ki Being a frugal mom is a hard job, especially when it comes to your kids. You never want your kids to go without something that they want, but you also shouldn’t spoil them. Today, I’m going to go over some tips that will help you decide when you should buy toys for your kids or if you should leave the toy sitting on the shelf. Scroll down to get started.

Is it educational?

There is nothing more important than making sure your children receive a proper education. Therefore, if you’re thinking about getting one of your kids a toy that’s educational, you should go ahead and do it. There are a ton of educational toys out there and they’re not very expensive. Either way, you should never skimp on your own child’s education.

Start small and work your way up.

Are you thinking about getting a gift for a child? Well, there’s no doubt that this can be risky, because you never know if your kid will enjoy it, unless they’ve flat-out told you they want something. If you get them a gift that doesn’t appeal to their interests, you probably just got them something that will forever remain in the box that it came in. Therefore, you should start out small and just work your way up.

For instance, if you have a kid that you think will get into art; you should get them some chalk just to see if they’re interested. If they truly enjoy the chalk, you could then start by getting them an art kit.

Don’t waste time with cheap gifts.

Sure, you’ll put a smile on your kids face with probably any gift you pick up, but some things are just better left on the shelf. Cheap gifts are a bad idea for a few reasons. They end up breaking fairly quickly. Chances are, your child won’t play with it for too long and it’ll end up being tossed in the closet. Cheap toys may have certain health hazards associated with them. Sometimes it’s better to get no toy at all, rather than purchasing a cheap one.

It’s not the number of gifts that matter.

This one falls into the same category as the tip above. It’s a great feeling on birthdays or during the holidays when you can present your kid with a ton of gifts, but quality always wins over quantity. It’s better to get your kid something they’ll really want, rather than something you’ll find laying in the floor the next day that’s already been forgotten about.

If it encourages them to be outdoors — do it.

I would highly suggest getting your kids toys that they can play with while they’re outdoors. For instance, every kid deserves to have a bicycle at some point in their life. Also, you may want to consider getting a trampoline, basketball hoop, etc… Basically, you should consider anything that will encourage your kids to be outdoors and physically active.