eat what you want and so will I! i sense conflict in your statements. you talk like a vegetarian, but yet you sometimes do eat meat and expect meat eaters to eat the whole animal to justify their decision?? i for one am not interested in eating guts or nuts! you rip the guts out and eat the meat! What's wrong with that? over the years, people in poverty have eaten everything inside. (waste not want not.) now it's become a delicacy or something for "bragging rights" as you call them.
God put animals and plants on the earth for the use of man. the savior himself ate fish! it isn't cruel to kill, or eat animals and it isn't a bad thing to throw out the guts. we are not animals. we are god's children. we grow, raise, and prepare our food.
i don't beat my chest and feel like a caveman when i eat meat. i feel like a human being! I just enjoy the taste, and get full until my next meal. i don't feel the need to overcompensate or justify my actions. the people that do that around you apparently feel uncomfortable with your difference of opinion on the subject and do that to make sure they are on good terms with you or make fun of themselves before you can. (not that you would of course.)
lastly, just remember that B12 is found only in meat and animal by products and you need it for proper brain function. be sure to take your supplements! i often find vegetarians to be a little nutty, so i don't know whether they were that way before or after they stopped eating meat???? anyway, happy eating and less preaching!
It's always good to look at a discount rack because you might find something you would like at a price you can actually afford! I am a sucker for Barnes & Noble discount books - great for presents! My weakness is thriftshop stuff - and yard sales - all those things I longed for at higher prices suddenly affordable - Just got an artsy pink messenger bag/purse for $2 - Do I NEED it? Well, it's not a necessity - but it sure is cool & will make a certain pinkish outfit more hip! But then, men never understand accessories, do they?
Put me in the 75-90% off gang and, yeah, it's mostly Target. Sometimes I'm able to resist. Mostly I do that by:
1. Remembering what I have at home (already have three orange shirts at home, even if it is the color that looks best on me).
2. Keeping a mental list of features that any new product must have (no more backpacks without a good way to attach a sternum strap or, ideally, without one already in place.)
3. Coming up with a place to put the item and when I will actually use it.
I also buy things at 75% or more off to donate. Between my church silent auction to raise money for summer mission trips, toys for Tots at Christmas time and a couple of other events/groups, I have a number of great opportunities to support causes I believe in. And, based on my tax bracket and itemizing deductions using the full price of the items (which is allowed for new items), getting something at 75% off ends up eventually costing me only the cost of sales tax and any lost interest between the time I spend the money and the time I get my tax return. At 90% off, I actually come out slightly ahead.
Are you insinuating that the Gnorman, the garden gnome I [g]nabbed at Target for $4 was unnecessary? Because he totally protects my house!! (And I could hurt an intruder gravely with his pointy hat or hefty weight.)
Other than gnomes, I tend to ask myself whether or not I really need something before I buy it. And I try to never shop unchaperoned in case I ignore my inner voice that tells me I simply must have that case of pickled kumquats for $1.
I have four laying hens that keep us in more eggs than we need. So I sell a dozen now and then to family and friends. I get $3 per dozen. Also, I bake all our own bread. It's good enough that friends and family also buy bread and a few other baked goods from me. I don't charge a lot compared to the market rate.
But I usually put all that cash into an envelope that stays on top of the fridge. (Occasionally, when I meet my "clients" at the farmers' market, the cash gets spent immediately.) When I need to buy 50lb. bags of either flour or chicken feed, the money comes straight out of that envelope. And even though I don't put *all* of the money from my egg and bread sales in there, I can always cover the costs of flour and feed from that envelope of cash. In fact, right now I've got a surplus of $79 in there.
So essentially, with a little work on my part, I get free eggs and bread because the material costs are paid for by other people. The dollar amounts are small, but they're more than enough to cover my costs for these two staples of our diet. When you're watching your food budget closely, free eggs and bread can go a long way.
