Here are some simply FRUGALICIOUS ideas to help you trim the fat from your household budget:

• Stop forking out all that hard earned dinero on baby toys!  An authority on early childhood development informed me that babies do not need store bought toys.  And guess what...she was right!  Just use your imagination, look around your house and I bet you will find plenty of household items that will easily substitute for those store-bought indulgences.  Some ideas:  plastic measuring cups make great stacking toys and great bath toys.  A plastic spoon and an old Tupperware container make a wonderful drumstick and drum combination.
• Be resourceful when it comes to toys for the older kids as well.  My six-year-old still loves receiving a rock and she also loves those big Costco-size cardboard boxes (they make for a fantastic cardboard chair).  Try making paper dolls with your kids or a musical instrument out of an empty Quaker Oats container (fill it with rice or beans and tape the lid back on).
• If you like to eat out even just once in awhile it behooves you to purchase an Entertainment Book.  Right now you can get the Entertainment 2008 Book. All Books $9.99! So, the cost of the book is recouped by using just one of the coupons.  Now that's frugalicious! 
• Want to stop spending an arm and a leg on birthday parties?  My solution:  have them at the park (free), buy a birthday cake (which is about $15 at Costco) and that's it, ta-dah...instant party!  You do not need to hire a clown or a magician, you are not required to have a bouncy house or even a pinata, and you will not have to give up your mom card for not having party favors (who started this tradition, anyways, it's my birthday, but I have to give you a gift?).  Given the opportunity, children will make their own fun.
• Too chicken to be the only mother in town who doesn't dole out the party favors?  Get creative and think of your own frugalicous alternatives.  One idea:  paint and decorate rocks!  You can even individualize them with each kid's initial...they're cute and children love them!
• Paying for computer games?  No need to!  There are many wonderful sites online which offer free games.  My daughter's favorite is:  www.ClubPenguin.com.  Club Penguin offers both a free membership and a paid one, but the free one is plenty of fun!  Other free sites your children will adore:  DisneyChannel.com, Barbie.com, NickJr.com, and Disney.com.
• Are you spending so much moolah at the local Hallmark store that they know you by name and reserve your parking spot?  There's really no need.  Didn't anyone tell you?  When you have children you do not need to buy greeting cards or gift wrap...really!  Let your kids make greeting cards out of construction paper and gift wrap from butcher paper.  Provide them with colorful markers, crayons, and stickers and presto!  You have instant, one-of-a-kind , personalized cards and wrap that are way better than the store-bought stuff.
• I know you've heard this one before, but it's a good one which bares repeating.  Lower your heating bill by adding extra blankets to your bed and lowering your thermostat.  I used to be a disbeliever.  I used to keep the house at 72 degrees at all times.  Now, thanks to the extra blankets, we keep the thermostat set at 64 degrees throughout the night.  Then, the first one up in the morning raises it just a bit so that no one freezes when they first get out of bed.
• Save bundles on cleaning supplies by making your own:  Buy 3 spray bottles, ammonia, vinegar, and bleach at a Dollar Store.  In the first bottle mix part water and part ammonia.  This one makes a great glass cleaner that can also be used on your windows, counter tops, and floors.  In the next bottle mix part water and part bleach.  Less the fragrance,  my sources tell me these are the exact ingredients in Tilex.  Thus, this one is great for removing mildew from showers and bathtubs.  Finally, in the last bottle mix part water and part vinegar or you can opt to go with full strength vinegar.  This makes a great all-purpose cleaner which can be used to clean the stove top, refrigerator, floors and sinks.  It also works on soap scum.  Your house will smell a little like Italian dressing until the vinegar dries and then the odor will disappear.
• Washing your clothes in cold water and keeping the clean ones out of the hamper will help make them last longer. 
• If you find a great price on something you use and it is non-perishable, stock up on it!
• If you commute to work and you're not already a member, I strongly suggest you consider joining the brown bagger club.  The savings are phenomenal (put that money away in an IRA and you'll retire rich!).
• Save money on plastic baggies by buying small Tupperware containers for kid's lunch boxes.  Get them sized just right for sandwiches and snacks.
• Frugalicious ideas aren't only great for your pocketbook...they really help the environment, too, by cutting out on waste!

Written by: South Bay Mom