frugalandthriving.com.au » entertainment

one man’s trash…

Melissa — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:09 +0000

We had an unexpected visitor drop by for a chat the other day to discuss some body corporate matters.

We don’t normally have visitors and to say that our house was untidy would be an understatement. As my mother said many, many times when we were growing up, ‘it looked like a bomb had gone off’.

Generally I ignore the mess. The adage ‘cleaning with kids is like shovelling snow in a blizzard’ is one that comes to mind several hundreds times a day. I’ve got better things to do.

But as I noticed this man (who doesn’t have children of his own) gaze around the room I suddenly saw our chaos through someone else’s eyes.

Now he was too polite to say anything, but I could tell by the look on his face that he saw a house strewn with garbage. Derelict might have come to mind. And that is certainly one valid interpretation. But of course, we’ve learned to see things a little differently:

* The empty and partially squashed Vita-Brits box is a tunnel for the matchbox cars or a barn for the farm animals.

* The empty baking paper roll makes a great trumpet.

* The empty box is a rocket ship / a car / a storage box / a mountain / a slippery dip / a ramp for cars / a seat / a table / something to scribble on…

* The pile of rocks are endlessly entertaining, I don’t know why. Even the kid next door goes straight to the rocks when he visits as the little fella states proudly ‘MY ROCKS!’, slapping his chest like Tarzan.

* The spring-less kitchen tongs on the ground are for carrying and redistributing said rocks, usually into the empty ice cream container lying under the coffee table – good for learning manual dexterity.

* The planks of wood and other offcuts are car roads and ramps.

* The empty milk and yoghurt containers are great for sand and water play (along with the make shift soda water bottle funnel left lying in the garden).

* The torn up scraps of junk mail are left over from our collage making.

* The old oven mitt becomes ‘the claw’ good for tickles and challenging manual dexterity (have you tried picking up small things with an oven mitt on?)

* The coins scattered across the room are supposed to go in the money tin – another favourite activity, good for dexterity.

* The stuffed toys everywhere are the cat’s. I have yet to teach the cat how to put his toys away.

Yes it’s mess and technically it’s mostly rubbish that ‘regular’ people might put straight in the bin. To us, it offers a world of endless possibility, creativity and play. For free.

P.S The ‘tree’ next to the cocoa box ramp in the photo above is leftover from a bunch of grapes, stuck in a little play dough. The ramp is a box cut on an angle in half lengthwise, reinforced with a little masking tape. It makes quite an effective car ramp! Some kids websites talk about creating play scenes. This can be done without spending a lot of money.

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get out of the house without breaking the budget

Melissa — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:23 +0000

This post was inspired by a reader question I received oh, nearly six months ago now (sorry about the tardiness) but as it is summer and school holidays I thought it would be a good time to cover the topic: how to save money on family outings.

The key to saving money on family outings is to be organised. That means having the things ready that you need to take and having easily packed snack or lunch options available in the house, ready to grab.

It just so happens I’ve created a little printable checklist to give you some ideas on what you might need to pack on outings (you can download it below).

But what about spontaneous decisions to go out and have fun? How can you be organised and spontaneous? The way to prepare for spontaneous fun is to have a kit in the car of things you might need (picnic blanket, towels, spare kid’s clothes, sunscreen) as well as having things organised at home so that they are easy to grab.

For instance, in the summer months, you might consider storing all beach stuff – towels, swimmers, kickboards etc., together in the one bag or place so that everything is quick and easy to find when the urge to swim hits. That means you’re out the door with little fuss and spending more time having fun. To make things easier on you (always a priority!), older children can have their own bag with their stuff in it, that they can carry themselves.

When it comes to saving money on food and snacks there are several options. The first is to pack your snacks and lunch before you go. The photo above is a sample of what we might pack for our little fella a day trip: there’s sultanas (much cheaper to buy a large packet and decant them yourself into containers rather than buy individual boxes), some cut up apple (I have found that it doesn’t tend to go brown in the container – I don’t know why), some cheese and crackers and a vegemite sandwich. I also pack a bottle of water for each person (but not bottled water, if you know what I mean) and maybe some snacks for me that the little fella doesn’t eat, but I didn’t photograph these. The sandwich sized containers, by the way, are great. DH takes his lunch in them and we haven’t used cling-wrap in years.

