I’m a mum-of-three & there’s 23 things I think are a waste of money – our kids only get parties once every five years
WE'RE all guilty of buying things we don't really need, and sometimes it's a nice treat, but for this mum there are 23 things she's ditched buying for good since having kids.
Kallie Branciforte, who posts online as But First, Coffee, revealed why she's stopped buying certain household staples for good - and even birthday parties are under restrictions.
She shared her hefty list on YouTube, explaining why each is a waste of money or time as far as she's concerned.
Canned drinks and coffee pods
They might be a fun drink to have here and there, but Kallie said her family really has no need to fork out on canned drinks, since they have a Soda Stream at home.
Coffee pods are also a no-no for the mum, despite previously forking out for them regularly.
"Holy guacamole they're expensive and then you're left with all these leftover pods, so last year we decided to make the switch back to a coffee machine," she said.
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Clothes that have to be dry cleaned
If an item of clothing is dry clean only, or even has to be ironed before it can be worn, the mum-of-three leaves it on the rack.
"You're telling me I have to do extra work to wear you? No, absolutely not," she said.
Throw pillows
Throw pillows might look nice in your home, but Kallie found they just became a place for her kids to hide mess - so she ditched them all.
"I found that I was picking throw pillows up off the ground so many times per day that I was like 'I do not have the mental and emotional capacity to pick up one more throw pillow'," she said.
Taking the kids to restaurants
"I don't really like going out to restaurants with my children, to me I might as well just light money on fire," Kallie said.
Although more kid-friendly places are ok here and there, in general the mum said she won't take her little ones out to eat.
"My children don't want to sit quietly for 45 minutes while they eat their dinner, children are not designed to do that," she added.
Holiday decorations
Some people love going all out for Christmas, Easter, and even Valentine's Day, but the mum said she keeps decorations to a minimum now.
According to Kallie, ditching the decorations has made life so much easier, since there's no big clean up after celebrations - not to mention the money she's saved by not buying them in the first place.
Trendy fashion
Trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends can be exhausting, so Kallie said she just sticks to what she knows and likes now instead.
"There's a new type of jean every month, I can't keep up," she quipped.
Children's toys
The mum said she does still buy her tots some toys to play with, but has reduced the amount she buys them overall.
Not only are they a nightmare to clean up and organise, but most kids will forget about them and move on to the next thing within days.
"The kids don't need it, they're not happier with more toys, they're usually more overwhelmed and stressed out when there are too many toys to choose from," she noted.
One-time use arts and crafts kits
The problem with these arts and boxes is they can only be used once, and they're not always cheap, the mum explained.
A lot of art kits also come with a lot of messy products that are easy to loose, so Kallie warned parents to be intentional about buying and setting time aside to use them.
Supermarket treats
Going shopping with your kids can be stressful, so it's no surprise parents will buy their little ones a one-off treat to keep them happy.
But all those little treats quickly add up, Kallie said.
Now she uses the 'take a photo trick', where she'll get her kids to pose with the thing they want to add to their list for Christmas or their birthday.
Big birthday parties
"We made a family rule that when you turn five and when you turn 10 you get to have a big birthday," Kallie said.
But for the most part, big birthday parties are out of the question and she'll keep things low-key with a family meal instead.
Multiple handbags
Kallie said she buys one handbag she likes and sticks to it these days.
Switching all her stuff from one to the other was too much of a hassle anyway, and they can cost a pretty penny.
Baby gear
As a first time mum Kallie explained she spent a fortune all the baby gear she could ever need - the only problem is she didn't end up needing most of it.
She suggested getting certain baby products second hand instead, since they'll only use it for a few months most of the time.
Money saving tips for parents
WE'VE put together six top tips to cut costs, nab freebies and to make sure you're not fined.
- Free prescriptions and dental care - Prescriptions cost £9.15 a pop in England, while NHS dental costs vary by location. You can get both for free while you're pregnant and for 12 months after your baby's due date. Ask your doctor or midwife for a maternity exemption certificate (MATEX) to claim the free care.
- Free milk, infant formula, vitamins or fruit and veg - Under the Healthy Start programme, you may be entitled to the freebies if you're at least 10 weeks pregnant or you have a child under four and you're on certain benefits, such as Universal Credit.
- £500 free grant - In England, Northern Ireland and Wales you may be entitled to a Sure Start grant of £500 if you're on certain benefits and expecting your first child or expecting more than one baby - such as twins.To claim, you need to fill out the following form on Gov.uk and get your doctor or midwife to sign it.
- Register the birth in time or face a £200 fine - You need to register the birth within 42 days of your baby being born with your local registry office. This costs £11 in England and Wales.
- Update a will or update it - If you don't have a will, in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where one parent dies, children will only inherit cash if the estate is worth more than £250,000 - otherwise all the money will go to the surviving spouse. If you don't want that to happen, you need to get a will stating your wishes.
- Consider getting life insurance - No-one likes to think about death but if something happened to you, could the family survive without your salary? If not, you many want to consider life insurance. Use a comparison service to find not only the cheapest, but the most suitable cover for your needs.
Bulk food
Bulk buying large amounts of food can sometimes save you money in the long run, but Kallie said she stopped buying a lot of it because her family wouldn't eat it all before it went out of date.
"If you know you're not going to eat it in that amount of time or you don't have bandwidth to manage it, it's usually not worth it," she said.
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Fun snacks
It's easy to pick up the newest fun foods in the supermarket to try out, but it can quickly add up.
Kallie revealed she will do most of her food shopping online so she's not enticed by the latest grub and deals she doesn't really need.