Sensibly Frugal Living

Car Journey Games

Car journeys with kids can be exhausting. ‘Are we there yet?’ ‘I’m bored!’ It is enough to drive you insane. No need to fear, I have five car journey games that require nothing more than imagination.

Would You Rather?

To play Would You Rather? You need at least 2 players. One player asks the question and one gives an answer. The person asking the question must create two scenarios for the other person to choose from. The sentence must start with would you rather…

Example:

Would you rather go on holiday to Spain for two weeks or go all the way to Hawaii for just three days?

Would you rather only eat birthday cake for the rest of your life or never have a birthday cake again?

You can make the questions as funny or as difficult to answer as you like. Once the other player has answered it is their turn to ask a question.

Yes/No Game

The whole concept of this game is to not say yes or no. One person has to ask the other person questions to trick them into saying yes or no. It is harder than you think to not answer with phrases such as ‘certainly not’ or ‘I have never done that’.

Continuity Game

The idea of the continuity game is to keep it going as long as possible and not be the first out. You start with a word such as ‘train’. The next person has five seconds to say a word that can be someway associated with train such as ‘travel’. The next person then can continue the theme by saying ‘holiday’. Remember, you only have five seconds to answer which makes this game a lot harder.

If you want to make it harder still, you can keep the five second rule and also add a rule that you can’t use words beginning with P or S.

Fortunately Unfortunately

This is more of a creative storytelling game that can take a funny turn. You take it in turns to add a bit more to the story.

Example:

Player One: Fortunately, the zoo was open today.

Player Two: Unfortunately, the lions got out and we were in lock down.

Player Three: Fortunately, there was a circus lion tamer visiting the zoo.

Player One: Unfortunately, he had a meat sandwich in his pocket.

Eye Spy

This is the most well known and simplest game out of the five examples.

One person picks an object they can see and says ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with ___ (gives the letter of the object they can see)’. Everyone else has to guess what they spy.

If you have younger children who cannot spell yet, why not do a colours I spy? ‘I spy with by little eye something the colour purple.’

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10 ways to Have a Frugal Beach Day

Are you planning a trip to the beach during the summer holidays? Family days out can end up costing a small fortune, but beach days need not. Here are my 10 tips for frugal beach days:

Take a picnic and drinks.
Check to see if there is a Freecycle for beach toys etc at the beach.
If not, take beach toys from home. Beach side shops can be pricey.
Do not hire parasols or deck chairs. It is cheaper to buy your own. You can buy them in supermarkets for as little as £5 each, and you can use them again and again.
Google free parking areas around your beach of choice.
Carpool with friends where possible. This not only saves money on fuel but on parking too.
Check and double check your beach bag to ensure you’ve not forgotten anything. If you forget something important like sunscreen, you may end up paying a small fortune at the beach side shops.
Use any free showering facilities at the end of the day to wash.
Don’t take your purse. This will stop the little ones asking for ice creams and treats in an instant.
If you want to extend the beach fun further, why not get your children to collect dry seaweed, drift wood, and shells for frugal, arty crafts when you get home?

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Do you have any frugal tips for a cost free beach day? Leave me a comment.

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Visual Chore Tracker for Children

Most children are not a fan of chores, and whether they need a little reminder to get them done, or a little confidence boost to visually see what they have accomplished, these jars are the way forward.

These are so simple, and can be a crafty activity with your child.

What you will need:

2x jars or pots. (We used 2 plastic pots)
Pen
Paper
Decorative bits and bobs or stickers
Lollipop sticks or paper straws (enough to write your chores on each)
Glue/ Sticky tape

Method:

Clean your pots and remove labels
Stick a piece of paper to the fronts and write ‘To Do’ on one tub and ‘Done’ on the other
Allow your child to decorate the jars using their crafty supplies
Write a chore on the top of each straw or lollipop stick (We cut our straws in half, then flattened the ends to write on them.)

Once you have made your jars, pop the straws into the ‘to do’ jar and allow your child to transfer the stick to the ‘done’ jar when they complete each chore.

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Free Teacher Gift Ideas

If you are trying to save money, or just be a little more frugal when giving gifts, this post is for you. It can be hard to think of gift ideas to give your children’s teachers at the end of the year. If you have multiple children in multiple classes, these free teacher gift ideas can save you a lot of money.

