mama4life

Being a stay at home mom has been the most challenging, yet rewarding experience in my life. Only one income is another obstacle and the word, “budget” has become my new best friend.  I think it takes more work to budget than it does to work.  Since you have only one income coming in and every expense you could think of going out, the term, frugal living, is a new thing for stay at home parents.  Just trying to find ample fun for the kids on a very limited budget is difficult. So, I took the liberty of comprising ideas to help with finding frugal fun ideas. 

           Going to the park: Since parks are usually free, visiting one can be a lot of fun.  Yet, during colder months, you might want to limit your fun to sunny days, even if they are a little chilly.  Just bundle everyone up and head out.  Try to bring along some of their favorite warm drinks for when they are done playing.  My sons love hot chocolate so I just put it in a thermos and take it along with us. 

         Setting up play dates: In my neighborhood I live on a cul-de-sac, so finding kids is not hard.  But for anyone who doesn’t have kids in their neighborhood, connecting with families at church, school, or any sport programs are the best way to find kids and parents with the same interests. All you have to do on play dates is enjoy playing and talking to parents.  There is no need to do anything special.  When kids get together, their imaginations run wild.  This way, moms have time to connect with other moms and the children have time to play with others.

         Library visits: I love books and so naturally I want my children to enjoy reading and learning from books. My children and I go to the library every month, sometimes twice a month, depending on how fast we enjoy our books.  We choose a variety of books, computer software, movies and cartridges for my son’s Leap Pad, that way we keep ourselves busy throughout the month.

          Trips to the Zoo: Zoo memberships are the best expense for a family of little children. We have managed to budget once a year memberships to our local children zoo just so our kids can see all kinds of animals.  Sometimes our zoo even has activities for their members to attend, such as a cookout during lunch time hours.   If you go to the zoo, make a day out of it.  My family and I just pack our lunch so we can eat with the animals and save money on the high prices of food at the zoo.

Finding frugal activities to do with your children doesn’t have to be hard.  Enjoying time together is all you need.  You can find activities in your area by looking in your local newspaper, finding free magazines at your local grocery store or events happening at your nearby library.  I know that being a parent takes a lot of work, but enjoying time with your children will pay off in the long run as they grow up. Does your family do something fun together that is frugal? Please share. 

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