One of the top concerns I hear when I talk about shopping on a budget is eating healthy. Before I really started delving deep into the frugal world I thought the same things. It’s just not possible to be eating healthy on a budget. Wrong! You totally can!
Really it comes down to prioritizing. If eating healthy is a priority for your family, then within your budget you need to make it a priority. You might have to sacrifice a little in other categories to bump up your grocery budget a little.
If there is no room for movement in your monthly expenses, don’t you worry! I still have a few more tips up my sleeve for you! It’s not a secret that eating healthy takes a little more work. But don’t you agree that it is so worth it? Not only are you physically going to be healthier, you might even loose some unwanted L-Bs, and your food is going to taste way better then something that has been processed!
Have you guys been over to visit my friend Kristen over at Practical Mommy lately? Well let me tell you that Kristen has an endless amount of useful and fun information for any mom! So it is such a treat to get to have her as a guest today to share some of her great ideas with all of us!
Thank you so much Kristen for sharing these great outdoor activities!
7 Fun and Free Outdoor Activities for Kids
Summer activities can get expensive before you know it – summer school, vacation bible school, theme parks, family vacations, you name it. Need some budget friendly alternatives that also get your kids outside and spending some quality family time together? Here are 7 fun and free outdoor activities for kids.
Meet up with friends at the park
Meeting friends at the park has got to be the #1 best free option for summertime activities. Grab a friend – mom friends with kids, school friends, cousins – and head out to a local park. You can also branch out a little and try a park that is outside your home territory. Try visiting a park you’ve been to before or in a neighboring town.
Slip n slide in your front yard
So, get out your slip n slide (you have one right?) and start playing in your own yard.
If you don’t already have one, get one from Amazon now, so you can play later – add affiliate link.
Or if you’re feeling adventurous, this video shows you how to make your own homemade slip n slide with lots of extras.
Hike a National Park
This is the real outdoors, not a kid’s park. This would be a great learning experience for kids of all ages to see the majesty of Nature in a National Park. Be sure to check for any alerts and notices before heading out and be aware that there are wild animals there.
Get out your summer gear and get moving. My daughter has a bike and she hasn’t ridden it much. If you don’t have a bike or scooter, check Craigslist or local yard sales to get one on the cheap.
Going on a bear hunt
This idea is based on a great book for kids. If you have the book already, you know that it’s about a family going on an adventure to try to find a bear. (If you don’t have the book check your local library or get it here – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt).They journey through tall grass, mud and water and more before finally finding the bear. Then they run all the way home. Journey through your neighbood and go on your own bear hunt with your kids. Then go home and read the book again together with some great memories attached.
Nature exploration
Get a nature book at the library and then head outdoors. Have the kids try to identify different plants and birds. Another idea is to visit a local farm or community garden and identify fruits and vegetables (and maybe try a few).
What kid doesn’t like to make a big mess? Give them free reign with some dirt and water. Let them make mud pies and then hose them down before they come back inside.
Go fly a kite
Last but not least, take your kids outside to fly a kite. If you don’t have one on hand, you can find them easily at Target, the Dollar Store or here on Amazon. There aren’t as many people flying kites as there used to be, but it is still a fun pastime for kids. It could even be a learning experience about wind patterns, clouds or airplanes.
Thanks again to Kristen from Practical Mommy for all of these super fun ideas! I personally am excited to get our bear hunt started!
Which activity do you think you will start with? Let me know in the comments below! Lets chat!
I have lived in California my entire life except for 5 years when I lived in Idaho to go to college. It took about 18 hours for us to drive from school back home! Do you know how long 18 hours feels when you are in a car? I do and have done the drive multiple times.
So I have a little experience in the road trip department. Especially since this time in my life my husband and I were broke newlywed college students. Not much money at all! We learned a few road trip tips on how to save money while you travel and I want to share them with you!
Summer isn’t the only time of year to vacation! Follow these tips for planning a vacation on a budget and you can make it work no matter what time of year you want to relax!
The one thing all of us mom’s look for in our day is convenience! What is going to help our day go more smoothly and with minimal chaos?
It doesn’t matter what it is, we all would probably be willing to pay $10,000 if it could promise to meet the expectations!