I decided to take my husband on a vacation to las Vegas, so for a year I gave up going to coffee shops with my children ($10 a week) out to lunch ($10 a week) and I started doing yoga at home instead of at a class ($10 a week.) I stuffed all those $10 a weeks into a ING account and a year later we had $1500 and a trip to Vegas.
Want to pay the CEO big bucks -- fine, AS LONG AS THEY PERFORM. When a CEO can cut the stock price in half and walk away with $20-million+ (like Carly Fiorina), the board -- who approved all this -- should be held responsible, either by reimbursing stockholders for the exorbitant salary they okayed, or by re-opening debtors' prisons.
BTW - Articles like this tend to express CEO pay in relation to the average worker. This is incorrect. CEO pay should be expressed in relation to the corresponding increase in the value of the company during their term in relation to the overall economy -- kinda how broker bonuses are tied to their performance vs. the Street.
CEOs who create billions in wealth for shareholders deserve a massive payout.
I have been making my own soy milk for over a year now. After trying it a couple times with the blender and the cheesecloth and the pot on the stove, I opted to buy a soy milk machine. I bought it for $90, used, on eBay, but each liter and a half costs me only about 25¢ to make.
The soymilk that I used to buy, Edensoy, I believe was the only soymilk I could find that didn't contain filler, sugar or flavorings. It was also usually the most expensive- usually around $2 a liter. We go through about a liter a week, so we do end up saving money. Yes, it would be more of a savings if I made it without the machine, but the time and cleanup required were just not for me.
Incidentally, I bought a large bag of soybeans at our International Market and this spring, I planted some. It was the best edamame I have ever had, because it was fresh as opposed to frozen.
Our family has a few traditions that you all might be interested in. we are both in our mid 30s and have 3 little kids under the age of 9 and we love to do all sorts of things together.
FIRST- since everyone is home and we don't play with any friends on Sunday, we spend the whole day (except church) playing games together like twister, uno, or puzzles. (we always say we'd love a board game when people ask us what one us wants for xmas or b-days. we've stocked up on tons of games and i think we bought only one or two of them ourselves!) we also make cookies or some treat that we can make together and we go on a walk. We often wil decide on a family in the nieghborhood we want to give some to and take it by. This has helped us to make some great friends.
SECOND - Every night we listen to a book on cd when the kids go to bed. It is incentive for them to hurry and get ready for bed. we started last year with Harry Potter and they listened to all 7 books! it was such a success that we started
listening to whatever good books we could find. sometimes they have a book they really want to hear but it isn't available, so we read them out loud instead. we are now listening to the series of unfortunate events and my kids love it! (Tim Curry is the reader and he is awesome!) They say listening to books improves literacy and i think they are right! my 9 year old had a blast this summer with swimming, friends and family field trips, but she still managed to read about 50 books ranging from Fablehaven to Little House on the Prairie. My six year old is enjoying the Junie B. Jones series right now. (They are awesome if you haven't read them!) my kids live full active lives but they have a love of books i never knew as a child. i grew up on the brady bunch, scooby doo, and magnum P.I. they rarely watch tv, but it's becasue they are having too much fun. I've never had a rule of no TV, because i haven't needed it!
THIRD - My husband and I try to have a "date night" every Friday night. (if i can get a babysitter.) We've gone walking, sledding, or even just hung out at the park with a blanket and some treats. Of course, we've gone to dinner or watched the big movies when they come out but we usually wait until most movies are at the dollar theatre. Also, we try to keep them cheap because we have to pay a babysitter and we really just want some free time together during daylight!
FOURTH AND LAST - during the winter we designate every Saturday as "Family Movie Night" unless we have other things going on. the kids take turns each week picking a movie at the library or the redbox and we pop popcorn and enjoy a family flick. during good weather, if we are all pooped we will do it too. We just recently watched mary poppins and this week we watched nim's island. the library has all the classics and it's so fun to see my kids light up when they see films i loved as a kid.
