Every Monday, I answer a question or two from my readers. If you’ve got a burning question you’d like me to answer, email me (the frugal girl {at} gmail {dot} com and put Q&A in the subject line, or leave me a comment on this post.
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The following question is from a reader named Amy.
What do you feed your children for snacks? I feel like I’m going in the right direction with breakfast, lunch and dinner, in that our meals are simple, balanced and homemade. But my boys, who are 5 and 3, are hungry all. day. long. I know that small children often need to eat frequent small meals, so I don’t want to deny them when they say they are hungry. But I find that I get exasperated by their constant requests for more food, and end up giving them less-than-stellar snacks. I should probably just stop buying things like crackers and cereal bars, but I do find they are easy to throw in the bag for our many trips to the playground.
As I’ve written before, I try not to buy too many snack foods. They tend to be overpriced and at the very least, not any more nutritious than regular food. In addition, a lot of snacks are packaged individually, which means they produce more waste than other foods.
We don’t do a lot of eating in between meals, mostly because I feel like I spend enough time making and cleaning up breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I don’t want to bother with doing snacks for four kids as well. I also feel like my children eat a better meal if they haven’t been doing a bunch of snacking. Without snacks, they tend to eat a little more at a meal, which in turn makes them less hungry for a snack later on.
On the occasions when we do need a snack in between meals, we eat things like baby carrots, grapes, granola bars, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices (my kids like these with a little salt sprinkled on them), bananas, and occasionally crackers.
So, I’d recommend looking for produce items that your children like and that are both portable and easy to serve. Of if you prefer to serve granola bars as snacks, you could make your own(I have a recipe here and another here ). Another option is to serve a bagel or a piece of toast or something else along those lines. Bread is similar nutritionally speaking to crackers, but it’s usually a lot cheaper.
If you wanted to cut down on the number of times you have to dole out snacks each day, you might consider having set snack times. For instance, you could have one snack at 10 AM, in between breakfast and lunch, and another at 3 PM, in between lunch and dinner. Of course, if the multiple snack times are working out well for you, you’ll probably want to carry on as usual.
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This question is from fellow blogger Frugal Dreamer.
What did you do before you were married and had kids? Did you attend College/University? Did you travel?
Actually, I didn’t have much time before I got married and had kids!
Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of my life before kids:
Spring 1996-graduated from high school
Fall 1996-started college, began relationship with my now-husband
August 1997-got married
September 1999-had first baby
Here’s a more detailed version for those of you who are interested.
I graduated from high school in 1996 when I was 18, and that’s when I met my now-husband. We didn’t really start our relationship until that August, though, which is when I started attending college.
In January of 1997, after one semester of college, we got engaged, and we scheduled our wedding for August of that year. So, I only finished one more semester before we got married.
Although it was my first classroom experience since kindergarten, I did very well at college. Even with 17 credits, I thought the work load there was lighter and easier than a homeschool work load.
However, after a lot of consideration and with my parents’ blessing, I decided to take the rest of my college savings and use it to purchase a piano of my own, so that I could continue teaching piano students once I got married. I felt like the piano would be of more use to me than the college degree, and as it turns out, I was right.
If I had continued on with my course of study, I would have graduated in the spring of 1999. And considering that we ended up having our first baby in September of 1999 (which was a little over two years after we got married), I wouldn’t even have gotten to use my degree at all before having kids.
So, instead of finishing college, I used my piano to teach a very large number of piano students (I had 55 at one point) from September 1997 to September 1999, which helped us out a lot financially. We were able to pay off my husband’s existing car loan, and we bought a new car for me and paid it off in under a year. We also paid off medical bills with that money and saved up to buy our first home.
I’ve taught piano students on a part-time basis since we’ve had kids, so the piano has continued to be a wonderful investment. I also use my piano to prepare for weddings, for church, and for other paid jobs, and my children are now learning how to play the piano as well.
