Frugal Ways to Entertain Your Kids this Summer

Summer vacation is a time that most children excitedly look forward to. It is easy to see why. They get a whole lot of free time! Parents are going to need some frugal ideas for fun activities that will entertain their children. Here are a few ideas to try. Bubbles Little kids cannot get enough of bubbles! You can pick up small bottles of bubbles, complete with bubble wand, from a dollar store. Check the dollar racks at Target, too. Parents can sit down outdoors and blow bubbles that their toddlers will chase. Older kids can blow bubbles on their … Continue reading →

Frugal Tips for Summer Activities

Summer vacation is a great time for families to go out and do things together. Visiting amusement parks, dining out, and staying in hotels can end up costing a lot of money. Travel expenses can quickly add up, too. Here are some frugal tips that will help your family enjoy summer vacation without having to go into a lot of debt. Pack some snacks. Make use of your child’s lunchbox this summer. It is the perfect container for easy to eat snacks that your family can bring along on car trips. Instead of stopping the car at the nearest fast … Continue reading →

Christmas is on December 27th this Year

In case you haven’t heard, there has been a change in the calendar for Christmas Day. No longer celebrated on December 25th, as it has been traditionally. This year, Christmas falls on December 27th. News Year Eve will be celebrated on December 30th or on January 3rd. Is this for real? Yes. That is, it is for real for many people who decide to save money, into the hundreds of dollars by celebrating Christmas and New Years on days that most of us don’t. Celebrating the major holidays on off-days is a trend that has been embraced by more and … Continue reading →

Touring the City on Less: Touring Busses

I spent a great day touring the city with my best friend from college. Fortunately, we did not spend much money at all. Here are some of the techniques we used to spend less and see more. First up: The local touring bus. Whenever my friend visits a new city, one of the first things that she does is to find out about the local touring busses. These are vehicles that are usually double-decker with the top open. Sometimes the busses are actually trolleys. Tourists can ride on the top as a tour guide narrates the various attractions throughout the city. … Continue reading →

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

One of my favorite books to share with my children is Simms Taback’s Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. The tale tells of Joseph who had, what else, but a favorite little overcoat. Eventually it gets “old and worn.” Instead of throwing it away, he makes it into a jacket. Once that also gets “old and worn,” the jacket becomes a scarf, and so on. Joseph continues to transform his garments as needed until he is down to just a button. Unfortunately, the button gets lost, but despite this development, Joseph still manages to make something out of it. The book … Continue reading →

Is The Free Resort Stay Worth It?

Lately, I have been getting a lot of mail offering me invitations to stay for free at one resort or another. The invitations promise that I could invite my spouse and any children that we have. In exchange for a night or two or three at a fabulous resort, all I have to do is to sit in on a meeting. Well, of course you may know what theses offers really are, attempts to sell vacation time shares. The meeting may last up to a half a day, and I could be subjected to many different sales techniques in order … Continue reading →

When You Can’t Afford Sports 2

As parents, we want to be able to provide our children with everything that will keep them happy and healthy. Activities in sports and the arts are valuable experiences that we can provide to our children, unless we can’t afford to do so. What then? Do are children lose out? A better solution might be to look for ways to save money on children’s sports, so you can provide them to your children without putting your family in danger of economic failure. This post is part two of a two-article series on the subject. If you missed the first post, … Continue reading →

When You Can’t Afford Sports

It is an odd child who does not attend two or three different activities in addition to school. These activities are generally concentrated in sports or the arts and can take up a lot of time and money. Well, I have three such odd children. We just don’t have the means to support so many activities for so many children. At an average of $3,000 to $5,000 a year on average for each serious sport, you can see how it all adds up. I just don’t know how these parents do it. So last year, we cut out all of … Continue reading →

Castle Birthday Party Idea Part 3

The games are done, and everyone is ready to eat. In this series, I am sharing my ideas for throwing a castle-themed child’s birthday party for less than $100. If you missed Castle Birthday Part Idea Part 1, click here. If you missed Castle Birthday Party Idea Part 2, click here. Food for a party can be one of the biggest expenses. You want to make sure that there is enough food for everyone, to accommodate different tastes. I suggest a mixture of home made food with some convenience items, such a a bulk package of frozen chicken nuggets or … Continue reading →

Castle Birthday Party Idea Part 2

Host a castle birthday party for your little knight or princess, all for less than $100! I will share how we are doing it. If you missed part 1, you can find it here. So, the kid have just defeated the knight who escapes. They then climb up the castle (swing set) to meet the princess, who will be played by the birthday boy’s sister. She tells them that the evil knight has hidden a map in one of the abandoned village huts, but those on the quest must be careful. There is a grouchy old hermit who still lives … Continue reading →