The Sensible Mom

Food, DIY, Chicago Mom Blogger

Frugal Friday

Frugal Friday: Home schooling on a Budget

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home schooling

When I first started home schooling, I went and bought an entire curriculum that cost us over $600 and looking back now, I can see that that wasn’t the best decision. I was simply starting with kindergarten, and I didn’t need a fully loaded curriculum chock full of books that my 5 year old would not understand much less pay attention to. Over the years, I’ve learned a few things that have helped us to home school with more wisdom. They’ve also help us to keep more money in our pockets.

These tips might help you too:

:: Utilize your local library. If there is a book you need, find out if your local library has it before purchasing it new or used – especially is you only need the book short-term.

:: Swap with other homeschooling moms. There are several homeschooling families at our church, and when someone needs to borrow a book or has items they don’t need anymore, an email is sent out to other homeschooling moms to find out if someone else has the book or would like to pick up any materials for free or purchase any items another homeschooling family no longer needs.

:: Ask for workbooks, books, and other home schooling needs for Christmas or birthdays for your children.

:: Buy school supplies once a year. There are amazing sales on school supplies come July and August before the school year starts back up. STOCK UP. Cheap everything! Paper, crayons, markers, glue, etc….. This will save you a lot of money versus purchasing during the school year.

:: Use the internet. There are a TON of great websites out there for just about every subject. Math, Science, Spelling, Keyboarding, etc….and when you come across a good site, don’t forget to bookmark it.

:: Take note of when your favorite curriculum goes on sale. For example, we use Switched-On Schoolhouse, and their annual 20% off sale happens during the month of April. Thankfully, we are good to go for this school year and didn’t need to purchase any new versions, but if I did, I would have purchased last month for the greatest savings.

:: Look for gently used curriculum online. In the past, I’ve mainly checked out ebay to see what I could get at a discount. Half.com is another great website to purchase textbooks from. It’s owned by ebay, but there’s no bidding, and I was able to get a book for my Web 2.0 class that would have cost me around $70 from the school for only around $20 by purchasing through half.com.

:: Consider selling items you don’t need anymore to get extra cash to pay for new items. Again, ebay or half.com are good sites for this. I made over $70 by selling books on half.com a few months ago. You could also garage sale items to make extra money that way.

:: If you do want to purchase an entire curriculum and have the money to do so, then by all means do it. Just try to be sure that you are buying a curriculum that is compatible with your child’s learning style.

For more Frugal Friday tips and ideas, please visit Life as Mom.


Frugal Friday: How to Prepare for the Grocery Store

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It’s no fun going to the store without a plan. Seriously, that can be a recipe for stress – if you are taking your kids along – and for overpaying for things you KNOW you could have gotten cheaper if only you had a plan and prepared before stepping foot into the grocery store.

In order to keep from going to the store without a plan and walking out frazzeled, here are some simple things you can do before leaving the house:

::Β Make a list. Look at the store(s) weekly ad, find out what is on sale, read blogs (My Favorite thing) with your stores deals, and then create a plan. Make a menu for that week based on what is on sale, what you already have, and what you will pick up at the store.

::Β Prepare your coupons. Go through and get out or clip the coupons you know you will be using based on what is on your list. You don’t want to find yourself in the middle of a grocery aisle trying to corral children and sort through coupons at the same time. No fun.

::Β Print any online coupons. This is a big one for me since I shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes for items that you don’t normally find coupons for in the Sunday newspaper inserts. When I use coupons at those stores, they’re normally internet printable coupons that I’ve found by reading blogs that share the deals for those stores. Also, check your store’s website to find out if they offer coupons that you can print off of their site. You can also checkΒ Coupons.com andΒ Smartsource.com to find out if there are any printable coupons there you could use. And make sure to find out if you can combine your stores online coupons with manufacturer’s coupons for more savings. For example, I can combine a Whole Foods store coupon with a printable manufacturer’s coupon.

::Β Load coupons onto your store loyalty card. There are a number of different online websites that allow you to load coupons onto your stores loyalty card so that when your card is scanned, the coupon comes off your total bill. The nice thing about loading the coupons is that you will probably only do it once a month, and those coupons are good all month. Just register with the site that has e-coupons available for your store, and load them onto your loyalty card. Here are a few I know of:

:: Pack snacks for the kids. This will help to keep your child happy and help you to avoid opening up that bag of snacks before you pay for it.