Wild Flowers

As long as you have permission to pick the flowers (or gather some from your own garden) a wild bouquet can be a beautiful thank you gift. You can tie the bouquet with string, ribbon, or twine.

Baked Treats

Raid your pantry for ingredients to whip up some cupcakes or cookies etc. Present them in cellophane or a gift box. Make sure you are aware on the school policy for ingredients that should not be brought onto the premises for allergy purposes etc.

Children’s Artwork

Getting crafty can save money and produce a sentimental gift for your child’s teacher. A handwritten poem or a picture is a kind gesture. If you have a spare frame at home, you can frame it for added effect.

Second Hand Classroom Supplies

Do you have lots of craft items at home, sequins, ribbon, pencils and crayons? You could create a classroom supply gift. Most teachers appreciate gifts that won’t clutter their own homes, and always welcome supplies for teaching.

Does your child’s class do junk modelling? You could save boxes, tubs, and bottle tops for no cost and gift them to the school.

Slideshow

Putting together a slideshow is a personal and free gift. Pictures from school trips, sports days etc that include the teacher and the class could be included, and even some written messages from the children. This can either be sent via email to the teacher or burned onto a CD.

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I hope this post has given you some ideas for saving money this end of term. It doesn’t need to cost a fortune to show someone you appreciate them.

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Summer Reading Challenge (UK Libraries)

Unfortunately, this post only applies to UK readers. The Summer Reading Challenge is run by libraries across the UK. It is free for 4-11 years olds to sign up for the challenge in their local libraries. All they have to do is read 6 books in the summer holidays to win a certificate and medal. There are also prizes such as stickers and bookmarks to earn along the way.

My daughter is now in her 5th year of the challenge. She finds it extra special because our local librarians go to the schools in the area and award the certificates to the winners in a presentation assembly. It has become a bit of a competition between the 3 local schools to see who has the most participants.

How to Sign Up

Head to your local libraries from tomorrow (July 13th) to sign up. It really is that simple. Your child will receive their little card/ booklet for keeping track of their reads. This usually has something fun on it, like a themed design to place the stickers they will acquire on etc.

Note: You will need to become a library member to sign up if you are not already. This is free.

The Benefits of the Summer Reading Challenge

Encourages children to continue reading during the holidays.
The library is a free activity during the holidays.
It encourages reluctant readers to join in with incentives.
It maintains a sense of eduation and learning during the holidays. 6 weeks is a long time.

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I hope you decide to sign your children up this year. Let me know how they get on.

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Summer on a Budget: 10 Activities for Families

The summer months bring more expense in my house. Having children home from school not only increases the grocery bill, but trying to keep them entertained can cost an arm and a leg.

As a family, we go to two or three attractions i.e. theme parks and animal sanctuaries during the holidays, but it’s a stretch to afford those kinds of days out more regularly. Over the years, we have become pros at finding free or inexpensive family days out to keep us all entertained and make memories for years to come.

Play Parks

Have a Google and find recommendations for children’s play parks in your local area. Finding new ones is always a hit with my 8 year old. Make a day out of it by taking a picnic and snacks.

Beach Days

If like me, you are lucky enough to live near the coast, beach days can be fun, free, family days. I say days plural because we can spend a lot of time at the beach for hardly any expense. We pack a picnic, but treat ourselves to ice cream and cold drinks. However, you needn’t buy a thing from the beach shops if you come prepared.

Countryside Walk

Whether you live near coastal walks, woodland, or farmland, there are plenty of family strolls to discover once you get yourselves out on a hike or slow ramble.

Water Fun

Water fun is a perfect, inexpensive activity. Whether you have a paddling pool, sprinkler, or water bombs, this activity will make an afternoon fly by. It will also keep you cool on a hot day.

When my daughter was younger she’d be happy with a bucket of water and my plastic kitchen utensils to play with in the garden. The colander was a favourite.

Summer Fete

Ask around for information on local summer fetes. Sports clubs, churches, and Women’s Institutes are just some of the few that hold fetes in my area. It may sound expensive, but it needn’t be. Take lunch, snacks, and drinks to avoid your children asking for every food item they see. Give them some pocket money to spend on tombolas or to buy a second hand book/ toy.