Now this recipe for keeping sliced apples from browning is not going to remove all turmoil from your life, it’s a step in the right direction! Plus, it’s going to save you money in the process!
You have seen those individually wrapped portions of apple slices at the grocery store, right?
Have you ever looked at the ingredients? Well it’s not just apples and it’s not just natural ingredients!
Have you ever paid attention to how much those babies cost? Way more than you would pay for a single apple!
Those apples always taste so good though and they are super convenient! It takes way less time to whip out a bag of pre-sliced apples when your little one is asking for a snack then to actually get out an apple and slice it right then.
Well I am here today to show you how super easy it is to make your own pre-sliced apples and how to keep apple slices from browning. This is going to cost you a fraction of what you would pay for the prepackaged things and it is crazy easy.
Recipe for How To Keep Apple Slices From Browning
5 apples, cored and sliced (red or green whichever your family prefers)
½ orange juice concentrate
8 cups cold water
4 Tbs lemon juice
**you will also need some snack bags or reusable snack packs
Start by mixing your orange juice concentrate, water and lemon juice together in a large bowl.
Once you have your apples all prepped by coring and slicing you can add them to your juice.
Let the apples soak in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 1 hour. It is best if you can stir occasionally but is not necessary.
Once the little guys have finished soaking, strain out the liquid and place your apple slices in ziplock bags. Make sure to keep them stored in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
The juice not only keeps the apples fresh but it also adds some delicious flavor to the crisp apples.
What do you think? Have you ever tried something like this before? How did it work for you? This recipe has always been successful so I hope you try it out! Let me know any questions or suggestions in the comments. I would love to chat!
Thanks for stopping in and I will talk to you soon! xoxo
It’s the middle of the week, payday is 3 long days away but there are a few things around the house that are going to need replenishing before that day comes. You have been so good on your budget all month long and you don’t want to mess it up now!
I have been there so so SO many times! Although we are slowly getting better, it seems so often our bank account shows a very consistent reflection of us stretching every last dollar when it comes down to the end of our paycheck.
We have been diligent in doing our very best to stick to a budget and have since figured out some tricks on how to pinch a penny and make those last couple dollars last a little longer. Here is what we have learned.
I don’t usually post on Thursday’s, so you know that I have something special for you today! Although this post is specific for bloggers, there is something fun in store for everyone starting June 5th!
If you are not a blogger and are interested in learning how to Enjoy The Here And Now this summer make sure to follow along in this challenge by joining the ETHAN Project Facebook group!
They said it was going to be hard work and they sure weren’t kidding! Being a blogger could take up an entire 24/7 schedule if we let it. There are endless amounts of “work” (mostly fun to be honest!) to be done. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was something out there that took away a large part of our heavy blogging load? I found the solution for you and for me!
Let’s say you woke up this morning and realized you had an extra $500 in your bank account! What would you do with it?
An extra $500! This could be your reality!
Do you know how much your family spends on food each month? That includes all the stops for snacks or fast food. If you don’t know already, you are going to be shocked when you tally up the numbers!
On average, a family of four in America spends $800-$1,000 a month on food. That is probably even a little conservative! If this happens to be where your spending falls, I have the perfect solution for you!
Meal planning is how we reduced our family’s food spending from $900 down to under $400 a month and that is for a family of 5!
Have you noticed how expensive it can be to buy maternity clothes? If you have ever been in the market to dress up your baby bump then I know you have noticed those crazy price tags!
I remember with my second pregnancy, first baby, (long sad story, for another time maybe) I was about 20 weeks prego and my mom and I decided to go to the mall to start buying some maternity clothes. Of coarse our first stop was in one of those super cute maternity shops. Whoa! Sticker shock would be an understatement!
I’m not sure about you but no matter how much money we are making in the future, I am not going to be spending that kind of money on my clothes! Especially clothes that will only fit me for about five months! I remember feeling a little sad thinking that I was only going to be able to afford maybe two shirts! How was that going to last me through me whole pregnancy?
We decided to look elsewhere! Have you ever felt the same way?
Don’t worry! I got your back! Or maybe I should say, I got your bump! (Cheesy! Sorry not sorry!) Today I am going to share with you all the tips I have used to save money on maternity clothes!
