moms say their children will have a credit card at the start of the school year, according to WalletHub’s new survey. There are several other takeaways for parents and educators, too. 42% of moms think kids should

Being a kid today is anything but easy. It’s filled with difficulties like bullying, school violence, social media gossip, enormous peer pressure and overwhelming stress. As kids get ready to head back to school, what are some ways to increase their self-esteem, boost their confidence and bring more positivity into their lives?   Serena Brown Travis  is author of the books “In Case I Forget to Tell You” and “Perfect Penny,” and is an expert in promoting positive and healthy dialog between kids and parents. She says with our busy lives and in these tough times, it’s more important than ever to emotionally encourage our youth.      Here are a few of her tips how to do this:   -          Change your language : Avoid words like should, can’t, must and never. This is destructive language that sets kids up to fail before they even begin. Instead, use words and phrases that leave children feeling empowered. Try saying things like: ‘We’re going to try our best to…’ ‘If we don’t succeed, that’s

With social networking being so common nowadays, it can be easy to believe that it's okay for your kids to use social media throughout the day. After all, it helps them keep in touch with friends and family and it gives them something to do other than bother you, right? While scrolling through their feed and posting updates about their day can be positive in that it encourages them to practice reading and writing, it can also be a bad thing if they're encountering the wrong kind of content or engaging in unwise activities. With that being said, here a few reasons why you should be paying attention to what your kids are doing social media. Their Personal Data Isn't Private, Even If You Think It Is If you've been paying attention to the tech headlines, you might've noticed the stories about Facebook and other major social networking sites sharing the personal data of their users. Many people wrongly assume that they can simply change a few privacy settings in

Whether you want to admit it or not, the summer sunshine is winding down faster than ever as the end of July approaches . Summer months tend to leave parents with little room left in both their calendars and their wallets. This is why with the final month of the season almost here, there is no better time than the present to start looking for ways you can save time and money. Listed below are a few practical tips you can utilize to make more room in your planner and increase the money in your bank account.  Monitor Your AC As tempting as it is to crank up the cool air on a hot day at home, monitoring how cold you keep your house along with how often you have the AC running is crucial to saving money in the summer months. If you’ve been a bit more lax with how often you have your AC on and at what intensity you keep the air running, try to make some small changes to save some extra cash. From simply turning up the temperature by 2 or 3 degrees higher than usual, to always making sure to

As a nation, we're struggling with more debt than ever. According to recent statistics, U.S. consumer debt increased by 5% from April to May of 2019, totaling $4.09 trillion. Between credit card debt, educational loans, and bankruptcies resulting from unpaid medical bills (the last of which affected an estimated 2 million Americans during 2013), it's no wonder that many of us are feeling bogged down by what we owe. But evidently, we aren't willing to give up certain privileges due to our debt. In fact, a substantial number of Americans say they wouldn't forgo traveling due to their debt -- and some are even willing to take on more debt to have these experiences. In 2017, domestic travel increased by nearly 2%, representing 2.25 billion personal trips throughout the United States. But whether you want to stay state-side or travel to a distant country, being able to afford a vacation can be a challenge. That's particularly true if you're already struggling

As parents, we always want what is best for our children. It is our responsibility to keep them healthy and safe, and we do so by taking precautions with things like car seats, baby-proofing our homes and vetting every babysitter we hire. Unfortunately, there are many parents who do not realize that there are health risks with the everyday products we use on our kids.  Many personal care products like shampoos and soaps contain ingredients that are potentially toxic. This is a scary thought considering our skin can absorb upwards of 60% of what we put on it. To make matters more concerning, the current laws do not require cosmetic and personal care companies to receive FDA approval, and they do not have to disclose every ingredient that they use. While it used to be difficult for parents and every day consumers to find products that contain safe ingredients and worked effectively, it’s become a much simpler task thanks to the clean beauty movement. This movement has helped bring an inc

DATE: July 16, 2019 LOCATION: Choices Markets Kelowna - 1937 Harvey Ave WHAT: Choices Markets has announced initial steps they are taking toward complying to the Government of Canada’s announcement to ban single-use plastics by 2021. As of July 1, 2019, Choices Markets Kelowna will be:  Removing plastic water bottles from their shelves Choices Markets Kelowna has taken all 500ml single-serve plastic water bottles off their shelves. For the month of July, customers who bring in water bottles 1L or smaller will receive free water refills.  Offering cardboard boxes  At the tills, customers will have the option of using a cardboard box instead of a plastic bag. We also offer reusable bags and 100% post-consumer recycled paper bags. As always, we encourage customers to bring their own grocery bags whenever possible.  Selling reusable produce bags  Across all Choices Markets locations in B.C., the produce departments will be selling reusable produce bags in two different styles. These bags

If you're trying to navigate an amicable divorce with children, you're not the only one. In 2018, almost 6 million children in the United States, from infants to 17-year-olds, lived with a divorced parent. With shared custody agreements being common, more people are learning how to effectively co-parent their kids without conflict. The key to a stress-free situation is a co-parenting schedule designed to fit you and your child's life. To develop your strategy, follow the seven tips below. 1. Listen to Your Children As an adult, you've dealt with changes and challenging situations throughout life. Children, on the other hand, are used to norms and routines. Significant changes, like Mom and Dad splitting up, can take time to digest. Let your children express their feelings, especially confusion, and ask them for input during the process. No matter how old they are, listening to a child's opinions can give them a sense of control over the situation. A ch

KMR Communications is offering one of my readers the chance to win one Brow Perfecting Quad from  Wink . The total value of the products is:  $42.00!    Eyebrows are one of a person's most prominent facial features because of the many functions they perform. They help accentuate the eyes, shape the face, and play a powerful role in communication. According to science, eyebrows are the most important facial feature one has. When eyebrows are sparse, this immediately ages the face. The beauty industry and consumers have been in a flurry over brows for the past several years. The phrase, "eyebrows on fleek" has become common vernacular.  With a veritable smorgasbord of brow products out there, how does one choose?  Enter Wink Brow Bar  and the only product you need to keep brows lush and youthful.   Umbreen Sheikh, founder and CEO of Wink Brow Bar with locations in NYC and London has formulated this product to replicate the results she provides in her salons.    Wink Brow Pe