I know i've been blabbing, but i hope you find something useful!
I was going to say a lot of the mall's around here give the change to a local charity, but the principle is the same; the charity certainly doesn't refuse the coins.
If the fountain is a public fountain they actually take the money for city funds. At least that's how it is here. Anyway, that's beside the point. Bits and pieces of money do add up. That's why I recycle and get about $5 a month.
Yep, you nailed it. 75-90% signs are like a magnet for me. "Don't I really need a ____?", I'll ask myself. In most cases, the answer is a good solid "no", but I'll work myself around to thinking that I do.
It's enough of a problem that I've pretty much had to cut out going in stores or looking at sale fliers. Instead, I keep an ongoing "wish list". If, say, thread is on the wish list and I get a substantial coupon from a fabric store, I'll go get that item. Otherwise, the coupon goes in a box (or email folder). I have enough possessions for three or four people. No more trolling!
I'm glad to hear the HSA/HDHP worked out so well for you! I suspected that it would, but since I don't have kids (nor do I plan to) I hesitate to give advice, per se, about having them. But I did at least want to point out the out the option so that parents and prospective parents would know that it is there so they can do their own research.
Kudos on the cloth diapers. I read recently that a parent who switched from disposables to cloth found that his two year old daughter preferred them; she objected when he went to put a disposable on her to use up the ones they still had from before the switch. Apparently being wrapped in plastic is unpleasant.
Isn't it cool how doing the more environmentally responsible thing often ends up being cheaper and making your family happier?
I have mixed emotions about money, but if you think about it, we all put too much value in money. The bible says the love of money is the root of all evil, I believe that, I have done some dumb things trying to get more money, trying to "make ends meet". I am currently downsizing my family's life to the point where we can live on one income, something we should have done years ago. At some point I would like to be financially free, free enough to chose where I spend time, no one in control of my time. I have a dream of doing mission work for example, giving back to mankind in a small way.
In short, you cannot either love or hate money, it is inanimate, money is a tool, the trick is to use your tools for social good, don't be so hung up on it that you can't use it. If you live all your life with lots of money in investments and die rich, what have you accomplished except to make your heirs rich.
I've considered making my own soy milk and tofu before, but most recipes seem to call for special equipment or ingredients. Thanks for making it simple!
"The promotional rate is only valid for one room night, per person, per website address for hotel stays through December 30, 2008."
I believe that this simply means you can only take advantage of this one time. I know of many people who have booked stays for them and their spouse. There was nothing that said they would be charged the $8.88 twice. Unless there are additional guest fees charged for a particular motel anyway, I don't think this would apply. But I could be wrong.
I knew a couple that came over from South Africa already pregnant with no insurance. It's amazing how the price drops when you tell docs up front you have no insurance and a limited budget. All the unncessary testing and unneeded stuff just disappears.
Wow....it's completely free for anyone to give birth in Canada. Whenever I feel like complaining about our system, I just remind myself that it could be much worse. At least I'll never go into debt over medical issues!
I totally understand that you are pointing out unknown (to some readers) and frugal options that many people might have never thought about, but (In *my* opinion) I don't like--or maybe a better word would be "understand"--the hostile way this topic is presented (i.e. "If you're a real carnivore, you don't pick and choose the bits of the animal that you find the most acceptable; you have to go for the whole hog" or "If you are going to contribute to the death of countless animals through your consumption of their flesh (and hey, that's your right), you should at least try to eat as much of the animal as you possibly can.")
To me, those sentences don't say "Hey! Here's a cheap way to feed your meat addiction!", they smack of superiority and criticism.
I agree with WiseMoneyMatters. I don't believe that people should be convinced that they need to eat ALL of the animal, to therefore be a *good* carnivore. Preference is acceptable. If I was raising my own pigs, I might eat or find some other use for every part as my grandparents did. But when I PAY a company for my pork chops, I assume that the company will find acceptable uses for livers and parts that I did not want--like they do with hotdogs, etc.
