I’m sure you’ve seen the word around, it is all the buzz this summer in particular.  If you are anything like me though, you may be just a tad slow on the uptake and not so sure what a staycation is or what to do on one.

For starters, a staycation is where you stay at home but pretend you’re on vacation.  What you do while you’re on your staycation is entirely up to you.  The beauty of it is that it costs you next to nothing compared to a normal family vacation, and you can tailor it to the exact likes of your family.

So often families don’t explore the area they live in, their town or those nearby and we realize later on that we have missed out on some fantastic opportunities.  This is the perfect way to remedy that situation!

For a family of 8 the idea of vacationing is even more complicated…and expensive, so this is something that we have been doing for years (though I had no idea I was in on a trend or what to call it LOL).  Over the next several weeks I will be sharing staycation and mini vacation ideas to keep your family entertained for a much lower price.

Almost all of the ideas I will share are day trips, if you choose to make them overnighters, the expense will increase significantly, but if it’s in your budget it’s still a cheaper way to go than spending an entire week away.  Every family has different faves and needs, so what I will share is pretty basic and will obviously be influenced by where I live (for instance, I live near many lakes as well as the ocean).

So, as we head out on several different day (and even one weekend) trips locally, I’ll be sharing them with all of you…the pros, cons, cost and all from the perspective of a large family.  Feel free to share your ideas with all of us as well .  If you live in the Pacific Northwest (or know someone who does), this will be especially helpful for them!!

Froggy Frugal Tip: Spread out your family’s clothing, shoes and household expenses.

It’s funny how you sometimes don’t realize that you have a great tip because it happens to be every day life for you…well, this is one of those times.  This time we’re looking at ways to budget in and spread out shopping for these expenses to help you save money and even time!  Keeping in mind of course that every once in a while there will be a sudden need (for instance if your sons decide to use your measuring cups in the sandbox then throw them in the creek when they are done with them – no, I’m so not speaking from experience *sigh*).

For those of you who want to move to the meat and potatoes of this tip and avoid all the fluffy stories and ramblings of Me, here they are:

• If you don’t already have it factored in, set an amount for clothing into your budget on a regular basis.
• Keep a running list of the items needed around the house.  Particularly kids clothes and shoes and kitchen tools (these seem to be the main things that need to be purchased most frequently).
• Check regularly for these items.  Either plan a trip to your favorite store (online or in your town) or peek at that list before you make a trip to a store like Costco or Fred Meyer and spend a few moments going through the clearance sections of that store.  I like the latter option only because it isn’t out of the way and doesn’t require any extra trips or time out of my schedule.
• Stick to the basics – what do your children really need?  Make a list of the basics that they need to have on hand and stick to that list.  It may seem simplistic, but for those of us who cannot afford (or for heavens’ sake, even have the room) for each of our children to have 5 pairs of shoes and 6 pairs of designer jeans, this is definitely the most frugal and sensible way to go.

A couple years ago I began purchasing clothing and shoes year round.  Now, for some families this is not a problem and they do this type of thing simply to keep their 2.2 children in the latest fashions, that is NOT what I’m talking about.  No, I’m talking about the fact that even though money is tight, we cannot completely rely on birthday and Christmas gifts to get them through the year (or a month for that matter), especially the children that are growing fast, or who happen to have a need.

For example:  a need when the child that has one pair of tennis shoes and decided to wear them outside to play one day and “happened” to stumble down to the creek…thus making said pair of shoes completely worthless as something that can be worn to go anywhere (well, they could wear them out, but everyone they pass would pass out from the stench).

Another example: our oldest son has been grown 8 1/2 inches in the last 2 years (5 inches from August ‘07-Sept ‘08 alone and he does most of his growing in Feb./March & July/August ).   Yup, AAAAAAH!  Trying to keep up with that human weed has been nearly impossible.  Add to that the fact that he is now a teenager and starting to have some definite ideas about what he’s comfortable in and what he likes to wear (style-wise).  So, if I were to try and purchase him an entire wardrobe, I’d be spending hundreds of dollars every 3 months…on only ONE of my SIX sons!

Every family is so different…in size and financial status…so it is impossible to give one set solution that will work for all of you.  I’m not saying that there aren’t a couple times per year that I do a little more focused clothes purchasing, but for the most part it will be completely spread out.

We do have a fair amount of hand-me-downs to go around, but depending on how many boys they have gone through (some of the clothes start as far up as my 18 year old brother and just work their way through the group) and how rough one particular boy may be on their clothes, there will always be someone that needs something.

Back to school is a great opportunity to get some basics and we have a pretty set list of things that we purchase for the boys at that time … but ONLY if they need it!  Otherwise, I’ll spread out the purchasing based on how often my hubby gets paid.

