Big Baby Love.com

Yes ma’am. The economy is officially sucking these days. As a mom, I’m always looking for small ways to save money, especially with the holidays lurking around the corner. Here are some of the best ones I’ve heard of lately.

Look for “Kids Eat Free” nights at local restaurants. You still get to eat out – a treat – but you don’t spend a fortune.

Coupons. Don’t be cheap! Cut them out and use them! Even better, try to use coupons for stuff that is already marked down. On a related note, shop the sales. Go online and click “Clearance” — you’ll be surprised at what you find!

If you are dying to decorate your kids’ rooms (or yours), you can get free stencil patterns online. A small can of paint and a 99-cent paint brush and you’re ready to create a masterpiece.

Regift! It’s only tacky if you get caught. Every year, my girlfriends and I have a cookie-baking, wine-drinking gift swap. This year, I’m going to suggest that we openly regift. If you and your friends do a big gift swap, put a low maximum ($7, for example) on the gift. It’s a fun challenge to find something cool at that price.

Don’t let your house waste energy. Seal up any drafty windows, and doors. Insulate your hot water heater, and you can turn it down a few degrees. Take short showers. Install ceiling fans and reduce your air conditioner use in the summer. Wash only full loads of laundry.

Potluck dinners with friends! You get to hang out and eat a lot, and you only have to make one dish. Nothing but positives here!

Take a walk! If you can, walk short distances instead of driving. Or hop on a bike. Or a skateboard. You get the picture. Save gas and get some exercise.

And last but not least, my favorite money-saver: Banish the Brands! CVS’s brand of blue mint mouthwash is exactly the same as Listerine’s. One-dollar toothpaste is no different than five-dollar toothpaste. Skip the expensive corn flakes and paper towels. (Stop using paper towels, for that matter!)

Seriously. Why spend the extra money?

Bambino Mountain makes beautiful, handcrafted wood and soft toys. I love these small ABC blocks. They’re just the right size for baby’s little hands (1 ¾ inches wide), each block has a letter, number, and picture, and best of all they’re made of Vermont maple and painted with non-toxic paint. $46.29

So, Andy Warhol never got around to painting an iconic portrait of your kid? Well, My DaVinci has the next best thing. Just send in a photo, and they create a bright, 4 or 12-panel recreation. So mod! Prices start at $49.95

This Burt’s Bees gift basket is a treat for both baby and mom! It comes with lotion, body wash/shampoo, apricot oil, diaper crème, dusting powder, and a baby comb. The buttermilk is a natural, soothing cleanser and softener. All products are talc- SLS-, phthalate- and paraben-free. $25.

My Cry Baby’s Boutique over at Etsy has the most adorable stuff, and they totally give me my fix of untraditional fabrics. These hippo bibs – they come in tomato red and lime green – will make anyone happy! $5.95.

Tiny Tales is a stylish way to stay organized as you try to capture all of your kids’ important milestones …or their everyday hijinks. Sure, you could just keep a journal, but these notecards are so cute, they make a great, unexpected gift. $30.

Better than the clips or the clamps, these magnetic cabinet locks are kid-proof, no matter how hard they pull. High-powered magnets keep little fingers away from all the dangerous stuff in the kitchen. The whole mechanism stays inside the cabinets, and you use a magnet key to release the door. (Just don’t lose that key. But if you do, any other strong magnet will do the trick.) $26.99 from Kidco, at Babies R Us.

eeBoo has adorable, educational games and crafts for preschoolers and kids. From their site: “Using only the original art of well-known and well-loved children’s book illustrators we create vibrantly original toys and gifts.” My favorite here are the lace-up cards. Remember those? You sew the outline of a big picture? Some fun never goes out of style!

I have one of these for my daughter, and it’s a great way to keep all the grandparents – they all live pretty far away from us – on her mind. Big, poofy pages hold 15 4×6 photos, and it also straps to her stroller. Plus there’s a fun mirror in the back, making it easy to play “Look at the baby!” $10.95 at Genuis Babies.

Cool weather is right around the corner, and that means one thing: cute baby hats. I love the cartoonish ones (crazy flaps and colors), but I also love the stylish caps at Little Lids. Wool-felt berets ($15) and vintage newsboy caps ($38) add an unexpected vintage touch to any baby’s wardrobe. PS – if your kid needs a top hat or a bonnet, they have those too!