My serving liver for dinner isn't going to make me a better meat-eater, but it might put some extra dough in my pocket. I believe that is the point that should be highlighted.
We had a HSA in place with the recent birth of our second child. It actually worked out better because while the deductible was higher than the traditional plans the out of pocket limit was actually lower. On top of that the premiums are lower than our traditional plan options and the company deposits an additional $95 into my HSA every month. Plus you can take full advantage of the tax benefits since you can put more in than the FSA and you don't have to worry about losing it.
Look at your company's HSA options if you have one and don't discount it just because you are planning on having a kid.
Also, we cloth diaper and it saves us a fortune. Especially with newborns. They seem to go through 15 diapers a day. I think we paid about $40 for 20 diapers, several pairs of the plastic covers, and a couple of fancy clips. We still usually put him in disposables at night just because I'm a little less coordinated at 3am.
Ads for unnecessary products contain subtle (or not) message that you must have this or that in order to succeed as a mother. And we are all nervous as first-time mothers!
My advice - read various boards to see what works for other moms before you buy the latest and greatest.
If you are doing cloth diapers (I did), make sure you own a sturdy washer/dryer. (My Maytag and I have just celebrated our 7,000 load). You will be changing diapers every 1-2 hours and washing a load every day or every other day. (Disposable diapers really ARE much more convenient, but horrible for the environment). Commit to cloth -- if you cave and go to disposable, you will have made a large financial investment that will go to waste. 12 years later, I am still using old diapers as cleaning cloths!
Final advice: get a sling. Babies and Moms love them, Dads and Grandmas really love them. You may need two different sizes if the adults are of vastly different heights.
eat what you want and so will I! i sense conflict in your statements. you talk like a vegetarian, but yet you sometimes do eat meat and expect meat eaters to eat the whole animal to justify their decision?? i for one am not interested in eating guts or nuts! you rip the guts out and eat the meat! What's wrong with that? over the years, people in poverty have eaten everything inside. (waste not want not.) now it's become a delicacy or something for "bragging rights" as you call them.
God put animals and plants on the earth for the use of man. the savior himself ate fish! it isn't cruel to kill, or eat animals and it isn't a bad thing to throw out the guts. we are not animals. we are god's children. we grow, raise, and prepare our food.
i don't beat my chest and feel like a caveman when i eat meat. i feel like a human being! I just enjoy the taste, and get full until my next meal. i don't feel the need to overcompensate or justify my actions. the people that do that around you apparently feel uncomfortable with your difference of opinion on the subject and do that to make sure they are on good terms with you or make fun of themselves before you can. (not that you would of course.)
lastly, just remember that B12 is found only in meat and animal by products and you need it for proper brain function. be sure to take your supplements! i often find vegetarians to be a little nutty, so i don't know whether they were that way before or after they stopped eating meat???? anyway, happy eating and less preaching!
It's always good to look at a discount rack because you might find something you would like at a price you can actually afford! I am a sucker for Barnes & Noble discount books - great for presents! My weakness is thriftshop stuff - and yard sales - all those things I longed for at higher prices suddenly affordable - Just got an artsy pink messenger bag/purse for $2 - Do I NEED it? Well, it's not a necessity - but it sure is cool & will make a certain pinkish outfit more hip! But then, men never understand accessories, do they?
Put me in the 75-90% off gang and, yeah, it's mostly Target. Sometimes I'm able to resist. Mostly I do that by:
1. Remembering what I have at home (already have three orange shirts at home, even if it is the color that looks best on me).
2. Keeping a mental list of features that any new product must have (no more backpacks without a good way to attach a sternum strap or, ideally, without one already in place.)
