When it comes to kids, here’s what you shouldn’t waste your money on — Forever 39 Podcast

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From technology to this year's "it" toy, there's no doubt some New Jersey parents are spending a fortune to keep their kids happy! According to the United States Department of Agriculture, it costs a whopping $233,610 to raise one child until the age of 18.

In this Forever 39 episode, we discuss where parents can and should be saving so little Tommy's college fund doesn't wind up sitting in a box in the attic. And since we aren't parents ourselves, we turned to the experts to get some advice.

HealthyWay published a list of eight kid expenses that parents themselves indicated are not worth the money. The HealthyWay list includes the following:

• Bicycles
• Trendy toys
• Pricey clothing
• Playsets
• Smartphones
• Musical instruments
• Computers
• Certain types of vacations

Business Insider also posted a similar list, although it has five more items on its list.

And here's one that's not on either list that we think should be added — over-the-top birthday parties! Since when did it stop being cool to just invite a few people over to your house for some cake? Now kids' birthday parties have a theme, professional entertainment, and a venue!

Do you agree with these choices? Is there one you think should be added? Let us know by emailing us at forever39@nj1015.com.

Also from this week's Forever 39 podcast — Women and sexual fluidity. PLUS: Our favorite horror movies revealed! Click on the podcast player above to hear the entire episode.

Share your thoughts on all of them below, on Twitter, on Facebook or at forever39@nj1015.com.

— Annette and Megan, Forever 39

Join us for next week’s podcast when we chat about school dress code policies, top places for a girls' night out in NJ, and our favorite travel apps.