Gardening

A sunny day is a great day to tidy the garden. Get all the family involved in weeding and mowing etc. Why not plant some seeds with the children? Make it fun and you’ll have willing gardeners for years to come.

Chalk Fun

I would spend hours drawing outside with chalk as a child. It’s a novel idea for kids and washes away in the rain or with a bucket of water. Garden paths, patios, and driveways can get a bright, smile-inducing make over. You can buy a tub of chunky chalk from most supermarkets for about £2.

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are great for children who might need a little more entertainment on outside walks. Give them a list, a pencil, and get them exploring the outdoors.

You can find my free, scavenger hunt ideas here.

Museums

Did you know that there are free museums throughout the UK? Why not Google some free museums in your area and take the family for some educational fun?

Garden Camping

Kids love a garden camp out. All you need is a tent and blankets. You could roast some marshmallows on a barbecue and play board games. It’s a great way for busy parents to spend a night away from technology with the kids. Plus, the toilet and fridge is near by.

If you don’t have a tent, ask friends and family if they have one you can borrow for the night.

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The great thing about all these activities is that you can do them time and time again throughout the summer and the whole family will still have fun. It’s about making memories with the children, not the amount you spend.

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5 Teacher Gift Ideas for Under £10

It is coming up to that time of year again… teacher gift time. Those poor souls care for and educate our children for 6 hours a day. God knows they deserve a little treat…

*affiliate links are used in this post

Tea Bags and Caddy

Many people forget how beautiful and practical a tea gift can be. If you are unsure about buying alcohol, this gift is a great, cheap alternative. Cartwright & Butler English Breakfast Tea

Novel Seed Book

This beautiful gift not only looks impressive in the book style gift box, but it comes with 8 sachets of seeds. This gift is perfect for the summer break for teachers who have green fingers, and all for just £7.99. Novel Seed Collection, Book Style Gift

Mojito Kit

Now, if you do want to buy something with an alcohol twist, a mojito kit is a great option. This kit has the glasses, straws, umbrellas, mixers, and more. You need not fear buying the wrong type of drink, as they can purchase their own to use with this summer, vibrant kit. Ardisle Mojito Cocktail Maker Kit

Parker Pen

You can’t go astray with a Parker pen. A fancy pen in a presentation box is one of the most practical teacher gifts. Parker Jotter Waterloo Blue CT Ballpoint Pen

Notebook

Another practical gift is that of a notebook. You can get some simple designs or some novelty ones. This Happy Jackson notebook is perfect for a teacher gift. Happy Jackson | Super Intelligent Teacher Notes

I hope this post has given you some ideas for your teacher gifts this year. Let me know what you have bought, or any unique teacher gift ideas you may have.

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Date Night for just £5

I’m not just making a guesstimate when I say £5. My husband and I tried and tested this ourselves, and we had a lovely night in with a meal, drink, and movie for only £5.

Meal

Takeaways are mine and my husband’s go to foodie treat. We’d usually have bought a Chinese takeaway for nearly £20. However, this time, we opted for a ‘fakeaway’.

Our fakeaway meal was from our local Tesco supermarket. Their stir fry deals are great. You get the stir fry mix, noodles, and stir fry sauce for £2.50. Yes, you have to cook it yourself, but it is a one pot dish and is all prepared for you. You could probably make you own stir fry from scratch for a little cheaper, but it’s your anniversary, and who wants all that prep?

As we were on a budget, we opted to go without meat to keep the cost down. To be honest, I’m quite happy with a vegetable stir fry.

Wine

We’re not big drinkers, but we do like a glass or two of fruity wine. As we had only £2.50 to buy a bottle of wine, we went with a tradition, celebratory drink… Bucks Fizz. Tesco’s Bucks Fizz was just £2.50.

If you don’t drink, you can buy bottles of non-alcohol drinks such as Shloer for £2.20.

Movie

Obviously, there was zero room in our budget to rent or buy a film, but we already had a plan for that. Borrowing a DVD from a friend or watching an old, favourite that you already own still makes for a cosy evening.