3. Coming up with a place to put the item and when I will actually use it.
I also buy things at 75% or more off to donate. Between my church silent auction to raise money for summer mission trips, toys for Tots at Christmas time and a couple of other events/groups, I have a number of great opportunities to support causes I believe in. And, based on my tax bracket and itemizing deductions using the full price of the items (which is allowed for new items), getting something at 75% off ends up eventually costing me only the cost of sales tax and any lost interest between the time I spend the money and the time I get my tax return. At 90% off, I actually come out slightly ahead.
Are you insinuating that the Gnorman, the garden gnome I [g]nabbed at Target for $4 was unnecessary? Because he totally protects my house!! (And I could hurt an intruder gravely with his pointy hat or hefty weight.)
Other than gnomes, I tend to ask myself whether or not I really need something before I buy it. And I try to never shop unchaperoned in case I ignore my inner voice that tells me I simply must have that case of pickled kumquats for $1.
I have four laying hens that keep us in more eggs than we need. So I sell a dozen now and then to family and friends. I get $3 per dozen. Also, I bake all our own bread. It's good enough that friends and family also buy bread and a few other baked goods from me. I don't charge a lot compared to the market rate.
But I usually put all that cash into an envelope that stays on top of the fridge. (Occasionally, when I meet my "clients" at the farmers' market, the cash gets spent immediately.) When I need to buy 50lb. bags of either flour or chicken feed, the money comes straight out of that envelope. And even though I don't put *all* of the money from my egg and bread sales in there, I can always cover the costs of flour and feed from that envelope of cash. In fact, right now I've got a surplus of $79 in there.
So essentially, with a little work on my part, I get free eggs and bread because the material costs are paid for by other people. The dollar amounts are small, but they're more than enough to cover my costs for these two staples of our diet. When you're watching your food budget closely, free eggs and bread can go a long way.
I decided to take my husband on a vacation to las Vegas, so for a year I gave up going to coffee shops with my children ($10 a week) out to lunch ($10 a week) and I started doing yoga at home instead of at a class ($10 a week.) I stuffed all those $10 a weeks into a ING account and a year later we had $1500 and a trip to Vegas.
Want to pay the CEO big bucks -- fine, AS LONG AS THEY PERFORM. When a CEO can cut the stock price in half and walk away with $20-million+ (like Carly Fiorina), the board -- who approved all this -- should be held responsible, either by reimbursing stockholders for the exorbitant salary they okayed, or by re-opening debtors' prisons.
BTW - Articles like this tend to express CEO pay in relation to the average worker. This is incorrect. CEO pay should be expressed in relation to the corresponding increase in the value of the company during their term in relation to the overall economy -- kinda how broker bonuses are tied to their performance vs. the Street.
CEOs who create billions in wealth for shareholders deserve a massive payout.
I have been making my own soy milk for over a year now. After trying it a couple times with the blender and the cheesecloth and the pot on the stove, I opted to buy a soy milk machine. I bought it for $90, used, on eBay, but each liter and a half costs me only about 25¢ to make.
The soymilk that I used to buy, Edensoy, I believe was the only soymilk I could find that didn't contain filler, sugar or flavorings. It was also usually the most expensive- usually around $2 a liter. We go through about a liter a week, so we do end up saving money. Yes, it would be more of a savings if I made it without the machine, but the time and cleanup required were just not for me.
Incidentally, I bought a large bag of soybeans at our International Market and this spring, I planted some. It was the best edamame I have ever had, because it was fresh as opposed to frozen.
Our family has a few traditions that you all might be interested in. we are both in our mid 30s and have 3 little kids under the age of 9 and we love to do all sorts of things together.
FIRST- since everyone is home and we don't play with any friends on Sunday, we spend the whole day (except church) playing games together like twister, uno, or puzzles. (we always say we'd love a board game when people ask us what one us wants for xmas or b-days. we've stocked up on tons of games and i think we bought only one or two of them ourselves!) we also make cookies or some treat that we can make together and we go on a walk. We often wil decide on a family in the nieghborhood we want to give some to and take it by. This has helped us to make some great friends.
