Sensibly Frugal Living

Memory Tin/ Time Capsule

I saw a fantastic post on Facebook (unsure of the creator). The post very rightly stated that our children are currently living through history, so why not create a time capsule with newspaper cuttings/ online article print outs and diary inserts etc about what it is like living in lockdown during the Coronavirus, so they can read it again to their future selves in years to come.

The making of the memory box/ time capsule can also be a good homeschool craft idea.

As you can see, your child can decorate their box anyway they like. My daughter used post it notes and tape to create a patchwork effect of different colours.

What we included:

Photos of us as we are now, schoolwork etc
Articles
Letter to herself
One of the crafts she has made to give to friends and family when this is all over.

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Social Distancing Boredom Busters for Adults

Under usual circumstances, having a lot of time on our hands may seems like a great thing, but when you are stuck in your house due to social distancing, it may become repetitive and drive you a little stir crazy. The best way to combat boredom is to be proactive and to keep busy. Here is my list of 20 boredom busters for adults.

Wash the car
Gardening/weeding
Declutter the house
Spring clean the whole house
Touch up the walls and wood work
Bake
Batch cook food for freezing
Email friends and family
Organise files and photos on your computer
Have a family game night or quiz night via video call etc
Sort out the attic
Declutter garden sheds
Shampoo the carpets
Learn a new skill via Youtube
Clean the garden furniture/ toys
Plan out a birthday and Christmas present list
Set up a daily exercise routine
Start crafting: scrapbooking, sewing etc
Keep a journal
Start a blog/ vlog

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Please feel free to add any of your own ideas in the comments.

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Indoor Scavenger Hunt

During self-isolation and lockdown the kids can go stir crazy. Having a catalogue of ideas to keep them entertained really helps. My idea for today’s post is one for everyone. I wanted to prove that you don’t need to have a garden or outside space to do a scavenger hunt. An indoor scavenger hunt is so easy to set up. You can tailor it to your house and what you want your kids to search for, or you can download mine.

Download my indoor scavenger hunt here:

Indoor Scavenger Hunt Download

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Our Homeschool Routine

Most of us are having to try our hand at homeschooling, and I have to admit that it was a little strange at first. Thankfully, I have a 9 year old who appreciates that she has to do her school work whilst at home and that it isn’t just a long holiday.

We have finally worked out a routine that works for us, and I wanted to share it in case anyone else needs a little inspiration or motivation. Routine is definitely the backbone of our home schooling at the moment. My daughter likes the school routine, so we knew we had to replicate that at home to a certain extent.

We do homeschooling from 9 am -12 pm. The afternoon is pretty lax, but we do try and do read-alouds for 30 minutes when we have time in the afternoon.

Our routine:

9 am: 5 a day dance routine. The kids do this at school every morning to exercise before sitting down to work. You can get a free trial of the routines from 5 A Day TV.

9.05 am: Work on the worksheet downloads from school. We try to do one of each topic, and a page out of the mathematics booklet. I’m grateful that the school has provided all the relevant learning materials. Then, my daughter expands a prompt from the 50 Creative Writing Prompts for Kids book.

10 am: Times table games and spelling practise.

10.30 am: Stop for a 10 minute break and snack.

10.40 pm: Online research on the term’s chosen topic (end goal: to create a presentation)

11 am: Online learning games (we use the websites suggested by the school)

12 pm: Finish up and have lunch.

Afternoon: We don’t class the afternoons as school time. Sometimes, we do crafts as a family, but mostly it is free play and screen time etc.

We do however do read -alouds on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Friday is the day for spellings tests and multiplication tests, so we do these just before 12 pm.

This is our structured routine, using the work materials provided by the school. I know a lot of people want to keep the learning and play much more balanced at home, but we like to get the main curriculum covered according to the school’s guidance, and then in the afternoons we are free to do crafts or play, and have screen time.

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Have you worked out a routine for homeschooling or are you prefering to learn through play?

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Frugal Tips For self Isolation and Lockdown #1

I wanted to share the tips I have shared to Instagram on living frugally during self isolation and possible lockdown due to the Coronavirus, so you can have them in one post. I will continue to compile any tips I think of in these posts.

These are very strange, unprecedented times, and we must prepare to live more frugally than we ever have before. Supermarkets are running out of stock, and many have lost jobs or have reduced hours of work. I am trying to best to share any tips that might have here on my blog, and on Facebook and Instagram.

I will continue to share as many tips I can via blog posts and social media during this crazy time.

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Free Mother’s Day Printable for Kids

I have seen many posts on social media with people trying to think up inventive Mother’s day cards and gifts due to being in self isolation etc. I decided to create a free printable with prompts for kids to fill in for their Mum’s on why their Mum is the best!

The good thing about this printable is that it can replace a card or be a gift. It is totally up to you. And as a mother myself, I know I’d be happy to receive this on Sunday morning.

