In the recent Simply Frugal survey I did, I received a few answers from readers saying they’d love to know what sort of frugal activities are keeping my daughter occupied. Since I like to read other bloggers posts that give me a peek into their daily lives, I thought I’d oblige!
A little background. My daughter will be three at the end of March 2015 (*sob*) so she’s starting to get more interested in activities that are more structured. Also, since having my daughter, I find I have to get out of the house at least once a day. Even if it’s going for a walk or getting groceries. I go stir crazy if I’m at home too long (says the girl who was a homebody before kids.)
I’m always looking for new frugal things to do with her but currently, these are our favourite things to do:
Crafts
She loves craft time. She pretty much has free reign over the supplies I’ve picked up from the dollar store, Target (I’m going to miss that dollar section!) and various other stores. I have a plastic bin with paints, crayons, googly eyes (her fave), stickers, glue, ribbon and more just for her. She loves to make birthday cards and they’re a hit with the recipients 🙂 We’re going to give this craft kit a try on an upcoming road trip we have.
Dolls/Pretend Play
It’s so fun to watch since her pretend play is really starting to develop! One of her favourite things to play with right now is dolls. She loves to take care of them: bathe, feed, play and dress them (with my help). We also do a lot of pretend shopping trips with her grocery cart and play food. She also loves this Melissa & Doug food set. We have picnics with it and this LeapFrog picnic basket. Another thing she loves is a toy jeep and little people that my mom kept from when we were kids.
I don’t think my daughter has a ton of toys but when I do purchase something I like to invest in good quality with good playability toys. Most of them have been bought off Amazon, bought used (the best!) or given as gifts.
Sensory bins
This is something that I want to play around with more this year. So far the two bins that I’ve set her up with she loves. I can usually get almost 1/2 hour of independent play out of a bin. That is amazing to me! One bin I made holds dried beans and small farm animals. The other is rice with plastic insects and pom poms. She loves to bury them and then dig them up. Pouring from one bin to another is also fun. She’s past the age of putting random things in her mouth, but when she was younger I would keep a very close eye on her. I love this post about Sensory Bins, it’s so thorough.
Involve Her
From a young age, I always tried to involve her in what I was doing around the house. If I was cleaning, I’d hand her a damp cloth or her mini mop and she’d clean right beside me. If I’m baking, I measure out the ingredients then have her pour them into the bowl. When we’re out grocery shopping, I point out things she can put in the grocery cart. She loves to help unload the cart at the end and likes to help me pay by handing over the cash. Sometimes it feels like a lot of work and makes things slower than if I were doing them myself, but I like the idea of what I’m teaching her. I think one day it will really pay off!
Reading
She’s not one to normally sit down by herself and start “reading” a book, but she loves her bedtime stories. Some of her current favourites are:
Throughout the next year, I want to start incorporating some learning activities that go along with the books. This is an example of what I have in mind. Even if I don’t end up doing most of the activities, I like to have something planned for when her boredom strikes.
Walks
While I do go on walks with her, most of her walks happen with her Grandpa. (Such a blessing for me since I get a chunk of time to work!) They have so much fun walking to the park, our small airport to watch the planes and even the grocery store. She’s starting to get really observant of the things that are outside so I want to take her on a nature scavenger hunt using a simple guide I might find on Pinterest.
Gymnastics
Currently this is the only outside activity that I pay for. She goes to a local drop-in so I only pay when she goes. She has so much fun and burns off energy.
Free community programs
We used to attend a Mother Goose program but we’re going to start trying the Strongstart program offered at local schools. I think it will be more her speed and they usually have a variety of fun activities! Story time at the library is also a hit.
Playdates
Mainly this is an excuse for me to get out and visit my friends, but most of my friends have kids close to my daughter’s age that she enjoys playing with. In the summer months we meet once a week at a local beach to hang out and eat lunch. 🙂
So there you have it. A peek at our current favourite activities and toys. I hope I didn’t bore you to death and that at the very least you have gathered some ideas!
I happen to own and love a Keurig machine. What I don't love is how many K-Cups I'm left with for the trash. I've started saving them for craft time with my daughter, but those empty K-cups can really add up! So, why not take a look at some new ways to use them? K-cups can actually be quite practical once they are empty; you just need to get a little creative. Take a peek below at 10 ways to reuse K-cups that you can try, long after the coffee is gone!
