Well, first of all when kids are young they are not aware of certain things. Like name brand clothes. Until kids turn like 10 years old you can get away with buying some or all of their clothes from a thrift store and they will never know the difference. Somehow when they hit 10 they get all conscience about their appearance and want name brand stuff. So at least you can save some money until then. I remember when my son came home from school and wanted the latest pair of Jordans. They were over a hundred bucks. Now, this does not work with toys. Even as young as five they seem to be keenly aware of the latest, greatest, and most expensive toys. Don’t even try to pass off knock-off toys to kids. They know better and will not quit bothering you. Often times the novelty of a new toy wears off really fast or they decide that they don’t like it. So keep your boxes and receipts and instill a “keep it new” policy. When they are sick of it, take it back and get them something else they are pestering you for. This does not work for video games. The only thing I can suggest for that is to sign up for a video game rental deal where they can keep swapping them out. I can’t tell you how many games I bought that my kids decided they did not like. Thousands of dollars down the drain!

How cute is your kid? Well, if they are pretty cute they can win you some bucks to offset all your expenditures on them. You can enter them in the Great American photo contest and have the chance to win some cash. Here is the link: We are looking for the most beautiful babies for our Internet Photo Contest.

Click Here to enter.

Upload your photo now, and the photo that gets the most votes wins $2,500 each month.

(Psst: You can tell your friends and family to vote everyday to increase your chances.)

Click Here to upload your baby’s photo.

There is no cost to enter, and it’s a lot of fun.