DIY Glow Party Teen Birthday (on a tight budget) – Summer Party Time

Kid #2 turns 15 in July. She wanted to have a glow party/rave for her birthday bash. This summer party will be fun and frugal, as I try to stick to a tight budget.
Doing a glow party on the cheap is a struggle. There is a minimum you have to spend on the black lights if you don’t know someone you can borrow them from. And there are lots of glowey things on eBay that look like a ton of fun.

Continue reading

June 2014 Real Food Monthly Meal Plan

Ideas and resources for menu planning in June, many seasonal spring and summer, and real food recipes. Very simple ingredients, from scratch. As always, these are all frugal recipes intended for a tight budget. Real food/from scratch/traditional diet/nutrient dense/whole food/blah blah blah. My monthly meal plans are organized into tiers based on how perishable the ingredients are, not sorted into particular days.

Continue reading

Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Classic Games for Preschoolers

This is a series of articles on how to survive a road trip with four kids, including a toddler and a preschooler, from a frugal mom who has done it on the cheap many times. Chock full of 244 fantabulous tips for your long car trip!

Continue reading

Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Fun in the Heat

This is a series of articles on how to survive a road trip with four kids, including a toddler and a preschooler, from a frugal mom who has done it on the cheap many times. Chock full of 244 fantabulous tips for your long car trip!

Continue reading

Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Fun in the Dark

This is a series of articles on how to survive a road trip with four kids, including a toddler and a preschooler, from a frugal mom who has done it on the cheap many times. Chock full of 244 fantabulous tips for your long car trip!

Continue reading

Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Fun Stuff

Frugal Road Trip with Kids Series: Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Be Positive – Plan Your Route – Safety First – What to Bring – Food and Snacks – Fun Stuff – Fun in the Dark – Fun in … Continue reading

Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Real Food and Snacks

This is a series of articles on how to survive a road trip with four kids, including a toddler and a preschooler, from a frugal mom who has done it on the cheap many times. Chock full of 244 fantabulous tips for your long car trip!

Continue reading

Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Safety First

In the weeks following up to the trip we work on practicing emergency info for each child, depending on what is appropriate for their age. Preschoolers can learn their name, address, and phone number. Also what to do if we get lost (approach a police officer, an employee, or a mom with kids).

Continue reading

Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Plan Your Route

This is a series of articles on how to survive a road trip with four kids, including a toddler and a preschooler, from a frugal mom who has done it on the cheap many times. Chock full of 244 fantabulous tips for your long car trip!

Plan your route ahead of time. Use sites like Road Trip USA, National Geographic’s Drives of a Lifetime, Trails.com’s Scenic Byways, or America’s Byways. You can also use Google Maps or Mapquest and click on Avoid Highways.

Continue reading