Money Saving Mom

Cherilyn emailed and asked:

I know many of you will probably be doing some traveling to visit family and friends over the next two months so I'd love to hear any and all ideas for road-tripping on the cheap--especially when it comes to food. What are some of your favorite frugal foods to pack and eat on the road? What ideas do you have for keeping food fresh and tasty while traveling? I'm anxious to hear!

photo by Ella's Dad

Guest Post by Katie from Cincinnati Cents

After a busy week of school, work, and extra-curricular activities, it’s sometimes difficult to imagine cramming another activity into an already-packed schedule. However, taking the time to purposefully plan a block of family time together is worth more than every quiet moment we could ever possess.

Picking one evening every week (or every other week, as your life may dictate at the time) as a “family fun night†allows families the ability to reconnect on a weekly basis, ensuring no one is lost in the shuffle of the daily routines of our lives. The night chosen is immaterial, as is the exact amount of time allotted to the event. It is crucial, however, that the activity chosen is enjoyable for all, and that every member of the family feels included. The focus should be on the family unit as a whole, and not on one particular individual.   

There are always a few more popular choices around our house for a family evening together. In the winter, and during inclement weather, our children love having a picnic in the living room. We spread blankets out over the entire floor (which not only creates a “picnic†atmosphere, but protects the carpet as well!), and enjoy our picnic dinner together. We often put on our family movies, recapturing the kids’ younger moments together. They laugh together at each others’ antics and marvel at how small they once were.

Cooking together is another fun choice for families. One of our favorites is making homemade pizza. The smell of warm yeast quickly gathers everyone around the kitchen counter, and eager hands rapidly knead the dough. Once the dough has risen, and is rolled out to the desired shape, children enjoy choosing their own toppings, and “decorating†their pizza. It is simple to make personal sized pizzas, allowing each child to become a master chef for the evening.

A family game night is an inclusive choice for families with children of varying ages. Older children can pair up with younger siblings for more challenging games, thus allowing co-sibling teams to be formed. On the flip side, younger children delight in playing their favorites with older family members. If every family member chooses one game, no one feels excluded. But, of course, who chooses first? Put numbers in a bowl and allow everyone to choose. This not only ensures a fair order, but also assists younger children in easy number recognition (as a homeschooling mom, I can’t resist those “teachable momentsâ€!).

As odd as it sounds, we have also made family cleaning into a fun evening on more than one occasion. We have a master list of weekly chores that we highlight as we go along. When we choose this “divide and conquer†method, every child picks a few jobs out of each category. We then divvy up washcloths and cleaners (or spray bottles of water for our younger ones), put on some loud music that we all enjoy, and dive in. Afterwards, the kids tend to find a treat that has mysteriously appeared on the counter-- usually ice cream!

The possibilities for a planned day or evening together are endless. The end result however, is priceless. Everyone goes away with such a feeling of connectedness--a sense of belonging that cannot be recreated outside this integral family unit. These moments are worth more than any number a price tag could bear.

Katie is a homeschooling mother of four. She blogs at Cincinnati Cents, where she shares money-saving ideas, deals, and frugal activities to enjoy as a family.

From Money Saving Mom: What are some of your family's favorite ways to celebrate a night of fun together without spending a lot of money? I'd love to hear!

Have you gotten your free theater tickets yet? Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for not-for-profit American theatre, is sponsoring a free night of theater in cities around the nation. Shows are available from October 16 through October 30, 2008.

Go here to see if your city is participating and if there are any tickets still available.

Thanks, Journey to Frugal!

Guest Post by Monica from The Homespun Heart

One of my favorite Fall decorations is a simple pumpkin! I recently purchased a 3.4 lb. pie pumpkin at Wal-Mart for $0.78/lb. I thought it would be fun to see how much we could do with just one pumpkin several days in a row to really stretch the value of purchasing it! Join me as we follow the life of the this small pumpkin...

When I first brought the pumpkin home, it made a lovely decoration perched on my porch.

