Buy kids clothes cheap - Keep them new

Know which stores have good deals (public domain photo)

Looking for a way to keep kids clothes looking new? Tired of replacing worn out clothes? Want to know where to find cheap new clothes? Keeping 4 grand-kids in clothes is a huge challenge. I help my daughter out by buying some occasionally. Yesterday, I talked about what good shoppers my teen grand-kids are. They come buy it naturally. If your clothing budget is stretched to the max, try these tips I use to save money and make their clothes last longer.

Belts for girls  
Tween and teen girls love belts. Nice ones can be pricey. Instead, buy a cheap scarf from the dollar store and a couple 3 inch metal rings from the craft store. Put one end of the scarf through both rings. Fold over and sew together to hold the rings in place. Fasten and tighten this cheap clothes accessory like a motorcycle helmet by putting the other end of the scarf through both rings, then back through one.

Lengthen the life of athletic shoes
Keep kids sports shoes new. Use spray acrylic on them right after purchase. Stains just wipe off. This tip keeps casual shoes free from water damage. It can be used on any cloth shoe. Those more expensive shoes they talked you into buying can be sprayed with water repellent.

Stain repellent  
Kids clothes get stained quickly. Not all those stains come out easily. Many people aren't aware that water repellent for clothes can also repel stains. Keep kids clothes looking new by using it regularly. Spray new clothes to keep them from staining. This will work through several washes. After that, just spray them again.

Buy in bulk with purpose
Certain kids clothes will always be cheap and in style. When you find sales on clothes that fit and look good buy several in different colors. Good examples are t-shirts and blue jeans. I got 4 pair of brand name jeans at a close out store the other day for 6.00 each. When you find good deals like this, stock up. Buy some clothes one size up if your kids like them. They'll grow into them. Socks and underclothes can be bought in bulk too. Kids go through them like crazy.

T-shirts

The craft store is a very cheap place to buy them. They're normally under 7.00 but go on sale every other month for half price. These are name brand high quality shirts. Craft stores buy them in large volumes at a discount. They pass the savings on to customers.

Portions of this article were published by this author on a closed Yahoo! property.

Clothes, clothes, clothes

Laundry day! (public domain)

Airing my family's dirty laundry isn't really my style. Still, I have to say it. Who needs this many clothes and shoes? Oh my goodness, you guys, these teenage grand-kids have so many clothes, it's bordering on ridiculous. The bedroom is clean, but the laundry is far from done. I've done 11 loads so far. I'm about a third of the way through the clothes.

I'm not in the habit of doing their laundry. They usually do it. But to be honest, their room was such a mess that I'm not sure what's clean or dirty. So, I'm washing everything that wasn't hanging up.

They have 2 overflowing large bins of everyday shoes. There must be 50 or more pairs in each one of them. Then, aside from that, they both have 25 or so pairs of dress shoes and boots.

We're building hanging space downstairs in the rec room now to accommodate all their clothes. About 30 feet of it, altogether. What they really need is 2 giant walk in closets. Wow! These two could clothe a small country with their wardrobe.

I get it, though. They're teenagers. They're cute, young and shapely. They want nice clothes. They don't want to wear the same thing every other day. I've certainly been there. I just didn't actually have that many clothes. It was a fantasy for me. My folks had 7 kids. It just wasn't in the budget.

It's not in their budget, either. I will give them credit. I go to the mall with them and watch them find 3 and 5 dollar clothes. They'll go in with 20 or 30 bucks and come back to the car with bagfuls of deals. I'm with them. They're not shoplifting. They're good kids; better than a lot I've come across lately, for sure. They're just awesome shoppers.

I suppose some grandparents/parents would be sneaky and toss a few things while the kids are off on vacation. I talked about it but I won't do it. I just hate the idea of being such a control freak or invading their privacy. It was hard for me to even clean their room. I just think kids learn better by doing than by having things done for them.

