I earn a vacation just preparing for one. Trying to get stuff done before the departure, tying up loose ends, and packing for a whole family can be a Wonder Womanly task. Then there’s worrying about the empty house.
I’ve had my share of homecomings with newspaper landslides, crackly plants, and overstuffed mailboxes. Now I try to get this stuff taken care of ahead of time, so I can relax and start acting like I’m on vacation.
Find a caregiver for your pets and make sure they are set with favorite toys and treats.
Suspend newspaper and mail deliveries.
Ask neighbors to water plants, or use a self-watering system like a bottle of water with holes in the top turned upside-down. If you’re gone for a while, you might arrange for grass-cutting so the place doesn’t look overgrown.
Notify teachers and after-care providers if your child will miss days.
Supply the fridge and pantry with enough to get you by for a few days upon returning. For longer absences, think of frozen and canned food and shelf-stable milk. (Apples also hold well in cold storage.)
Extend that vacation glow when you come home by cleaning the house before you leave, including getting all the laundry done and put away.
Before you leave, lower the heat to 55 degrees (any lower and the pipes could freeze). In summer, turn off the air conditioning or, if pets are staying, keep it at a low level.
Turn down the temp of your water heater. Mark where you had it before (120 degrees is considered safe and energy-efficient), and make a note to turn it back up as soon as you get home.
Leave a few lights on inside and out, and consider leaving the television on (a good deterrent to thieves).
Turn off or unplug valuable appliances such as computers and stereos to protect them from power surges and to save energy.
Lock all doors and windows and set any alarms.
Give your house key and your cell number to a trusted neighbor, in case there should be an emergency.
And now that you’ve done everything – rest and relax, knowing you’ll come home to an organized and peaceful home.
Great news. I have been asked to collaborate with TLC on a new site called Parentables.
I am so excited that the site is now live — and you can be one of the first people to see it!
Parentables is about the modern state of parenthood, where parents from all walks of life can learn from each others’ foibles and successes. We aim to entertain, inspire, affirm, and tell-it-like-it-is.
We’re not academic experts – we’re just pros at juggling family, personal, and professional commitments. We’ve got to cook dinner, research that new car, arrange carpools, and book the next family vacation…in between doing the laundry, getting to the doctor and – oh yeah – balancing the checkbook. In short, we are Chief Household Officers. And though our politics and our parenting policies may not always align, we all understand the effort and joy that goes into navigating the maze of parenthood – and the need to get through it with a sense of humor and a shoulder to lean on.
I’ll be writing for Parentables twice a week and there’s already a lot of my stuff up there.
You can see them all on my author page, and I’ll be posting here when a new article is published. (Apologies to my subscribers as I get you caught up with what’s already on the site.)
You can also keep track of all the good things happening by following Parentables on Twitter and Facebook.
Thank You, Readers
Just last fall, I was telling you that I wanted my blog to lead to paid writing assignments. This is really a dream come true for me, but it’s to you that I owe a big thank you hug.
If it weren’t for the success of Frugal Mama, I would never have been picked for this assignment. Over the many days and months, you have lent me an ear, written me encouraging comments, sent articles to your friends, and allowed me to drop updates into your email box. Thank you for being there!
Revenue-Sharing Makes Readers Even More Important
Most of my fee depends on how many page views my articles attract, so if you click over or share one of my Parentables’ posts with someone, I thank you again!
Just like at Frugal Mama, I’ll be putting a lot of effort into writing detailed (albeit shorter) articles that help people save money, and hopefully, make life better.
New York is the kind of place where just walking around is a cultural adventure. Sure, you’ll want to splurge on a few tourist attractions, but to keep costs down, just pretend you’re a New Yorker.
I’ve lived in New York for nine years (and with three children and no money). Here is how we made our dollars stretch far. More at Parentables…
Used, new, or leased? That was the question my husband and I wrangled with when we moved from New York City, where we had zero cars, to upstate New York, where we needed two.
Even though we had bought used before, I was dazzled by shimmery new crossovers like the Chevy Traverse. Hubby was tempted by the idea of a new car every few years by leasing. More at Parentables…
Our first winter living in New York City, I was feeling down in the gutter with the truck traffic, cigarette butts, and exhaust fumes. But after going to a Moey’s Music Party class with my son, I concluded that Moey is hot chocolate for the soul.
Her exuberance, natural warmth, and sparkly get-ups were enough to obliterate gray gloom — or any sort of bum mood.
Singer-songwriter and friend, Melissa Levis (Moey) is now bringing “joy to YouTube,” as her fans put it, with songs from her soon-to-be-released DVD and CD, Happily Ever Moey!, a musical retelling of classic tales with a modern twist including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and “The Three Little Pigs.”