10 Ways to Reuse K-Cups
1. Organize office supplies.
Put a few K-cups in office drawers to hold paper clips, pins, stamps, and other small office supplies that tend to get lost in the shuffle.
2. Organize small jewelry pieces.
Tuck a K-cup or two in jewelry boxes or drawers to hold small earrings, earring backings, pin backings, and other small jewelry pieces.
3. Make a matching game for kids.
Place a sticker on the inside of each K-Cup. Make sure each sticker has a match found in another cup. Turn the cups over and let kids play Memory. Talk about a game you can make for just pennies!
4. Start seeds.
K-Cups are the perfect size cup to start seeds in. Just poke a quick hole in the bottom for drainage, add soil, and add your seed. It is a frugal way to get gardening!
5. Scoop out dry goods.
Rinse out a K-cup and keep it in your flour, sugar, and other dry goods to use as a scoop. It is a quick way to get what you need without getting hands or spoons dirty.
6. Add a few to sensory tables.
Toss a few K-cups into sand or water for children to enjoy. They will love scooping with them and can practice pouring as well. Who would have thought that K-cups can strengthen fine motor skills?
7. Craft some little doll cups.
Take sharpie markers and decorate the outside of the K-cup. You can then give them to dolls to use for tea parties. They also make great accessories for dolls as you can make them into trash cans, hats, hair accessory holders, and more.
8. Organize craft supplies.
K-cups are perfect for keeping buttons, stickers, pom poms, and other small craft supplies organized and at your fingertips for when you need them.
9. Freeze herbs.
This is a really cool way to reuse K-cups. Just fill them with water and add your favorite chopped herbs. Freeze them. When you need herbs for a recipe, all you need to do is pop out the herb cube and add it. You could even make flavored ice cubes this way, freezing fruit juices in the cup before using.
10. Make a stamp or stencil.
K-cups are great when you need a circle stencil. You can also dip the K-cup in paint and use it as a stamp! You will get the perfect circle every time.
Did you ever think K-cups could be so practical? Give these tips for using K-cups a try and see how creative you can get.
Do you want a fresh look for your space but don’t want to go broke making it happen? If so, take a look at these ways to decorate with things you already have! I find that once February comes (or once I've had enough of the dreary winter weather), I want to freshen things up inside. Make things brighter if you will. Chances are, with these tips, everything you need is right under your own roof; you just need to get creative with it. Here are some helpful tips to get you started decorating with the things you already have!
How to Decorate with Things You Already Have
1. Get savvy with spray paint.
Just about anything can achieve a fresh new look when you give it a coat of spray paint. Paint vases, lamp bases, small furniture pieces, even glassware knick knacks. Choose a color that goes with your color scheme or opt for fresh white. It's sure to look like a whole new piece!
2. Bring the outside in.
Arrange some long branches in a vase for a pop of rustic charm. Fill bud vases with flowers and fresh cut greenery. You can even paint rocks or pine cones to use as bowl fillers. Nature provides so much beauty, find ways to bring it indoors!
3. Get crafty with fabric.
Take fabric scraps or old clothing pieces to use as the makings for runners, throw pillows, place mats, and more. You only need a little fabric and some simple stitchery to make these items happen, so why not give it a shot?
4. Get creative with picture frames.
Do you have tons of picture frames around your home? Use them to frame photos, artwork, colorful fabric scraps, scrapbook paper and more. You can even use them to frame electrical outlets.
5. Use old things in new ways.
Use that old mason jar as a cotton ball holder in the bathroom, or an old fruit crate for magazines. Using items in ways other than for what they were intended is so fun and functional.
6. Get budget savvy with books.
Books can be stacked up to create some visual interest on end tables and coffee tables. You can even frame old pages of books, make bunting banners, or use them as trinket boxes when you carve out the center of them.
7. Let kids get creative.
Display children’s school and art work in fun and decorative ways. Create banners with it, frame it, or laminate it and use as place mats, runners, and more.
See how simple it can be to decorate your home with things you already own? Give these tips a try and see how budget savvy and beautiful your space can be.
