Stop spending money!!

[5 Little Monkeys]

Oh I definitely would have bought them haha. I buy things and than resell to make a bit of extra money. I watch too much storage wars..........

I also check pinterest for a lot of DIY stuff. I'm not at all crafty but even I can make some simple things with a guide/reference!!

Instead of buying a train table for example, I just painted a large piece of cardboard and glued the train tracks to it. It fits nicely under my spare room bed when we aren't using it if I don't want it out in the playroom.

[superfun]

5LM, have you had any success ordering from Walmart.Com? it never works for me because I don't Jane an American credit card.

[5 Little Monkeys]

You can't order from walmart.com and have it delivered here to my knowledge. My SIL does it all the time though and gets it delivered to border crossings and picks it up from there and than sometimes has to pay duty at the border. I have ordered it to go to Walmart in Bottineau and than picked it up from there though. I'm not sure what credit card she uses...I'll ask! (you might have to remind me lol)

[Emma H]

If you want it just buy it! It will look so cute and not a lot of people have it!....I noticed the kids don't play much with it unless they are pulling the nobs off or trying to climb inside lol I wish I was crafty like that I just bought a used kidkraft train table and bought the train pieces from ikea (super cheap). Another thing that I can't seem to get off my mind are the tipi tents for kids!

[superfun]

We have a teepee! They seem to like it a lot, but it's still pretty new.

I was trying to order from Walmart.com to be delivered to a us address. One of my daycare families picks stuff up for me whenever I order it. I would love to know how your sil does it.

[Fun&care]

Hi everyone

I am relocating into a bigger space (from condo to house) and I just want to keep buying things for the daycare! I think I have an addiction to shopping so when I tell myself it's just an investment for my business it makes it okay lol but its not okay. I keep spending so much money and I cant seem to figure out what's worth the investment and what isn't.
For example I spent around $400 dollars on a felt board/felt stories/felt learning material and some multicultural lessons. Another $300 on the new Melissa & Doug snack&treat cart. I am obsessed Etsy so I thought it was a good idea to buy a felt garden with a mini felt apple tree for $200, wooden washing machine for $250 and a play pantry that "goes perfect" with a $350 Melissa & Doug play kitchen that I just had to have.
Ugh, I regret spending my money because parents just really don't seem to care but at the same time I think everything looks so much nicer. I am already planning on spending $2000 on kid's furniture/storage (and other cr@p, of course) once I move.
I would really like to know what you would spend your money on and what you wouldn't. I did have to spend more because I don't have kids and didn't have anything to start with but now I feel like I am just buying too much.

2000$ on furniture and storage sounds like waaaaaaayyy too much (for me). Even looking on how much you spent on felt stuff etc just seems like quite a lot. Does your husband not completely flip out?!?? Lol! Mine would have a heart attack and drop dead if I told him I spent 2000$ on daycare stuff! He freaked when I spent about 400$ on IKEA toy storage units!

I don't want this to come off as rude but if I had the money to spend on all those supplies...I would instead just keep it in my pocket and not bother running a daycare at all

The only item I spent big on was my table and chairs because I wanted a quality one not a flimsy IKEA set. I spent 450$ on that. Almost everything else was bought second hand or on sale for CHEAP.

I guess it all comes down to how much you can afford, and also how long you plan on doing daycare. The other thing to consider is wear and tear...it can be surprising how quickly kids can completely ruin toys/furniture, they are just so rough and I would be stressed right out if I had spent that much and they just ruined it

[mickyc]

Must have- egg chairs from ikea!! We totally renovated our space and made a trip to ikea! $1500 later on storage cupboards, chairs, tents, train tracks etc. must husband saw the egg chairs and said you HAVE to get those! They were $80 each - I got 2. I wasn't sure how they would last but the quality is amazing and the kids LOVE them.

I just need to find a new kitchen for my crew but my Walmart order got cancelled as they ran out of stock. Not impressed. I am too cheap though to spend more than $300 on one.

[Emma H]

Must have- egg chairs from ikea!! We totally renovated our space and made a trip to ikea! $1500 later on storage cupboards, chairs, tents, train tracks etc. must husband saw the egg chairs and said you HAVE to get those! They were $80 each - I got 2. I wasn't sure how they would last but the quality is amazing and the kids LOVE them.

I just need to find a new kitchen for my crew but my Walmart order got cancelled as they ran out of stock. Not impressed. I am too cheap though to spend more than $300 on one.

I saw those and I loved them but I ended up buying the ikea swing chair that you hang from your ceiling lol I spent a lot of money on my kitchen and when it's time to buy a new one I'm buying the ikea kitchen...its a100 dollars and it looks great. When I say 2000 I mean everything playground, chubby coat hook set up, sensory table, kids couch, table and chairs etc. 2000 seems like a lot but it think I pay need a little more lol...I live on my own so it's just me

[kindertime]

This sounds like an exciting time for you Emma H! When I was starting out, I had less than no money, my parents had to help me buy a house and I too don't have my own kids. So everything was new. I spent several months that spring going to yard sales. As long as the toys are clean, and in good shape, there is nothing wrong with used. Are you on Kijiji? That could work too.

I also got a lot, a lot of stuff from dc parents and neighbors. (One neighbor let me take 1/2 her garage filled with stuff. Sooo cool.) As I got more finacially stable I have been slowly replacing and adding to my collection with newer and fancier. I too love to shop but try to keep it in check because I am on my own.

I have also found, that at any one time, the kids don't need to have that many toys out and available. If you start out slowly, you may find all of a sudden, you have enough.

And if I may go off on a tangent for a moment... haven't thought of this in years but just remembered. In my first few months open, a dcm gave me a 3 or 4 big garbage bags of stuffed animals and a kid's activity desk. The desk was wired with a light but the wires were broken and sticking out at the back. I don't remember how exactly now, but I do remember that it was dangerous, I thought. So I pulled all of the wires and the light part out. So then, maybe a month later, dcm comes in one day and asks to have the desk back.... okay, sure, but it's not quite the same anymore! Sigh.

Oh and one last thing, if you are looking for books, Scholastic (the school book orders) they do daycares too. When I called, the lady I spoke to didn't know what home daycare was.... but I finally got her to understand. The parents order books and you can too and the order earns you money to buy more books. Good luck and have fun!!

[kindertime]

Must have- egg chairs from ikea!! We totally renovated our space and made a trip to ikea! $1500 later on storage cupboards, chairs, tents, train tracks etc. must husband saw the egg chairs and said you HAVE to get those! They were $80 each - I got 2. I wasn't sure how they would last but the quality is amazing and the kids LOVE them.

Two of those chairs were given to me by my neighbor too. They were such a hit. It is 10 years later and only one survives today. I keep it outside now with the summer toys. With the ones I had, the small casters inside that make it turn are made of plastic and they will eventually break down and so the chair no longer spins. It will turn with some effort. None the less, the kids love turning each other around in it.