A testimony from Holly
Six months ago we started looking at booster car seats since we knew our daughter was soon going to be needing one. I found the one I wanted based on safety factors, length of time she could use it, and personal reviews from other people who had also purchased the same seat. It wasn’t an immediate need so we decided to start putting $20 from each paycheck into an envelope.
Every two weeks when we got out our cash, we added that amount to the envelope and it quickly added up. Before we knew it, we had enough money.
I was actually looking online one evening and realized that the seat we had picked out was on sale at Amazon. I went ahead and ordered the seat that night and I ran by the bank the next morning and deposited my cash back into the bank!
It was such an amazing feeling to know that we had worked to save up the money. We didn’t have to worry if we were going to have enough money to pay for at the end of the month! Every time I put my daughter into her seat, I know that it’s paid for–free and clear of any credit card debt!
Holly Bennett is a curriculum writer in Texas. She and her husband of 8 years, Ed, have two girls (4 1/2 and 2). They love to spend time together as a family!
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Way to go – and you’re daughter is adorable!!
Cute picture! She looks very happy to be in completely paid for car seat! 😉
You can get a 5 point harness seat that is not a convertible, and therefore much cheaper. There aren’t as many out there now that convertibles are so popular, but I did find one at Target about a year ago.
Another great place to get carseats is http://www.nobetterdeal.com I bought our Britax Frontier 85 for 179 on there and a Graco Nautilus for 96 dollars. It is a “dented” box website and the seats are in brand new shape. As for the booster at 4 y/o it is recommended to keep them in a 5 point harness as long as possible my 4 y/o is harnessed in her Frontier 85 and will be for a VERY long time. Please review the safety guidelines and booster readiness tests before moving your child over.
My four year old son is still harnessed too and will be until he outgrows his seats (as well as my daughter and baby that is due in November). We have the Frontier 85 for our back up seat when he goes with his grandparents and the Radian XTSL as his primary seat (his little sister has one too). I am planning on buying another Frontier for my daughter soon for her back up seat. I paid a lot for all of our seats but I did a lot of price comparisons and got great deals on them and at least I know they are really safe and will last a very long time!
I know that my son will soon realize that his friends aren’t in harnessed seats and may feel weird that he is so I started telling him that race car drivers wear harnesses so they are way cooler than regular booster seats. What little boy doesn’t think race car drivers are cool?
Britax car seats are worth the investment. Love the cow print.
In our state children must be in a booster until age 8, and there’s a rumor going around that new legislation is moving through the ranks that would increase the age to 12. So…we try to invest in seats that will last!
Great job saving!!
I wanted to add that if anyone has any questions about which carseat is the safest for your child, a great resource is http://www.car-seat.org. Very knowledgeable people are willing to help you figure out the best seat for your child, vehicle, and budget. I’ve found it to be very helpful.
Cute little girl and good job on saving for her seat! That is certainly one of the bigger expenses for toddlers.
I just want to say…you have an adorable daughter!! 🙂
Great job! Thanks for sharing!
I found this booster seat at Target a few months ago. It was on clearance for $12, down from $140!!
http://savvystudentshopper.com/blog/2011/07/22/target-hot-baby-clearance/
Wow, that is a seriously nice seat, and a good brand!
That is such a great feeling, isn’t it??
We just decided to start putting the money away in a safe place if my husband’s customers pay him cash for his services. It is a comfort to know that the cash is *right there* if we need it.
Great story – and you saved for a Britax too! Wow!
I was able to get my daughter a convertible car seat absolutely FREE!!!! I have been very diligent, since her birth, about shopping at Target. Every week they offer different deals that come with free gift cards. I never bought anything I wouldn’t use, mostly just got in on good diaper deals or other baby essentials, always paired with coupons, and often got free body wash or other personal care items with my free GCs. In six months, I was able to get over $120 in free gift cards! The seat we wanted went on sale this week for $100, with the baby sale, so I pounced! I was able to completely pay for the car seat, tax, and get her a new toy – FREE!! I love Target!!
