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Category: The Frugal Home

Here we’ll share ways in which we save money on home maintenance, repair and decorating and entertaining at home.

5 Awesome Ways to Frugally Ring in the New Year

With the end of the year upon us, we have time to enjoy one more party together. And New Year’s Eve can be a lot of fun! However, it can also cost a bit more than you’d think if you aren’t careful. Therefore, I’ve found 5 awesome ways to frugally ring in the New Year that are also a blast!

#1 STATE MUSEUMS

Most people don’t even think about state run museums, or private ones for that matter, when it comes to how to ring in the New Year. However, in our city, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Museum of History have their own celebrations during the day on New Year’s Eve. These museums have crafts and events all throughout the day for families to participate in, for NO COST.

They also vendors outside the museums that are either performing dances or music. Some of these vendors are specifically geared towards families by setting up arts and craft tables outside to partake in. This has been a huge boon to my family as it has something for all of us to enjoy while celebrating together. So, if you haven’t checked out these options around your town or city, I highly recommend it!

#2 FAMILY CELEBRATIONS

Even if you haven’t been able to find cool free New Year’s Eve events at museums in your area, most downtowns have a celebration at night. Our city is no different and it’s also completely FREE to enjoy. Most of it, at least. There are vendors set up with food and drinks, crafts, and some games and rides. While a lot of these do charge, you are welcome to walk around with your own food and drinks, which helps make this event even more frugal. My favorite part of the event is when they ring in the New Year early by dropping the acorn (our version of the glittery ball), so we can all get home before the kids fall asleep.

Once they finish the kids/families version of the New Year’s Eve party, they reset it for the adults. This is when most families leave and you can find more adult centered activities, including live bands and alcohol. We simply love this idea because we don’t have to do much on our end, other than show up.

#3 HOUSE PARTY

Another way we’ve rung in the New Year is via a house party. Some friends have created a New Year’s Eve sleepover party for close friends and their kids. I thought this was a great idea because it was fun for kids and adults. There were video games and party games for the kids to play, as well as some kid friendly foods and snacks. While the kids partook in those activities and foods, the adults got to chat and catch up over some themed adult beverages and more palate teasing foods.

The hosts provided sparklers, hats, and noisemakers for the kids. Which we all loved because it meant that we all got to have fun as a family. Plus, we got the bonus of showing off our cool holiday pajamas and spending the night together. This idea is a blast, if you have the room and desire to host it.

#4 RING IN THE NEW YEAR POTLUCK PARTY

Along a similar vein, one of my favorite New Year’s has been spent with friends at their house. Similar to the family house party, but adults only. And to make it more cost effective, everybody signed up to bring a dish and and adult beverage of some sort.

One of my favorite things about potluck parties is that you just never know what people are going to bring. Which means, we usually get introduced to some new foods and drinks to try. I love trying new things, so this was a huge bonus for me!

As an added bonus, at his particular party, each couple/single had to bring one of their favorite board games. This was a really cool addition because board games tell you a lot about a person and their likes. Just when you think you know somebody, you get to learn even more about them, while having a party at the same time. Huge bonus!

#5 ALL-INCLUSIVE PARTY

For the slightly less frugal option to ring in the New Year right, there are quite a few options that still won’t break the bank. There are quite a few places that have started offering all-inclusive ring in the New Year parties. These are awesome choices to consider since the entrance ticket usually includes:

  • food
  • non-alcoholic beverages
  • alcoholic beverages (some have a limit on how many and some are unlimited)
  • live music
  • dancing
  • coat check
  • champagne toast at midnight

Not only are these events indoors, where it is warm, but there are bathrooms at your disposal. For me, personally, that’s a huge plus. And I don’t have to worry about spending any more money after I’ve purchased my all-inclusive entrance ticket. Therefore, it might be worth it to look around your city to see who might be offering this option on New Year’s Eve.

frugally ring in the new year summary

Whether you have kids or not, there are a few really good options to frugally ring in the New Year right. Some of my favorite finds for families include:

  1. State Museums
  2. Family Celebrations
  3. House Party

If you’re a single or a couple, or have a babysitter for the night, then these 2 options are good considerations:

  1. Potluck Party
  2. All-Inclusive Adult Party

Either way, as long as you’re with family and/or friends to ring in the New Year, and haven’t killed your wallet in the process, then you’re doing it right. So here’s to ringing in the New Year right without breaking the bank!

