Five Great Gift Ideas The Grandkids Are Certain To Love

Being a grandparent is great. You get to enjoy spoiling the grandkids to your heart's content and then they get to go home with their parents and give you a break. Whether you're gearing up for a first birthday party or heading home for the holidays, it's always a blast to pick out presents for your grandchildren. Check out these five great gift ideas that will have your favorite little boy or girl grinning from ear to ear.

Educational Toys

From interactive books to miniature laptops, kids these days are itching to get their hands on the latest educational toys. Young girls will enjoy a pink, sparkly laptop that focuses on math and spelling while your grandson will get hours of fun out of a talking train that teaches him the alphabet while he plays.

Ride on Cars

If you're looking for something that will really make your grandchild's eyes light up, consider getting them a ride-on car. These realistic-looking vehicles are battery powered and allow the driver to zoom around at speeds of up to 5 mph. You can even get a custom paint job in your kiddo's favorite color! They can drive it around the backyard for hours upon end.

Quality Time with Grandma and Grandpa

Money isn't everything, and when it comes to making your grandchild's day brighter, sometimes what they want most is to have fun with those they love. Plan out a day at the local zoo or amusement park and let your grandchild go wild. If you're looking for a simpler activity, younger children will have the time of their lives at a playground while older kids might prefer to see that blockbuster movie that just came out. Either way, bonding time is a present for both you and the little ones.

Personalized Puzzles

Toddlers love putting things together, and a personalized puzzle that spells out their own name is sure to be a hit. With these gifts, there's no need for hectic shopping trips at crowded city malls; you can have a personalized puzzle made online and shipped right to your door. Adults like things personalized, too, and you can quickly and conveniently order almost anything you can imagine with any words or image you can think of. For example, you can order personal checks featuring your favorite sports team at www.checks-superstore.com.

Dolls and Trains

Some toys never go out of style. Though they certainly have a different look than they did 50 years ago, dolls are still a huge favorite with little girls and trains are still the preferred toy of thousands of little boys. Check with mom and dad to see if the kiddos are hoping to get a specific one, and if not, just search the toy aisle for the cutest doll or silliest train you can find!

From miniature laptops to talking dolls, there's no shortage of possible gifts for your grandchildren. With a little planning and a lot of love, you're sure to find a toy that will have your favorite little one jumping for joy.

Big Lessons We Should Learn From Our Grandparents to Save Money

Each of us wishes to spend money within defined budgets but this becomes almost impossible for us just because of the increased fantasies, daily expenditures, family demands, and much more. Instead of trying useless tricks for saving money, we should consult our elders or grandparents to guide us in a better way. This is because they have always tried their level best to have maximum savings and have spent worry-free lives. How can they help us in saving more? Let us discuss it here. 

Define your Limits:

Saying this is extremely easy but to act is very hard. Our grandparents used to save a lot of money by the end of month just because of this simple golden rule. They used to set up a limit for saving and saved that amount by any possible means. For example, my grandfather used to save at least $500 every month without considering that how he will manage the rest of his responsibilities. In this way, he had a lot of savings in the end. This is what we do not do. We do our calculations at the end of month by just regretting that we have lost a lot of money in buying useless things and this is just because lack of planning.

 

Parties on Specific Days:

No doubt, our grandparents loved to have parties too but not on regular basis, like the one, we do. They preferred enjoying parties mostly on the weekends by considering their budget. Sometimes, for better financial management, they used to have one-dish parties. In this way, they enjoyed their life as well as saved money too. This is what we lack nowadays. We like to party almost every day and spend a lot of our money on lots of unnecessary events, which spoils our monthly budget most of the times. 

Cooking Budget:

Instead of eating junk food daily, our grandparents preferred to design a weekly menu in order to have maximum savings by enjoying balanced diet in a month. On the contrary, today, our demands, eating preferences, and menus vary almost every day resulting in huge wastage of money. 

Prefer Durable Utensils:

Have you noticed that grandparents usually prefer to use durable utensils normally made up of copper, silver, or metal? Do you know why they used such type of utensils? It is just because these type of utensils are durable and can be polished on frequent basis to give them a new look. On contrary, these days, we use plastic made utensils, which we have to buy almost every month because they are not that much durable. Trust me that buying these utensils repeatedly ruins our budget. 