I shop at Fred Meyer almost once per week.  They always have some clearance on hand (actually, I think there is ONE week per year that they do not), sometimes their clearance is as much as 60% off.  I know that there are other stores that run great deals, like Kohls, but personally I have ONLY found good deals on clothing for my husband and oldest son.  I do not pay more than $20 to $25 on a pair of Sketchers (not that I buy name brands often, but it’s a good example of the savings when these shoes usually cost about $50)…but typically I don’t spend more than $10 to $15 on a pair of shoes period!  Know your store, they will almost always have the clearance clothing and shoes in the same areas of each department, so don’t even bother going to the other parts, just the clearance.  You can go through these sections every time you are at the store and pick up only the things your family needs and would love.

This is just one recommendation though.  Many people live very close to some great secondhand stores.  I do not, but my sister can almost always find brand new or like new clothes for her children at these stores!

When I was contacted about the USTA and their great Jr. Team Tennis programs I have to admit that I was absolutely shocked that until that moment I had no idea there was a national team tennis association for children!  My hubby played tennis all through high school and he loved it.

May is tennis month and I’m so happy to introduce you to Jr. Team Tennis!   If the cost of most sports has been keeping you from putting your children in sports, tennis may be the perfect fit for your family.  When compared to the cost of other sports with equipment, tennis is about 50% less expensive because all that’s needed is a racquet and a ball.

Children ages 6 to 18 can participate in Jr. Team Tennis through USTA. Want to find a team in your area, make sure you visit their website for all that information.  If you find that there isn’t a team in your area, you can even find out how to start one!  They have all the information you need right there to get your kids playing and learning!

More than 80,000 kids participated in Jr. Team Tennis in 2008, and tennis is currently the fastest growing traditional sport in the country with 27 million participants this year (according to the 2008 USTA/Tennis Industry Association study conducted by the Taylor Research Group).

Their site also offers great information for your family to start playing!  When they sent us a racquet and balls for our ENTIRE family (yes, including the three year old twins), I was thrilled and thought it was very fun that my husband was also very excited.  First chance we got we headed out to the nearest park with some great tennis courts and the kids loved it.

Our 9 and 10 year olds played with the 5 year old on one court and our 13 year old played against dad (and did shockingly well I might add) on the other court.  They are all BEGGING me to go again…”but can we find someone to watch the little kids next time please mom”.  They don’t want to be limited to just a half hour of play time.

Since my husband has so much experience in the tecniques of playing tennis, he’s the perfect teacher for all the boys and they are picking it up very fast, but even if you aren’t well versed in the ins and outs of tennis, USTA’s Jr. Team Tennis website offers great information for you to read through and begin to teach your children.

It is so fun to just keep our huge box of tennis stuff ready in the back of our Yukon so that anytime it’s nice we can just pack everyone up and hop on over to the tennis courts that are easily accessible at the park in town.  When they say that it’s affordable I wholeheartedly agree.

And Yes, the photo to the left IS what it looks like to have racquets for a family of 8 (Hubby’s racquet isn’t pictured here though – we still have to get it out of storage).

Want to get started too?  Well, I’m thrilled to tell you that the USTA is offering one VERY lucky commenter the opportunity to win tennis racquets and balls for your family!

To enter, just go to their Jr. Team Tennis Website and take a look around…maybe even check to see if there are any teams in your area.  Then when you’re done, come back here and leave a comment telling us the ages of the little “would-be” tennis players in your home, or if there’s a team near you.

To gain extra entries remember to tweet, stumble, kirtsy or post and leave a comment for each extra thing you do.  You can read about all the extra entry opportunities here as well as my giveaway policies.

This giveaway will end on June 4th and is void where prohibited.  Open for US entries.

As you can imagine, one of the first comments or questions I get from people when they find out I have 6 sons is about the cost of food.  I don’t blame people for wondering, and even old friends ask it when they see how big CJ is getting!

Believe it or not, as crazy as it may sound, we feed our family nicely on a budget that is the same as or smaller than that of families half our size!  Yes, seriously!  My problem is that I tend to not discriminate between “food” expenses and overall “household” expenses, the entire receipt from my weekly shopping trip at my local Fred Meyer is factored in.

Most people do not factor this in and I totally understand that.  There are often times when I make a trip to the store specifically for clothes and shoes and a minimal amount of groceries, and then there are also the crazy huge Costco shopping trips, so I guess I figure it all averages out right?  Bottom line is that when I say that I typically spend between $150 and $200 per week, that dollar amount tends to include everything, sometimes even clothes or shoes.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand LOL.  Feel free to listen to the following podcast for my entire lineup of tips and tricks on saving money in your family’s food budget.  From putting together the Menu and shopping list to even tackling the shopping trip itself, this podcast covers it all (well, pretty much).

