Praise

There is an interesting article here about the effect of different praise for children. The article talks about how focusing on natural intelligence over effort can really backfire:

Dweck had suspected that praise could backfire, but even she was surprised by the magnitude of the effect. “Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control,” she explains. “They come to see themselves as in control of their success. Emphasizing natural intelligence takes it out of the child’s control, and it provides no good recipe for responding to a failure.”

In follow-up interviews, Dweck discovered that those who think that innate intelligence is the key to success begin to discount the importance of effort. I am smart, the kids’ reasoning goes; I don’t need to put out effort. Expending effort becomes stigmatized—it’s public proof that you can’t cut it on your natural gifts.

Add comment February 23rd, 2007

25 ways to save money

Frugal for life is asking people for their top25 ways of saving money. Here’s mine:
1) Not owning a car. This might seem drastic to some but it is doable even in the suburbs and with kids in tow.
2) Owning a bicycle (with a childseat) - you can get bikes for free from people who don’t want theirs anymore or very cheap second hand ones. It saves on public transport fares on short distances.
3) Buying clothes second hand especially for kids
4) Buying anything second hand
5) Being on the lookout for big items (such as furniture) being thrown away.
6) Buying food at smaller markets rather then supermarkets
7) Turn lights off!
Using solar powered garden lights inside at night
9) Rechargable batteries
10) Look for useable public transport tickets at stations
11) If an appliance breaks look for less power consuming types
12) Use bath water to flush the toilet
13) Use washing machine’s waste water to flush toilets
14) Use other clean waste water on the garden
15) Get rid of unwanted stuff on ebay
16) Turn off hot water system (depending on what type you have) you’ll still have hot water for a few days, when it starts running out turn it back on.
17) Make your own hair and skin care products
18) Use home made cleaning products and washing products. This is healthier and cheaper and better for the environment.
19) Use cold wash only on your washing machine
20) Make your own ornament and decorations
21) Use freecycle.com to pick up free stuff other people give away
22) Use a laptop instead of a PC if you use the computer a lot
23) Cheap wine does the same job as expensive
24) Going out on a date should be about fun not expense
25) Little kids prefer you to play with them to you buying them lots of toys.

3 comments February 4th, 2007