Free calls and chatting on skype.com

These days it is common practice to try to find something for nothing. Freebies, samples, coupons, BOGO and kids eat free are all commonly used and many make it part of the daily routine to find the best deals. Skype is one of those deals. And, interestingly enough, it is not new. It has been around for several years, even merged for a while with eBay and is now on its own after being spun off. If you and another user download the skype software online, have a microphone and web cam, you can not only talk for free but see each other while talking! It is a great deal for those of us who have relatives and friends abroad, who find ourselves working abroad and want to keep up with friends and family in the U.S. but even within the U.S. itself! It also has a chat component. And, if you want to call someone who doesn't have Skype, it is still much cheaper than a regular land line call. This is one of the VOIP service providers that does a great job to keep us connected.

Kids Eat Free

There are several restaurants that offer free meals for kids. It is always nice to get a free meal when you are dining out, especially since kids usually don't eat their whole dinner anyway. See a few of the restaurants listed below.

1. Denny's has free meals for kids on Tuesdays with each adult meal.

2. IHOP is now advertising free meals for kids from 4-9 pm for each adult meal as well.

3. El Torito lets kids eat free on Wednesdays with each adult meal.

4. Applebees has had 99 cent dinners for kids on Tuesdays as well. But, I am not sure if this is still the case. Check with your local restaurant.

5. Sadie Dey's Cafe - Kids eat free every night from 4-8 pm. They have a nice menu of sandwiches, salads and pasta.

Kids Eat Free Guide also lets you enter your zip code for any other free offers for children.
Kids Free Guide also gives you some information on free eats for kids in your area.

Back to School Shopping and Organizing

It is that time again...time to shop for school supplies, new clothes (or uniforms) and get back into the bedtime routine. It is difficult when the summer often means a more relaxed schedule, lazier days and often vacation or camp fun. But, the earlier we get back into the groove for the first day of school, the better. To help ease the pain, here are several sites to help you organize your to-do list and ramp up into high gear for back to school.

Organize and buy school supplies - Check the school supplies list and then go through your crafts bins and closets to see if you have left over supplies you can use. Then, scour ads and coupon sites for the best deals. You still have time to do this! You may also want to try dollar stores for some good deals on basic supplies. For backpacks suggestions, check out the Family Education web site. Some backpack companies, like Jansport, have lifetime guarantees and will repair or replace backpacks free.

Organize and swap or buy school clothes - Most parents have a good network of other moms and dads who are also going through back-to-school. Instead of everyone buying new clothes, see if you can swap clothes. Kids usually outgrow clothes before they outwear them. So, you all save money that way. If you still need to supplement clothes, stock up on basics like solid long sleeved shirts, jeans, sweaters and skirts. There are many places with back-to-school sales right now such as Old Navy, Kohls, LandsEnd, Sears, Macys and The Gap. Or you could even hit the second-hand stores or check online at Craigslist or eBay.

Label clothing - Any sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets or extra change of clothes should be labeled to avoid losing them. It is best to do this before the school year starts and you have a busy morning and forget.

Make medical appointments - If your child is starting Kindergarten, he/she has most likely already seen the dentist and had his/her five year well check as that is one of the criteria for entering the public school system. If he/she has not, you will want to do this before school starts to show they are current on vaccinations and seen a dentist. If your children are not new to the school, you may still want to get all those doctor, dentist, allergist etc. appointments out of the way before school starts to start fresh. For a back-to-school health checklist, click here.

Mark the calendar - Start to write important dates on the calendar and circle the first day of school so your children can count down the days until school.Fill out paperwork - If you received any paperwork in the mail, fill it out ahead of time to be able to drop it off promptly the first day of school.

Start a school folder - Make a new folder for school newsletters, event flyers and PTA information so you will know where to put them and find them. Once school starts, the whirlwind begins!