SECOND - Every night we listen to a book on cd when the kids go to bed. It is incentive for them to hurry and get ready for bed. we started last year with Harry Potter and they listened to all 7 books! it was such a success that we started
listening to whatever good books we could find. sometimes they have a book they really want to hear but it isn't available, so we read them out loud instead. we are now listening to the series of unfortunate events and my kids love it! (Tim Curry is the reader and he is awesome!) They say listening to books improves literacy and i think they are right! my 9 year old had a blast this summer with swimming, friends and family field trips, but she still managed to read about 50 books ranging from Fablehaven to Little House on the Prairie. My six year old is enjoying the Junie B. Jones series right now. (They are awesome if you haven't read them!) my kids live full active lives but they have a love of books i never knew as a child. i grew up on the brady bunch, scooby doo, and magnum P.I. they rarely watch tv, but it's becasue they are having too much fun. I've never had a rule of no TV, because i haven't needed it!
THIRD - My husband and I try to have a "date night" every Friday night. (if i can get a babysitter.) We've gone walking, sledding, or even just hung out at the park with a blanket and some treats. Of course, we've gone to dinner or watched the big movies when they come out but we usually wait until most movies are at the dollar theatre. Also, we try to keep them cheap because we have to pay a babysitter and we really just want some free time together during daylight!
FOURTH AND LAST - during the winter we designate every Saturday as "Family Movie Night" unless we have other things going on. the kids take turns each week picking a movie at the library or the redbox and we pop popcorn and enjoy a family flick. during good weather, if we are all pooped we will do it too. We just recently watched mary poppins and this week we watched nim's island. the library has all the classics and it's so fun to see my kids light up when they see films i loved as a kid.
I know i've been blabbing, but i hope you find something useful!
I was going to say a lot of the mall's around here give the change to a local charity, but the principle is the same; the charity certainly doesn't refuse the coins.
If the fountain is a public fountain they actually take the money for city funds. At least that's how it is here. Anyway, that's beside the point. Bits and pieces of money do add up. That's why I recycle and get about $5 a month.
Yep, you nailed it. 75-90% signs are like a magnet for me. "Don't I really need a ____?", I'll ask myself. In most cases, the answer is a good solid "no", but I'll work myself around to thinking that I do.
It's enough of a problem that I've pretty much had to cut out going in stores or looking at sale fliers. Instead, I keep an ongoing "wish list". If, say, thread is on the wish list and I get a substantial coupon from a fabric store, I'll go get that item. Otherwise, the coupon goes in a box (or email folder). I have enough possessions for three or four people. No more trolling!
@20
I'm glad to hear the HSA/HDHP worked out so well for you! I suspected that it would, but since I don't have kids (nor do I plan to) I hesitate to give advice, per se, about having them. But I did at least want to point out the out the option so that parents and prospective parents would know that it is there so they can do their own research.
Kudos on the cloth diapers. I read recently that a parent who switched from disposables to cloth found that his two year old daughter preferred them; she objected when he went to put a disposable on her to use up the ones they still had from before the switch. Apparently being wrapped in plastic is unpleasant.
Isn't it cool how doing the more environmentally responsible thing often ends up being cheaper and making your family happier?
$25000 for a delivery can't be right.
I walk Target just to look at the clearance shelves.
Last November I hit the jackpot with a 90% off sale on Halloween merch at K-Mart.
I spent ~$50. I think my toddlers might want to move out of the house once I get all of the decorations up.
I have mixed emotions about money, but if you think about it, we all put too much value in money. The bible says the love of money is the root of all evil, I believe that, I have done some dumb things trying to get more money, trying to "make ends meet". I am currently downsizing my family's life to the point where we can live on one income, something we should have done years ago. At some point I would like to be financially free, free enough to chose where I spend time, no one in control of my time. I have a dream of doing mission work for example, giving back to mankind in a small way.
