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?

I tend to forget what a good idea these “get free stuff” sites can be.

Check out Planning Family.com, and you can get a free sample of Enfamil (and a diaper bag), subscriptions to magazines, online calendars … probably the best thing here is the chance to win a year’s supply of Pampers. And make sure you look through the rest of the site for a bunch of coupons.

Click “Skip” at the bottom of the page to see all the offers. Check the ones you want, then all you have to do is enter your email and baby’s due date / birthday.