What are some of the best ways you have found to ring in the New Year without breaking the bank?

4 of the Best Places to Search for School Supplies

When it comes to August, school starting is on the forefront of everyone’s mind. And ours is no different. Since the COVID pandemic hit, some things have changed regarding the beginning of the school year. But hunting for school supplies isn’t one of them. So, here are 4 of the best places to search for school supplies and not break the bank.

#1 Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree is is one of my favorite places to search for school supplies first. While everything used to be only $1, they have changed their business model recently. Now things are more along the lines of $1.25 each. Still nothing to sneeze at, but that also means some products aren’t built for long-term use. The things we’ve found to fit into that category typically include: crayons, markers, glue and tape.

Ultimately, this is a pretty good place to try first. Some of my favorite purchases from Dollar Tree include:

  • Calculators
  • Composition notebooks
  • Erasers
  • Glue sticks
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Lined paper
  • Plastic folders
  • Post-it notes
  • Scientific calculators
  • Scissors
  • Sanitizing wipes
  • Spiral notebooks
  • Tape
  • Tissues
  • Whiteboard erasers

#2 Drug stores

Some of the drugstores, such as CVS and Walgreens, tend to have fairly competitive sales during the back-to-school season. In order to get the really good deals, you should use your store loyalty card or app though. Typically, this will either give you extra discounts or a coupon off a future purchase.

Some of the best items I have found to get at the drugstores are:

  • Backpacks
  • Glue sticks
  • Highlighters
  • Lunchboxes
  • Notebooks
  • Pencils
  • Pens
  • Water bottles

#3 five below

Five Below is another fantastic place to check out. They are similar to Dollar Tree in that everything used to be $5 or below. But, in the past couple of years they have changed their business model. Now it is more along the lines of $10 and below. Their back to school supplies aren’t usually as vast a selection as Dollar Tree, but sometimes they are higher quality products.

One good example of this is that they carry Crayola brand crayons, instead of the off brand ones. And usually these will end up being on sale for $1 during back to school season.

Some of the best deals I’ve found here are to date are:

  • Backpacks
  • Crayons
  • Glue sticks
  • Headphones/earbuds
  • Lunchboxes
  • Markers

#4 online

Lastly, for an increasingly larger percentage of us who don’t like to run around from store to store, online shopping is the way to go. Some of the aforementioned stores will even have similar deals online and ship your purchases directly to your house! While they can sometimes add a shipping cost to do so, most of the time it’s waived. So, it might actually end up saving you more money in the long run due to less wear and tear and gas for your car. Bonus!

Some of the best places to get cheap school supplies online are:

  • Amazon: Pretty much any and all school supplies can be found here
  • Hollar.com: Character backpacks and lunchboxes, and a $1 section with a lot of school supplies
  • Freecycle: This site is a place for people giving away things instead of selling them, so nothing is a guarantee here
  • Facebook Marketplace: Similar to Freecycle, plus there are some special groups just for parents. This site can be to purchase or give things away, so a great place to check if you’re really trying to stick to a budget.
  • Oriental Trading Company: Not just for party supplies, they also have school supplies in bulk. Plus there is usually an Ebates rebate that you can use with this site. Extra bonus!
  • Discount School Supply: Pretty much everything you can think of, plus they have free 3-day shipping

These are great sites to keep in mind year-round because you never know what you are going to find. One of the best ways I’ve found to cut costs is by keeping my back-to-school supply stocked throughout the year.

School supplies summary

Overall, there are a ton of places you might be able to find great deals on school supplies. But some of my favorite go-to options just happen to be: Dollar Tree, Drug Stores and Five Below. And when I’ve exhausted those, I go straight to the online platforms to see what hidden gems I might be able to find for my kids. The options these days are fairly endless, so now’s the time to begin the search for your kids school supplies.

