Family Activities for Cheap Home Living
Choosing entertaining and fun activities doesn’t have to cost tons of money. One of the greatest benefits of cheap home living is dedicating more time to friends and family and less time chasing activities that involve conspicuous consumption and unnecessary financial expenditures.
It can be very rewarding to spend more time with friends and families with inexpensive activities that involve more interaction. In order to be prepared for short term outings and activities it is helpful to have some ideas in advance so when the time comes you can be ready to engage your family and / or friends. When preparing a list of low cost activities and entertainment it is good idea to get helpful ideas from family members too.
Some great ways to enjoy time together without spending large sums of money can include:
Visit the local library to see their selections of videos, books, and programs. With the number of new libraries that has been constructed recently, the services and selections will surprise many visitors regarding books, movies and activities that take place at the library.
Visit the local museums on free days or days with reduced rates. Many big city museums and zoos have reduced rates or free admission on select days. In Chicago, the Art Institute is free on Thursday afternoons and the Zoo is free on Thursdays during certain times of the year. The kids love both outings and since the price is right we don’t feel obligated to stay and see all the attractions in one visit.
Cook a family barbecue or family dinner together. Have fun, make something special or creative. When possible, add a little science and education to the process to help show how various ingredients react during the cooking process. When cooking and especially when experimenting with cooking at home, failure can be as much fun as a gourmet meal.
Play outdoor games that involve the whole family. Or, take indoor games out. My children like chess, Pass the Bomb, Stratego and other games that we often play indoors and out. It always appears as though the outdoor version is more entertaining. So entertaining in fact, that we often play chess well into the fall bundled up on the deck.
Read the local newspapers to see what activities in the community are available. Activities that may include planned community events, educational seminars or plays. With some educational seminars, my wife and I have sometimes bribed the children with a promise of ice cream or some other treat after the event. With the use of coupons, the treats are relatively inexpensive, the family learns together and just to help the project along we will get material on the subject of the seminar in advance to help prepare for what we are going to experience.
Work on new craft projects together. Crafts can range from beading necklaces and bracelets to building a bird house. My wife loves bead projects, hers can be expensive, but cheap material is readily available at local craft stores. The children love learning, creating and producing something for themselves.
Plant a small vegetable garden or flower garden outdoors or indoors. Planting indoors can involve a little more work to make sure the plants get enough light and space but plants provide a great deal of beneficial properties when grown indoors. Of course, vegetable gardens have the added benefit of yielding a low cost food source. Using artificial grow lights indoors can be an added fun and educational component but can add costs as well.
Spend some time volunteering or doing charity work. Local housing organizations and shelters can almost always use some extra hands. Charity work may not quite be on the top of the to do list for fun activities but it is cheap to do and psychological rewarding.
Saving Money on Groceries by Comparing Unit Prices
To make sure you save money at the grocery store, comparing unit costs is a fundamental practice that needs to be adhered to. Whether you are buying brand name products or generic grocery items or whether you are buying in bulk or not, the unit price of the goods being purchased is a key measure to ensure you are saving money.
By comparing and saving based on the unit price you can save money even if you don’t have a coupon for select products. While in many instances, buying the larger size may be better or using a manufacturer’s coupon or store coupon appears like a good deal, this is certainly not the case every time.
When products are sold in different quantities or in different packages of the same size but actually holding different quantities it can be difficult to evaluate the best deal. A coupon can actually make the decision more difficult if the larger quantity is measurably cheaper per unit. Don’t be bamboozled by the creative packaging of food manufacturers and distributors either, just because two products appear to be the same size, does not mean that they are.
The unit price is a measure of the product cost f the item per ounce, quart, gallon, pound, or any other unit of measure. The unit price displays the cost of one unit, such as an ounce of that product. The unit price can be found on the product labels or on the shelf under the package display.
Of course it is best to compare the unit cost of products that are the same but if the products are similar substitutes or generic versus a brand name or even one product after a coupon reduction and one without, the unit cost should still be the primary decision making tool. Unit prices can also be used to compare different types of a food product such as dried and canned foods or fresh foods. Preference will clearly play a big role when comparisons like this are made.
Some brands cost less than others but will change their pricing frequently so check brand prices and coupons weekly because prices may change. Choosing the food that has the lowest price per unit costs will save money. By shopping and comparing the unit prices, you can make your purchase decision for the grocery item that offers the greatest value.