Yes, I know. I'm doing the laundry and making their spaces respectable. But honestly, as much as I love them, that's more for me than it is for them. I hate living in a cluttered home and they seem to have inherited their Mom's messy gene. LOL

So, wish me luck, you guys. I only have about 22 loads to go.

Making homemade sidewalk chalk with the grand-kids

The grand-kids love sidewalk chalk (copyright 2014 Jaipi Sixbear)

The grand-kids and I love to spend our time doing fun, interesting and somewhat quirky crafts. One thing we like to do is make our own sidewalk chalk. It's been a long time since we did. Today, I came across this old article I wrote that includes my recipe for sidewalk chalk. I think when the grands get back from vacation, we'll do this again. Sidewalk chalk is cheap enough that it doesn't save us much money over buying it. It's just that making it is so much more fun!

How to make homemade sidewalk chalk

Who doesn't like drawing with chalk on a sidewalk? Why not learn to make homemade sidewalk chalk? Homemade sidewalk chalk can be used by children and adults alike. Children use it for hopscotch and other games. Adults make elaborate sidewalk chalk drawings at events or just scribble like kids.

It's economical
Sidewalk chalk drawings are far from permanent. The first rain washes them away. That makes it important to conserve money by making homemade sidewalk chalk. What better way to save money than to make it yourself? Granted, it doesn't save you a whole lot of money. Still, with kids, every penny counts.

The homemade factor

Fans of my writing know I'm a huge promoter of homemade things. There's just something about doing it yourself that makes life more interesting. It's also nice to know what goes into the things we use on a daily basis.

Yes you can

It really is possible to make homemade sidewalk chalk using just a few simple ingredients available at craft stores. Isn't it surprising? I know the first time I heard about it, I was skeptical. After making sidewalk chalk for myself, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Color variety

One of the best things about making sidewalk chalk at home is the variety of color combinations. All you need are primary colors to come up with endless variations. I recommend starting with just a few colors until you get the hang of things.

Supplies

• Cardboard toilet paper rolls (start saving these now)
• Masking tape
• Waxed paper or plastic wrap
• Powdered tempera paint color
• Plaster of Paris
• Small plastic containers for mixing
• Stir sticks will be needed for each color.
  

Preparing the molds

Start by preparing the toilet paper rolls to use as molds for the sidewalk chalk. Cover one end with masking tape. Stand the rolls open end up. Line them with waxed paper or plastic wrap. This is so the sidewalk chalk doesn't stick to the mold.

Mixing

Mix together 1 ½ cups of plaster of Paris and ¾ cup of water. This is the base for the homemade chalk. Use a disposable container such as an old milk carton for this job. Pour the mixed sidewalk chalk base into separate disposable containers for coloring. This is a great way to use all those containers you've been saving.

Add color

Add up to 3 tablespoons tempera paint color to each container. Colors may be combined to make interesting combinations. For instance, if making orange chalk use 2 tablespoons yellow and 1 tablespoon red. Swirled chalk is made by only partially mixing in color.

Pour into molds

Now it's time to pour the homemade sidewalk chalk mix into the molds. Fill the molds up. Tap lightly on the edge to remove air bubbles. It takes a bit of time for the sidewalk chalk to dry. Average dry time is 2-3 days. Once the chalk is dry it should slide easily from the molds.

Just add kids

The last ingredient needed is some fun loving kids. Armed with a couple pieces of homemade chalk each, this will keep them busy for hours. What if there are no sidewalks where you live? That's OK, this sidewalk chalk can be used on blackboards too.

Other uses:

• Package homemade sidewalk chalk as a gift.
• Make and donate sidewalk chalk to charities.
  

Portions of this post were previously published by this author on a closed Yahoo! property.