A few days later, it made a fun greeting for a few ladies I had over for an Autumn in Avonlea gathering.

The next morning, it made a fun vase for our First Day of Autumn breakfast.

And, at lunch, a great hiding place for lunch during our scavenger hunt.

Next, I cooked the pumpkin. (Just half the pumpkin and place cut side down on a baking sheet for one hour at 350 degrees; I got about four cups of cooked pumpkin from the two pumpkins I cooked.)

I used the cooked pumpkin and made some delicious Pumpkin Struesel Muffins.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

1/4 c. margarine or butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Streusel Topping:
1/3 c. flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cold butter or margarine

For muffins: cream together margarine and sugars. Add all remaining ingredients and mix together. In a separate bowl, cut together streusel ingredients and sprinkle over muffin batter. Bake in prepared muffin tin at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Makes one dozen muffins. Original recipe from Quick Cooking May/June 2000.

We were able to tie the muffins into our homeschooling this week by having an 'unbirthday' party (we've been reading Ask Mr. Bear!)

Then we toasted the seeds for a snack. Here's the recipe we used:

Sugared Pumpkin Seeds

2 c. pumpkin seeds (from two pie pumpkins; rinsed and dried on a baking sheet for 48 hours)
1 egg white mixed with 1 Tbsp. water (save the egg yolk for your next batch of pancakes or scrambled eggs!)
1 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt

Mix seeds and egg white mixture. Add remaining spices and mix well. Spread on greased baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees for one hour stirring every 15 minutes.

I think I'll send some in my husband's lunch tomorrow. After this yummy baking, we took a short walk outside and enjoyed coming into a cozy smelling home!

All that from a $2.68 pumpkin!

How do you like to stretch a pumpkin? I look forward to hearing your ideas!

Monica enjoys blogging about the simple pleasures of faith, family and home over at The Homespun Heart.

On Saturday, September 27, 2008, (that's tomorrow, folks!) you can get free admission to one of hundreds of museums nationwide compliments of Smithsonian Magazine.

Go here to find museums near you which are participating and then print your voucher here. The voucher is good for two family members, one voucher per household. 

Thanks, Kristen!

photo by egarc2

Guest Post by Katie from Cincinnati Cents

As parents, there is a fine line between over-indulging our children and ensuring that we spend a reasonable amount of quality family time together. It seems as though schedules become incredibly hectic with the pace of today’s world, between school, work, soccer games, piano lessons, church commitments, scout meetings, social organizations...the list could go on and on.

It is essential for families to carve out time that is separate from the hubbub of the daily routine, in order to connect (or reconnect) as a family unit. Without this time spent together, the core that binds each family together becomes fractionalized, and suddenly the members become disconnected from each other, making family unity and harmony a challenge to be overcome.

While it is easy to agree that family time is essential, it is not always so simple to find activities and events that are family-friendly (oftentimes for a multitude of ages) as well as financially feasible. It is certainly not difficult to concoct grand plans for trips to amusement parks, the beach, or a local fun zone.

However, if these ventures are beyond your budgetary means, the additional stress they cause defeat the purpose of the unity-building experience. In this weekly series, I will be focusing on simple, frugal ways to celebrate your family, thereby spending quality time together (while maintaining your sanity as well!).

As Summer has quickly slipped away, and Fall is gently unfolding, it is an ideal time to enjoy the beauty of the season with a leisurely walk as a family in the coolness of the evening. I've found, it is easy to engage all participating “walkers†if you add a game into the experience.

Give each child a scavenger hunt list (younger children could be paired with older siblings or parents) of various items to locate while you are enjoying the outdoors. This turns the walk into more than just exercise and family time--it becomes a nature hunt, and children will be amazed with the autumn treasures they might find. Acorns, red and orange leaves, and squirrels scurrying to procure their winter store all make fascinating finds for young children. They are often amazed by what they can find if they truly look at their surroundings.