We happened to acquire some free DVDs from a family member having a clear out, so opted to watch one of those.

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Who says you have to splash the cash on your anniversary? Enjoying each other’s company is all that matters. I hope my £5 date night will help you do just that, or give you some food for thought about celebrating your own way on a budget.

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Summer Boredom Buster Jar

The summer holidays are just around the corner, and no matter how much we plan, prep, and do with the children, there will still be days where we need to run errands, get chores done, and wait in for that important delivery. On those days, kids can get bored and restless. The last thing you need to hear is ‘I’m bored, what can I do?’

I have the very thing to help you out… the summer boredom buster jar. A jar full of boredom busting ideas for your kids to do when they’re bored or looking for an activity.

Creating the jar is an activity itself. The kids could help make and decorate the jar ahead of the summer holidays. Our jar is a cleaned coffee jar with the label removed, and then decorated with stickers. The activities have been written on little strips of paper, folded, and stuffed into the jar. I kept the activities a surprise because my daughter likes the anticipation.

I warned my daughter that not all the activities are exciting and fun, but they will all be boredom busters. Yes, there are some chores thrown in for good measure. If you’re bored, any activity is better than none, right parents?

Here are my 50 boredom busting ideas:

Chalk drawing outside.
Colouring sheets.
Make frosty yoghurt buttons.
Dominoes.
Make a whole dance routine and perform it that evening.
Make stop motion films on Mum/ Dad’s phone using the free app.
Water play with kitchen utensils and water proof toys.
Junk modelling.
Make pasta jewellery.
Make fruity jelly pots.
Scavenger hunt in the garden.
Sort toys to donate/sell.
Sharpen all the pencils and test all the pens.
Make a house of cards.
Build a blanket fort.
Fold some laundry.
Have an inside picnic.
Make paper plate masks.
Weed the flower beds.
Make a treasure map.
Make your own gift tags.
Wash the car.
Make bead jewellery.
Design and colour your own bookmarks.
Read for an hour.
Write an adventure story.
Watch a movie with a bowl of popcorn.
Make fresh lemonade.
Draw a self portrait using a mirror for guidance.
Play with Lego.
Make pom pom cannons.
Prepare fruit salad for tonight’s dessert.
Potato stamp painting.
Make a baby doll spa/ car wash.
Paint stones.
Make DIY wrapping paper with paints.
Tidy bedroom.
Make your own greetings cards.
Do a drawing tutorial from Youtube.
Hopscotch.
Make a bird feeder.
Make a pencil holder.
Do a good deed for a neighbour.
Wash the garden toys.
Make a cup telephone.
Make a bowling game using bottles.
Design a cereal box city.
Do some paper weaving.
Sweep the garden path.
Do some stencilling.

I hope this post gives you plenty of ideas to keep your children entertained during the summer holidays. You can use my examples or tailor you own to your children/ lifestyle.

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Benefits of Minimalism

Some people think that minimalist living is just a millennial fad, others believe it is a sensible, enlightened way of living. Are you interested in living a minimal lifestyle? There are benefits of doing so, not just for your mental health, but for your finances.

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Less Materialism

Stuff doesn’t matter, right? Saying it can be harder than actually letting go of lots of your material possessions. It is so true, though. Stuff doesn’t matter, relationships do. If your material possessions are affecting your life in a negative way, the benefits of minimalism are huge.

Better Mental Health

Have you heard the saying tidy house, tidy mind? That holds more truth than you know. Living with clutter can cloud you in day to day life. Releasing yourself from that clutter can be a huge release for your mental health.

Increase in Productivity

Less housework, less time stressing, less time working to pay off debt- these are all benefits of minimalism. You may find more time to meet friends, start hobbies, or do a new educational course. The list in endless.

Setting a Good example

What better example to set your children than the importance of relationships, peace of mind, and making life memories, over the need to fill their lives with material possessions.

Money Saving

Living with less will make you conscious about what you purchase and bring into your home. Being aware of these financial purchases, and saying no to spending unnecessarily, will save you money.

Less Stress

This point links into the mental health point. The stress of living with clutter, or the debt of your spending habits, can be overwhelming. Minimise your material possessions to minimise the stress in your life.

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