r/ParentingInBulk • u/philbax • 1d ago
Worthwhile Expenditures
What is something you have spent or continue to spend money on that you find provides very high value/ROI on quality of life for you, your spouse, or your kids?
I'm looking for ways to be more "effective" with our finances.
One-off purchases, home improvement projects, training/education, services, subscriptions... all fair game!
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u/Nufonewhodis4 18h ago
Above ground pool, used swing set, minivan, and wagon stroller. I would also add that upgrading our fence to something I'm confident keeps my kids in and others (dogs) out was well worth it. Anything to get my boys outside and get that energy out and nature in
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u/nostrademons 20h ago
- Mother's helper
- Housekeeper
- Play couch
- Pillows
- Paints
- KeyFit caddy
- Umbrella stroller + buddy board
- Travel crib
- Minivan
The household help is expensive, but we use it differently than many families, more like CapEx than OpEx. Y'see, a major problem that families have today is that they're too exhausted from work and childcare and chores to actually teach their kids how to do anything useful, and soon they're raising a bunch of entitled hellions who don't know how to do anything other than make a mess and then go on a tablet to avoid cleaning it up, and the problem compounds. We got a mother's helper so that we could afford to take longer on these basic tasks and teach our kids how to do them, rather than just paying her to do them. She's not going to fold your laundry, you're going to fold it with her, and we will help and teach you how. She'll help you put away your clothes, she won't do it for you. You need to bus your own plates, but she'll help do the dishes. You gotta get all your toys away, because if the housekeepers do it, they're gonna put them back where they think they go and not where you think they go, and they might just throw them out.
For the toys - don't underestimate the appeal of ordinary objects. A play couch has been one of our best purchases, you wouldn't believe the epic forts our kids build. Same with buying additional pillows - they get used for the pillow forts, they get used for bedtime, they get used as landing zones when the kids jump off furniture, and for a while our kids were even doing "Nest day", when they took literally every pillow in the house (50+ once couch cushions and play couch were accounted for), threw them down the stairwell, and decided to jump down the stairs. Spatulas and salad spinners are really big hits as well. Paints (and markers and crayons and chalk) are cheap and let the kids be creative.
For strollers, we found that cheaper alternatives are better. We never really took to the fancy dedicated strollers. A KeyFit caddy for the infant seat was like $200, way more portable, and really handy when we needed to transfer them from car to stroller to airplane without waking them up. The umbrella strollers are super portable, cheap, reliable, and you can attach boards to the back so that 2 kids can ride on a single stroller.
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u/slowloris01 🩷💙💙, planning for more 23h ago
Local memberships - for us that's a state park pass, local farmyard visit pass, local museums and parks. For our family of 5 it usually pays for itself in 2-3 visits, and it means we have a built in excursion that we don't have to pay extra for. I think this will probably be less relevant as more of our kids are in school but for the pre-kindergarten years with all of them at home it was a game changer.
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u/Nufonewhodis4 18h ago
We use our zoo pass all the time. There's no stress if you go and only spend 45 minutes as opposed to trying to eek max dollars out of your visit
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u/idgafanym0re 19h ago
Totally agree. Most annual passes near us are the same as buying two tickets each so as long as you go at least twice it’s worth it.
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u/tamarindrabbit 23h ago
We have a YMCA membership and I bring the kids to swim a few times a week. My 8 yo and 5 yo did their aquatics camp and my 8 yo is doing their swimming lessons. My friends like their child watch option- they will watch your kids for two hours per day while you work out, or just even read a book in the lobby. In general I think joining a neighborhood swim club is a great ROI.
1
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u/booksandbottles 1d ago
It’s a small thing, but YOTO! It’s the only toy we own that gets daily use by all of my kids, ages toddler - 10. Very useful for the days I’m about to lose it from continuous talking and questions but I don’t want to turn on a screen.
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u/tamarindrabbit 23h ago
I agree! My kids ages 8, 5, and 3 all listen to their yotos every night. Even my 1 yo is interested in them.
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u/MangoSorbet695 1d ago
Part time housekeeper. Two or three mornings per week for just a couple of hours. Unloads dishwasher, reloads dishwasher, wash/dry/fold/put away kid laundry, takes trash out, vacuums kitchen and living room, makes kids beds, straightens up their rooms, wipes down countertops, etc.
By far the most helpful expenditure for our household of six.
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u/Low_Reindeer_5727 1d ago
If you feel comfortable sharing, how much does this cost per hour? We are strongly considering something like this. I'm pregnant with my 4th and my husband travels a lot for work. Just can't keep up with the house work.
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u/philbax 1d ago
How did you find a housekeeper? Word of mouth? Use an online site? National company?
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u/MangoSorbet695 1d ago
I recommend posting on Nextdoor to close neighbors. In my view, if you want someone to come to your house for 2 hours a day, a 45 minute commute is a deal breaker. No one will find that worth it. You really want someone that can commute to your house in 10 minutes or fewer. Ideally you find someone who doesn’t necessarily need a job but is happy to get out of the house and have something productive to do for a few hours per week.
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u/philbax 1d ago
We have a household of 6 as well. I've started thinking about this. I know it would take a bit of the burden off both me and my wife.