I know a lot of people don’t feel fulfilled if they don’t have their degree, but I’m not one of them. I’m so happy to have my piano instead of an un-used college degree (and I’m also very thankful that I didn’t have any student loans to contend with!).
I also don’t at all regret getting married when I was 19…I’d always wanted to be a wife and a mom, and I had no desire to go and do something like traveling the world if I had to do it by myself! Plus, since I started so young, I will only be 45 when our youngest turns 18, which means that my husband and I hopefully have time to enjoy some fun empty nesting years in the future. Getting married at 19 certainly isn’t for everybody, but I think it’s what I was supposed to do.
sophia says
EngineerMom, I agree with you. Men are more likely to ask for raises, stand up for themselves, etc. And especially when it comes to what we tell our children about how to view themselves, it affects them. I remember there was a Barbie that, when you pressed a button, said in an annoyed voice “Math is HARD, let’s go shopping!” Gee, awesome message, haha.
Megan says
Hi, I just discovered your blog, so I hope you have not answered this question already.
But I want to start weekly menu planning. However, I am a recent college graduate and am just beginning to settle in on living on my own. And because I am by myself, I only go to the grocery store about once a week. Do you have any suggestions?
Maria says
@EngineerMom
I hope I didn’t come across as harsh myself–I think I sometimes grow frustrated at hearing people wonder at what use an English degree has. I’ve always been a humanities-minded person with a passion for words in various contexts, so I suppose I grew up recognizing the value of what a college-level English degree could bring.
First, there are some obvious-sounding areas into which people who majored in English enter. Some double-major or minor in education so they can teach at the high school level; some join the communications departments of companies; some enter journalism or publishing. Those who pursue a master’s degree or PhD can continue on to a career in academia.
Then there are less obvious-sounding areas. I know former English students who have gotten jobs in marketing (not just the copywriting side), finance, human resources, government and various forms of business.
Nowadays, an English major requires that you apply not only literary theory but also critical theory to your arguments. This is why I think my education has taught me to be an independent thinker capable of supporting my arguments. It’s also taught me to be resourceful, so I know how to be creative when I have to market myself for a job.
I’m not saying everyone who’s majored in English knows what to do with herself after she walks off the stage with diploma in hand. Some people don’t know why they chose the major they did in college; they think, “I graduated high school. My parents expect me to go to college. I must choose something to make everyone happy.”
This is one reason I wish there was less of that expectation in this country–the expectation that students must begin their college studies the fall immediately after graduating high school. I think it’s unhealthy. You cannot expect every 18-year-old to know where their interests lie. Your education is what you make of it, but when you have no clue what you’re doing, you’re not going to do well.
But this is also why it’s important that parents do what Kristen advocates–helping kids learn where their gifts and passions lie. This way, kids cultivate interests and grow self-confidence. Hopefully they’ll have a good sense of what they want to do to support themselves once they’re in “the real world.”
Loren says
Kristen- I appreciate you sharing your story with us. I found your blog a couple of months ago and had to subscribe, since I too am a piano teacher, LOVE photography, and am now a stay-at-home mom.
So now, I HAVE to make a comment -they are all so good.
I have a 4 year IT degree that took me a long time to get (9 years while night schooling it and working full-time, with about a year off when I didn’t have the funds). I avoided ANY & ALL debt for college because I had a job that would pay for some of it, I got a scholarship, AND got college credit for my job in my career field. I did change my major a couple of times in the beginning too.
That being said, I too met my husband my first semester in college, while still 18 1/2, if the half counts! We both had some growing up to do, so we decided not to get married or have kids until much later in our lives.
I have reflected on my path and yours in comparison, and conclude that we are (like everyone) are two different people with different circumstances. I am the youngest in my family, so I imagine that I needed (although I was very responsible for my age) to mature way more than you, before I made a family of my own. There were many things in my twenties that I enjoyed before getting married and having kids(career, 401K savings, trip to Europe with friends, other vacations with my now husband).