Set up a study area - If you don't already have a designated homework/study area, make sure you have it set up by the time the first day of school comes. If you need to buy a lamp or extra supplies for this area, you can do it the same time as you buy school supplies. Your children can then be introduced to the area and even start using it before school starts. This area should be distraction and clutter free for the best results. Organize this space so all your kids can personalize it, including file folders and/or bins for each child to use.

Get back in touch with school friends - Now that everyone is starting to return from camp and vacation, it is a good time to re-connect with former school friends. Make a playdate, sleep over or just a time to meet for ice-cream to get back in touch with your classmate friends. It will make it easier to start the first day if the connections have already been made.

Kids eat free until August 16th

If you are planning to shop at IKEA anytime until August 16th, you may want to stay for a meal as well. Kids meals are usually pretty inexpensive anyway, but now they are FREE until August 16th. You get to choose a combination of items so that your kids get what they want from meatballs, mac and cheese, pbj sandwich etc. The value is up to $2.49. Most stores are participating, including Emeryville and East Palo Alto. For more information, check out the link on the IKEA web site.

Family Travel Bargains

Now is the time for travel and yet, many are in fear of losing their jobs or have been laid off already. So, if you are looking for an inexpensive trip with the family, check out these sites! They often give family discounts or discounts for last minute booking. If you are flexible, you will definitely get a better deal. With airlines trying to entice people to fly despite the economy, you can find airfares as cheap as $35 each way along with 5 star hotels like the Mark Hopkins and Intercontinental in SF dropping rates to as low as $99 per night! Don't rule a vacation out at these prices!

www.budgettravel.com - they have a magazine as well
www.travelzoo.com - great site where you can sign up for weekly alerts. I have booked several hotel rooms this way, even to local areas like Monterey and SF.
www.lastminute-bargaintravel.net
www.hotelandtravelgargains.com
www.kayak.com - a great travel search engine!
www.tripadvisor.com - doesn't have discounts but gives tips and has reviews

Low Cost Options for Children's Clothes

It is tough making ends meet these days. And, as we know, children grow out of clothes and clothes grow out of them quite quickly. What is the best way for saving money and still having your children well clothed? There are several options to consider.

Low-cost Retailers:

Target - This is my favorite retailer for kids' clothes. If they grow out of them quickly, get ruined or in some cases, just don't seem to fit well, then you won't feel guilty for spending too much money. And, the clothes are often cute and colorful!

Sears - They all used to have Lands End clothes, which I love. But, I think only a limited number of Sears stores carry this label now. They have good sturdy shoes.

Kohls - My next favorite retailer for kids. They often have mid-week sales and lots of basics like tops and tights or shorts. Good selection of almost everything and also carries shoes.

Walmart - I have bought the basics here too like t-shirts, underwear, socks etc. I don't seem to find as much as I do at Target, but there are definitely bargains to be found here.

Resellers:

TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls are all good for finding a few things here and there. But, since their selection is all limited on what they get in as overstocks, don't count on them for basics. I have found high quality shoes there though.

Consignment:

Since we don't have any local consignment stores, I don't often shop at consignment stores. But, I love the idea of recycling, especially when they are younger and there is little wear and tear. Please see a list below of some of the current consignment stores. And, most likely this is a market that will grow this year, so keep your eyes out for others...

A Wee Change - http://www.aweechange.com/ - in Walnut Creek
Grove Stree Kids - http://www.grovestreetkids.com/ - in Berkeley
Small Fry Shop - http://www.smallfryshoppe.com/ - in Danville
Chloe's Closet - http://www.chloescloset.com/ - in SF
Snickerdoodles - http://www.eastbaysocial.com/ - in Danville
The Kidz Shoppe - http://www.thekidzshoppe.net/ - in San Jose

Online Bargains:

Craigslist and ebay can give you some great deals on even new kids clothes.
http://www.craigslist.org/
http://www.ebay.com/

But, don't overlook http://www.overstock.com/ as well. They have lots of stuff and it is easy to search their site.

Other good options are http://www.hannaanderson.com/ and http://www.landsend.com/ when they have sales. I get high quality clothes through these sites when they have specials and buy for the next year, if the sale is seasonal.