Where are some of the best places you’ve found great deals on back to school supplies for your kids?

Gardening to Increase Your Health and Wealth

I will be the first to admit that gardening was never something I figured that I would do. However, as we have ventured further down the path towards financial independence, gardening is one of those things that helps. Embarking upon our gardening journey with growing food has helped to increaser both our health and our wealth. So, here are some of the great tips we’ve learned so far to help us be more successful on our gardening journey.

Gardening for Health

Growing your own food can help you save money on groceries, if you do it right. But, gardening can take some really hard work in the beginning to finally get to the place of balance. Therefore, you’ll have to put in some sweat equity regularly, and be prepared to make mistakes. After all, the best way to learn anything is through the mistakes we make along the way!

No matter what your space is, there is a way to work a garden out. Some of the most common options are:

  • a large space to garden – you can plant many different crops in rows, raised beds, stackable planters, or any combination
  • a small patio or deck – hanging baskets, stacking planters, railing planters are the best options

Even though we have a large back yard, we have found that planting a lot of our crops in planter boxes works better for us. It helps reduce the number of weeds and pests, and it’s easier to keep all of the dogs out of our food.

gardening for wealth

According to the most recent report by the National Gardening Association (NGA), the number of households that participate in gardening has only continued to increase every year. I’m pretty confident that this is due to multiple reasons:

  • COVID affected how people could get fresh food, so personal gardens gained popularity
  • quality of fresh produce has declined throughout the years
  • grocery prices have increased
  • people have started taking more control over their health and wealth and food is a big part of that

On top of increasing individual health, the amount that a household can save on groceries can also increase. For the most part, having your own home garden can save you between $500 – $1000 per year. However, this can be based on:

  • where you live
  • your family size
  • how many different crops you grow
  • what kind of seeds and starters you choose to use

As an example, we are a family of 7, and were able to save a little over $600 the first year we started our food garden. And we only started out with a very small amount of crops, because of time and knowledge constraints. Seeing as we have expanded our garden this year, we are pretty excited to see how much more we can save this year.

choosing seeds

Besides losing crops due to inexperience, choosing seeds can be the next more expensive part of at home gardening. Especially, if you are like us and only use organic seeds.

The reason we choose organic seeds only is due to the fact that we want all of the crops we grow to be organic from beginning to end. Organic seeds and growing everything organically, creates a better end result that is more nutrient dense. And we don’t run the risk of potentially toxic chemicals in our food or soil. Both of these are things extremely important to us, so we’re willing to pay more for it.. But, different strokes for different strokes, and this may not be where you land, which is perfectly fine.

Either way, the cost of the seeds you buy will all depend on whether they are:

  • organic
  • heirloom
  • perennials (they come back every year without you having to replant)
  • annuals(you will only get one crop out of them and will have to replant every year)

We prefer to plant perennial crops because I am not a huge fan of having to do the same work over and over again. It is hard enough work to keep the beds weeded and the pests away. Due to this, we are working on creating a more permaculture type of garden this year, which will naturally keep the pests away. But, we’ll just have to see how that goes!

Gardening for health and wealth summary

Overall, gardening can be a great way to increase both your health and your wealth. However, the costs of starting your garden can vary widely, depending on:

  • where you live (cost of living)
  • how big your family is
  • how much room you have for a garden
  • seed costs
  • learning curve

When you first begin this journey, it will probably be overwhelming. As with everything life though, it gets easier with time and knowledge. Plus, it is so rewarding to be able to go outside and pick your own fresh fruits and veggies and not have to pay anything for it. There is almost nothing better, in my opinion, than being able to create meals right from my own backyard. And we are definitely healthier, and wealthier for it!

What are some of the greatest benefits you’ve had from starting your own food garden?

Where Can You Find a Great Deal on Great Furniture?

No matter how you slice it, at some point we’ll be in the market for great furniture. And since I don’t like superfluous cash on products that just don’t hold up as well as they used to, I’ve learned to find a good deal. Searching for a great deal on great furniture is no different than anything else I’m hunting for to save some cash on. So, I’ve found some pretty good tricks to finding some great furniture deals that leave both my budget and my family happy.

