Frugal Family Fun for Summer

Some of you are already out of school for Summer but we've got about 4 more weeks to go! In the meantime, I'm gathering up some frugal family fun ideas for this summer to keep us busy. Here's a list of some ongoing Summer Fun deals to get you started:

Kids Bowl Free Summer Program - Click here to sign up. You choose from a bowling center in your area and your kids (15 & under) can bowl up to 2 free games per day all summer long! They are also offering a special Family Pass - after you sign up, you will have the option of adding a family pass for $23.95 which will allow up to 4 adults in your family (including kids over 15) also bowl 2 free games each, every day, all summer long. This is a fabulous deal! My family of 4 went bowling over Winter Break and it cost us nearly $40 to bowl and rent shoes and that was for only 6 games (I bowled with Ella). You do have to sign up at one bowling center and use that one all summer long. Locals: We have a pick of Spare Time Bowling in Clifton Park, Latham, South Glens Falls, and Lake George. I signed up for the bowling last night and I'm really excited for this one! I purchased the family pass so we can bowl with our kids and even take Grandma or Grandpa with us sometimes!
Free Movies from Regal Cinemas - Click here for participating theaters in your state. When school’s out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!
Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.
Some of the movies being shown this summers include Charlotte's Web, The Tale of Despereaux, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Kung Fu Panda.
Free Movies from Rave Motion Pictures - Don't have Regal Cinemas in your area? Click here. Rave Motion Pictures is a different chain of theaters offering pretty much the same deal.
$1 Movies from AMC Theaters - Pretty much the same deal as the other theaters but they are charging $1 per person and giving the proceeds to charity. Click here for locations. Still a pretty good deal!

Barne's & Noble Summer Reading Program = Free Books - Get the scoop here. Kids (grades 1-6) read 8 books this summer and write about their favorite part of each book. When they turn in their journal they get to choose from a list of free books. You can download the journal from the site as well. On hot days, go to Barnes and Noble to do your reading in a cool, comfortable spot. A huge selection of books to read and another free outing!
B1G1 Free Minor League Baseball Ticket (courtesy of Kraft) - Click here to see if your local teams are participating. Bring a Kraft Singles Wrapper to the Ballpark box office for a Steal of a Deal! Buy 1 Ticket and Get 1 FREE from Kraft Singles! Ticket offer valid only on Tuesdays. May 12 through Sept 1, 2009at participating minor league home games.

Home Depot Kids Workshops - Click here for a schedule. These are held the first Saturday of the month for kids ages 5-12. On Saturday, June 6th they will build a hardware sorter and on Saturday, July 4th they will make a picnic caddy. In addition, kids get a free home depot kids' apron and an achievement pin.

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics - Click here to sign up. Similar to Home Depot's program, Kids can build a putting green on Saturday, June 13th and a pirate ship on Saturday June 27th. Joey attended and built a #48 race car over the winter and he just loved it!

Apple Camp - All Apple stores are sponsoring free workshops for kids. Kids can take movie, music and photo workshops, learning how to use a Mac for fun projects. Click here for all the details and to find a store near you. (Thanks Hip2Save!) This looks like fun for grown-ups, too. I wouldn't mind being able to take one of these classes (though I'm not on a Mac).

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life As Mom here. Hop on over to see lots more great Frugal Friday ideas!

Thrifty Gardening Tools You Didn't Know You Had

Just read this article on Vocalpoint here and got some great ideas. Love the idea of the recipe box to hold the leftover seed packets!
Plants cost enough. Why pay hundreds of dollars more for gardening equipment when you have some garden tools just waiting to be discovered around your house? You might even be about to put potential garden tools into your trash or recycling bin. Before you hit the garden stores or place an order from any catalogs, try these creative tool tips from some ingenious gardeners we know.
A recipe file. It’s easy to lose track of seed packets, especially if you save them from season to season or buy from several different companies. But if you have an old recipe-card box or one of those floppy-disk holders with the clear plastic top lying around, you can recycle it into the perfect seed-packet storage system. File your packets either alphabetically or by sowing date, from earliest to latest—whichever works best for you.
A screwdriver. You can spend a bundle on a seed-sowing device called a dibble that basically opens a hole in the ground so you can drop in a seed. Or you can use your trusty screwdriver to perform the same function for free.
An old umbrella. You can turn that tattered umbrella you haven’t managed to throw out into a cloche or mini-greenhouse. First, cut the fabric away. Then open the umbrella completely and stick the handle in the soil of your garden bed. (The umbrella frame will form a big "bowl" shape over the ground.) Plant your transplant(s) in the soil inside the spokes, and wrap a sheet of clear plastic (or even successive spirals of plastic wrap) around the outside where the fabric used to be. Secure it at ground level with a bungee cord. This will also give direct-seeded baby greens a jump start in spring.
A shop light and a rolling cart. You probably have one of those ugly metal fluorescent light fixtures hanging around in the garage or basement. Give it a second life as a grow light. Ready-made grow-light setups cost hundreds of dollars, but yours can work as well for free. If you have a rolling cart, attach the shop light so it hangs under the top shelf and lights the shelf below. It’s a smart idea to attach the shop light with chains so you can raise it up as the seedlings grow. Use full-spectrum daylight bulbs or one warm and one cool bulb, roll your cart in front of a bright window, put houseplants on that top shelf, and you’re good to go!
An egg carton. Plastic or Styrofoam egg cartons make great seed-starting setups. Punch a hole in the bottom of each egg cup for drainage. Cut off the top of the carton, and use it as a water-catching tray under the bottom.
Twist ties. Don’t we all have a bazillion of these in our kitchen junk drawer? Turn them into plant ties to secure leggy stems of tomatoes, pole beans, peas, and other climbing veggies to their poles, trellises, or stakes. Yes, they’ll rot away, but they should do the trick for a single season, and with vegetables, that’s all you need. Just make sure you don’t twist them too tight—you want to support the stem gently, not strangle it.
Got any great gardening tips? Share them here. Steph has already started her garden and I'll be starting mine soon!
This post is linked up at Life As Mom's Frugal Friday here. Check it out for more neat money-saving tips!

