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The Hottest Halloween Items of 2022

October is the best time of the year for people who absolutely love Halloween! This year, companies like McDonald’s and Squishmallows are taking part of the fun. Get them before they run out of stock or disappear after a limited amount of time. Bloomberg reported that McDonald’s has announced the return of the trick-or-treating trio. These are three, colorful, Happy Meal Pails that can double as a carrying case for kids who want to go trick-or-treating.  These colorful Halloween buckets first debuted in 1986, and could cause some nostalgia for parents who had one when they were kids. The Happy … Continue reading →

Halloween Events for Kids

Your kids might be super excited about celebrating Halloween. While some Halloween events are specifically geared for children, there are others that might be too scary for little ones to attend. Here is a list of some kid-friendly Halloween events that are taking place this year. Disney Store Halloween Dress Rehearsal Event The Disney Store near you might be having a Halloween Dress Rehearsal Event. Children must be at least three years of age in order to participate. Kids are to arrive dressed in their favorite Disney character costume. The event will take place on Friday, October 5, 2016, between … Continue reading →

Frugal Tips for Summer Activities

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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 →

Pushing for Publicly-Funded Preschool

If you missed President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address five months ago, you may be wondering why his recent trip to Illinois attracted so many leaders in the world of early education. Obama spent much of his trip to Fort Knox College on Wednesday reiterating the importance of his proposal to give American children a publicly-funded preschool education. The president unveiled his goal of providing quality early education for 4 year olds in his State of the Union address earlier this year and he is not backing down on his commitment. “If you think education is expensive, wait … Continue reading →

Cheaper Summer Camps

Stifling temperatures plus bored kids are not a good combination. Sending them to summer camp may be one option to keep them entertained and learning over the summer, but summer camp can certainly get expensive. If you are on a budget, you can look for cheaper options. Day Camps If you do some research, chances are that you will find a number of affordable day camps for your kids. Everything from ice skating to soccer to theater. Check local businesses (dance studios will sponsor dance camps, gyms may have rock climbing camps, etc), local townships and boroughs (residents usually get … Continue reading →

Our Day of Free Fun

Because we are on a limited budget, it sometimes takes a bit of creativity to have low-cost fun, and free is even better. Today was a good summer day in the free department for the kids. After an early morning dentist appointment (free, but not necessarily fun), we headed over to our local library for their Tuesday morning program. Today, the kids got to make their own bubble solution and wands and also experience making giant bubbles. We went home with the wands and a recipe to make our own giant bubble solution. We took advantage of the trip to … Continue reading →

Free Boredom Busters for Summer

Monday was the last day of school for our kids, and they “escaped” school, eager for some fun. While their friends all headed off the camp the very next day, it was left to me to make sure that each day had some new adventure planned, all while keeping house and working from home. Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources to help me. Our local community, for example, provides a number of free and low-cost activities. On Tuesday, the kids learned about cave painting and created their own art through a library program, and they also got to … Continue reading →

Have a Kickin’ Kindergarten Graduation Party

They may be little, but graduation day is still a big deal for kindergarteners.  Young kids love to celebrate and while mastering the ABCs and 123s may not compare to earning a college degree, it warrants some type of ceremony. Fortunately, you don’t have to break the bank honoring your little graduate.  Rather, keep the shindig simple by selecting a theme that yields itself to inexpensive fun.  For example: Books:  Ask your child’s teacher what books the kids read in class during the course of the academic year.  Then, select a few titles and incorporate them into the theme.  You … Continue reading →

The Summer Fun Calendar

Today I am spending some time working on our summer fun calendar. School will be out  soon, so I want to make sure that we prioritize the fun things that we want to do. Of course, we are on a budget. First I start doing my research to find out what free activities and events are available. There is our town website, the “catalogue” of summer activities from neighboring towns, the events for any museums we are members of, library programs and more. I start with these events, since they often have specific activities with dates (make your own glow-in-the-dark … 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 →