CONSIGNMENT SALES

One of the first places I begin the search for great furniture is at local consignment sales. While a lot of the consignment sales are geared more towards children, that doesn’t mean they don’t carry furniture also.

While it may be a bit a more difficult to find an entire dining or living room set with this option, there are still plenty of viable options. Some of the great furniture deals I’ve found include:

  • Cabinets
  • Desk Chairs
  • Dressers
  • Dining Room Chairs
  • Living Room Chairs
  • Nightstands
  • Shelving Units
  • Side Tables
  • Twin or Double Bed Frames

So if any of these items happen to be on your list, then you should definitely check out a local consignment sale and see how lucky you get.

THRIFT STORES

Thrift store shopping ranks right up there with consignment store shopping for me. It’s similar in that you’ll have to sift through all sorts of items that may not be anything close to what you are looking for. But you may just get lucky and hit the jackpot if you’re willing to dig.

I have personally donated a lot of furniture items to thrift stores to save money on taxes. And the majority of them were still in great shape. They just didn’t fit our space or lifestyle anymore for one reason or another.

Some of my favorite places to either donate, or scour for deals, are:

While I love all of these places, some have better stuff donated to them than others. I have found that shopping at the thrift stores in the more affluent parts of town has a tendency to reap better rewards than shopping at the other locations. So keep location in mind when you begin your great furniture search.

FURNITURE OUTLETS

The largest furniture market in the world is called High Point Furniture Market. It takes place every April and October in High Point, NC. This market is the furniture version of fashion week in Paris, where all of the new styles and colors for the season are premiered.

But, you can’t purchase anything at Market unless you are a designer or retailer, which doesn’t help most people. Luckily, once Market is over, almost all of the floor samples are sent to different furniture stores for sale at a deep discount. One such store that we have here locally is Heavner Furniture Market. They purchase a lot of the floor samples, along with factory closeouts and special purchases directly from the manufacturer.

Another other option is to find one of the factory clearance stores for a specific store, such as Rooms to Go Outlet. These pieces will usually have some slight blemishes or be older models. But if either of those aren’t that important to you, then this may be another great option!

ONLINE

Another great resource to find great furniture is, of course, online. Sometimes I search online first just to get a better idea of what type of piece I’d ideally like in the space. Sometimes, I get lucky and find what I am looking for online before I ever have to set foot in a store. When that is the case, it is usually via one of these websites:

Some of these sites will be more expensive than others, and some won’t have as much of a selection. So you may find yourself hindered in one aspect or another online just as well as in person.

freebies

Of course, there is nothing better than free! While not every piece of free furniture will be a great option, it’s still worth it to take a look. If it looks like something that would actually work for you, that is. One of the best ways I’ve found to get free furniture is from friends and family. It’s actually the same thing I try to do before I donate furniture.

Throughout the years, some of the pieces of great furniture I’ve received for FREE, are:

  • Bunk Beds
  • Charcoal Grills
  • Coffee Table
  • Couches (x 3)
  • Dining Table
  • Double Bed
  • Loft Bed
  • Loveseat (x2)
  • Patio Furniture Sets
  • Side Table

great FURNITURE DEALS summary

Overall, there are a ton of different ways and places to find great deals on great furniture. Of course, my favorite is always to start with the FREE options, as long as they work for what I need. Next, I begin to go down the list of options and see where I end up. The way you go about this will ultimately depend on your needs, style and desires, as well as your budget. Not all options will fit everyone, so find what works best for you. After all there is something to be said for thinking outside the furniture box.

What are some of the best ways you’ve found to get a great deal on great furniture?

banks and climate change

How Do Banks Contribute to Climate Change?

When we consider ways to make a positive impact on our environment, many of us think of choosing energy-efficient cars, eating less meat, recycling our plastics, upgrading to LED lights in our homes, and planting trees. Did you know that banks are one of the biggest offenders to the environment? 

 

Let’s take a closer look at how banks contribute to climate change and what you can do to make a difference. 