Frugal Friday - Do You Have a Gift Closet?

Do you have a gift closet? It doesn't have to be a whole closet - mine is really a couple of rubbermaid totes with freebies and gifts I've found and put away for holidays, birthdays and even rainy days! We used to spend a lot of money on children's birthdays. I like to give nice gifts that I think the recipient will enjoy and have fun with. I actually love the giving part of Christmas more than the receiving. I find a lot of joy in picking gifts for people and thinking about how much it will be loved. If I ever win the lottery (not that I ever play the lottery except when my sister-in-law calls me and reminds of a huge jackpot), I'll be in trouble! I always want to buy everything for everyone! But, of course, my budget tells me otherwise. So I started keeping a gift closet. It started when my son was born. Friends and family were more than generous in the gifts they gave...but as most moms know, sometimes babies don't get to use or wear everything that they receive. And new moms don't always have time to exchange and/or return gifts that are given. Instead of opening everything right away all the time, I put things aside so that there would be new things for him to use/wear another time. Sometimes we never got around to needing some items, so I started keeping a bin of baby gifts. It was mostly extra sets of bibs, binkies, onesies, things like that. It was so awesome to be invited to a baby shower and have some little extras to throw in with the gift I purchased. Eventually, I had another child of the opposite sex (pink was so fun after 3 years of blue!) and started collecting girl items, too. Then I started sale shopping and couponing...and learning of awesome deals I've never heard of. In January I hit the Target Toy Clearance at 75% off and stocked up my closet with a gift for every child whose birthday I could think of. Carrie at Money Saving Methods keeps a list in her purse all the time, with names and birthdays of family members she will need to buy for throughout the year and for Christmas. When she sees a great deal, she whips out her list and crosses them off. I am not this organized - yet- but this is a great way to stock up but not go crazy spending money on items you don't need just because it might make a nice gift. It's also nice because you are buying with a specific recipient in mind - after all, it is the thought that counts and I like to think just because a gift is inexpensive, I still put some thought into who I was purchasing for.
Here are some tips for starting a gift closet:
1. Go to CVS/Wags/Rite-Aid and get the bargains! Sometimes people don't want to buy things they don't use but those items might be great in a gift closet and much appreciated by someone as a gift...yes, it's unusual to give All or Tide as a birthday gift...but it would make a nice bridal shower gift, wrapped in a basket with a bunch of other free or nearly free items such as cleaning products, health & beauty items, etc. that may stock a newlywed's new home! Also, these items are great if there will be a wishing well at the shower! Watch these stores for their end-of-season and after the holiday markdowns - sometimes up to 90% off. Sometimes there are hidden deals that are not advertised - recently CVS marked their Essence of Beauty items down to 90% off in some stores. EOB Bathrobes and totes were selling for $1.50 to $3 each! Fill the tote with a robe, some free nail polish and body wash and you've got a really nice "pamper yourself" gift for a friend for under $10.

2. Watch for toy/clothing sales all year round. At the Target Toy clearance sale, I picked up items I could give my own children for Valentine's Day and in their Easter baskets. One less thing to add to my to-do list around those special days. Also, I picked a few items that I knew boys of 6 or 7 would like for any school-friend birthday parties my son might be invited to for the rest of the school year. This is such a nice alternative to running out at the last minute and spending $20 on a gift - it really adds up if you have a lot of birthday parties to attend. Also, it really helps to spend a little money each month instead of a lot of money all at once! And, I hear the Target Toy Clearance happens 2x a year - in January and in July (great time to start Christmas shopping!).
*Check out the Disney Store Online here if you need to shop for any Disney fanatics today...they are having a B1G1 on Adult graphic tees ($12.99 for 2) and they also have a tab on their site called $5.99 or less. They have some kid clothes and toys here!
*Stay tuned in to DeepDiscounts.com here or sign up for their email list - they often have B1G1 Children's dvd's with free shipping. We stocked up in October with 4 Thomas DVD's with Thomas trains for $$15.


