Frugal Tips for Summer Activities

Summer vacation is a great time for families to go out and do things together. Visiting amusement parks, dining out, and staying in hotels can end up costing a lot of money. Travel expenses can quickly add up, too. Here are some frugal tips that will help your family enjoy summer vacation without having to go into a lot of debt. Pack some snacks. Make use of your child’s lunchbox this summer. It is the perfect container for easy to eat snacks that your family can bring along on car trips. Instead of stopping the car at the nearest fast … Continue reading

Breakfast Items that Freeze Well

One of the ways to save money is by avoiding the expensive cost of breakfast. You may be overspending on this important meal if you rely on convenience items, such as dry cereal, individual oatmeal packets, and store-bought frozen breakfast items, from sandwiches to pancakes. To reduce your spending in this area, consider preparing your own breakfast items and freezing them for later use. This way, you will always have a ready breakfast at hand, no matter how hectic the morning turns out to be. You can approach preparing freezer breakfast items in at least two different ways. You can … Continue reading

How to Make a Weekly Frugal Food Plan

Food is quickly becoming one of the biggest expenses in the average family’s budget. Attack your food budget with a weekly money-saving plan. Each day pick a task that will help you save money on your food bill. Developing a weekly frugal food plan can reduce the cost of feeding your family. Below, you can see an example of my own weekly frugal food plan. You can use it as a guideline and customize it to make it your own, so it makes sense for you and your family. Sunday Go grocery shopping with a list and coupons. Distribute bulk … Continue reading

Free Fall Crafts, Events, and Breakfasts

October brings plenty of Fall Festivals and Halloween celebrations. Many of them are things your family can attend for free, or for a low cost. Here are a few upcoming fun and frugal Fall activities that will be going on between now and October 14, 2012, (and a few that are going on all month long). Stuckmeyer’s Farm located in Fenton, Missouri, is having Farm Fun Days every weekend in October. It happens every Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening. Admission is free. There will be hayrides, pony rides, an inflatable slide, live … Continue reading

Back to School Frugal Fun and a Free Owl

Two of the kids are back in school starting today, and my Kindergartener starts on Thursday. It is hard to believe that the summer vacation is already at an end. If I still had any doubts, though, the early morning alarm shocked me back into reality. Back to school is a celebration, not only for the parents, who may be experiencing a mix of excitement that may be able to visit the bathroom without five separate interruptions, and a little sadness to see their babies one year older and off to adventures without them. Many parents plan a celebration for … Continue reading

Back to School with a Hot Breakfast

Back to school means crazy mornings, but that doesn’t also mean that you can’t serve your kids a hot breakfast. Although we do have our share of cereal mornings, I enjoy knowing that I got them out the door with something warm and filling most of the time. It also helps me control the ingredients and cut down on the preservatives and other additives that go into pre-prepared breakfast food. One of the tools that I use to help serve a hot breakfast despite a busy morning is my crockpot. I can either fill it with ingredients in the quite … Continue reading

Home Based Business Idea – Open A Bed and Breakfast

Do you enjoy entertaining guests? If you would like to work from home and you have a passion for entertaining, you may want to think about getting into a type of home-based business that has been around for a long time. Owning and operating a bed and breakfast or a small inn can be a very enjoyable experience, if it is the right fit for you. Many people have grown tired of staying in hotels and motels. Bed and breakfasts and small inns offer these people the promise of something more home-like, something unique. Think of the person who travels … Continue reading

Meal Planning and Freezer Cooking

Well, it looks like this week I’ll be concentrating my freezer cooking on breakfast staples again. Having breakfast in the freezer has really been working out for my husband lately, and it as shaved a bit off of our daily expenses. I was planning on preparing a bunch of split chicken breasts in different marinades and freezing them for the upcoming months of outdoor grilling, but unfortunately, my grocery store was all sold out of the chicken. I’m not surprised, it was an amazing deal. I did get a rain check for the maximum limit and will pick up the … Continue reading

Frugal Food Resolutions for the New Year

As the new year approaches, it is time to evaluate how successful I have been in following all of my own frugal convictions. When it comes to the kitchen, I must admit to a few non frugal errors. I have neglected to prepare meals on time. By not having meals on the table when the family gets hungry, I have invited the opportunity for the less patient members of my family to order a pizza or perhaps Chinese. I cant’ tell you how many times I have pulled myself away from my writing to prepare dinner only to be told … Continue reading

Frugal Freezer Breakfast Meals

Want to cut down on your breakfast expenses? One way to do it is to avoid the convenience cereal and create your own delicious breakfast meals that you can just grab on those hectic mornings. We talk a lot about creating freezer meals in order to take advantage of sales and stocking up on great coupon deals. But often, breakfast gets forgotten when we consider creating and having freezer meals. This is a shame. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. On top of that, making breakfast in bulk is pretty easy, and breakfast foods tend … Continue reading