Cheap fun for the Kids

LJ & I are currently housebound as the weather is too cold and wet to enjoy a good walk, so I am trying to find creative ideas to entertain a very active toddler.  When I was a little, I used to love making things with playdough, so I have looked up a recipe to make some for LJ to enjoy.  Its very simple and can be stored in your fridge for a longer life.

The best thing is that it probably costs under one dollar to make, so is cheap and is a good way to save money, rather than buying play dough from the shops.

 Play Dough

Ingredients
1/2 cup salt
2 tbs cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbs oil
food colouring

Method
Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and stir over heat until dough resembles play dough.  Then just allow to cool and store in an airtight plastic bag or container.

Once LJ has had a play, I will add some photos of my endeavors.

Lets Trade

We are lucky enough to have family with gardens that produce abundantly and are often blessed with a supply of seasonal fruit and vegetables.  This week we were given a huge bag of lemons, the tastiest, sweetest juiciest lemons you could imagine.  With lemons, I like to juice them and freeze them into ice cubes, then store them for winter when we have sore throats to make honey and lemon tea with.  However at the moment, I am loving making my own version of lemonade.  I squeeze a lemon, add 1dspoon of caster sugar and then fill the cup with cold water.  It is really thirst quenching and satisfies my pregnant cravings nicely.

There are dozens of things that can be done with lemons: lemon butter, lemon merangue pie, lemonade, lemon slice.  You can also put half a lemon in your fridge to absorb smells and freshen it up.

As with any vegetables that I have in large supply, rather than letting them go to waste, I will cut them up and freeze them into meal sized portions.  We often receive pumpkins and as a major fan of pumpkin soup, I like to make up a huge pot and freeze that into meal sizes for those weekends when I just cant be bothered cooking.

The other great thing with fresh produce that you are given is that you can trade with other family and friends, that will give you variety and it helps you both save money.

How to Plan a Cheap Trip

The Easter holiday is fast approaching, another opportunity to plan a cheap trip vacation.  As usual, my husband decided mid-2009 that it was time to book for our Easter holiday 2010, a nice cheap trip to Australia...well interstate within Australia, since we are already living here.  We discussed options for cheap holiday vacation packages searching for the best cheap holiday.


We finally decided to plan a cheap trip to Cairns, as I have never been there and there is just so much to see.

To save money and to plan a cheap trip, we researched all aspects of our holiday to plan a cheap trip.  We are lucky enough to be members of a holiday club through Worldmark South Pacific Vacation Club by Wyndham so we were able to pay for accommodation with our points.  Had we not had points available, we probably would have looked further into cheap holiday getaways to plan a cheap trip.

We also invited my in-laws, since we will be staying in a three-bedroom apartment.  They will enjoy a cheap trip, will get to spend time with us - especially little LJ and we will have childcare available when we want to go out ALONE together.  I cant wait to go on a date with my husband again!

Listed below are tips on how to plan a cheap trip and save money when you book your cheap holiday trips.

When you Plan a Cheap Trip, Compare Airfares
I compare airfares between carriers and if I can save a few bucks, will use one airline in one direction and another for the return.  My favorite Australian carrier is Qantas as our family all have Qantas frequent flyer memberships and between us we have enough points for return flights to either the USA or Europe, which we plan to use next year.  However, if we can save money by flying another carrier, it is worthwhile.

Book cheap holiday trips well in Advance
To plan a cheap trip, we book cheap holiday trips well in advance to ensure availability.  Most bookings can be changed or cancelled until a certain date, so periodically we compare prices to see if we can get a better price elsewhere.  We booked our car hire in July 09 which was a good thing.  To hire the same car now would cost an additional $400 for the week.  

Pay for Cheap Holiday Getaways with Cash, not Credit Card
Booking in advance also allows us to save money toward a cheap trip so that we dont need to use the credit card to pay for bookings and spending money.  We use our credit card out of choice to earn points and can easily afford to pay it off at the end of the month, rather than feeling guilty about recreation credit card use that leads to credit card interest charges.

Points used the Right Way will Save Money on your Cheap Trip Vacation
I am devoted to points, probably because I like the feeling of getting something for nothing...well almost.  I know there's an annual credit card fee, but we never pay credit card interest.  To plan a cheap trip, you can still spend a lot of money, so if each dollar I spend earns points I can eventually plan a cheap trip for nothing.

When you plan a cheap trip earn points by using an airline loyalty program for flights, paying with a credit card that offers rewards and if you can use accommodation loyalty clubs, timeshare or vacation club points, utilize these as well.

How to Stay in Touch with Friends

How to stay in touch with friends is a big thing for me.  I have friends on every continent except Antarctica.  Not a bad effort is it?  While I must admit I am most likely to send an email at Christmas, or a quick Face Book message, I have started using Skype for video calls.  It is a great way of seeing someone and talking to them, whether they are in the house up the street, or you are divided by oceans.

And the great thing is that it is free.  What better way to save money, than hook up via video feed for a chat.  All you need is a broadband connection, a web cam and something to say.  The savings made using this are potentially massive.