Bingo is another easy take-along game for an evening hike. Parents can make simple bingo boards prior to the family outing, utilizing cardboard or heavy cardstock and clear contact paper.  A simple 9 or 12-box grid would be ideal for younger children, whereas a larger grid (15 to 25 squares) would be more challenging for older children. Items that could be searched for would either be written in the squares, or pictures could be drawn for non-readers.

Once the boards are completed, a simple covering of clear contact paper will protect them from the elements on the journey. Each child would then be supplied with a dry erase marker and either a paper towel or a wet wipe. Whoever finds the needed objects and yells “bingo†first would win the game. The boards could then be wiped clean, and a new game could begin.

Of course, a game is not necessary for a family outing. It is oftentimes enough for families--especially those with very small children--to simply enjoy each others’ presence during the course of a long, leisurely walk. Young ones are so excited to witness nature’s beauty in its simplest form--a butterfly spreading its wings, a puppy barking from across the street, one last lazy flower poking its head out of the ground.

Regardless of the activity you choose, remember that life passes to quickly. Take time to smell those proverbial roses. Next Fall will be here in a blink of an eye, and you’ll want to look back and remember all the amazing memories you’ve created as a family over the course of the year.

Katie is a homeschooling mother of four. She blogs at Cincinnati Cents, where she shares money-saving ideas, deals, and frugal activities to enjoy as a family.

From Money Saving Mom: What are some of your favorite games to play or things to do while you're out on a family walk?

Well, now this was a rather interesting promotion!

When you buy a bag of Sun World Superior grapes (look for sales at your local stores!), you can get discounts, free coupons, and more at your local zoos and aquariums.

Jenn wrote:

Go here to see if your area zoo or aquarium is participating.

Did you know that if your children get good grades or perform chores around the house, they can earn free passes to CoCo Key Water Parks around the country?

I didn't, but I'm very interested to hear this since we have one of these water parks right here in Kansas City and I've always thought it would be fun to take the girls during on off season (I'm not much into over-crowded pools and water slides!) when they get a little older.

There are currently water parks located in the following cities:

Go here to read more details and sign up for the CoCo Kid's Club. And then get your children busy helping around the house--what great incentive!

Thanks for the heads up on this, Carrie!

It's the first day of Summer and parents everywhere are in the market for creative and cost-effective ideas for frugal family fun. Here are a few of our family's favorite ways to have fun without breaking the bank:

 --Go grocery shopping together. We often do this as a family and make an outing of it. If you have to do it, you might as well make it fun! We bring snacks and drinks along, the girls get to ride in those fancy carts most stores now sport, and we have a blast seeing how much we can get for how little. The best part of all is that grocery stores seem keep their thermostat set at almost-freezing temperatures so it's a cheap way to beat the heat (well, provided that you stick to your list and your budget and don't impulse buy!).

--Pack a picnic, a blanket, some books, and some toys for the girls and go hang out at a nearby lake for the afternoon. This is especially great for a leisurely Sunday afternoon: the girls get some fresh air and exercise and mom and dad can sit in the shade on a blanket and watch them play.

--Load up the girls in the wagon and walk to a nearby fast food joint or ice cream shop for drinks or cones. (This is an especially great thing to do if you have coupons or if there is a freebie offer going on!)

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Those are three really simple and frugal things we love to do in the Summer. What about your family? Post your frugal family fun ideas for Summer on your blog and leave your link below so we can all be inspired. Don't have a blog? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments section.

We'll be celebrating Summer here on Friday (the first day of Summer!) with a big Frugal Family Fun: The Summer Edition round-up.

Put on your thinking caps and let your creative juices flow and get ready to tell us all about your very favorite inexpensive (or free!) family activities for the Summer!

Graphic from AllPosters.com

I think this was national Fast Food Freebie week this week--or at least it sure felt like it around here.