Alternatively, you can pack an easy picnic with things like bread rolls and salad that you can make up during lunch time. For the super prepared, there’s always cold quiche or leftover chicken, but I’m generally not that organised. In a pinch, you can pick up some rolls and ham from the supermarket, which is much cheaper and healthier than junk food. If you store your picnic set in the boot of your car it makes these spontaneous picnics easier.

Lately we’ve been having dinner down at the river where it’s much cooler. We generally eat dinner around 5:30pm, so we’re not changing our routine to cook earlier and make it down before nightfall. These picnic dinners are often spontaneous and again, having picnic gear already packed and ready to go makes spontaneous decisions easy to execute.

Many dinner dishes lend themselves to being packed as a picnic instead. We’ve eaten honey roasted pumpkin risotto by the river (beats KFC any day), stir fries and curries (just pack the rice and the curry separately like they do when you get takeaway), and the other night I cooked a chook in the slow cooker and we bought a couple of dollars worth of chips to go with it.

One day I might make some insulated carriers for these meals, but for now I find wrapping the containers in tea towels keeps dinner warm and we have the tea towels for hand washing if we need.

You can download the checklist here (pdf format), and I’ve included blank spots so that it can be customised.

Now it’s over to you. What are your tips for saving money on family outings? How do you get out the door with minimum fuss and without forgetting the things you need? What easy food / snack ideas do you have on standby for when you’re out of the house?

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keeping young kids amused round up

Melissa — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:00:04 +0000

I’m always on the hunt for ideas for keeping the little fella amused. Many ideas that I come across are a wee bit old for him, but I bookmark them anyway for later. With so many bookmarked, I thought I would just have to share some!

I’m big a fan of simple toys and activities that enhance creativity rather than toys that do all the playing for kids (although toys that go beep and play music are good for an over-tired toddler at the end of the day, as an alternative to TV).

I also like toys that are frugal (and handmade toys are a bonus for mum’s creative outlet – if we have the time, that is). Some of the ideas below are quick and easy while others will take a little bit more time and effort on mum and dad’s part. Many of the sites have lots of other great ideas besides the post I’ve linked to, so have a meander through them.

Playdough is a winner in our house. Rather than cooking your playdough, an easy alternative is to use boiling water straight from the kettle and mix with a wooden spoon before kneading once is cools down enough to handle. I find a little goes a long way. I halve my recipe and then keep half in the cupboard for back up – it lasts for ages and less means less ‘in play’ means less ground into the carpet .

Finger paints @ Homemade mammas	Felt fishing game @ Just Another Day in Paradise	Felt car play mat / house @ Cook Clean Craft
Hanging tent @ Kojo Designs	Big picture scavenger hunt @ Pass the Cereal	Homemade highways @ Activities for Toddlers
Toy bags @ Zaaberry	Dolls house from drawers @ Nice Girl Notes	Super capes @ Serving Pink Lemonade
Magnetic quilting blocks @ Chalk in my pocket	Rainy day jar @ Home Grown Mom	Homemade chalkboard paint @ The Idea Room
Puppet Theatre / Shop @ Skip to my Lou	Toy grill @ Ohdeedoh	Toddler exploration bottle @ Cratzine
Post box @ Lilla a	Box ideas @ Declutter Organize Repurpose	Playdough recipe roundup @ Quirky Momma
Egg Carton Ideas @ Fur Lined Toilet Seats	Button ideas @ Activity Mom	Moon sand @ Play Based Learning
Quiet book ideas @ The How To Gal	Sensory board @ Play at Home Mom	Homemade workbench @ Ohdeedoh
Bath soap crayons @ Kiboomu	DIY Kitchen @ Cotton Candy Castle Photostream	Sensory Balloons @ Play at Home Mom
Shower curtain play mat @ Filth Wizardry	Name Soup @ House of Baby Piranha	Musical instrument roundup @ The Crafty Cow
Sensory tub ideas @ Counting Coconuts	Goop @ Making Memories with your kids	Bath paint @ Meet the Dubiens
Rainbow sensory box @ Share and Remember	Homemade doodle paint @ Delaware County Moms	Galaxy Playdough @ Fairy Dust Teaching

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stop your friends from breaking your budget

Melissa — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:00:15 +0000

Socialising with friends can get expensive. There’s the cafe rendezvous, the shopping dates, the after-work drinks, the restaurant dining, the night-clubbing, the movies, the concerts… suddenly catching up with friends has taken a fair chunk out of you budget.