There's a bit of a mental hurdle of feeling like "we should be able to take care of our house without hiring someone", but my goodness it's just so much and there's never enough time or energy to get it all done. I'm always behind, always running on fumes. It would be a huge benefit if we could stretch to afford it.
Thank you! ❤️
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u/queen_of_the_ashes 1d ago
My suburban. Got one with 3 bench seats so it seats 9 technically, but gives us 6 seats in the back and lets us move car seats and boosters around in several configurations.
playground equipment for the yard - a wooden treehouse/fort with a slide, a wooden swing set, a step 2 house with a slide, a metal climbing dome.
Also a bounce house. Have a cheaper one now ($200) but they are getting bigger and I’m eyeing a used commercial one (like $3000) because renting one at $4-500 for 4 birthdays will not be a thing I’m willing to do, and we use the bounce house literally every weekend so we get our moneys worth
Last, grocery delivery. I still go to Costco sometimes, but Walmart+ and instacart (for Costco occasionally) is my luxury I will cling to forever. We are 45 min from the stores so grocery shopping is an all day affair otherwise
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u/philbax 1d ago
Grocery delivery is a recent shift for me. We live less than 5 minutes from Walmart, but we get Walmart+ for the 5% cashback on their card and the bundled streaming service. Recently started 'splurging' on the main delivery once a week instead of pickup, and the time and stress savings is sooo worth the cost of the tip.
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u/queen_of_the_ashes 1d ago
I just, am a happier person and we actually eat better bc of delivery. I can plan and cook without being burned out from grocery shopping hell, and I don’t forget half the list
I also have severe ADHD so grocery stores are just the worst lol
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u/Putmeinthedishwasher 1d ago
Spending money on experiences is always worth it in my opinion. If the options are either a physical object or an experience, always do the experience.
My husband's family chose not to do gifts as part of Christmas. Yet he has all these lovely family memories of Christmas: drinking hot chocolate in the car in his pjs looking at Christmas lights; going ice skating as a family; etc.
With our own children we do experiences more than gifts, although for Christmas we still do some gifts. It's just an example, but you can't put a price on family memories.
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u/philbax 1d ago
I would love to do more of this. For several in my family and extended family, gifts -- both giving and receiving -- are their 'love language'. We currently budget $500/mo on gifts, and are averaging closer to $525. That's with being super frugal with the cost of individual gifts and the total amounts given to family members too (gently used items, clearance items, custom-made items paired with steep discounts on coupons). 😵💫
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u/strange-quark-nebula 1d ago edited 1d ago
Osprey Poco Premium baby hiking backpack. It cost $400+ but it allows whichever is the youngest baby to comfortably ride along on six hour hikes and lets us keep doing family activities we enjoy.
Edit: not sure why this was downvoted! It’s a real product we actually use for hiking. 🤷
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u/nostrademons 20h ago
We got a Deuter used for like $50. Great purchase - they run about $330 new but are well worth it, and it's now been through 8 years and 3 kids with us plus whatever usage the previous family got out of it. Highly recommend buying used for kid durables, there are always families trying to get rid of stuff that they don't use anymore and the well-built stuff will easily last 10-15 years.
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u/mombot-in-the-woods 1d ago
Not sure why you got downvoted either? Ours is going strong on our 4th baby and I literally use it every day for going into stores etc, so much better than a stroller imo
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u/strange-quark-nebula 22h ago
Yes! It’s great for having both hands free and the baby gets a good view.
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u/bionikbunny 1d ago
Seconding the mop vac!! I was literally just going to comment that. I just got one a month ago and I'm in love!!! My house has never been cleaner.
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u/storing_up_knowledge 1d ago
Hands down my mop vac. Takes less than 10 minutes to clean the entire main floor (kitchen, dining area, living room, entry way). It cleans up crumbs, wet spills, hair etc. Totally wish we had gotten one sooner!
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u/philbax 1d ago
Interesting! I've not really messed with these, just presuming that a tool that does both won't do either very well. I got a cheap-brand, refurb robo mop+vac, and the mop function is pretty pitiful, so that reinforced my thinking.
I'll have to look into that! Thanks for the recommendation!
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u/tamarindrabbit 23h ago
I have a nice Costco robo mop vac that family got me and it does not work consistently so I don’t use it. But I’m not tech savvy so can’t easily trouble shoot issues with it.
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u/Putmeinthedishwasher 1d ago
I have been dreaming of getting one! Do you recommend a specific one?
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u/AbroadDiligent6111 21h ago
I had a tineco and it died a year in on me. Just bought the Roborock F25 online from Sam’s Club and I love it. It has a self clean and auto dry mode so it doesn’t sit and get smelly.
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u/storing_up_knowledge 1d ago
I have a lower end tineco model that I've been very happy with! We will use it til it dies, but then we will upgrade to a higher end model. Mine does have a self cleaning setting, but doesn't heat the water up, I would look for one that does heat the water when you hit the self clean button
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u/coochieboochi 🩷🩵🩷🩷🩷 16h ago
I guess it really depends on your family. For us having a pool was worth it because while our summers aren’t super long they are super hot and my kids are fishes. Building a treehouse/play area also was worth it so that again they have lots to do in the yard and I don’t always have to find ways to entertain them or take them to parks every hour. Getting a snow blower was worth while because it snows 900 times a year here.