I happen to think that using a slow cooker can save you quite a bit of money. After all, everyone wants to eat healthier, but planning, shopping and prepping meals all.the.time can get old really fast. While I don’t mind cooking, it’s not one of my favourite things to do, so making the task easier is a priority of mine. 🙂 The fact that I can quickly put ingredients together into the slow cooker, turn it on, then walk away while it cooks all day practically makes me giddy.
Using your slow cooker on a regular basis can help you save in quite a few ways. Read on for some of my favourite tips, tricks and recipes for making your slow cooker a great money saving tool:
52 Ways to Save: Use a Slow Cooker
1. Purchase Cheaper Cuts of Meat
When you have a slow cooker, there’s no need to buy those expensive cuts of meat. Because the slow cooker cooks slow, it’s great for tenderizing cheaper cuts of meat.
2. Save on Electricity Costs
Did you know that slow cookers actually use less energy than the stove top or oven? It’s true! Don’t just save dollars on your grocery bill, save on your electricity bill too!
3. Use Less Meat
Perhaps it’s the recipes I use, but I’ve noticed that I use less meat when I make a slow cooker meal. Meat can be one of the more expensive things on your grocery bill so making it stretch can help a ton. I often times shred the meat I use or the vegetables far outweigh the meat quantity. Of course, you can skip the meat entirely and create a delicious pot of baked beans, lentils or what ever strikes your fancy.
4. Resist the Take Out
The slow cooker sort of takes away a lot of the excuses you could have for ordering take-out. After all, you put together your meal in the morning, when you’re (hopefully) your freshest. So when you’re tired at the end of the day, your dinner is already cooked!
5. Double Up
Or in other words, make a huge batch and freeze the extras for a super easy meal that you can just pull out and heat up!
6. Round up the Fridge
Do you have a few leftovers that are staring to pile up in the fridge? Vegetables that are just about on their last legs? Throw them into your slow cooker and create a delicious soup or stew! Try out this Pantry and Pasta soup for some ideas.
Lorraine wrote me a great email after my post about Frugal Meal Ideas for When You're Broke. She has some great tips, plus, it's kinda fun to see how other families use their grocery money. I also really appreciate Lorraine's focus on healthy eating. She has found what works for her. I think if you really focus on narrowing down what works for your family, you can save a bundle by buying basically the same things each time you go grocery shopping. In my mind this simplifies the meal planning process, and you will start to see when you should be stocking up on the items your family uses over and over again.
Here's Lorraine:
With regard to your frugal meals on a budget, I would like to suggest that people can eat vegetables that are in season. For instance, during the summertime and early fall, when the bounty abounds, we freeze many of the local vegetables in freezer bags and have them on hand throughout the winter. We freeze broccoli, cauliflower, shallots, leek, celery, peppers, zucchini and use them in soups and casseroles when the weather gets colder and the cost of produce becomes exorbitant. We buy canned tomatoes in bulk when they go on sale for 88 cents and add them to our soups and sauces. During the winter, we eat a lot of root vegetables and cabbage as they are plentiful and a produce of Canada. We also eat lots of stir fries, chicken casseroles, chicken cacciatore made with ground chicken that we buy when the ground chicken is on sale. We buy stewing beef when it is on sale and add way more vegetables than meat to our stews. We eat potatoes regularly and stretch the budget by boiling chicken pieces for a broth in a soup and then use the boiled chicken in sandwiches or casseroles such as chicken à la king. We incorporate at least 6-9 fruit and vegetables in our daily diet to ensure that we get all the necessary nutrients.
We also eat a rainbow diet; example: purple cabbage or raddichio, red peppers/tomatoes/red skinned apples, yellow beans/yellow peppers, rutabaga, for the greens, we eat kale, broccoli, spinach, the darker lettuces and cabbage and the for orange in our rainbow diet, we eat tons of carrots, sweet potatoes, squash.
Legumes are also a cheap way to get protein when combined with a whole grain pasta or an ancient grain like quinoa. We use quinoa and wild rice in our soup bases to ensure a good nutritious meal. We add lima beans and lentils to our soups. We also eat baked beans as a main course with a side salad and a whole grain bun or slice of bread or a muffin made with whole grains.
We do not eat much cheese as this is high in saturated fats. Quite often, I use a drizzle of avocado oil, grapeseed oil or almond oil in our soup instead of chicken or beef stock. This ensures that we are getting the good oils in our diet and helps to maintain our good cholesterol levels.
