South Florida on the Cheap » children

Have the ‘money talk’ with returning grads

Teresa — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:43:08 +0000

Many of you are proud to have in your homes a new college graduate. He doesn’t have a job yet, but surely that will come soon.

In the meantime, you have a new roommate.

That’s right. These days, as young adults live at home with their parents for years after they leave school, 50something and 60something adults [...]

Advice on money for new grads

Teresa — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:42:05 +0000

One of the joys of getting older is offering young people sage advice, whether they want to listen or not.

As graduation time nears, I can’t resist offering today’s graduates the advice I wish I’d gotten when I was their age. Or maybe I got the advice and didn’t listen. I should have.

Last year I advised [...]

Money lessons from ‘Sesame Street’

Teresa — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:41:06 +0000

When it comes to financial advice, you may not think to ask Elmo. But the furry Sesame Street character is the latest advocate parents can call upon to teach their children about money. April is Financial Literacy Month, so there’s no better time to start.

PNC Bank has teamed up with Sesame Street on a new initiative to teach preschoolers [...]

Plan now for holiday giving

Teresa — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:27:01 +0000

It’s time to think about Christmas, Hanukkah, winter solstice and any other gift-giving holidays you celebrate in the coming months.

Yes, we know it isn’t even Halloween, but it’s only 98 days until Dec. 25. While power shoppers may have finished their holiday shopping, most people haven’t thought about it, which makes this the perfect time [...]

Free and cheap Halloween costumes

Teresa — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:29:33 +0000

We’re not thinking much about Halloween yet, but the National Retail Federation says many people are. The group’s annual survey says Americans plan to spend an average of $66.28 per person this year for Halloween, up from $56.31 last year.

No one we know plans to spend nearly that much, but that doesn’t mean we can’t [...]

Back-to-school clothing swap

Teresa — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:16:06 +0000

When I was a little girl, once or twice a year we’d get a big box of clothes in the mail from friends of my parents who had daughters slightly older than my sister and I.

My parents would be thrilled, thinking of all the money they’d saved on kids’ clothes. I was less enthusiastic until [...]

Summer deals on Miami attractions

Teresa — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:21:57 +0000

It’s the dog days of summer (or, at my house, the cat days), and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau has come up with a major collection of deals for both residents and visitors.

Most of the deals in the 4-4-3 promotion give you four (tickets, nights, meals, etc.) of something for the price of [...]

Free and cheap summer kids’ films

Teresa — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:49:14 +0000

Luckily for us, most major theater chains offer free or reduced-price children’s film programs on weekday mornings during the summer. And most don’t require you to bring a child to be admitted, either.

Among the offerings this summer are Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakquel, Charlotte’s Web, Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, Hotel for Dogs, Shrek the [...]

Free summer fun for kids: books

Teresa — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:46:58 +0000

When I was a kid, I never could get enough books. We didn’t have many at home, but my father took all the kids old enough to read to the library every Saturday. Each of us could check out 10 books, and mine didn’t always last the week. I, of course, grew up to be [...]

Don’t shop for your college student

Teresa — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:35:10 +0000

The store circulars are full of cute decor and storage items for dorm rooms. As your formerly little one heads off to college, your inclination is to buy her everything she might possibly need: a microwave for late-night snacks, a set of cubes to store her books, a winter coat in case it’s cold in [...]