Stop spending money!!

[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]

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.

[5 Little Monkeys]

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.

When I was looking at kitchens, I looked at walmart, toys r us and sears. They all had lots for well under $300. A neighbour suggested costco to me (which I never would have thought of) and they have a good selection as well.

[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!!

[Emma H]

Thank you kindertime! I opened my daycare last August and things are finally getting good now! The first location where I was at wasn't the nicest so there were many times I was waiting for parents for interviews and they just drove away as soon as they saw the outside of the building (you had to pull in and my widows would face the drive way and I could see it every time). I filled four spots in three week and got out of there ASAP. I have a condo now but a house is just needed for me personally because I am around daycare 24/7. When I first started I bought a lot of toys from once upon a child and the library where I live would always has great books for sale ( 25 -50 cents per book).
It was really nice for your family to help you out like that. Mine wold never in a million years do something like that for me. I remember having to get a cleaning job to help pay for the toys because my parents said they couldn't help me but the went to Greece two week later! I have been pretty successful and they now expect things from me and no way no how that is happening hahah
I will definitely take a look at Scholastic! I love books and can't get enough of them.

[Emma H]

I have one of those playhouses where each side is something different....one side is a garden, the other a post office, puppet theater and the last one is an art center....they love it but all they care about is sitting inside of it and playing or reading a book...so I figured they would like a tent for that reason....I also ask my daycare kids if they would like something I am considering buying but I always get "ohhh yess" hahahah I also have a little girl who found one of my catalogues and now insists to go threw it with me and we can pick out what we like....what's better then a kids opinion on toys!

[ebhappydc]

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.

If you have an Early Years centre nearby, they sometimes lend toys and educational resources. I use their toy library a lot. They have the super-huge story books (they"re like 2ft x 3 ft books) my daykids love and when the kids get tired of them they go back to the library and I get other toys. Saves me from having to buy. I do look at Pintrest daycare decor sites and wish my place could look as cool as some of those rooms, but kids are happy if it's a happy environment really. I also try to keep in mind when I get the itch to buy that kids like the box FAR better than the toy!

[33 Daiseys]

Put the credit cards on ice!!!!!!!! Literally. I love to shop, when i opened, i went crazy but playmobili. I justified that I could since i have two children of my own. I then realized that ALL of my earning was going to food and toys.
Needless to say i love to shop. So i stuck my credit cards in a container, filled with water and froze. They are there if i really want something, but it just takes a few hours to think if I really wan it or REALLY want it.

[Emma H]

Put the credit cards on ice!!!!!!!! Literally. I love to shop, when i opened, i went crazy but playmobili. I justified that I could since i have two children of my own. I then realized that ALL of my earning was going to food and toys.
Needless to say i love to shop. So i stuck my credit cards in a container, filled with water and froze. They are there if i really want something, but it just takes a few hours to think if I really wan it or REALLY want it.

The problem is I REALLY REALLY want everything hahaha I also justify everything to make it okay to buy. I am going to be ordering that tipi tent because I feel that I need it lol my friend asked me last night " you run a daycare why do you need a tent" lol good point but I feel that it will encourage them to read more books as I would use it as a reading corner ... ......crazy but what can you do lol its a problem...once I have it in my head I cant stop thinking about it hahaha oh god the worst part is I don't have any credit cards!

[33 Daiseys]

The problem is I REALLY REALLY want everything hahaha I also justify everything to make it okay to buy. I am going to be ordering that tipi tent because I feel that I need it lol my friend asked me last night " you run a daycare why do you need a tent" lol good point but I feel that it will encourage them to read more books as I would use it as a reading corner ... ......crazy but what can you do lol its a problem...once I have it in my head I cant stop thinking about it hahaha oh god the worst part is I don't have any credit cards!

I would say that before you buy anything, check for it second hand first......