And don’t even get me started on endless rounds of Tupperware or Avon parties.

If you’re trying to save money, pay off debt or just reduce your spending, socialising can be one big spanner in the budgeting works.

But of course, no one wants to give up their friends and live the life of a hermit.

So how to stay frugal and socialise too? Here are four ways to cut your social budget and keep your friends.

1. Be upfront about your circumstances.

If you’re turning over a frugal leaf, be up front with your friends. Real friends will be supportive rather than excluding. In fact, they may just breathe a sigh of relief and join you in your efforts to save money.

The effort to keep up appearances in the face of financial struggle is an unnecessary pressure we we put on ourselves because we fear that our peers will judge us. But more often than not, the people around us aren’t judging but are struggling to keep up appearances also.

Be honest and upfront. Your real friends will support your financial choices.

2. Be the one to initiate activities.

If your non-frugal friends like to spend up big when socialising, take the lead and suggest alternate activities. Ask friends round for dinner before they suggest a restaurant, find a free gig or concert to enjoy, suggest a picnic or a bushwalk as ‘something a little different’. You can be casual about this – you don’t need to mention that these suggestions are frugal.

3. Balance your ‘regular’ activities with more frugal ones.

If you have a weekly dinner date that is straining the budget, rather than ditching it altogether, alternate between dining at a restaurant and dining at home or other frugal activities on the off week(s). That way, you’re not missing out on the restaurant experience altogether, but you are saving money. And restaurant dining will become all the more special and something to anticipate and savour when you do it less.

4. Spend less doing your regular activities.

If ditching some of your regular social commitments isn’t an option, find ways to enjoy them for less. If dining out is your budget buster for instance, eat an entree rather than a main and drink water (or go to a BYO restaurant). See a movie on cheap nights or look for shop-a-dockets, drink less alcohol and more water (your head will thank you in the morning), skip the before or after concert meal.

You know this already: you don’t need to spend money to have fun. Convincing your spendthrift friends may be another story. Fun rarely has anything to do with how much you spend. It’s more about the company you share and your attitude to life. Lead by example and your friends will be thankful that they can save some of their own money.

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tip tuesday – free entertainment from your personal DVD collection

Melissa — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:00:48 +0000

Do you have a whole stack of DVDs gathering dust? I know we do.

I generally only buy DVDs that I know I will watch over and over. As a result, I’ve bought less than ten in total and they include the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, the BBC’s Persuasion, the BBC’s North and South, the BBC’s Jane Eyre…you get the picture. Oh, and Hair Spray. I love Hair Spray.

DH, on the other hand, is a movie freak and we have quite a few of his ‘shoot ‘em up’ type DVDs.

Anyway, whenever we feel like watching a movie, we’ve been pulling out and dusting off one from our collection (which means I’ve been sitting through a lot of action films).

So the tip for today is next time you are looking for some entertainment, look no further than the long forgotten DVD collection. Rediscover why you loved those movies enough to buy them (and sell the terrible gifted ones on eBay ).

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tip tuesday–creating your own personalised library

Melissa — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:00:45 +0000

This tip idea comes from Simple, Green Frugal Co-op, where Aurora writes about personalising your library by creating your own ‘books’ with information relevant to your needs.

I’ve been doing this for a long time without thinking much about it: collecting, sorting and storing information (in various formats) that is relevant to me. At the end of the day it’s cheaper than buying loads and loads of books and I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for information (call it my passion if you will).

I keep written notebooks with topical information (one notebook per topic). This information may be written notes from borrowed books, or off the net or be from personal experience.

I keep folders of information that I have photocopied or torn out of magazines.

I keep folders on the computer of stuff that I have downloaded, scanned from books, copied and pasted etc.

And I keep and extensive amount of bookmarked stuff from the net.

I love borrowing books from the library. Quite often there is some great information in them, but not on every page and not enough to warrant the book taking up precious shelf space (not to mention the parting with money bit). A few pages photocopied or scanned for personal use is well within copyright laws.