Anyway, I now am teaching piano and wonder WHY I didn’t do it sooner! I LOVE it and had the skills all along to do so(except being a mom, which is wonderful in helping to teach!). I feel confident that my decision, all be a long process one, was the best for me. I feel relaxed because I have a ton of skills that allow me to work at home, via contract, should I need to go back to work if something happens to my husband or his job. I chose my profession specialty (web programming & design work) so that I COULD (& have) work from anywhere. The experience I have gained has totally also helped in managing my piano business and website, etc.
I also like that I have my degree. For me, it is one of my personal goals achieved. FOR ME.
You have achieved so much at a young age and it seems that you have worked it all out, regardless of a degree or not. Many, many people do. Priorities and work ethic, along with intelligence, go a LONG way!!
Thanks Kristen, again, for sharing and all your posts!
WilliamB says
@EngineerMom: that’s great that you got the communicating along with the engineering. It must really give your university’s grads a boost in their careers.
Another example of pink collaring is happening now in vetinary medicine. Over 60% of vet grads are women, and starting salaries have rarely been so low (in inflation-adjusted terms). Before about 1880, being a scribe/clerk/secretary was the first step on the ladder to becoming an important lawyer or businessman. After that it became a pink collar, dead end ghetto. What happened around 1880? The typewriting machine, customarily operated by women, became common.
PS – Upon rereading, my comment about theater majors comes across as harsh. Wasn’t meant to be; was meant to be an illustration about differing points of view.
Amy says
Thanks for the snack tips. This week hasn’t been so snack-centric.
I think not buying processed stuff to begin with is the best plan of action.
I also think it’s mostly my issue… I get lazy about making sure they actually eat a good breakfast (rather than being preoccupied by my favorite blogs while I sip my coffee, lol).
Kristen says
@EngineerMom
Q&A posts aren’t always just about frugality and so it makes total sense that the following discussion wouldn’t just be about frugality.
No, no, it’s fine! I brought the topic up originally in my post, so it’s totally fine to chat about it here.
To respond to what you said, I think it’s really important for parents to help children figure out where their gifts, skills and passions lie. I hope to do that as a part of our homeschooling…as it becomes clear what each child’s gifts are, I’ll try to mold their schooling in a way that helps to prepare them to use that gift as an adult.
EngineerMom says
@WilliamB – That’s a very good point, about communication. The university I went to emphasized communication classes for the engineering majors. It didn’t always go over well with the students (since mose of us would rather be working on complex differential equation problems than writing papers!), but it turned out to be very useful in the long run.
You are correct – 90% of any successful idea is not just coming up with the idea, but convincing the right people that it’s worth using. This is a great point as to how an English major can be helpful. Thank you.
@sophia – You make a good point about what happens when jobs become “pink collar”. There is a flip side, though, too. Women need to be willing to stand up for themselves in the work place. I wish there was a good way to teach this in school, but from what I have observed as a tutor, friend, classmate, and coworker is that most women learned how to view themselves through the lenses of their parents. Moms who repeatedly self-degraded their own skills and abilities – “I’m just not good at math” – set their daughters up for the belief that math is not something girls do. Dads who don’t help a struggling daughter with math homework because the daughter is doing well in English “and her grade-point is good enough” while signing a son up for calculus tutoring because he’s getting a B- send a pretty clear message about what skills are expected out of women vs. men.
Well-rounded educations with a real view towards the student’s goals and desires would be perfect. Unfortunately, most of us don’t know what we’ll want at 35 when we’re 18. I was petrified about choosing the “wrong” career. Maybe one thing to really encourage with our own kids would be volunteering – it’s definitely a good way to figure out what you enjoy!
P.S. – Kristen, do you want us to take this over to someone else’s blog? I’d offer mine, unless another person has a blog more oriented towards this topic.
