This article is about a resident of the UK who spent 400 pounds a month (31,500 rubles) on games and clothes for children, which cost her too much. In this regard, the woman urges to abandon the purchase of an excessive amount of things for her children. She assures that a much better solution would be to surround them with intangible pleasures.
Environmentalists say that over-buying toys entails their release and contributes to the growth of a mountain of plastic in a landfill. Also, according to American studies, it is known that if children under five years old have too many toys, they cannot benefit from them, since they cannot concentrate on something for a long time.
The story of one mom
As in many families, one room in this house is for two sons - three-year-old Alfie and one-year-old Charlie. Children's shelves are simply bursting with the abundance of toys placed on them.
As soon as the boys' mother found out that Alfie was pregnant, she decorated his future bedroom with a farm theme. However, when a woman became a fan of the planets, the bedroom was again furnished in a different way. When relatives said that the child does not need so many games and decorations, the girl simply did not want to hear this. Everything was exactly the exact opposite. The woman set off in all serious ways, starting to literally buy up children's goods on websites and in stores. It seemed that absolutely everything could be needed - from dental rings to developing books.
Here the thought may flash through your head that if you create an idyllic childhood for your children, they will thus be protected and distracted from all the horrors of the surrounding world, in which adults are. Only now, in adulthood, we can understand that the cunning commercialization of childhood through social networks and parent blogs leads us to such thoughts.
How to stop wasting money
After Christmas, the heroine of our article, struggling to find a place to store new toys, realized that this was enough. The woman had to stop trying to buy the perfect life for her sons through games and expensive clothes that they did not need.
She decided to launch a challenge called "Restore Childhood." Its essence is not to buy anything extra for 12 months. The girl is convinced that many mothers will benefit from her Reclaim Childhood Challenge.
Seven months later, I was amazed at how easy it was to do it. The boys are too small to have any power, and therefore they benefit from the fact that we remember them, and not give them new things.
With the absence of an excessive amount of toys, the boys' mother noticed that the guys began to concentrate their attention on one thing longer and are satisfied with what they have.
In March, I stepped back from the challenge and bought them a train, as a bribe for good behavior. Not getting anything new from Christmas, the boys shook these engines as if they were the most valuable things on the planet.
How does shopping addiction begin?
The excessive expenses of this woman began when she first became a mother and wanted to be perfect. In fact, in the first month of motherhood you are sleep deprived and you may not understand what you are doing. Then you start to see on the Internet images of mothers who supposedly live an ideal life. And it begins to seem that, having bought what they are promoting, you will also be in their place.
One-click shopping is too easy. You can spend without thinking that it is dangerous for your bank account and even your state of mind.
When Alfie was eight months old, I followed mom on Instagram who bought beautiful clothes from Zara Kids. Their kids looked amazing, so I also ordered them full boxes of things, leaving round sums there. Many items of this clothing remained folded in anticipation of a special occasion that did not occur.
Another drawback is the purchase of cheap trinkets in the supermarket. Many mothers buy something for their children so that they shut up and sit quietly in the trolley, threatening to lay out the thing with bad behavior.
Mom's right behavior
Since the launch of the challenge in the family of the heroine, significant changes have come. Now she simply explains to the children that they already have too many games. Also a good alternative would be an offer to buy this toy for a birthday. Of course, this approach does not mean that you need to buy one, but the best toy. To save, it is important to know the measure by reducing the scale of purchases.
Another result of the accepted call is the absence of unnecessary purchases. Now the woman does not focus on buying toys and unnecessary clothes and ponders everything she buys. The family began to save at least 350 pounds a month, has more money to pay for classes and excursions for children. For example, the youngest took up gymnastics, which he loves.
Reclaim Childhood Challenge is needed in order to avoid unnecessary purchases, as well as to save money. By teaching our children to expect less, we help them take more out of life, taking pleasure in seeing and doing, rather than acquiring.
How to restore childhood
Here are some tips on how to provide your baby with a true childhood.
- Take your phone off. You will be shocked to find that you spend about 5 hours a day viewing profiles and unnecessary products on social networks.
- Create cash envelopes. There may be several: for food, travel, children, clothes, food and much more. It is important to stick to the limited envelope monthly budget.
- Days without shopping. Write down every amount spent in a notebook. Records can serve instead of receipts, and also clearly show you the days when you did not buy anything.
- Holidays instead of toys. To stimulate savings, you can spend this money not on the purchase of extra toys, but, for example, on a dream family vacation.
- Exclude viewing ads. Whenever children watch television commercial breaks, they want new toys. Record ad-free cartoon shows, this will significantly reduce your spending.
- Second-hand clothes. There is nothing wrong with having younger brothers or sisters wear their older clothes. If it is of high quality and in good condition, why not?