I really did want it to be a short little diddy (as mentioned in the end of the feature), but there was no way to truly limit it that much…so, sit down with a cup of coffee or tea when the kiddos are down for a nap and join us in Grocery Budget Tips and Tricks 101!

 

 Food Budget Tips and Tricks: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Looking for yet another way to go Green?  Amazingly enough, Digi-Scrapping is a great place to start!  All digiscrap kits can be used again and again and do not use any paper or other resources.  Most kits are so versatile that you can even use just one Digiscrap kit for an entire book of scrapbook pages!  You only print out the pages you’re going to put in your books.   I have saved a TON of money scrapbooking this way!

This page was designed using Meredith Cardall’s adorable new kit: Whoo Loves My Boy?

Featuring the one and only Bug!  He was about 9 months old in these photos… such a sweetie!

Are you ready?  Do you even acknowledge Earth day?  Some of us do and some of us don’t.  For our family it’s all about balance…oh yeah, there’s that word again!

I think it’s vastly important that we take care of this amazing planet God created!  As good stewards I believe it’s our job to care for and clean up any messes we have made to retain the integrity of the beauty around us.

So, what is Earth Day…here’s the technical answer:

Earth Day began on April 22 more than 30 years ago when Senator Gaylord Nelson decided that it was important to teach everyone, especially children, about our environment. He wanted to be sure that people understood how important it was to take care of our planet.

Many people will use this day to raise awareness about global warming, endangered animals, recycling, local business support, harmful chemicals and their effects, or they may simply plant a tree. Though all of these are fine in their own right, many of them are justa little over most of our heads!

So what can we do for Earth day with our families that makes more sense?  Let me answer that by telling you just a little bit about what we do.

No, we don’t make a big deal out of Earth day per se, it is a great platform though to learn new things about our earth and to think any other things we’d like to add to what we regularly do.

Most of my suggestions boil down to one thing…make smart purchases.  I could go on all day about the changes you can make in your purchasing that are more environmentally friendly. I am responsible for almost all purchases around here, so whenever possible I do purchase things that preferrably fall into three categories…Natural, Organic & Local.   This especially goes for food and household products (detergents, etc).  This is one of the easiest places to make a change!  Most local supermarkets and many of the warehouse stores offer a wide variety of organic/natural choices that are very affordable options.

You will find that some of it is simply a matter of trial and error.  You may have to go through a few different brands before you find the one that works best or is most comparable to your regular name brand product.  Definitely look for environmentally safe products, but keep in mind…just because the brand says “natural” or “organic” in it doesn’t mean that the product is actually natural or organic.  You have to look for that information in the labeling, NOT the name!

Food: When you are buying food, make sure you look for the organic label, but also make sure that the items are in containers that are easily recyclable.

Recycling: Make recycling a regular thing in your home.  My 5 year old shocked me one day when he was just 3 years old by holding up an empty can and asking me where the recycling bin had been moved to.

Chemicals:  Always keep in mind that the chemicals you use in your home get sent out into ground and our waterways (in our case, a creek just feet from the house).  Something that many parents aren’t aware of though that is potentially an even bigger deal is that the chemicals in everything in your home are absorbed into all your family members’ skin!  Shampoo, soap, detergents, cleaning products and even the chlorine in our water.  If you have a child who suffers from any respiratory issues, remove all bleach from your home – yes, I’m totally being serious!  Do a little research on it and you’ll quickly discover why.

Those are three quick and easy ways to simply incorporate a greener lifestyle into your family’s day.  You’ll be preserving the precious planet we have been given and you’ll be offering your family a healthier home and healthier foods.

I was contacted a while back to feature 9 tips in 2009 on surviving and thriving in turbulent economic times. The economic woes of our country are affecting everyone in one way or another, so the timing is definitely perfect. Although the book is Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution, the principles still apply. I hope you enjoy these great tips from them!

Inspired by stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution
By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, D’ette Corona and Barbara LoMonaco

Everyone makes resolutions: The new year motivates all of us to improve our habits, and holds the promise of a clean slate. But after January passes, many of us may beat ourselves up for letting resolutions fall by the wayside – which is why now is precisely the best time to renew commitments you’ve made to yourself. While most years, our resolutions are primarily about things like diets, being on time, becoming neater and similar issues, this year many resolutions have a different feeling. Set a household budget. Start recycling. Save more. If these sound familiar to you it is because this year, more than most years, the resolutions are related in some way to the troubled economy.