Read more

It’s summertime and it’s finally time to party. Before entertaining, consider these backyard upgrades to make your yard the envy of the neighborhood.

Start Your Summer Off with a Bang with These Backyard Upgrades

Summertime is the time where we can have fun, enjoy the weather, and start entertaining loved ones outdoors. However, if your backyard looks more like an abandoned lot rather than a place to entertain, you might want to consider tackling these backyard upgrades. 

These backyard upgrades will turn your hum-drum backyard into your own summer getaway that everyone in the neighborhood will envy. Or at the very least the upgrades will make backyard barbecues more enjoyable for everyone! Read more

These are Awesome Natural Mosquito Repellents!

With the spring almost here, the warmer weather is upon us. And, in a lot of areas, that means it’s also time for mosquitoes to start showing back up again. I know where we are, it’s the bane of our outdoor time. Mosquitoes are not only annoying, but can carry disease, along with some major scratching once you’ve been bitten. We aren’t fans of anything chemical to treat them with, since those things cause other side effects to the environment. Plus they can get pretty expensive to maintain also. So, we’ve found some of the best natural mosquito repellents that do the job well and don’t cost  much to implement.

Citronella

Citronella is one of my favorite go to plants for mosquito repellents. If you’ve ever had a citronella scented candle you know what it smells like. And, while it can be a pretty darn good mosquito repellent, not everyone likes the smell.

What I’ve found is that the actual citronella plant has a slightly different odor that I like much better. It’s not as artificial smelling and keeps the mosquitoes away pretty darn well. Plus, they make beautiful borders for garden beds because they can get very full and have beautiful leaves.

An even better way to keep the mosquitoes away with citronella is to crush up a couple of the leaves and rub them on your exposed skin.

Lavender

Lavender is very similar to the citronella plant at repelling mosquitoes. But, it has much more color to add to your garden or landscaping. One of my favorite places to plant the lavender plant is by the front porch. This way, guests get the lovely scent of lavender as they approach our front door. But, as a double bonus, the plants also help keep the mosquitoes at bay.

I like to crush up a stalk of lavender and rub it on my skin whenever I am getting ready to garden. But another great way to use it is to make a spray out of the lavender essential oil, since it is so easy to come by.

basil

Out of all of the mosquito repellents, basil is my absolute favorite option. A big part of this is that we use a lot of basil in our cooking already. So the basil plant has a double function in our house right out of the gate.

I like to plant this one in the corners of our herb garden to help mosquito prevention while I’m working in the garden. Take one or two leaves and crush them up in your hands and then rub on the exposed skin. It makes you smell like a delicious salad, which I love!

rosemary

Rosemary serves the same function as basil does. So, the rosemary plant is a good option to add into your border rotation in the garden along with the basil. And, if you like to add rosemary to your culinary dishes, then this plant serves two purposes for you immediately also. Plus, rosemary is pretty darn easy to grow.

But, you should be careful with rosemary because it doesn’t take much for it to take over your garden. It’s a vigorous grower. So, I’ve found the best way to incorporate it into our garden is by putting it in big pots. This way I can also move them around, if need be, but they also won’t take over any of my other crops.

marigolds

Marigolds are very popular in most areas of the United States. These plants are brightly colored and make great borders for landscaping beds and/or around mailboxes. I’ve used them quite a few times for both their color and their mosquito repellent properties.

Usually, the marigold plant can be found in shades of yellow, gold, orange and tinges of red. So they make great additions to most landscapes. They are extremely easy to plant and care for, and are fantastic insect repellents. I like to plant these around the edges of where my kids play and in some of the corners of landscaping beds. But, since they are annuals, they will have to be replanted each year. Which I am not a huge fan of. But since they are pretty darn cost effective, it can be worth it to purchase a few plants each year.

geraniums

Geraniums are very similar to marigolds in that they come in some beautiful coloring options. More often than not, I put these in a pot on the front and back porches. And that is usually where I find other people tend to put them also. They are easy to grow and care for, and in a lot of cases can bloom all year long.