With award-winning off-Broadway shows under her belt, Melissa can transform fairytales with her catchy tunes and silly lyrics. I love how the prince in the Princess in the Pea is annoyed by the primadonna royals:
A pea beneath their mattress makes these girls say ouch?
The girl that I’ll marry will sleep on a pull-out couch!
Melissa clearly has a comic gift, which does not go unappreciated by parents and nannies, when sometimes the most amusing thing all day can be Cheerios tumbling from high chairs.
“Goldilocks did something rude. She went in the bears’ house and ate up all their food. When she ate their food like that, she destroyed their habitat,” goes “Leave the Bears Alone,” Melissa’s kid-friendly nod to environmentalism. Her Little Red Riding Hood speaks to womens’ lib with the girl giving the woodcutter a judo kick, and Sleeping Beauty kisses herself because “snoring is boring.”
And the prince from the Princess and the Pea? He falls for a princess who donates her 20 mattresses to the homeless and chooses to sleep on a king-size futon.
I interviewed Melissa recently on how she saves money, even as a glittery guitar-toting mom in New York City.
1. What is one of the most fun frugal things you’ve done?
My husband and I get our money’s worth with childcare by hiring a babysitter during the day instead of at night. We have more energy during the day (and so does our son), so why pay a babysitter to sit on our couch while he sleeps?
We used to have a standing date on Saturday afternoons. Ideally we do active dates as opposed to passive movie dates or meal dates. One of our favorite adventures was going to a Greenwich Village wig store. I was always curious how I’d look as a blond, so I tried on the Marilyn Monroe model. My husband said I looked like George Washington!
2. Do your values or your personality affect your spending habits?
I find that I spend a lot more when I think it’s for business than I do when it’s just for me. In other words, I can justify spending $400 at Staples and Costco, but I feel much more frugal at Bloomingdale’s.
3. What is it okay to splurge on in your household?
Food and tuition!
4. Do you identify with the expression, “Less is more”?
Living in New York City, we are culture rich, closet poor. Every time I wistfully look at a toy, book, or pair of shoes, I ask not only if it is worth the money but if it’s worth the closet space. That usually keeps me frugal!
5. In your field, what is an insider’s trick for saving money?
I love to barter. My dad is from Athens, Greece — a culture that feels very comfortable bartering, and I guess I inherited that trait. I love bartering a semester of my music classes (worth $650) with moms who are graphic designers, stylists, illustrators, photographers, etc.
The woman who designed my Moey’s Music Party CD was taking time off from work while her girls were young and took my music class. We worked out a barter where I paid her cash plus a birthday party performance in exchange for her beautiful design.
I remember wanting to enrich my son with classes when he was young but in New York the typical class is $43 a session! So, bartering works out very well for the moms and me — plus we become great friends!
Another tip I’ve discovered is: instead of buying instruments, make them!
As a mom and preschool music teacher, it’s my goal to show parents that music is everywhere. By being resourceful, parents can enrich their children with tons of homemade instruments. Not only is it inexpensive and eco-friendly, it reinforces the notion that music and creativity is entwined in the fabric of everyday life.
At each Moey’s Music Party class, I introduce a different instrument that relates to the special party theme. Sometimes I pass out homemade instruments and show parents how to create their own versions at home.
For our Spring Garden Party, we use rain sticks made out of paper towel tubes, rice, construction paper, and stickers. For our Jungle Safari Party, we turn Chinese take-out containers into drums. At our Beach Bash Party, we shake homemade water bottle maracas.
One of my favorite musical masterpieces was inspired by 24 extra pink and purple leopard print ‘Girls Rock’ dessert plates from Oriental Trading Company that I over-ordered for a party. Rather than throw them out, I inverted the edges of the plates, put a few elbow macaroni on top of the bottom plate, added some pink and purple curling ribbon to give it that gypsy feel, then glued it shut with a glue gun.
The fun thing about making your own instruments is that you can personalize and decorate them to your heart’s content. I love to challenge myself to find creative uses for left-over art supplies and household items.
Moey (a.k.a. Melissa Levis) has entertained thousands of children at FAO Schwarz, The New York Public Library, The Tribeca Film Festival and more. She created Central Park’s Sandbox Sing-Along Series, performing more than 25 concerts in playgrounds throughout Central Park and earning the moniker “the Pied Piper in Pink.” She currently leads Moey’s Music Party classes for infants, toddlers and preschoolers at the New York Junior League, and this summer in Central Park. You can find her at Moey’s Music Party.
