This week the grandkids are coming for a few days without mom and dad. I am so excited and I want this to be fun but I'm still on that budget and still only purchasing items on sale. Time to think out of the box and to plan some frugal days.
We have a tradition with these kids. Whenever we visit at their home we have a nana and papa night. Mom and dad go out and we order pizza or get Sonic, lay a blanket on the floor and sit in the family room watching a movie while we eat. This time we have nana and papa night for three days! Today I bought hot dogs and a tube of crescent rolls, all on sale of course. for one of our nights we are going to make giant pigs in a blanket. Take a hot dog, roll it in a crescent roll and bake till the roll is done. Cost: $7.12 for six people, 2 hot dogs per person, with leftovers for lunch the next day or $1.19 per person for dinner and free lunch the next day! Kids meals or pizza would be twice that amount. Best part it will be a fun project to make the with the kids.
Breakfast #1 homemade instant oatmeal. We've talked about this before and I have all the ingredients so we'll spend an hour making a master batch and then dividing it and making up some specialized batches using cinnamon and sugar, or brown sugar, or diced dried apricots, mangos or cranberries or any combo the kids devise. Did you ever notice kids will eat whatever they create or grow? Let them create! The cost: Free because I have everything in my General store but if I didn't, 12 servings of homemade Apple/Cinnamon $1.95 12 servings commercial $3.72
Breakfast #2 Homemade pancake. Again, there is a recipe in our frugal recipes section. I have some dehydrated raspberries and blueberries. I will mix some of those into the batter and it will turn the pancakes a great pink and blue. We'll make Mickey and Mini pancakes and the kids will love them. Homemade mix: 28 cents per batch Commercial mix: 50 cents per batch.
The kids always want to sew when they are here so we will take some time to make some sort of terrific project with scraps from my fabric stash. It's really amazing how many fun projects there re to be had with just scraps.
Now I need some help from you. I have been asked to teach a class on the topic of a frugal Christmas. What are some ideas for frugal foods and decorations for a Christmas or New Years Eve party? Now is the time to think about the holidays so we can take advantage of sales between now and then. Please share your ideas so I can make this a great class.
