Cheaper ways to entertain the family
August 16, 2009
Shock as High Maintenance Girl Attempts Frugal Family Activities
That would be an appropriate headline for my life in the last few weeks. After writing my last p0st I have since had a week off with mini me and realised that none of the things I suggested were free.
My budget for the week was AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE! (well I will go and have the wedding of the century), so I needed a rethink. Here’s a few things I’ve learned you can do to help keep the little ones entertained on a shoe string.
1. Picnics
Yes a picnic is obvious but I’ve made a couple of mine feel really special by popping along to Betty’s and letting everyone choose a cake (even the hubbie) to have after the butties. Being in Betty’s is always a magical experience and looking over all the wonderful options, choosing your favourite and having it popped in a lovely box tied with old fashioned ribbon makes it feel a real treat (and stopped me heading to the cafe). Or even cheaper bake your own cakes with the kids to take with you.
2. Join the local library.
There are a lot of initiatives to get kids reading more, so your library will probably have lots to offer. We joined for my daugther this weekend and there is a special club on, she got a chart, booklet, stickers, and every time she reads three books she gets a little prize. She must have thought I was rewarding her for something and it was all free. We have killed plenty of time reading the books she got out, drawing pictures of the new characters, and filling in her reading chart.
3. Don’t do anything without a voucher
My husband is very good at this, he looks for a voucher before we do anything. And I mean anything! OK, so it drives me a bit mad (me tapping foot loudly, him refusing to go unless we can use some sort of discount), but being frugal usually means being patient too. There are loads of voucher websites out there, and we even got a free child’s voucher off ebay recently. In our week off we saved £5 per person at Chester Zoo by stopping at the Cheshire Oaks shopping centre customer services first (was a bit hard not to pop into the shops though).
4. Become a tourist in your local area
Let’s face it, the kids don’t like car journeys. But we so often overlook the areas around us, because we just don’t think of them. I’ve recently discovered a few new walks, picnic spots and parks really close to me, and I’ve been making the most out of them. Take a closer look at where you are, and ask around – you might be surprised by what you find.
5. Get tips
There are absolutely loads of money advice sites out there, such as the pioneering (if hard on the eye) Money Saving Expert. It’s really an information overload though once you start looking. Personally I really like www.lovemoney.com ‘s Frugal Friday blog by Rachel Robson. In fact a few of us in the office are waiting with baited breath for it to come out each week.
I also went camping which I said I’d never do. So I’m going to listen to the best of the mummy bloggers out there and see how long the new frugal me can continue.
I think I may need to invest in some battery powered hair straighteners at this rate…
Marketing Mummy
