Saving Money at the Dentist

We have all our dental appointments tomorrow. This is not a day I really look forward to twice a year, due to traumatic dental experiences as a child. So I try to NOT pass on this fear to my little ones.

How do I do that? By offering a reward.

See, it takes so long to get all of us through the dentist that we usually drive through McDonald's for a treat after, and get everyone something from the Dollar Menu to hold them over until we are home. A couple years ago I got to thinking - our co-pay for cavities is $40. So I tell the kids that anyone who has teeth CLEANER than mine can get themselves and ENTIRE meal. It still costs less than a co-pay for one cavity, but gives the kids an incentive to keep their teeth clean all through the year, since they never get an entire meal at a fast food restaurant.

It Works for Me (we haven't had a cavity yet!), it might Work for You too!

They Work!

Remember when I told you all about my new "curtains" I made to help insulate our windows after we woke up from a particularly cold night and it was 58* inside? Well, They Work! Last night it was only about 18*, but inside the house was only down to 62*! Since we keep our house set at 66* at night (and 68* during the day) we only lost 4 degrees last night! Half the loss of the last 18* night.

And our water pipes didn't freeze either. Another nice bonus!

And head over to Rocks in My Dryer for other Works for Me Wednesday posts!

Affordable Copies for school needs

I will be having many children pass through our humble little homeschool through the years I will be teaching. At this point, by the time Bethany graduates, I will have been teaching for almost three decades. Early on I realized the need to do this frugally.

I NEVER copy books which are copyrighted and say that no pages may be reproduced. But many companies are seeing the benefit of letting people copy their materials for "single classroom" or "single family" use. Critical Thinking Press, and Total Language Plus are two which come to mind quickly.

I invest early in these books... my school shelves are full of texts which I am allowed to copy for every child in my home.

How do I do this affordably, you may ask. It would be cheaper to buy the books outright sometimes than to do my own. So... I had to find another solution. The past two places where I have lived, the churches have let me bring my own paper and copy at the church. Usually companies and churches have contracts which have a fixed price for the service of the ink, etc., no matter how many pieces of paper you use. So I can copy away and not cost the church a dime it was not already spending. And I get to do it for the price of a couple reams of paper a year.

It's what works for me! Head over to Rocks in my Dryer for some more ideas!