The important thing to collecting information is organising it so you can find it easily when you need it.

When it comes to the computer, use well titled folders, relevant tags on your bookmarks, and a good back up system for creating your own ‘electronic library’.

For physical notes, use dividers or sleeves in binders and separate notebooks per topic (with contents pages) to keep your information sorted and convenient to use. Exercise books cost only a few cents, and dividers can often be purchased cheaply at second hand stores.

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fine dining – how to save money when eating out

Melissa — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:00:58 +0000

I know.

The frugal mantra is to save money by not eating out.

But even if you’re diehard frugal, it’s still nice to indulge occasionally.

Food tastes better when you haven’t cooked it yourself. It’s exciting to try things you wouldn’t normally cook at home. You can relax – there’s someone else slaving over a hot stove and pruning their hands in the washing up water.

The downside: a single night out can cost us half of our weekly grocery budget.

Or more.

Tips on saving money when eating out

1. Eat out Mondays to Thursdays. Weeknights are a restaurant’s quietest nights, so they often do weeknight specials to get customers through the door.

2. Go BYO. Alcohol and other beverages usually have the largest mark up. Why drink a glass of wine for $7 or more each when you can pay around $10 for a good bottle, share it and take the remainder home. Other than BYO grog, save money by drinking water with your meal.

3. Share. Share an entree or a dessert or a side dish. Sharing means you can have your dessert without the price tag or the calories. You can also save at restaurants that offer ‘table’ dishes like Indian, for instance, where you can order several dishes and rice and share. Depending on your appetite, I find a shared entree, one less main dish than there are diners and rice is usually sufficient.

4. Eat an entree as a main. A lot of restaurants serve huge meals, and if you can’t eat it all, the food gets wasted along with your money (unless you doggy bag it). Eat an entree as a main course and save.

5. Dine at lunch. Lunch menus are often cheaper than dinner menus. Also, depending on the restaurant, if you have an early dinner, you may still be able to choose from the lunch menu.

6. Pubs and clubs. While probably not under the category of fine dining, pubs and clubs can offer great value for money. Our local RSL club does really up-market specials, like brie stuffed chicken breast with avocado and white wine sauce and sweet potato chips. Pubs and taverns also offer great specials like $10 steak and chips.

I have to go eat now, writing this has made me hungry…

…ok

7. Deals and discounts. Look for two-for-one deals, shop-a-docket specials, newspaper advertisements, meal and movie deals. Whipping out your discount coupon isn’t tacky, it’s savvy. Also, keep an eye out for restaurants that offer special benefits like kid’s dine free or early bird specials.

8. Eat your appetisers before you go and get dessert on the way home. Start your dining experience at home with a cheese and cracker platter. That way you’re not starving when you get to the restaurant and you can skip the entree.

Part of our date tradition was to dine out and grab an ice-cream from somewhere afterwards, taking a slow stroll in the park. A great way to enjoy the end of an evening and cheaper than a restaurant dessert.

What are your tips for saving money when dining out?

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exploring your local library–more than just books

Melissa — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:00:26 +0000

When it comes to being frugal, my one major weakness is books. I LOVE books. My idea of paradise is a library room with floor to ceiling bookshelves lining every wall. And a comfy chair. And an open fireplace. And a cup of tea…

Anyway, our book budget is zero dollars. But that’s ok, because I can get them for free! And you know, using the library is practically like buying a book, you have to swipe a plastic card to take the book home, but there’s no pain of money being spent.

Modern library services go well beyond just lending books, however. Even I’m surprised at how many services our local library offers, and I spend a lot of time at our library. When we moved away from the city, library access was what I thought I would miss the most. Luck for us, we have a good library here too.

I thought I would share the services offered by our library. If you haven’t explored your local library, I hope this inspires you to check out what services yours offers.

Borrow: books, DVDs, CDs, toys, puzzles, board games, foreign language materials, eBooks, audio books (digital and DVDs), magazines, newspapers.

Lending Services: inter-library loans, suggest-a-book, mobile library, home library service, new books email service (where they email you the latest titles purchased and you can place them on reserve to read as soon as they arrive), book club (the library has a special book club range with a large selection of books that you can borrow multiple copies of for your book club).