Anyazs says
For me, nuts are the best snack! They’re very filling and you can usually find peanuts on sale. I don’t think anyone has mentioned popcorn… if you pop your own, it’s very inexpensive, and doesn’t require that much prep time. I pop a big batch in olive oil and season with cumin, coriander, salt, paprika, and cayenne. It usually doesn’t last long, though.
Michelle says
We have snacks at set times–10 and 3. The plus side is that it helps to keep the kids from wanting to munch all.day.long. The minus side is that they EXPECT to eat at 10 and 3, whether they’re hungry or not. When nobody’s been hungry and I haven’t offered 10:00 snack and nobody noticed, then at lunch time, my younger ones have been known to cry because they didn’t get a snack. Even though their lunch is sitting on a plate in front of them. I don’t know where the middle ground is. I worry that we’re teaching them to ignore their body’s signals, but I can’t handle feeding people constantly. Plus, if one kid saw somebody else eating, then he’d want to eat then too, just so things would be “fair.” Sigh.
Snack is more manageable if I plan ahead and bake something like banana bread or granola bars (I’m definitely trying your latest recipe!) or muffins. It’s that “planning ahead” part that throws me, though, and I usually resort to crackers (with or without cheese) or sometimes apple & peanut butter. Or a bowl of cereal or yogurt.
Bethany says
How useful would one consider a BA in Children’s Ministry and Bible
Well, I did get 3 years of quality, full-time work out of it. Now I have a desk job (which required a BA, so it is still useful). I’m going on to get my MBA though. It is part of my salary package so it will be free 
Score!!! No, its not for everyone. A degree is as useful as the person and his or her natural talents make it.
Frugal Liz says
@Meg H
Your treat bag idea is so awesome! And carrying a cup to get water is even better! We’re going to Disney World in October and I will definitely be doing these two things.
sophia says
I think a large part of our values on the usefulness/uselessness of degrees has to do with which degrees are feminized. English, the Arts, even “soft” sciences like Psych and Soc. are heavily female dominated. There is a well documented phenomenon that when jobs become “pink collar” they are less valued. For example, bank tellers, secretaries, even department store salespeople, oh, and also teachers, used to be heavily male dominated. As women moved into those professions, men moved out, and the real wage, not to mention the respect given the job, went down. As a culture we have little respect for the arts compared to the “harder” and “more respected” math and sciences. Yet study after study lauds the positive benefits of art, of musicianship. I think I’m a much more well rounded and better person due to taking humanities, sociology, psychology, tons of history. For me personally, the easiest classes I took were my “right or wrong” classes- math, science, even business. It was far more interesting and involving (and difficult) for me to read 15 books and synthesize them into a 50 page paper presenting an original theory than it was to memorize equations and definitions.
Anyway, what I’m getting at is that, as Kristen said, usefulness/uselessness is so highly subjective. For EngineerMom, her passion is somewhere else, for me, somewhere else, etc. etc. I wish that the focus on higher education was more about becoming a well rounded, educated, interested person, pursuing the degree *you want* to prepare you for the life *you want*. So many of my friend begrudgingly got MBA’s, knowing following their real dreams would be a disappointment. Or they studied the arts, when they really didn’t have a passion for it, because they came from an artistic family that wouldn’t be excited about a Chemistry degree… anyway, this is long and rambly, sorry Kristen!
WilliamB says
@EngineerMom: In terms of usefulness I consider theater to be near the bottom of the heap, even though several of my friends and classmates make their living acting.
As someone who has been on the hiring end of the process, to me an English degree indicates the candidate can (probably) read, write, and verbally analyze. This is *very* important. These are fundamental skills that are hard to teach an employee- it’s easier in an academic context – so I’m happy to see the job’s been done for me. It’s like hiring a utility infielder: ze’s got the fundamentals, I can teach more specific skills.