They don’t do well in the cold though. So if you choose to add the geranium plant into your rotation, it’s best to pot it. This way you can bring it in when it gets cold and enjoy the beautiful colors and aroma inside during the winter.

best natural mosquito repellents summary

Ultimately, there are quite a few natural ways to repel mosquitoes. But, my favorite ways all include plants. Luckily, none of these plant options are very expensive. And most of them are perennials, so you won’t necessarily have to repurchase them every year, if conditions are right. If you plan it out right, you can get some lovely smelling and looking additions to your landscape and repel mosquitoes at the same time. This is what I call multitasking!

How to Save a Ton by Switching From Disposable Products

Even before everything with COVID-19 was happening, we were always looking for ways to save money around the house. Plus, we continually strive to be more “green” every year and help the environment. And what I’ve found is that there are a ton of ways to merry both saving money and going green together. The best way we have found to achieve both goals is by switching from disposable products whenever, and wherever we can.

Paper towels

When it comes to disposable products, we didn’t use a ton of them to begin with. But, I knew there will still places that we could work on. And paper towels just happened to be a big one for us. With 5 kids and boarding a ton of different dogs, there are always messes to clean up.

While it may not seem that paper towels cost a lot of money, what they do cost can actually really add up. If we go with a 10 year projection, it’s easier to see the real savings by switching from disposable products.

Our family goes through about 1 roll of paper towels per week. If we purchase a package of 8 rolls for $17, that package will last us approximately 8 weeks, or 2 months. Which means, that for a year’s supply of paper towels we will be spending about $110.50, before tax. So, over 10 years, we would spend $1105 on paper towels. That’s a heck of a lot on just this one disposable product!

However, we decided to toss out the paper towels and go with a reusable, washable version of paper towel instead. The product we chose is Lola Wowables 30 count roll for $19.99. They come in 4 different colors: yellow, teal, purple and coral. We chose teal because that color matches our kitchen best. The website offers free shipping on orders of $40 or more, so we chose to purchase 2 rolls to save us the shipping cost.

Overall Savings

Since these reusable paper towels are washable and biodegradable, they last for a really LONG time! In fact, based on the aforementioned usage, one roll should last us a total of 2 years. Which means that by buying the 2 rolls at once, we should have 4 years worth of paper towels on hand. And we paid a total of $40 plus tax for that!

So, over a 10 year period of time, we should only have to spend a total of $100 on these fabulously bright and absorbent reusable paper towels versus the $1105 we would have spent on disposable products. That’s a huge savings in just this one category alone!

water bottles

Our family strives to drink more than the recommended 64 ounces of water per day. Which means that we all end up needing water bottles because we aren’t always at home. And with a family of 7, that could really add up if we were buying bottled water all the time.

In order to just get the 64 ounces per day, each of us would have to drink 4 bottles of water per day. This is based on the standard 16.9 ounce prepackaged water bottle size you find in stores. Which means we would go through 28 bottles of water per day, on average. We can get a 24 pack of water bottles for around $3.50. But, one package wouldn’t even be enough for one day of water for us, since we have 7 people in our family.

Therefore, in order to get enough water bottles for a year, we would need to purchase 426 cases of water (24 bottles in each case). This would total up to $1491 plus tax just in water bottles for 1 year, or $14,910 over 10 years That is a TON of money!

But, by switching to reusable metal water bottles, we have saved a ridiculous amount of money just in the first year alone. We found these really awesome, larger and more versatile reusable metal water bottles instead. The Extremus Deluge SS Wide Mouth water bottle usually sells for $20.99 per bottle and comes in 6 different colors. We were actually able to get them for a discounted rate since Amazon had them on sale for $16.79 when we found them, so we have saved even more. And, they come with 2 different handles, a carabiner and a smaller lid that screws off only at the mouth hole, which we really liked.

Overall Savings

These water bottles should easily last for 10 years, barring any child accidents. So, with that in mind, we have spent a total of $146.93 plus tax for all 7 bottles. So, if they last the full 10 years, this means we will have save a total of $14,763.07. Now, that is a not only a HUGE savings, but it also has a giant impact on the environment. Reusable water bottles for the win!

switching from disposable products summary

Overall, there are a lot of ways you can choose to go about this. But, ultimately, the more open minded you can be about getting rid of disposable products, the more money you can potentially save. Our biggest savings come from the paper towels and water bottles category, personally. But that doesn’t mean you can’t save in every category. No matter what, the more disposable products you get rid of, the greener you are and the more you can save.