*Amazon has some great Deals of the Day, Toy Deals of the Day, etc. Check out the Amazon "widget" in our sidebar that will feature daily toy deals. Click to go to Amazon and search for other items. We'll be featuring hot Amazon deals when they pop up as well.



3. Free Samples/Free Trial Offers - they make nice additions to gift bags! My family is always so generous at the holidays with gifts for our kiddos...but I have a serious Christmas budget - a certain dollar amount for each person we buy for that keeps me from overspending (as much as I'd like to pamper everyone for everything they do for us throughout the year). This year, thanks to free samples, I was able to pad everyone's "big" gift with fun little extras to go with it - like chocolates, coffee, little calendars, etc. Also, if you don't have a baby, sign up for baby freebies - they will be appreciated by any new moms. Extra bottles, formula coupons, sample bottles of baby shampoo and baby wash are nice "padding" for Welcome Baby gifts! Here are few free samples and free trials to get you started (for trial offers, don't forget to read the terms and call to cancel your trial membership within the specified time frame so you don't get charged):















4. Free Magazine Subscriptions - These can't go in your closet but great free subsciptions pop up all the time - I currently receive Woman's Day, Shape, Self, More, Wonder Time and Family Fun for free. If you see one that a friend would like just before Christmas or when his/her birthday is coming up, think about signing them up instead of you! Keep in mind that it takes around 6-8 weeks for the subscription to start arriving (Oh Martha Stewart Living, where are you?) so for Christmas ordering, order about 6 weeks before. Next time you're grocery shopping, pick up one issue of the magazine to roll and tie with a ribbon with a little homemade gift card to anounce that the subscription will be coming!


Be Creative with your Gift Closet Ideas! Post suggestions here! I'd love some new ideas to add to the list!

Active Frugality Skill # 2- Gardening

A green thumb is something I lack, but I have been able to grow a garden with a fairly good rate of success. Last year we grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, broccoli, lettuce, and squash. Basically, I used the garden for fresh vegetables for the gardening season, and now I am back to purchasing fresh vegetables weekly. As I have been reading online and looking at my Ball Canning & Preserving Book, I have come to realize I should be growing as large a garden I can afford time and money to grow. My plan is to grow more of each vegetable, and can or freeze it for use during the rest of the year. Now, I am not going to get carried away and grow 40 tomato plants (I hope), but I am going to grow enough so that we can make our own homemade pasta sauce, bruschetta, and possibly ketchup for at least a half the winter. As far as squash and peppers go, I will be freezing those on cookie sheets and then bagging them up and storing them in the freezer until needed. The best part of that is being able to prepare them the way I want, so I can have diced peppers in my eggs, or strips to make fajitas, or slicing the zucchini into thin rounds to make Zucchini-roni Pizza by Rachel Ray, mmmm.

Now is probably a good time for you to begin making a plan for where your garden will be, how you will set it up, and what you want to grow, how much, OK OK,you get the point. My plan is to assess how much we need for our family, and then see if we have space for any extra, so that we can make extra to give as gifts. Don't forget to factor in the cost of any seeds.

Once you have this part figured out you will want to start looking for sales and coupons for the containers you will need to adequately store these items for the winter. I am thinking I'll be stocking up on plastic freezer and sandwich bags, and canning jars in various sizes, and wax & other accessories that go along with canning. Canning jars can often be found at Goodwill, yard sales, etc.

You can draw advice from around the web, including this post at Frugal Family Fun Blog, and this website by Ball. I do recommend purchasing the Ball Blue Book or at least borrowing it from your local Library. Don't forget about the experience you have around you, your mother and grandmother probably have canned and preserved before!! I will be asking Mom for help, I remember her making jam when we were kids.

If you don't have much yard space for gardening, get creative and use your Library and the web to find alternate methods. Type container garden in to your search engine- mine found over 1200 sites. Grow fresh herbs in pots around the house- they do not have to stay in the kitchen. Also, you can buy items on sale at great prices and still freeze and can the items for future use, as you would if you were making meals for Once a Month Cooking, see more about that here. I was considering doing the same when our local grocery store had bags of onions B1G1F.

So, for homework, start checking out books from the Library, check prices on canning supplies on your next store trip, and plan out what your needs are, and get ready to play in the dirt!!!!

Posted by Stephanie