Packing healthy lunches kids will love

Most kids love berries! (public domain photo)

Packing healthy lunches for kids is essential for their well-being. The hard part is getting them to eat healthy items. It's a challenge to find healthy lunches that appeal to kids taste buds. I remember my kids telling me, after they had grown, that they never ate the healthy items I packed in their lunches. How sad to think of all those poor neglected apples! With the grand-kids, I try to come up with healthy lunch choices that please us both.

A good way to encourage kids to eat healthy fruits and vegetables in their lunches is to give them something yummy to dip them in. Apples and bananas are great dipped in peanut butter. Veggies can be dipped in guacamole.

Kids have different tastes. Find out their favorites. Prepare their lunch accordingly. It isn't healthy if they don't eat it.

In place of chips, try a pickle or some plain salted popcorn. All three are crunchy and salty The chips contain a lot of fat. Experiment with different spices on the popcorn. Another good crunchy, salty item for kids lunches is pretzels.

In place of gooey, calorie laden desserts, pack berries in their lunch. Berries are healthy, it's true. However, kids still love them!

Avoid soft drinks. Try healthy juice in kids lunches instead. It'll save money if made from concentrate. Pack a curly straw. Kids love them. They make drinking fun. Make sure the juice is 100% juice with no added sugar or other ingredients.

Prepared foods are generally not as healthy as homemade. "Lunchables" contain a lot of fat and sugar. They may seem cheap but cost more in doctor bills and bad health. Instead, pack whole grain crackers with fun, healthy spreads like almond butter.

Skip the leftovers in kids healthy lunches unless it's something really spectacularly yummy that a kid would love. Kids feel the same way about leftovers we do. That's why they're still in the fridge.

Some kids shun wheat bread like the plague. If you want to pack whole grain bread in their lunches, try one of the new varieties that looks and tastes like white bread but is actually whole grain. They even sell it in a store brand. It won't cost a fortune to accommodate their tastes.

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Grandma's pack for the beach space savers

Beach Ball (public domain)

Packing the family up for a day at the beach can take hours. When you finish packing there's another problem. There's so much equipment, where do you put the kids? Here are some simple tips that I use to get my gang off to the beach sooner, with more leg room. Most of this stays packed and ready all summer or gets packed the night before. Beaching it becomes a "grab and go" proposition.

Lunch

Lugging around the grill, propane, charcoal, gas tank, and utensils takes up a lot of packing space. Pack a picnic cooler lunch the night before. We keep it simple. We make sandwiches and pack them right back into the empty bread bags. Then we twist them shut. We pack chips and drinks. We're set. Best of all, the grown-ups get to enjoy the beach without pulling cooking duty.

Pack ahead

I keep a washable bag full of rolled beach towels and a beach blanket packed at all times. I skip the beach chairs. They take up too much space. Plus, nobody wants to lug them around. When I arrive home from the beach, I shake the bag, towels and blanket out before bringing them in the house. Then, I wash everything up and pack for the next time.

Beach toys

Packing a small air pump and inflating any toys right at the beach saves us space. Blow ups take up too much elbow room. Inflatables and other beach toys can be packed in a bag with the pump. We keep this bag packed and ready too. I keep sand toys minimal. Several stacked buckets with a few shovels inside leave room for more imaginative play.

Swim suits

One might think you have two choices. You can wear the swimsuits and pack the clothes or pack the swimsuits and wear the clothes, right? Wrong! At grandma's house, we wear swim suits to the beach and skip the extra clothes. Boys wear swim trunks and t-shirts. Girls wear swim suits and wraps. We rinse sand off at the beach after swimming. We lay blankets or tarps across the car seats and wear our suits home.

First aid plus

I keep a small beach bag with first aid items, a hair brush and sunscreen in the car at all times. Sunscreen is rarely used in the house. If you need it on a regular basis, keep one in the car and one in the house. Rather than bringing bottles of alcohol or peroxide, soak some cotton balls in either and place in a zip lock bag. Ice from the cooler makes a great bee sting soother. Don't forget the tweezers!

Portions of this article were previously published by this author on a closed Yahoo! property.