Local history and genealogy: our library has access to births, deaths and marriages etc for you to research your family tree as well as a genealogist to help you.

Author talks: regular meet the author events.

Seminars: lately we have had seminars on raising chickens, permaculture, money management, weight loss, home renovation, business marketing, parenting and how to meditate.

Computers: offering word processing and other office programs as well as internet access.

Tech services: photocopying and printing.

Computer classes: everything from computer basics for seniors to desktop publishing.

Free wi-fi: if you want to use your own laptop.

Coffee machine and outside area to sit. (No toilet though. Can’t believe there’s no toilet!)

Adult literacy classes

Kids activities: our library has story telling time, baby in arms story time, school holiday activities, summer reading programmes, competitions, toddler music time, a couch and reading area with toys to play with, computers just for kids with learning programmes installed.

Charity events: our local library is having a biggest morning tea for instance.

Art exhibitions of local artists

Reading suggestions: the library has a newsletter that includes a ‘great reads’ section. There are also book reviews posted on the shelves around the library and the online catalogue has a ‘review’ section a lot like Amazon.com where members can leave a book review of the books they read.

Community notices: The library has a community notice board, bus timetables to take, community health and awareness brochures, community magazines, a free local flora and pest guide, what’s on, for sale etc.

Extra curricular activities: One of the smaller libraries in our region offers daily yoga, tai chi and meditation sessions. What a nice way to start the day – followed by a coffee and a book!

What local library services do you use?

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fun frugal summer holiday ideas

Melissa — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:00:56 +0000

Does this sound familiar: no school for six weeks and three days in you’re already hearing the dreaded “I’m bored!”

Ok, so the little fella is too young for this yet, but I remember those words coming out of my own mouth not so long ago.

I’m discovering that the best children’s activities are the ones that hold their attention for the longest and these activities often involve the simplest of things. Mess and noise I can deal with as long as it gives me a few minutes of tuning out time without resorting to turning on the TV. I’m also discovering that a little planning and preparation means a lot of fun with the little fella (or a lot of mummy time to herself).

Below are a few inexpensive activity ideas to help keep the kids entertained during the summer holidays.

Fun in the water

While the times of spending hours running around under the sprinkler are over, summer time the time to splash around in the water. If you have a pool then you’ve got hours of entertainment already. For the rest of us, a blow up kiddie pool can be an inexpensive alternative (and if you’ve sat in a kiddie pool drinking beer on a hot summer night you will appreciate that the kiddie pool can be enjoyable for all ages).

In the pool – Ideas for pool games include swimming competitions, water tug-o-war marco polo, handstands and dive for the coin.

Spray bottle water fight – Don’t have super soakers or water bombs? Use household spray bottles to conduct water fights.

Bowl of water – A good one for smaller children. Place items in a bowl of water that they can splash around in. Maybe they can ‘help’ you wash up. I do this with the little fella and he enjoys tipping the bowl of water over his head.

Bucket relay – Divide into teams. Each team has two buckets at either end of the yard (one with water and one empty) and a cup. The teams race each other to get the water from one bucket to the other with the cup…by holding it over their head. The team with the most water in the second bucket wins.

Paint with water – For smaller kids. This used to be my all time favourite activity when I was in preschool (I can still remember painting the cubby house, so it must have been good). You need a bucket and a paint brush and something to ‘paint’.

Fun in the backyard

Pavement art – Chalk and cement is all that is needed for pavement art. We used to do this at my grandmother’s. After taking an art class and discovering charcoal, I raided the BBQ and drew all over the pavement with lumps of charcoaled wood – that didn’t go down very well actually, but it washes off just fine.

French cricket – derived from cricket, there is only one batsman who stands with their feet together the bat held in front of the legs. ‘Bowling’ is underarm and you get out by being caught out or by being bowled in the legs. For more details see the Wikipedia entry.

Make believe – Cops and robbers, playing shop in the cubby house, playing house, doctors and nurses – the options are limited only by kid’s imaginations which of course are limitless. You provide the sunscreen and the cordial (and maybe a few props) and the kids do the rest.

Hide and seek – An old favourite, no explanation needed.