Not all English majors (or any major with a lot of writing, such as political science or rhetoric) have these skills and the skills are not fundamental for all jobs. Nonetheless, written communication is important in many jobs, even ones that where the need isn’t obvious – in my past, the non-obvious fields have included finance and construction. Think of it this way: to succeed you have to persuade others. Most persuation takes place with words, not numbers. Therefore good command of how to use words properly and persuasively is important.
That said, one can have specific skills and a command of reading, writing, and thinking. I like to hire those folks as well.
Meg H says
Easy, healthy snacks for kids(carried in a lunchbox cooler on outings or indivally packed, with names of kids, for “special occasion” trips)
mini pretzels, mini carrots or largesize, cut-up, frozen grapes, nuts, cheese strings, or cheese cut-up, homemade tortilla wraps with meat & cheese, cut in half, favorite fruit, cut-up, snap or sugar peas, celery sticks with peanut butter & raisins (ants on a log), mini bagels, cut-up, pick-up size sandwiches (peanut butter, chicken salad, pimento cheese, jelly, meat & cheese, etc., mini broccoli crowns, mini muffins (bananna nut, honey bran, etc). See a pattern here? Make it bite size, and kids will eat it! When we took special trips, like Disney World, I packed each child their own “treat bag” for each day of the trip. They could only open it on that day, and when it was gone, no more treats! They got to decide how quickly to consume their goodies, knowing that there would be no more until tomorrow. It worked great, and was well worth the time it took in planning. Can enough be said for water? Carry a cup-it’s free in restrooms or water fountains.
I got married at 20 & had three kids in four years! I was busy. However, my kids are now almost 17, 18 & 20. My husband just turned 41 & I’ll be 41 in Sept. I have managed to work on two college degrees, on occasion, with financial aid. Business Admin & AA Transfer. Now, I have decided to pursue teaching and will start my Early Childhood Birth-Kindergarten in August. I have stayed home fulltime, worked parttime, and worked fulltime, and gone to college full or part time in between, so in a way, I’ve tried it all. It was always a sacrifice, but a choice, for us. Even through the toughest of times, our family is very close. I really enjoy reading your blog & sharing of information is what leads to bettering ourselves. Thanks for the simple pleasure of reading and communicating.
EngineerMom says
I guess what I’m try to say is, I have a paradigm – please, come change it.
EngineerMom says
@Maria – nope, EngineerMom is right! I use a couple of variations because “EngineerMom” isn’t always available as a name.
You know, I may very well be speaking purely from my upbringing when I refer to an English degree as “useless”. For the record, I took several semesters of German, a creative writing course, a broad-based English course, a “technical communications course”, ballet, and a number of other classes that were, on the surface, unrelated to an engineering degree. I think my attitude of English as a “useless” major stems from an inability to visualize what one would do with an English degree post-graduation. It’s easy for me to see where an education, music, foreign language, engineering, pre-med, nursing, or science degree would lead, but other than on to higher education, I have trouble thinking where an English major ends up. Teaching? Wouldn’t an education major be better-qualified? Advanced degrees (Ph.d.)? So an English major can train up more English majors?
What does an English major do after college? Answering this question would be extremely helpful to me. I and my siblings were pushed into “useful” career paths by our parents. I had a definite disdain for the fine arts majors, until I met my husband. All three of his siblings are in theater, so I’m finally getting to see what one does with a theater major. Admittedly, their financial status will be shaky for several years post-grad (all but one are done, and the last is in theater education), but the two that are finished ARE building their careers, and they love what they do.
Auntie Donna says
I have three step sons… 17, 13 and 12 who love to snack between lunch and dinner, and a niece who likes a light snack after nap before dinner. In trying to be frugal and flexible, I have given the kids apples and cheese or nutbutter thinned with water, home-made granola, crasins(or home made dried fruit) with dry cereal(this travels well for any age kid), and any sort of juice or water. They also know they can have any fruit or veggie anytime. One nephew loves cherry tomatoes, so if he asks for something, I try to have that on hand if I know he is coming to visit. Snacks dont have to be a mock meal…just a little something, and fruits and veggies metabolize so quickly that I dont worry that it will “ruin” their dinner.