Here are 9 Tips for 2009 for surviving and thriving in turbulent economic times:

Simplify. As Mary Davis writes in her story “Resolutions for Sale,” we all have items from previous resolutions that never panned out: Exercise equipment still in its original packaging, organizational gadgets collecting dust. So why not make a buck or two and have a “Resolution Sale?” Sell all of your unwanted and unused items, make some money, and simplify your life for the better.

Go green. When going green, little changes can make a big difference for the environment — and your wallet. Ashley Sanders writes in her story “I’m Not a Dirty Hippie” that her husband was apprehensive about going green at first, but got on-board once he saw the savings benefit. “After a lot of testing and trying, we began to find products that we could not only use, but that were more affordable than the products we previously used,” Sanders writes.

Count your blessings. List-obsessed Sarah Jo Smith shares in her story “A Daily Practice in Gratitude” how even the most sincere resolutions can turn sour. “I planned to write down three things a day that expressed my appreciation and love for the things and people around me….[But] what started as a positive exercise turned into a mental list of countless complaints and worries,” she writes. However, after an emotional encounter with a stranger, Sarah realized there was much more room in her life than she previously allowed for gratitude. In the face of financial worries and other daily stressors, remember your gifts – you’ll likely discover the strength you need in life’s intangibles.

Don’t exceed your needs: Try downsizing! Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution story contributor Harriet Cooper had a size problem – with her home. Saddled with double the house space she needed, she realized there was a lot going to waste. Cooper was also unhappy with her home’s “double identity” – one side that guests saw, and one side that she actually lived in. In her story “One House, Two Faces,” she writes about selling the house and moving into a smaller one. With her savings, she bought herself two years of freedom to explore new job possibilities. What’s more? Now, her guests get to visit a relaxed hostess who is happy with her (smaller) home, just the way it is.

Put the unnecessary items back. Single mom Rebecca Jay tried to save money, but every month she was living paycheck to paycheck. So she invented a game that she and her son could play to save money at the grocery store. At the check-out lane, she and her son perform a “Cart Check,” pulling out items they really don’t need. When her son puts something back, Jay rewards him with the savings. In her story “Check the Cart,” she recalls how this game not only helped rein in impulse spending, it taught her son a valuable lesson on personal finances in the process. What a great legacy to pass on to a younger generation!

Find financial peace. Kristine Byron likes to look at what she spends, rather than what she saves. In her story “Spend, Spend, Spend,” Kristine resolves to save money by cutting out certain things, but recognizes all the ways she gets to “spend” time doing something else. “As I have pledged to save on lavish meals dining out, I have vowed to ‘spend’ more time entertaining at home,” she writes. When you make resolutions to save, you can also resolve to “spend” more time with your family and doing things that you love to do … for free!
Work with those you love. Working with someone you love might seem scary at first, as B.J. Taylor describes in her story “A Leap of Faith.” But when her husband needed her to work at his company because of financial setbacks, she stepped up. The two agreed to sit down and talk every six months about what’s working and what’s not. Though challenging at first, the couple has worked with each other now for 15 years. Could it be possible to go into business with your loved ones?

Give gifts of yourself. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on the people you love, just spend time doing things with them. In his story “A Commitment to Play Dolls,” Timothy Martin recalls his decision to play with his four-year-old daughter for an afternoon. “I still thinking playing with dolls is dumb,” writes Martin. “But my four-year-old daughter, Emily, loves them. She plays with her Barbie dolls every day. Since I want to be a good father, and because Emily and I don’t get to spend much time together, I resolved to learn.”

Celebrate the old. While everyone else may be resolving to try something new, don’t forget to remember your old treasures. Dayle Allen Shockley writes in “Let’s Celebrate the Old” about all the many items, principles, and people that she celebrates every new year. “I enjoy making new friends, but old friends who have shared my pain and sorrow, celebrated my joys, and remained steadfast when trouble came knocking; they are the ones I will celebrate most in the New Year,” she writes. In 2009, which old pleasures are you thankful for? Life can be improved just by recognizing the wonderful gifts we already have.

And remember, improving yourself is not exclusive to the month of January; it’s a year-round opportunity.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution (Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, D’ette Corona and Barbara LoMonaco) is published by Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC. For more information, please visit chickensoup.com.

Finding great activities for your kids to do for Easter can be easier than you think, here’s a little craft making felt Easter decorations that you can use every year.

First you want to have some felt on hand.  Felt sheets can be purchased from nearly every discount and craft store and you can look at your local secondhand store as well.  Some Easter decorations made with felt can also be used outside.