In short, you cannot either love or hate money, it is inanimate, money is a tool, the trick is to use your tools for social good, don't be so hung up on it that you can't use it. If you live all your life with lots of money in investments and die rich, what have you accomplished except to make your heirs rich.
I've considered making my own soy milk and tofu before, but most recipes seem to call for special equipment or ingredients. Thanks for making it simple!
From the website:
"The promotional rate is only valid for one room night, per person, per website address for hotel stays through December 30, 2008."
I believe that this simply means you can only take advantage of this one time. I know of many people who have booked stays for them and their spouse. There was nothing that said they would be charged the $8.88 twice. Unless there are additional guest fees charged for a particular motel anyway, I don't think this would apply. But I could be wrong.
For few of the above, a long vacation can help you win your job back
I knew a couple that came over from South Africa already pregnant with no insurance. It's amazing how the price drops when you tell docs up front you have no insurance and a limited budget. All the unncessary testing and unneeded stuff just disappears.
Wow....it's completely free for anyone to give birth in Canada. Whenever I feel like complaining about our system, I just remind myself that it could be much worse. At least I'll never go into debt over medical issues!
I get your point, but I don't like the delivery.
I totally understand that you are pointing out unknown (to some readers) and frugal options that many people might have never thought about, but (In *my* opinion) I don't like--or maybe a better word would be "understand"--the hostile way this topic is presented (i.e. "If you're a real carnivore, you don't pick and choose the bits of the animal that you find the most acceptable; you have to go for the whole hog" or "If you are going to contribute to the death of countless animals through your consumption of their flesh (and hey, that's your right), you should at least try to eat as much of the animal as you possibly can.")
To me, those sentences don't say "Hey! Here's a cheap way to feed your meat addiction!", they smack of superiority and criticism.
I agree with WiseMoneyMatters. I don't believe that people should be convinced that they need to eat ALL of the animal, to therefore be a *good* carnivore. Preference is acceptable. If I was raising my own pigs, I might eat or find some other use for every part as my grandparents did. But when I PAY a company for my pork chops, I assume that the company will find acceptable uses for livers and parts that I did not want--like they do with hotdogs, etc.
My serving liver for dinner isn't going to make me a better meat-eater, but it might put some extra dough in my pocket. I believe that is the point that should be highlighted.
Zannie,
We had a HSA in place with the recent birth of our second child. It actually worked out better because while the deductible was higher than the traditional plans the out of pocket limit was actually lower. On top of that the premiums are lower than our traditional plan options and the company deposits an additional $95 into my HSA every month. Plus you can take full advantage of the tax benefits since you can put more in than the FSA and you don't have to worry about losing it.
Look at your company's HSA options if you have one and don't discount it just because you are planning on having a kid.
Also, we cloth diaper and it saves us a fortune. Especially with newborns. They seem to go through 15 diapers a day. I think we paid about $40 for 20 diapers, several pairs of the plastic covers, and a couple of fancy clips. We still usually put him in disposables at night just because I'm a little less coordinated at 3am.
I think that you explained term life very well! I am a Dave fan, but now I really *understand* why he promotes term over whole.
Ads for unnecessary products contain subtle (or not) message that you must have this or that in order to succeed as a mother. And we are all nervous as first-time mothers!
My advice - read various boards to see what works for other moms before you buy the latest and greatest.
If you are doing cloth diapers (I did), make sure you own a sturdy washer/dryer. (My Maytag and I have just celebrated our 7,000 load). You will be changing diapers every 1-2 hours and washing a load every day or every other day. (Disposable diapers really ARE much more convenient, but horrible for the environment). Commit to cloth -- if you cave and go to disposable, you will have made a large financial investment that will go to waste. 12 years later, I am still using old diapers as cleaning cloths!
Final advice: get a sling. Babies and Moms love them, Dads and Grandmas really love them. You may need two different sizes if the adults are of vastly different heights.