Take Time While Shopping:

How much time do you spend while shopping? Maximum 30 minutes or an hour, is it? Our grandparents used to spend a day for purchasing best possible stuff. Can you do this for you? Purchasing stuff in short time is not an art but purchasing high-quality stuff with some delay surely is. Grandparents never wasted their time but made best use of their time to achieve fruitful results. Spending maximum time in a shop or mart gives you an idea of current market prices along with the best purchase of items within your defined budgets. 

Final Words:

However, there is a change in culture, generation, and living styles yet ideas cannot change if followed properly.

Author’s Bio:

Mudasar began his career in finance at Speedyloan. Now, he helps people getting loans. To get more details, visit over here.

The Best Methods to Teach Your Grandchildren to Save Money

Too many people in society today live beyond their means. The economy has left people who had a good job trying to juggle their finances while earning a lower wage. People need to learn a new way of making ends meet. As a grandparent, you can help your grandchildren learn to save money. 

Tiny Feet Change the World

Creating a generation of savers can help protect your grandchildren against a future financial crisis. When the economy was growing rapidly, banks were willing to lend money and credit cards were easy to obtain. This led individuals to believe that they could obtain anything they wanted without having to work for it.

Changing the way people think about money and how to handle it can help your grandchildren understand that even if they want something they don’t necessarily have to have it. Sometimes it is important to save for a desired item, while other possessions are out of reach. 

No Longer a Disposable Society

For many years people would replace broken items instead of repairing them. The state of the economy made certain goods inexpensive, and repairs often cost more than buying a new product. With the decrease in wages and increase in prices, goods are often too expensive to replace.

It is important to teach grandchildren the benefits of repairing certain products. Cars are often expensive to replace but can be repaired. With the wide variety of resellers of auto parts, a person can find replacement parts for many different vehicles online and replace them on their own. Whether a person is looking for Ford Mustang parts, Chevrolet parts or foreign auto parts, repairing a car can often be cost effective.

Open a Savings Account

A good way to help teach your grandchildren to save is to open a savings account in their name. If your grandchildren are still minors, you can be custodian of the account. Many banks offer special programs for young children to make saving a fun prospect. If you start them while they are young, saving money may become a habit as they age. 

Reward them for Saving

Positive reinforcement is often a good way to encourage specific behavior. If your grandchildren save consistently you may want to offer a reward for their thrifty ways. Another idea is to set a monetary goal. When your grandchild reaches a specific amount in their savings account you can give them a gift, take them out for a meal, or even let them spend some of their money.

Grandparents are good role models for their grandchildren. If they see that you make saving money a priority they will be more apt to become savers. Encouraging them by open a savings account for them will allow them to have a good vehicle to save money. Rewarding your grandchildren when they save will help reinforce this behavior and create a potential saver.

This is no longer a disposable society, and people need to learn that they can’t buy everything they want. Instructing grandchildren in the benefits of saving will help them when they become adults and are providing for their children and grandchildren.

Adrienne is a blogger with an interest in personal finance. When she’s not blogging, you might find her practicing her French, whipping up some recipes she found on Pinterest, or obsessing over vintage postcards and stamps.

How to Teach Your Grandkids About the Value of Money

As a grandparent, many assume the role of teaching valuable life lessons to their grandchildren. While this responsibility also falls on the shoulders of the parents, it takes a village as the expression goes. So the question becomes, how can you teach them important lessons that can really benefit them as they grow up? While it might not be easy, teaching them an ideal like the value of money is a great place to begin.

The trouble is, many people do not know how to express this to younger children. This can prove to be a difficult point to get across, especially when there are similar ideals missing from the equation. However, this article should introduce you to a few ways that you can begin teaching them this priceless lesson.

Chores
Many experts suggest that one of the most effective ways to introduce children to the importance and the value of money in their lives is to have them earn it somehow. Chores are a great way to exercise this point. You simply map out age appropriate tasks for them and in exchange, offer an allowance at the end of the day or at some appropriate time. This can teach them responsibility and the exchange of working for the money they can later spend.

Rates of Pay
An important thing that children seem to take a long time understanding is the amount of money an adult has at any given time. This can be a lesson that is taught by explaining a daily rate or an hourly rate (for older children). This can allow them to start putting together the fact that the amount of money someone has is relative to how they have worked. If they make 100 dollars a day for instance, and they only work 4 days one week, then they will have no more than 400 dollars.

Paying Up
Allow your grandchildren to witness you paying bills or buying things at the store. Help them to find the appropriate amounts for the order. Show them that each bill has different values, and that within only a few activities, this collection of money can be gone. This can help them appreciate that a lot of money goes to bills, utilities, food and more every month.