What are some of the disposable products you’ve tossed to ultimately save more money and go green?

How to Celebrate Halloween Safely During COVID-19

This year has been a bit different for all of us. And with the holidays looming, most of us are trying to figure out how to approach them safely. First and foremost is Halloween. Yes, I can’t believe that it’s almost here either! But, the kids are certainly excited, albeit a bit nervous. Because even they realize that this year isn’t going to look the same as all the previous years. So, here is how we plan to celebrate Halloween safely during COVID-19 and still have a great time.

House Party

Having a house party may seem like the antithesis of how to celebrate Halloween safely, but hear me out. We aren’t actually talking about hosting a raucous house party here. What I mean by house party is a bit different in this particular context.

This house party will only include you and your family. The kids still get to dress up in costumes, so that is a huge plus. But, then they get to be even more creative.

Have each child go through ideas with you regarding how to decorate their room for Halloween. Maybe they like the haunted house idea, or a fun house, or something else entirely. Whatever they come up with, help them get the supplies they need to create their idea.

You will also take each child out, separately, to get the candy of their choice to pass out. That way it’s even more of a surprise for the other kids.

When it’s time to celebrate Halloween, have the kids dress up in their costumes. Pick names or draw straws to see who will be hosting the family in their Halloween room first. That person will go into their room and prepare their candy for trick-or-treater’s. You and the rest of the family get to trick-or-treat at that child’s door so they can show you what Halloween masterpiece they have come up with. After they have walked you through it, they will give you the surprise candy and then it is the next child’s turn.

You, as the parents, can do this with your room also to stretch out the holiday fun. If you have a small family with only one or two children, then you may want to consider sharing in the fun with some other local family members or a set of close neighbors. As long as you keep the group small and continue to remain safe.

Drive by

If you live in a neighborhood with a lot of tight knit families and kids, then this might be another good option for you. Talk to your neighbors to see who you can entreat to participate first. Of course, not everyone will be willing to celebrate Halloween with you by creating a drive by. But, for those neighbors that will, this could be a lot of fun.

How this works is that everyone who is participating will decorate their house for Halloween in some way. And of course, turn on the front porch light!

They should prepare small bags of candy to pass out to each person using gloves. These bags of candy should be placed at the end of each driveway in some sort of bucket or receptacle to contain them properly. And when the time comes, the participants can set up camp on their front porch or stoop to watch the show.

As for the families with kids dressed up in Halloween costumes, they will be the ones driving by. And if you want to make it even more fun, then decorating your car for the holiday will be even more exciting.

As you drive by each house, let the kids out of the car to show off their costumes while they pick up an individual bag of candy. They can talk to the neighbors from the end of the driveway, should they choose to. But this way, the neighbors get to see your kids awesome costumes and the kids still get to trick-or-treat. Safely and from a distance though.

celebrate halloween safely summary

Ultimately, there are different ways you can approach Halloween this year. And a lot of it will be determined by the ages of your kids and the area in which you live. While a drive by party sounds like it could be fun, our neighborhood doesn’t really have that many kids. So, it’s not something we are going to do. Plus, there are more potential health risks involved with the drive by option.

Therefore, we are planning to partake in the house party option. And I can’t wait to see what the kids come up with. Once we see how Halloween goes, then it’s time to tackle the rest of the holidays. This should really be interesting!

What ways have you contemplated to celebrate Halloween safely with your family this year?

How More Virtual Learning is Changing our Back to School Shopping

I don’t know about your school system, but ours is changing drastically this upcoming year. In fact, we still aren’t sure just how drastically yet. But we know there will be a lot more, or maybe all, virtual learning this year. And with this comes a shift in how we are approaching back to school shopping. We have narrowed down a few essential items for our kids to help them adjust, and hopefully thrive, in this new environment.

