Goals

A couple of days ago I was surveying the Christmas bounty that my son had received, both from his Dad and I, and all of his amazing relatives, and I came to realization that it was time to take a break from the constant purchasing.  I've never been the sort of parent who spends exorbitant amounts of money on my son, but he's a young toddler who is tall for his age and goes through clothes at a frightening clip. I'm also a sucker for all the cute, high-quality wooden toys out there and have had a hard time limiting how much of those toys I buy for him.

I do have a distinct knack for being able to find things for free for him and have also become quite a proficient barterer/swapper to get the things I need or want for him without spending any money. Now that the holidays are over and it's time to start fresh in a new year I'm going to try and use my thrifty skills to accomplish a more concrete goal. Over 2011 I would like to spend as little as possible on clothes, shoes, and toys for my son. With this blog I would like to document how I do this while still making sure he has everything he needs and some of what he wants. I will also throw out the caveat that I am not the sort of parent who will dress her child in whatever she can find without concern for vanity. I prefer to have my son in nice clothes and name-brand shoes as well as playing with high-quality wooden toys. I also try to make sure as many of my purchases are eco-friendly and chemical-free as possible.

Along the way I hope to show where I think the money saved on clothes and toys should be spent, such as on art supplies, activities, and the occasional splurge for him just because.