Frugal Moms

Below are three ways to have fun with the whole family and more on a slim budget.

1. If you want to entertain this year, make it at the home.  Throw a garden party or a back yard party.  Set up the kiddie pool, get out the grill, buy a couple packages of hot dogs and a box of tea.  Invite 6 or seven familes and ask that they all bring something to eat, after explaining you have the hot dogs and sun tea.  Grill your hot dogs to perfection on the grill as the guests arrive.  If you are worried messy stuff, like potatoe salad, will be brought have paper plates with real silverware available.  This has a cost of about 10 dollars for everyone to have a nice social evening.  You could take turns hosting amongsth your friends and do it once every two weeks.  This way everyone gets a turn over the summer and any kids you have will spebd time together with other children.

2. The traditional swimming hole can be a lot of fun, if you happen to live near one.  However, in it’s absence a day in the yard with sprinklers and iced tea can be great fun for kids too.  Bring out a bucket with a little dish soap and a wire coat hanger bent into a big bubble blower shape, and even mom can get in on the act.  Watch as the little ones hop around trying to catch the gigantic bubbles.

3. A hike through a distant park may be great, but gas money might be not so plentiful.  Instead take the kids to the local park or your backyard and point out all the local flora and fauna as if it were a great adventure.  Teach them how to make shelters with fallen branches, even if the play ground is in site.  Point out how the acorns can be turned into a type of batter and encourage them to collect them for “experimenting” with acorn flat bread later.  Point out local birds, and if you thought ahead, encourage them to sketch and color the birds.  When you get home later, look up the birds on google images to teach them about the local bird population.  Collect leaves at the park and when you get home make leave rubbings.  Then have the kids make a leaf scrap book with the pressed leaves and rubbings in them, with each tree identified by the leaves.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS