|
|
Talk It Out:
|
|
"My
daughter and I were on
disability and she had
a 2 yr. old. She was
able to obtain a
beautiful low income
apartment in a complex
with elderly, low
income and disabled
people. Due to her
inability to lift her
2 yr. old into the
bath tub, I was able
to live with them to
help her. For
entertainment, we went
to all the free
entertainment in the
city where we lived in
Upstate SC.
Tuesday nights in the
Summer, they had Music
on the Mountain. It
cost $1 to park but
the entertainment was
free. Sometimes, my 2
yr. old granddaughter
was the entertainment
for those around us!
They had a sand box in
front of the stage.
There were little
rocks there. She
filled both pockets of
her jeans with the
rocks and could hardly
wobble up the stairs
to where I was
sitting. The little
old ladies around me
laughed so hard! She
unloaded the rocks,
putting them in
descending order by
size on the bench
where I was sitting.
Many years later, age
11, she would take
engineering courses
with her father in
college on her days
off of elementary
school.
Wednesday night was my Singles Night at Church. I was a widow. They had Sunday School for the little ones and she loved to go to that while I was at the Singles Class. Thursday night was Music by the Lake at the beautiful Furman University. A full symphony orchestra played outside by the lake each Thursday night during the summer. We took a picnic dinner, popcorn and bread for the ducks in the lake, and sat on a blanket or fold-up chair on the peninsula. I could let her run around with her friends and not worry about her. She was not going off the small peninsula and I could see her. The popcorn was to share with the other children. That drew them to our area to play with her. During the winter, the military bands came to the college to perform in the inside auditorium. Those concerts were free. My granddaughter wanted to sit on the front row so that she could not only hear the music, but see the musicians play. My time doing that for her was well spent as she played the cello in middle school. The local YMCA had food coupons for the local Church's Chicken. She attended a free class there. If you bought one item at Church's Chicken, you got a chicken leg free. We'd both get an ear of corn, then the free chicken leg and a glass of water. All the cities around me have free Festivals such as the Greek Festival, The Arts Festival etc. Each Thursday night, two cities near here have free outdoor music. Many businesses have free Grand Openings with door prizes and free food. One such happening recently near me was the opening of a new housing development, $268,000 houses. Anyone could go to the Grand Opening. The food was catered by a local restaurant and free. Car dealerships here have Grand Openings with free hot dogs, cokes, chips. Usually the local radio station is there to broadcast the event and to give away prizes. Most local newspapers have all the free happenings listed every week. In most states, outsiders see more of what attractions and happenings are close to your house than you do. Many local colleges have drama depts. where at least the dress rehearsal is free and open to the public. They also have free musical exhibitions of their students. Most churches have free concerts and plays too. Locally, I enjoy free Bluegrass Jams where the musicians just show up, all play by ear, anyone can join the circle and play. We have about 20 musicians and about 20 in the audience. The musicians are from 4 to 80 yrs. old and it is very enjoyable music. Once a month, we have a covered dish dinner where everyone brings something, a nice inexpensive meal. I make it known that I use coupons and 3 ladies bring me coupons which I cut out while listening to the music, don't bother anyone as I don't make noise. It's very relaxing for me. The
local Cosmetology
School has cheap hair
cuts, $8 for a cut,
wash and blow
dry." ~ Betty
"This
is a tough one but if
you think of what
people did back in the
1950s (Gosh, so long
ago...I am thinking of
my own childhood)
having good times
meant getting together
with family and
friends. Backyard
barbecues with friends
and picnics were
things I remember.
Camping trips in the
summer......flying
kites in the
spring...it really is
the small activities that
are important. As
a former teacher I
have observed that it
is vital that parents
involve themselves
with their children's
school activities, be
it athletic or
artistic. It creates a
natural bonding.
The websites Living
on a Dime and The
Dollar Stretcher
provide a lot of
insight for family
activities on a
budget." ~ Janice
"With
a family of 10,
entertainment funds are
pretty small and don't
go far for that many
people. We have found
that a change of pace
can help as much as
anything. Just an outing
of going to the local
greenway (walking trail)
can be a fun way to get
out and get some fresh
air. A new deck or two
of cards can provide a
marathon of a card game
like Tripoly or Blitz.
Packing up sandwiches
and snacks for a picnic
or even eating our meal
outside can be fun.
Having company over for
a potluck is cheap and
provides fellowship for
the entertainment.
Winter time is good for
finding a library book
that everyone enjoys and
reading aloud an hour or
so an evening. Make an
afternoon or evening of
a food item like
homemade ice cream or
some other homemade food
that is a treat to have
that normally you don't
time to make. There are
free movies in the
summer and churches
often offer holiday
activities for the
community. I have found
there are lots of fun
things to do for free or
very cheap if you look
for them. With our
size family, any outing
is an adventure but you
could invite someone to
go with you to increase
the fun." ~ Kathy
"My
husband has been out of work for 2 years so we
are surviving on my meager earnings. Our
children don't always understand why they
can't have things their friends have --
the newest 'in' things. Their friends
have flat screen TVs with satellite or cable,
DVD players, gaming systems and even their own
cell phones -- and they are not even in Jr.
High! I have told my kids that even if
we could afford it, I wouldn't buy them that
stuff. I prefer to spend my time
interacting with them, instead of zoning
out with them.
We play board
games with our children. We've gone on
walks, read books together, created projects
together. My husband has taught our son how to
use various tools. They have learned to
cross-stitch, cook and bake.
One weekend,
my son went to his friend's house - the one
that has EVERYTHING money can buy. He
came home and talked about what he and his
friend did. When I asked him where the
parents were, he said, 'Oh, they were watching
TV.' He said, 'You know, it's really
sad, Mom. They didn't do anything with
him ALL weekend long!' His friend eats
his meals in front of the TV.
Thinking about
it, forced frugality has brought us closer to
our children and has shown them how treasured
they are. How awesome is that?!" ~
Karen in SC
"My family plans 'field trips.' We find different areas or parks of interest near our area of the state and plan a day trip. We also pack our lunch and find a nice, shaded picnic area to eat at. The kids really enjoy this. We eat breakfast at home and I try to throw something in the crock-pot for our dinner so that it will be ready for us when we get home. The day trip saves us money because we don't have to rent a motel room for overnight and since we pack our lunch we save money that way also." ~ K.T. "Our income has recently been crunched as we have gone on payment plans for several credit cards which we unwisely abused. My son is 5-years-old. Even a picnic in the woods or by the lake costs gas money any more, but luckily we have our own 'woods' on our ten acres. From May to September we 'camp out' in the back yard or elsewhere on the property. We breakfast in the sun on the front porch with TV trays, and sup in the shade of the back yard. We bought a small waterpark pool for $30 from Wal-mart and set up a solar hot tub to relax in (old bathtub, water heats in sun all day, soak in late afternoon). We do go to the movies once or twice a year, but usually use Netflix for $5.39 a month, or check out free movies from the library. We are reacquainting ourselves with our collection of board games, changing the rules of play to fit his ability and interest, and jigsaw puzzles, we read to each other, garden and take long walks in our rural neighborhood. We ride bikes, play with our animals, and play endless make believe games." ~ Robyn
|