You are awesome–way to go! What great planning!
Great job, Holly! 🙂
We have twins that are 4 years old and a 7month old. Since the twins were infants we have always had second hand carseats. Their infants seats and bases were like new and we paid $25 for the both of them!! Then when they outgrew those we researched and found the seats we wanted but they were close to $200 each! Well, through my multiple club I was able to get the exact same car seats for $50 for BOTH!!! Then we were given two other ones that we could use in our second vehicle. And a friend loaned us her carseat to use when our baby came.
However, my son’s strap started to rip and the other car seats expired last year. We knew it was time to start looking for new car seats. Unfortunately the mutiples club where we live now rarely has car seats they sell.
So we went to Babies R Us this weekend for their trade in event. The car seats we wanted were on sale from $179.99 to $129.99 plus the 25% off. Well we knew that they offer a multiple discount of 10% when you buy two items that are the same like car seats. We asked if they would honor that with the 25% off, they won’t take any other coupons with the deal, and they said YES!!! We also got our baby a new car seat as we needed that too. Instead of paying $560 we paid $353.97!!! While I was pregnant with an extremely difficult pregnancy and my husband was unemployed for 6 months we were given a visa gift card. We had been praying and waiting as to how we should use it. Now was the perfect timing!!! What a blessing!! We were able to get all three carseats plus have several hundred left over!!! I never imagined having brand new carseats let alone 3 of them!!!
That’s terrific. Just so others who may be in need know, you can often request FREE car seats through your local law enforcement center or state police/highway patrol. If they do not have them, they typically can connect you with a technician who will. Also, this is much safer than using a 2nd hand seat at a discounted price.
Car seats are NOT something to get used from a stranger. You are putting your kids’ life in the hands of the person you got the car seat from — and so it is not a good idea to get a car seat used from someone whom you would not trust the life of your child with. A car seat has to work in an accident or its worthless — and you don’t know its history, how it has been treated (Have the harness straps ever been washed/soaked with water? If so, they need to be replaced. Has the car seat been in an accident? If so, the whole thing needs to be trashed. Etc.)
I’m so glad your kids are in brand new car seats now!
Great job.
I just wanted to add that there are very safe options for booster seats that are not horrendously expensive. We got our daughter’s for under $30. Much less than her convertible carseat. In my state, kids must stay in a booster until age 8.
Same here, Jessica. 🙂
Agreed. My husband is a highway patrol trooper and safety seat technician. The job of a booster is basically just to position your child safely in a seat belt. We would never pay that much for a booster seat, simply because it isn’t necessary for our children to be every bit as safe and we can use the money elsewhere. But I do have to say, that cow print is soooo cute!
Looks like a Britax, we have a different type of their carseat in that print. It washes really well, which as we all know is important for carseat pads. It’s a great carseat! I recommend to it anyone as their primary seat, anything from their line is great.
Its the small steps of diligence that create a life of integrity. Way to go on your victory!
Rhonda, Britax has the cow print. That seems to be what she got as well. I have a Britax and LOVE it.
Oh my, it’s cow print!!!!! We need a booster for my son. Please tell me what kind it is so I can get one too!
If you look for a Britax they always have cow print ones. I just got done shopping for car seats- I saw them everywhere!
They call it ‘Cowmooflage’ and I’ve had mine for four years and cover looks brand new. The white is still white. It’s amazing (not to mention the safety and ease of use, love these seats!)
Yes, it was a britax. Both my girls have the Cowmooflage!
Great job! I need to do the same for my 16 month old -she’s ready to switch out of her infant seat.
Great story and what a cute little girl!
we did the same thing except that I was able to use a $25 Target GC ( from Swagbucks ) too! awesome feeling to buy one debt free!
I love Swagbucks! I put my Amazon Gcards in my husbands account so he can get his textbooks for free.