Kristen says
@Bethany Absolutely. Had my prince charming not arrived so soon, I’d have finished college and gotten a full-time job. My piano purchase is what worked for me in my situation, but it’s certainly not what works for everyone else.
Maria, I’m glad you de-lurked.
Bethany says
I’m single with no children. Would I like to be married with children? Well, yah, but that just isn’t happening right now (takes two to tango). Had I bought a piano post-high school, I’d be in a lot of trouble now…a piano is a tool I could not use (no talent). However, the tool I bought was a college education, and that’s what I need to make a living. Someone else might need to buy a plane or kitchen supplied or a guitar. To each his own.
Maria says
EngineerMother, I mean. Sorry about that.
@Maria
Maria says
Kristen–I have been a lurker on your page for several months now and thought I should speak up (even if I go into hiding afterwards)! Your blog has been a source of many useful tips for me, and I appreciate your grounded approach to frugal living. I am unmarried with no kids, but your page provides plenty of frugal living advice that I can apply to my lifestyle. I’ve also tried a few of your recipes (I enjoy baking from scratch) and love the photos of your cute children!
EngineerMom–I wonder why you consider an English degree unusable. You might be surprised at how many people–even those with advanced degrees in other areas–lack decent communication and critical thinking skills. Those who deliberately pursue a degree in English (by which I mean they didn’t choose that area of study simply because they had to choose something) and know how to market themselves certainly can find employment in a range of fields and make a very good living. I beg you to rethink your attitude. Yes, I studied English in undergrad–and believe it’s prepared me for a lifetime of success. Studying English at the undergrad level involves far more than hanging out in coffee shops while wearing black and writing bad poems!
Tate says
I have recently discovered your blog, Kristen, and enjoyed reading your little “life story.” I too married at 18 (my husband is two years older) after high school, and I too had one semester of college before I began to have children. (I’m sure I am older than most of your readers.) By the time I was 25, I had our four children. We were living on the GI bill, and my husband was in school to earn his undergrad degree. Even though we only lived on a total of about $500/month, we made it, and nobody was deprived. My husband then landed his first job, we moved with no student debt whatsover, and his company paid for him to enroll in a university MBA program (a $10,000 program at that time). By this time, our youngest was in preschool two mornings a week, and I began to study toward my teaching degree at the local community college, transferring after 2 years to a university 60 miles away (this involved a commute) where I earned a BS in education.
So now we were only in our mid-thirties with a soon-to-be college freshman! I worked substitute teaching here and there (I still wanted to be an at home mother for the most part), but here is where I believe God honored that desire. Our four children eventually graduated from very prestigious uiversities–Notre Dame, two from Cornell, and one from Wake Forest. And except for a couple thousand dollars here and there, they were debt free. They all have since earned master degrees too.
We have always lived a thrifty life, just as you do. Our income is still quite modest. I strongly believe that God watches out for us and gives us more than we could ever hope for. Do I think there will ever be a time when I cease to rely on Him? No, never! But He has promised to carry us to the end, even with our grey heads!
Christine @ becomingp31 says
Just a quick note – I have a universtiy degree (I like to call it my $40,000 wall hanging) and all the student loan debt that went with it! Although there were many skills that college gave me, I certainly would not make the same choice if I were to go back and do it all again!! I would probably take a short program (less student debt) a pick something that would give me skills for jobs that I could do from home or on a p/t basis.
Frugal Liz says
@EngineerMom
If my husband were to die, I would get $400,000 in life insurance. I would also continue to get military medical insurance and my family would be eligible for SS benifits totalling about $2400 per month. One of the reasons I’m going back to school, though, is I worry about my husband getting disabled or killed. I wouldn’t want to have to ask my parents for money in the event something awful happens. I’m getting a degree to be a radiologist tech.