Since we're always sticklers for free ice cream, we couldn't miss out on free Haagen-Dazs. The new flavor they were giving out was really good and, surprisingly, there was almost no one at the Haagen-Dazs shop at the mall. And they even had this big sign right smack dab out in front:

I guess we're just weird because we'd never walk by a sign like that and turn down an opportunity for free ice cream, especially when there was no wait. But I guess we're not your typical shoppers or something because almost everyone else was walking straight by without even so much as a second glance.

The portions that Haagen-Dazs gave out were very generous--the size of a small cup or cone, which regularly costs $3.15. The girls loved it (Kaitlynn even got to taste her first few bites of ice cream) and I think Jesse and I enjoyed it even more! What a fun outing--all for free!

Last night, we all had sweet teas and free Southern-Style chicken sandwiches from McDonald's. Yum! And since Taco Bell is right by McDonald's, we also stopped in for a free Frutista with a $0.79 soft taco purchase. Altogether, the whole dinner cost us less than $4!

If only we had a Dunkin' Donuts nearby, we could have also gotten some free iced coffees!

From KidsBowlFree.com:

There aren't any bowling alleys in our area participating so I can't check this out more thoroughly, but it looks like you just need to pick your local bowling alley (if there is one participating) and then fill out the information and they will send you a coupon which you can redeem all Summer long!

If you sign up for this, I'd be interested to hear how it works for you.

Thanks, Frugal Freebies and Deals!

There is nothing that will squelch the joy in frugality faster than pinching your pennies so hard that you never have any fun. And if you're planning to practice thrift for the long haul, you need to strategically come up with ways to keep life interesting, exciting, and fresh.

Just because you don't have a lot of money or are trying to live on little doesn't mean you can't find ways to have fun and splurge a little without breaking your budget. Here are a few things we've done:

-Go out for dessert and coffee. Or, if you're really strapped for cash, skip the dessert and split a latte. We used to do this at Barnes and Noble back in our law school barebones budget days. We'd browse books, buy a drink and split it (often paying for it with a card I'd earned through reading emails from MyPoints!), and then sit and read and talk for awhile. It made for a very relaxing evening that cost us next to nothing!

-Take your children to the pet store and then to McDonald's for $0.99 cones. (Use the seasonal free cone coupons--if you have them--to save even more!)

-Plan one nicer dinner each week. If beans and rice make up a large part of your diet, plan ahead so that one night per week, you have "feast". It doesn't have to be anything elaborate--maybe something like meat loaf, a potato dish, some homemade bread, veggies, and a dessert. Or if you can't even afford that, add a dessert to your normal fare and bring out the nice dishes or add a centerpiece. A dessert and a candle can make you feel like you're having a gourmet dinner even if it's hamburger helper!

-Ride your bikes or put the kids in the wagon and walk to the nearest ice cream shop and order a few cones to split.

-Have a progressive dinner at your own home. Decorate four different rooms with four different themes and then serve a coordinating menu item for each. (Read about one such dinner I planned here.)

-Rent a movie with a free code from RedBox (or the library), make some special snacks, and watch the movie together under blankets in the living room.

-Plan a CVS "date." Have extra ECBs to spend? Why not make a fun evening of it? Let each person pick one treat for under $3 to buy and then go to the park and share the goodies!

-Go yard-saling or thrift store shopping as a family or couple. Give each person a small amount of cash to spend and see who gets the most bang for their buck!

-Go to the library as a family (or as a couple, for date night!) and browse different books that you usually don't get a chance to look at and check some out. You'll feel like you went shopping and you won't have spent anything!

-Have a "Loose Change Date." Take all of the loose change you can find in the house and figure out a creative way to maximize it. Divvy it up between the family members and let each person decide how they want to spend their part for a family evening out.

-Find out if any nearby bowling alleys have $0.99 night or discount nights (many do). When we were first married, we'd go on $0.99 night and rent our shoes for $0.99 each and play two games at $0.99 each--and it was such a fun outing and it only cost us around $6!