Here’s the instructions on making a door sign:

Allow your children to take several sheets of felt in various colors – pastels would work best. Choose some craft or Popsicle sticks as a base and then cut some felt to fit over it.

Have them glue the felt onto the craft sticks. They can then decorate their door sign with additional felt pieces cut in the shape of bunnies, chicks, flowers, or the cross. They can write their name on the felt with permanent marker or fabric paint. Be sure they include ribbon or some way to hang their sign once it is completed.

Want more great Easter Felt craft ideas?

(more…)

Today I’m going to focus on the “fun-tivity” part of Easter. Dying eggs, Easter baskets, Easter egg hunt, etc.

Although I do consider myself an “easygoing” frugal mom, I have found ways to make things nice for all 6 of my kids on less than we used to spend when the oldest two were little. Not by taking extreme measures…it’s in all the little choices made along the way (could be said for much of life actually).

When we only had one, money didn’t feel so tight and it was easy to give him a nice Easter basket, but as our family grew there were many times where spending $15 or more was simply not in the budget.  So, I had to find creative ways to give each of them a fun basket of their very own that cost less than $10 each.

That amount is down to $5 each now though.  Here’s some basics:

• Find fun spring plastic buckets to reuse year after year…if you don’t have enough storage to keep an Easter box, then donate your items to Goodwill when you’re done with them each year, or see if a grandparent would be willing to store them for you.
• Be sure to use these buckets for all Easter activities and Hunts that are planned.
• Shop at the dollar store…sure, be picky in what you actually purchase or it’s a waste, but there are many things to be found there.
• As your children get older you can consider giving them alternative Easter gifts like kites or yard games.
• Choose products to fill the baskets with carefully.  Simply filling it with toys that are unsafe or will have to be thrown away later that day doesn’t usually work well.

Our children usually get a plastic easter bucket with a small amount of tissue paper (or shredded paper) at the bottom.  Then there is the traditional chocolate Bunny, a couple plastic eggs with candy, and sometimes even Peeps, though I detest the taste of them LOL.  Overall though, there are usually several other things like pencils, fun erasers, maybe a dollar calculator (they love these) and a toy car or two.

Kids don’t care if their basket is absolutely stuffed to the gills, just be creative in how you pack it so it doesn’t look empty.  Of course these are all great ideas for boys, but it can be just as simple to fill for a girl…hair things, nail polish, etc.

Every year as part of our Easter celebration we do plan a big Easter egg hunt for the kiddos in my family.  This requires a ton of plastic eggs and candy, but we try to be creative with that too.  Plastic eggs are fine as long as you plan to reuse them over and over for many years.

We usually make up about 18 eggs or so per child.  We have even purchased sets of eggs filled with Easter toys like stickers, spring animal toys and wacky balls (you can find these at Oriental Trading).  It all really just depends on what you are able to do… how much you want to spend, what you have on hand already and what stores you’re willing/able to shop at.

Not purchasing a premade basket is a great place to start for many families.  If you already make them yourself but need to save a bit in the process, think outside the box a bit and look for creative, less expensive fillers for the baskets and egg hunt.

I hope to have time to post a bit more about Easter traditions, and maybe some craft ideas and recipes over the next week or so.  In the meantime, what Easter “Fun-tivities” does your family do each year?

When in the world did I become a frugal green mom?  Sure, I do my part, but to realize recently that I “live”  it (or try to) was a little shocking for me.  The crazy thing is that it’s really simple stuff that makes the difference…not extreme measures.

Over the years, describing myself as frugal or “green” wouldn’t have come to mind.  I guess it’s a result of many contributing factors, but I have definitely become both in many ways.

Though I’m still consciously improving and learning the Green Mom part (and definitely qualify as a work in progress), I will be focusing on sharing more tips (simple though they may be) over the next few weeks.

In April we will celebrate both Easter and Earth Day, I actually find that oddly inspiring!  I love Easter…what’s not to love?  The sacrifice and rising of Jesus, resulting in new life and salvation for all who will receive…the tradition of family togetherness…even the Easter Egg Hunts (sorry, but I LOVE them!).

The great part about Earth Day being in the same season (this year, the same month) is that in many ways it also inspires thoughts of fresh new life and even seems to epitomize spring.

Getting ready for Easter can be a great challenge for families, especially on a budget, so I’ll be tackling that subject first.   I know that many families are extra strapped this year, and Easter is practically right around the corner (April 12), so on Monday I’ll be posting some fun tips to start getting ready now.

What traditions does your family have for Easter?  Do you typically do anything for Earth Day?  Blog about it (leave a comment with a link to your post so I can visit please) or leave a comment and let me know .