5 things you should never buy for your kids

Being a better parent means sometimes giving less.

We all want to be the best parents that we can be. However, sometimes we fall victim to that meaning buying them everything they want, even if we don't think it's the best idea. The short term effects are happy children, but the long term are much worse. Buying you children everything they want creates a sense of entitlement and children that don't appreciate what they have. We at yaysavings.com are all parents, and have compiled this list of items we don't plan on buying for our children. Added bonus, by following these tips, you can save a bundle too.

New Movies

Movies in general tend to be an impulse buy. And if your children are like mine, they tend to love a movie for a week or two and then move onto the next one. You're better off with a Netflix membership or using Redbox. It will save you money and tons of DVDs cluttering up your family room.

New Books

This falls under the same category of movies. Introduce your children to the library, they will be better for it. If they ask to take the same book out over and over, then consider purchasing the books they really love.

New Car

There are so many reason why I don't plan on buying my children a new car that go beyond the MSRP. The biggest is that purchasing your first car is one of the best ways to teach financial responsibility. The parameters of the deal are up to you. When I was growing up, my parents promised to match the amount I raised towards my first car. To this day, that is the car I took the best care of.

Television or computer for their bedroom

This is another purchase that I have a list of reasons why I don't plan on purchasing for my children. They range from maintaining control of what they are watching or surfing to the most important , it impacts family bonding time.

Smartphones and tablets

I dread this conversation, because it always starts with "but my friends all have one". And for a lot of us working parents, a phone affords piece of mind and thus is a reasonable purchase. If you can't put off the phone conversation any longer, turn it into a lesson in responsibility. Only allow them to have a phone if they plan to take care of it and help pay the extra charges.