::Β Make sure you have everything before you leave the house. List, coupons, snacks for kids, and a plan for which stores you are going to shop at.

::Β Shop and save. Save time by having a plan and money by being prepared. πŸ™‚

How do you make your grocery trips easier to manage?

For more Frugal Friday tips and ideas, please visit Life as Mom.

 


Frugal Friday: Free fun at home

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Free fun

We have what is considered a semi-large family nowadays (although we’re small fries compared to the larger families in our church!), and with four kids, we have to think of creative ways to have fun at home – away for all electronic devices. We don’t have a surplus of money to make costly family outings at the moment, so, we have to be creative with what we have…..a front yard, a backyard, and lots of imagination.

paper airplanes

On windy days, we make paper airplanes and try to keep them out of the neighbor’s fenced yard.

paper airplanes

On sunny days, the kids ride the outside toys we’ve been blessed with.

outside ride

zebra

We also do things like:

:: play tag

:: spin in circles

:: write with chalk

:: use play doh outside

:: keep a bag filled with outside toys

:: blow bubbles

:: ride scooters

:: take walks

:: make up silly games

These things are fun, frugal, and they makes us happy. Most of all, I am reminded of my own childhood, and the many adventures I had playing outside. I remember baseball in the backyard, kick-ball, and mud-pies, and I’m thankful that my children can have the same kind of experiences that I did – away from Wii, iPods, and computers.

What do you do that’s fun and frugal at home with your kids?

For more Frugal Friday tips and ideas, please visit Life as Mom.

 


Frugal Friday: Finding Fun Locally

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Clifford PartyWe’ve found a hidden gem when it comes to finding fun and inexpensive things for our family to do. What is it you ask?

The Park District.

They put out a catalog once per season (Fall, Summer, Winter, Spring), and it is packed with fun things for the kids to do, and they even offer a lot activities for adults and whole families. In the picture, the kids were attending an event with Clifford. I think it was called, Clifford’s Birthday Party? But they got lunch, a picture with Clifford, and got to participate in some fun crafts for only $20 for four people. Ruben took the older ones while I stayed home with David, and just look at the fun they had!

The two older kids, Nathan and Breanna, are currently signed up for swimming classes through the park district, too. They had their first lesson last week, and it was fun watching them being pulled out from their comfort zones when it comes to the water. They were doing things with the instructor that they would NOT have been willing to do if I were teaching them. The best part is that they actually enjoyed it! I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case because they took swimming lessons once before through our old park district, and they REALLY protested being signed up again. I actually text messaged Ruben shortly after the lesson started, and my exact message was, “I have a feeling the kids are not going to want to come back next week. The instructor is going a bit fast!” :-0 I was wrong, though. Thankfully!

Some other classes we’ve done over the years…..

1. AquaTots – This class is a parent/child class that focuses on getting little ones used the water. We sang songs and did little exercises like having the kids throw a small toy and scooping to get it. We also sang songs like “I’m a little tea pot” and tried to get the kids to put their ear in the water at the “tip me over and pour me out part.” Fun!

2. Mommy & me stroller fitness class – What fun this was! I would take Isaac and David in our double stroller and meet up with other moms at a park with a trail or at the mall on cold/rainy days, and we’d really get a work out! These instructors did not play games! Wow.

3. Gingerbread house – Ruben did more than one of these classes with the kids where they enjoyed decorating a gingerbread house.

4. Swimming classes – of course.

5. Summer Bowling – Nathan did this a couple summers ago and loved it. Β He and several other boys were taught how to bowl properly, and they got a free pizza lunch every week, too!

6. Karate classes – Ruben, Nathan, and Breanna have both taken karate classes in the past. I would sign them up again except for the location the classes take place is a bit of a drive and not worth the gas.

7. Daddy/Daughter breakfast – Ruben and Breanna created a lasting memory for this one.

8. Lots more – These are just a few! πŸ™‚

And there you have it. I’ve you’ve never taken a look at what your local park district has to offer, here’s some encouragement to give them a try. Oh, and they offer lots of FREE events, too.

For more Frugal Friday tips and ideas, please visitΒ Life as Mom.

This post is also linked to Thrifty Thursday.