You can download your free printable here:

mothers-day-printable-for-kids Download

I hope this printable may be of help to child/ parent who has been struggling or worried about finding the perfect card or gift for Mother’s day in these uncertain times.

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Simple Homemade, Reusable Baby Wipes

The panic buying is causing a shortage of essential items for parents of young children. One item that has been selling out in every store is baby wipes. If you are in need of baby wipes, or are worried you will run out, then this post is here to help.

DIY reusable baby wipes are so simple to make, and guess what? Many people use this method all the time as it is frugal and environmentally friendly.

What you will need:

An old towel or face cloths (I used 3 face cloths cut in half as I have a toddler)
Cooled boiled water
A tub (like a cleaned ice cream tub or Tupperware with a lid)
Baby wash (just the wash or bubble bath you use normally)
Scissors

Method:

Cut your old towel / face cloth into smaller squares. 6 wipes is enough to keep me going as I have a toddler. Parents of newborns might want to make more.
Boil some water and leave it to cool.
Mix a few tablespoons of baby wash into your water.
Pile you squares into your tub and pour the water and baby wash mixture over the top of the stack, so each cloth is coated but not dripping wet.
Place the lid on.
Now, your reusable baby wipes are ready to go. Just use one for each nappy change and wash in a hot wash.
Once washed, repeat the process with the cooled boiled water and baby wash mix.

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D.I.Y Marble Run

With people stockpiling crazy amounts of toilet paper, I thought it a great time to share our toilet roll tube, marble run project. This project came about after my eldest received a marble run, and my toddler could not play with it as he puts everything in his mouth, and marbles make me nervous anyway.

This simple activity was free to make and my kids loved trying to tweak the angles to get the ball in the box. For a recyclable, easy activity, it gave my kids hours of fun.

What you will need:

Toilet rolls (We used 5)
Sticky tape
Scissors
Lightweight ball
Piece of paper (this is to make a ball for younger children to use)
Container to catch the ball (we used a tissue box)

Method:

Cut the toilet rolls into halves length-ways.
Scrunch a piece of paper tightly into a compact ball shape. Use sticky tape to bind the ball of paper.
To make the run, you need to stick the halves at a slight downward angle on a surface such as door. The amount of halves you link up, makes for a slower or faster run.
The next set of halves should be positioned just below to catch the ball and continue it downward. You can switch direction as I have done (see picture). The design of your marble run is up to you and the amount of surface space you have to work with. It may take a few attempts to get the angles right, but that’s part of the fun.
Continue your run down until you want it to end. At the end, place a small tub or box to catch the ball.

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Don’t forget to recycle your run when you are done with it.

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Ideas for Inexpensive Mother’s Day Gifts

This post is a one stop shop for inexpensive gift ideas. I have lincluded inks to all my previous Mother’s Day and frugal gift posts within this post for you to peruse. You can change or adapt some ideas to suit your needs.

And if you missed yesterday’s post, check it out here and grab your free quote printable: Mother’s Day Quote Printable.

Mother’s Day is about showing the important mother figures in our lives that we appreciate them. You need not spend a lot of money to do that. It really is the thought that counts.

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*Disclaimer: I am a member of the Amazon Associates program. This post contains affiliate links to products. At no extra cost to you, I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links

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Making Ingredients Stretch

When it comes to saving money on groceries, it is not just about how you shop. You have to be a conscious cook and meal planner too. By this, I mean that making ingredients stretch and having a no waste approach to your meal plan is just as important.

I have 5 tried and tested tips to use in your cooking and meal planning that have saved me and my family money:

Cut back on meat and add more vegetables: If a stew calls for 500g of diced beef, but you only have 300g, make up the extra by adding more vegetables. Vegetables are cheaper to buy that meat, and the added nutrients are a bonus.

Add oats to ground meat recipes: Another way to make meat stretch further and to create a more filling meal is to add oats. Recipes such as spaghetti bolognese or savoury mince can be stretched by adding oats. They soak up the flavours in the mixture and you won’t even notice they are there.

Meal plan to minimise waste: Meal planning is really beneficial as you are aware of what you are buying and what items need to be used. If you are planning to have a salad, but will have leftovers, why not plan a pasta salad or topped jacket potatoes to use up the rest within the week?

Freeze leftover vegetables: If a recipe calls for half a diced onion, don;t throw the other half away! Diced that also, pop it in a freezer bag or container, and freeze for the next time you need half an onion. This also goes for most vegetables, However, veg such as carrots, potatoes etc needs blanching before being frozen to help them keep their look, taste, and texture.

Add lentils to stews and casseroles: This is the same concept as with the oats. Lentils will soak up the flavour of the liquid they are cooked in. A beef stew can be stretched by adding lentils, and it makes the meal so much more filling. You could even make up a shortage of meat (as in the first point) by adding in lentils.

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