We watch the aisle in the grocery store for the meat marked down as it is close to the expiry date and there is never a problem if it is stored right away in the freezer for future use. We also buy chicken that has been reduced in price as long as it is within the best before date. We do not buy cheap fish, as much of the fish from Asia and especially China is contaminated with chemicals that are harmful to human consumption. That is one item that we splurge on and try to buy “wild” fish from Canada such as cod or trout.
As the cost of meat has skyrocketed in our area, we only buy when it goes on sale and we prepare meals according to the sale cycles. We also eat omelettes made with vegetables and a side salad for a healthy, quick and filling meal. When cooking meatloaf, I add a lot of oatmeal to the mix and am able to get more portions out of a small quantity of hamburger meat and as oatmeal is known to reduce the bad cholesterol, it plays an important role in our diet.
We also buy frozen fruit in the winter time when it is on sale as it is much fresher than the exotic fruits coming from South America and elsewhere. The longer the travel time, the less nutrition a food contains. Again, we freeze berries in season and use them during the winter months. We buy apples on sale as well as oranges and bananas. When the kiwi goes on sale, we purchase these for their Vitamin C content.
We also check out the bread rack where some loaves have been reduced for quick sale. They are usually still quite fresh and if they are frozen, they are great when toasted. We buy oatmeal and other cereals in bulk and save on the packaging. Oatmeal is great for a dinner with fresh fruit and almond or rice beverage and a good alternative for those who are lactose intolerant.
We also stock up on butter when it goes on sale at $2.99 or lower. We buy enough to ensure that we will have it on hand until the next sale cycle. We watch the sales for lactose free milk and buy as many as we know we can use before the expiry date. We do the same thing for orange juice as we have a special brand that we prefer. The sale cycle for orange juice is fairly short; therefore, when we buy six containers at a time, we are sure to find a good deal when we run out.
We also watch the sale cycles for paper products, cleaning products and hygiene products and we stock up to last until the next sale cycle. All of these measures ensure that we eat properly, maintain an ideal weight and do not feel deprived of life’s most basic pleasures.
I hope you've gleaned some ideas from Lorraine. Or at least been inspired to keep it simple and always buy on sale! Give us a look at how your family uses their grocery money in the comments!
Do you find it hard to prepare tasty and filling meals when you're in between pay days? Cooking hearty meals on a tight budget can be a challenge, but the truth is, it's totally possible! You can enjoy a tasty, healthy, and filling meal for less when you give these frugal meal ideas a try. Bonus: You can whip them up in no time!
1. Loaded Tomato Soup and Cheese Sandwiches
Prepare a pot of tomato soup and toss in some filling extras such as rice, cheese, or pasta. Prepare with a side of grilled cheese sandwiches and some cucumber slices.
2. Baked Italian Chicken Legs and Rice
Chicken legs are one of the cheapest cuts of chicken. Bake chicken that has been marinated with Italian dressing in the oven. Prepare with a side of rice and a small side salad if budget allows.
3. Baked Potato Bar
Prepare baked potatoes along with a buffet of toppings. Enjoy them with sour cream, chives, cheese, bacon, ham, or other tasty toppings that turn them into a meal. Side with soup if the budget allows.
4. Ham and Cheese Croissant Pockets.
Take canned croissants and stuff them with ham and cheese before rolling. Prepare as usual. The end result is a hot and tasty treat that is best when served with inexpensive soup, steamed vegetables or salad.
5. Brinner!
Brinner is when you enjoy breakfast for dinner! Eggs, pancakes, and fruit can all make for an inexpensive but hearty dinner. If budget allows, prepare some sausage links or bacon.
6. Hamburger Casserole.
Cook a pound of hamburger and drain. Add in a packet of brown gravy mix. Add in a cup of frozen corn as well as a cup of frozen peas. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, top with shredded cheese, and finish off with frozen tater tots. Bake until golden and enjoy. It's cheap and easy.
7. Meatless Taco Bar.
Create a meatless taco bar with shells, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, beans, avocado, lettuce and tomatoes. With so many fresh toppings, you won’t even miss the meat.
If you need to prepare a hearty meal on a budget, give these ideas a try! You're sure to create something tasty in no time flat.
What are your go-to frugal meal ideas for when the grocery budget is running dry?