Computers

Whether we like it or not, the most expensive thing on the back to school list this year will be a computer. After all, kids can’t really engage in virtual learning if they don’t have a device to use.

The way I have always preferred to purchase items in this category is by buying refurbished. In fact, with the exception of one, all of our tablets and laptops are refurbished. And, we haven’t had any issues with any of them. In fact, the laptop I am writing this on was a refurbished purchase back in 2013 when I was entering Grad school. And it still runs like a champ!

I just prefer refurbished because they are so much cheaper than buying brand new tablets or laptops. And, if you purchase them from a reputable source, you really can’t go wrong. Plus, you can save tons of money!

And this especially holds true when our children are involved. They just don’t take care of the devices the way that we do. And with that being said, here are some of my favorite places to purchase refurbished computers and tablets:

No matter which device you go with, make sure to get a protective cover. This will help to keep them functional for much longer.

Wireless Headphones for Virtual learning

Wireless headphones are something that we realized rather quickly last year we were in dire need of. We just didn’t realize how much, until all of the kids started doing school work from home. It’s simply much too difficult for multiple people to be on calls or meetings when you don’t have wireless headphones.

We purchased a few different pairs of wireless headsets in the past few months. And they each have their pros and cons.

The Target dollar spot wireless headphones work great for our youngest child. She is a little harder on things, so we wanted to try the cheaper version first. They work great for connectivity and sound. But they are more cheaply made than the other two, so they may not last as long.

The iJoy wireless headphones were the next set of headphones purchased. This was for the youngest boy and was a step up from the cheaper headphones. The sound quality is a little bit better and you can tell that they aren’t as flimsy.

The iClever wireless headphones were purchased for the oldest girl. She is more responsible and wanted something with more bells and whistles. They have great sound quality, connect easily to all of her devices and even have light up LED lights. She loves them!

No matter which direction you go with the wireless headphones, there is a budget friendly option for all of us. And you don’t need all of the bells and whistles to get the job done. You just need something to make everyone’s life a bit easier when it comes to virtual learning.

Somewhere to sit

Once you have the tech taken care of, you have to tackle where your child is going to be doing their school work. And this is where good seating comes into play. If you don’t already have a separate place for them to do their school work already, then you’ll need to help create a space for them.

One of my favorite finds at a kids consignment sale is a smaller old school desk that fits our youngest child. She was so thrilled with it when we brought it home, and it cost next to nothing! So, if you don’t have something for your child yet, checking out a kids consignment sale may be a great way to go. If, there are any happening in your area, of course.

However, if that isn’t an option, there are a couple other cheaper options than buying a new desk. Both  bean bag chairs and bungee chairs can be easily purchased new for under $50. And, what’s even better about both of these options is that they can be folded up for easier storage. .

If you have more than one child, and want to get a combination of all 3, then that can create a more diverse learning environment also. Plus, you can use the bean bag chair and bungee chairs too!

Lounge Wear

We aren’t really in the market for the newest styles in back to school clothes this year. But that doesn’t mean we should toss the whole category out. In fact, since so many of us are working from home now, our clothing styles have changed. So, we need to adjust our back to school shopping ideologies as well. This means an addition of more lounge wear this year.

Lounge wear can mean different things to different people. But, it really just means clothes you are really comfortable lounging around in. And with the increase in virtual learning, that is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Some of our kids favorite lounge wear options include:

No matter which type of lounge wear your child prefers, them being comfortable is the most important part. And you need to help remind them that they need to get dressed before they begin school. Even if they aren’t going to a physical school this year. Because just the act of changing into clothes for the day helps get their brain ready to learn and out of sleep mode.

BAck to school Virtual Learning Summary

No matter how you look at it, this year school is going to be different. And we, as parents, need to do all that we can to help our kids adjust to this new learning environment. This includes in the back to school shopping category also. Because that is a normal part of preparing for a new school year.

Since we don’t know how long this situation will last, it’s in our best interest to help our children adjust as much as possible. So, do what you can to make the virtual learning environment as effective, and comfortable, for them as possible.

Does your back to school shopping look any different this summer with more virtual learning happening this year?