With four children, we have officially outgrown couch-surfing and even guest-room sojourning. Luckily I discovered that life is not over when you need a suite. Read more at Parentables…
You’ll probably think I’m weird, but I think it’s fun to fill in the boxes of our expense chart. I guess writing in those tiny numbers satisfies a craving for organization. Or the need to make life understandable.
I hope you’ll find it fun too, because counting cash is a good place to start if you want to start making big changes in your financial picture with a personal budget. More at Parentables…
Let’s say you’re like me and you have very little wiggle room in your budget: maybe $100 dollars to sock away each month. And everyone keeps talking about 401Ks and 457s and 529s. You get so stressed because not only do you feel behind the game, but confused about how to even play the game.
With an almost desperate air, I used to pose the retirement vs. college question to any financial adviser I could grab. No one would give me a satisfying answer. Finally, my shoulders dropped an entire inch when I read this tenet in Money magazine. More at Parentables…
Flying can wreak havoc on your budget, but sometimes it’s necessary. Maybe you’ve got a can’t-miss wedding. Maybe your love of traveling is why you scrimp and save.
Whatever the reason you choose to wing it rather than wheel it, there are ways to keep expenses from soaring.
We’ve always lived far from our parents (mine in Ohio, his in Italy), so my husband and I have been flying with our kids before they had teeth.
Here are my tips for containing costs:
1. Don’t Finance RushMyPassport.com
If you are traveling outside the U.S., everyone will need current passports, including babies. You can take your own photos at home, but the only other way to save on passports is to avoid rush shipping fees by applying ahead of time (at least two months ahead).
If your children are under 16 years old, you will need to apply in person, whether you are renewing or getting a new passport. And keep in mind that both parents need to be present (unless you get a notarized consent form).
Check the State Department’s Passport Center (not one of the fake for-profit sites out there) for all the rules — and check those expiration dates now.
2. Be a Planner. A Serious Planner.
While there is some research pointing to seven weeks ahead being the best time to buy tickets, we have found when booking international tickets that buying them almost an entire year in advance gets us the best deals. This strategy applies when using frequent flyer miles or when paying cash.
For example, Delta Airlines only reserves a few seats to Europe on each flight at the rate of 60,000 miles. Tickets get increasingly “expensive” as the departure time gets closer. One year we waited until four months before our trip, and fares had doubled to 120,000 miles per ticket.
When we checked prices to Europe as soon as the flights opened for sale — 331 days in advance — we were amazed to discover pre-1999 prices. But after a few days, the fares were up, and they continue their upward march as the flight dates get closer.
3. Do Like the Frugal Traveler
The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler recommends using Kayak to search for the cheapest flights and Hotels.com for lodging.
I have found both of these sites to be the most effective and user-friendly. Budget travel sites like Priceline and Hotwire will get you even cheaper rates, but since you don’t know exactly what you are getting until you pay, I don’t use them for family trips. Traveling with kids is unpredictable enough!
4. Try the Crystal Ball
Check out Bing’s Fare Predictor to see whether your ticket’s price is predicted to go up or down.
Of course the tool can only estimate, but since fares do fluctuate all the time, it’s worth trying.
5. Bank Your Bonus
Make sure you earn miles on every flight you take, but keep your frequent flyer accounts to a minimum.
For example, United, US Airways, and Continental are partners, so only sign up for the miles program of one of these airlines. Enroll every child for an account where he can earn points too. Hey, every mile counts!
6. Babies are Frugal. Kind-of.
Children under the age of two usually fly free, if you don’t mind holding the wiggle-worm for those two … four … eight … hey, even ten hours, if you’ve got a sister in Argentina, like me.
It’s usually not possible to book your “lap infant” online, so you’ll have to call to make her reservation. (Note: If a child doesn’t pay for a ticket, she can’t earn miles. Darn.)
7. B.Y.O.T.
Telephone and ask questions if you need a human, but Book Your Own Ticket online to avoid a booking charge (such as $25 per ticket).
Also check in online to save a few bucks on baggage fees. You can print out your own boarding pass, scan it at a kiosk at the airport, get your baggage tags from an airline employee, and then drop your bags at a baggage drop.
8. Cradle on Board
If you are going on an overnight flight with a baby, ask about the availability of a bassinet.
The bassinet is attached to the bulkhead seats in front of the dividing wall. Most people also like the extra legroom, but there are a few downsides: you can’t stow toys and snacks under the seat in front of you and there may be a huge glowing movie screen over your baby’s bed (which was bad news for our Virginia, who was used to sleeping in a dark room).
9. Reward Yourself
Use your miles-earning credit card to pay for the tickets. Many cards will give you double or triple miles on travel purchases.
10. Unload Your Baggage
Most airlines will charge you for any checked luggage on domestic flights and anything past the first one on international flights.