The Goal
Allow them to choose one larger item from the store that you are willing to buy them if they were to work off the amount that it costs. This will help them to appreciate the exchange of working for monetary amounts, and the amount of work that is relative to purchase even one thing. If this is a new game, a CD, a toy or whatever the case might be, it is not going to be something they barely do anything for. Consider monetary amounts for different chores and activities around your house and their own house. Get the parents involved in keeping track of their progress when you aren't there. When they have reached the goal, they can get the item. You can start over with a new item, and continue the lesson.

While these seem a lot like introducing children to working for money, that is a huge part of valuing amounts and what those amounts can purchase. It keeps them from making mindless purchases as often growing up, and helps them to be better stewards of their own finances because they remember working hard for what they have.


Johnathan Rodriguez writes about parenting, finance & health insurance quotes.

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5 Trips to Take the Grandkids On

Cinderella Castle by day (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Its summertime and the grandkids are out of school and heading your way for a week or so. Want to do something extra special with them this summer? Take them on a trip that they will never forget, here are 5 trip ideas to help you:

Disney: Who doesn’t want to go to Disneyland or Disneyworld? Whether you choose the west coast or the east coast, there is fun to be had for both kids and adults. Disney is a magical place where your grandkids can run wild and use their imaginations. The best time to take them is between about 4 years old to 12 years old. There are always great specials and deals for families, especially in the off season.

Beach: Summer vacations are always best spent next to the ocean, playing in the sand. You can rent little houses or hotel rooms near a beach for a weekend getaway. Avoid big party beaches and aim for family friendly beaches. They tend to be the smaller beaches outside of the big ‘party’ beaches. Find a nice beach to build sandcastle and collect seashells on. And don’t forget the sunscreen and watch the tide!

Camping: There are plenty of camping sites across the United Sates that offer great camping sites. Go big and head to Yellowstone or go local. This is a great time to show your grandchildren things in nature and get them away from video games and television. Whether you want to head to a lake or the mountains, your options are unlimited. Camp by a fire or in a cabin, whatever you do bring the bug spray and the mores.

Washington DC: A very educational and beautiful city to teach your older grandchildren about the history of the United States. There are many things outside of political monuments to visit like huge art museums and the zoo.

Historical cities: If big road trips out of the budget this summer, travel to the closest city for historical landmarks. Major cities like Ft. Worth, Texas, Boston, Massachusetts and San Diego California are just a few examples of affordable cities with rich history and plenty of attractions to visit. Cities like this have a great visitor bureau website to help you plan your next trip!

Call the grandkids, pack the bags and hit the road for a fun summer trip with quality time spent with your family. Pick a location based on their age and enjoyment level for the whole family and go! Have fun and safe travels!

About the Author:

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of full time nanny.
She welcomes your comments at her email Id: - jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

Economy Boost Attributed To Secret Weapon: Grandparents

Last year America's 70 million grandparents spent $52 billion dollars on their grand kids according to Grandparents.com . That's a lot of spending power in the middle of a recession. But for them birthdays and Christmas are not the only time of year they give to the little tykes. Grandparents also contribute $17 billion dollars to the grandchildren's education. This includes payments for private school tuition, after school programs, college savings plans, textbooks and supplies. They also spend $10 billion on clothing for the kiddies and $6 billion or more on toys.

Today's grandparents are avoiding the silly plastic trinkets and useless electronic gadgets for more long term meaningful things like education. Even though hit by a hard economy and ever rising prices it's a rare grandparent that doesn't sacrifice for their little ones. They are there to also help teach the little ones valuable life lessons as they grow. You will hear grandparents say the way to a happy life is not the latest toy, but education and a good job, it is necessary for a bright future.

The growing trend nowadays is that the grandparents are in better financial shape than their children. This allows them to pick up the slack when it comes to the needs of the grandchildren. Grandparents who are retired or near retiring are able with their extra time or financial resources to help more. The parents may have no money available or are suffering from a job loss and need the help. Thank goodness for the grandparents help.

It's a fact that the generation of the parents will not be as prosperous as the generation of the grandparents. The parents are being called the sandwich generation. They are in the middle of parents who are enjoying extended life spans and children growing up in an ever expensive lifestyle.

If you were able to have your grandparents in your life as you were growing up you were lucky. In my case, my 2 grandfathers were alive to see me marry. Except for my Father, they have been the most influential men in my life. They were frugal before frugal was something new. They taught me about life and family. The made my life richer. I hope I can be half as good as they were. Again, thank goodness for grandparents.


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