EngineerMom says
Thanks for the response! I grew up with no concrete examples of how to live (not just survive) without a degree, so I “automatically” went to college after high school. I was fortunate to land in a major that resulted in a career I enjoy. I also went to school with two people who wasted a LOT of money (tens of thousands of dollars) pursuing majors that turned out to be useless. One switched from engineering to education, which required switching schools, and not all his hard-earned credits transferred. The other, a physics major, dropped out completely without finishing his degree a year after losing his scholarship, then had to work as a cashier and manager at Wal-Mart for about 5 years while living at home before he was able to pay it off and start over in a career path with more tangible value to him (he couldn’t hack it as a physics major and just wasn’t willing to accept it until it was too late).
I think the key here is to take the time to think about what you want and what it will take to get there. Your decision to purchase a piano with your college savings was definitely the right one for you, your work ethic, and your personal situation. It was as more of an investment in your and your family’s future than a degree would have been.
Frugal Dreamer says
Great post! My parents were more than comfortable (financial wise) and neither of them have a degree. I don’t think having a degree defines one’s success. From what you write about, you’re far more successful than the doctor or the lawyer.
(and much happier too!)
Kristen says
Good question. We have enough life insurance for me to pay off the house, and if Steve died, I’d sell his truck and just keep my van. With no mortgage, and only one car, my bills would be fairly minimal.
I can make $25 an hour or more teaching piano, so I’d take on more students and also do photography as needed to pay my bills. I can make pretty decent money doing weddings and accompanying jobs too.
Daycare wouldn’t be a problem because the moms of my students watch my kids, and my kids tag along when I do photos. I’d hire babysitting for the piano playing jobs. Plus, in a few more years Joshua will be old enough to babysit his siblings if necessary.
So, while it obviously wouldn’t be ideal to live on only my income, I could make it work fairly well.
My degree would actually have earned me less than the pay I make playing and teaching piano.
EngineerMom says
Snacks – one of my favorite snacks as a kid was an apple and some peanut butter. I didn’t even bother cutting the apple up – just took bites of apple and peanut butter together. Done that way, it’s a fairly portable snack. To the poster who submitted the comment, maybe the kids aren’t getting enough fiber, fat, and/or protein at meals? All three of those affect how “full” one feels, and for how long.
I got married at 24 and had my first baby at 25 (I turn 27 in August). I have a mechanical engineering degree, which has turned out to be a life-saver for our family, especially right now as my husband will be out of work between finishing his Ph.D. at the end of June and whenever he’s able to find and start a post-doc position. I graduated with $5000 in student loans, which translates into $50/month in payments until October 2009. I take a certain comfort in knowing that if Brian became unable to work for some reason, we’d be ok.
Kristen and other moms without usable degrees (by which I mean things that would help you get a job – like a nursing, engineering, or teaching degree, not ye olde English degree) – Do you ever worry about what would happen if your husband was permanently unable to work? I really don’t mean this in a judgemental way – I grew up in a family with a pair of Ph.D.’s for parents, so it’s difficult for me to see how life would go on if the only parent with sufficiently marketable skills to support a family were suddenly incapacitated.
Frugal Liz says
I got married when I was 20 and had my first child at 21. I only went to college for 2 years, so I don’t have a degree either! I recently started taking a few classes at night, but only because I have this financial aid called the Pell Grant. It provides me with $4800 in financial aid per year and since I’m going to a community college, it coveres all of my tuition and book costs. I wouldn’t be able to go if I had to pay for it myself.
Do you ever make rice crispy treats for your kids? Sometimes I make them and mix in a little peanut butter to make them taste better and be slightly more nutritious. I buy generic rice crispies for $1.50 and tiny marshmellows for $1.00 per bag. Half a bag makes a full batch of treats.