Scavenger hunt – There are two versions of this game, one that takes a little more preparation than the other. In the first version, you write a list of things that can be commonly found in the backyard like a leaves, feathers etc. The first person or team to find everything on that list is the winner. The other version involves you hiding things in the yard and writing clues as to what these things are and their whereabouts. Alternatively, you write clues to places in the yard and the answer has to be written down. Again the first person with everything on the list wins.

Spotlight – This is a game to be played at night. One person is the ‘spotter’ and they hold the torch. Everyone else goes to the end of the yard. They must make it back to home base before being ‘spotted’. I played this when I was about 14 in a huge open paddock in the pitch black darkness. The bonfire was the home base. I have never had so much fun. Just as well the snakes were asleep. A variation of this game is Ghost in the Graveyard.

Mini Olympics – I’d almost forgotten playing this one when I was a kid. Host the event with a variety of games like timed wheelbarrow races, obstacle courses, tossing games like toss the ball in the bucket or quoits, jumping games, egg and spoon races etc. Don’t forget the opening and closing ceremony, medals and certificates and the after party.

Fun Out and about

There are lots of free activities to do out and about. Visit your local library for free holiday activities. Our library has cartoon drawing workshops and young writers workshops as well as story time. Other free activities include:

Playgrounds – Meet other parents and relax under the trees with a book while the kids play with other kids on the equipment.

At the beach or river – build sandcastles, the more elaborate the more time consuming, play beach bowling (make the pins out of sand and throw a ball to ‘knock’ them over) build dams (and then knock them down), wade in the rock pool looking for crabs.

At the park – play cricket, Frisbee hacky sack, soccer, football or whatever other sport you like. Build fairy villages. Go on a nature walk. Borrow a local guide book from the library and use it to identify the birds, insects, lizards, and plants at your local park then create your own nature book with drawings, cuttings and descriptions.

Around town – Explore your local town or suburb. Look at new shops, walk down new streets. If your suburb is old, find out about the history of certain buildings as you explore.

Fun indoors

While outdoor play is great during summer, it isn’t always possible. It might be raining. Here in Queensland, to be ‘sun-smart’ we are told to stay out of the sun between 10am and 3pm. That’s a lot of indoor time over six weeks.

Dress ups – a perennial favourite.

Board games – There are plenty of games to play without having to buy expensive board games, charades is the best example. For other games ideas see the Party Games website.

Write and perform a play – Kids will have to write the script, make the props, practice the performance and then perform the play – an all afternoon activity.

High tea – Sit down to a formal high tea. Bake some lovely cakes, dress up, use a tea pot and nice tablecloth and napkins and enjoy a formal morning tea.

Craft activities – For great craft activities visit the Family Fun website or the Frugal Family Fun blog.

For more holiday ideas see 50 free and almost free activities for kids. For games ideas check out the Fun and Games website and Kid’s Games website.

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Frugal date Ideas

Melissa — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:00:15 +0000

When it comes to romance, how much money you spend isn’t important. Cliché as it may seem, it’s the thought that counts.

A great romantic date is all about creating the right atmosphere. If you’ve got wine, chocolate and candles, it doesn’t matter that the kids are asleep upstairs, you’ve got a date.

Fellas, from a woman’s point of view, the most important aspect of a romantic date is EFFORT. It doesn’t matter if the date doesn’t turn out as planned, if we can see you went to a bit of effort, we will think it’s the best date ever!

Below are a few frugal date ideas that DH and I have used over the last seven years.

1. Go on a picnic

This is a perennial frugal date favourite with plenty of variations. Wine on the beach at sunset, stargazing, fish and chips at the local park, bread rolls and BBQ chook at the local botanical gardens. You don’t even have to spend money: occasionally we’ll pack a home-cooked dinner into takeaway containers and eat it down at the river.

2. Dine at home

When doing dinner at home, it’s all about creating a romantic atmosphere so that it’s distinguished from every other dinner at home. If the lady of the house normally does the cooking, then this is a good opportunity for the man of the house to shine in the kitchen. Or you could cook together. Turn off the TV and the lights, set the table up nice and eat something a little special that you wouldn’t normally eat.

If the weather is good, how about alfresco dining? Set the outdoor table or grab the picnic blanket for a backyard dinner.

3. Eat ice cream

When we lived in the city one of our favourite date nights was to drive to the beach, get McDonanld’s sundays and just watch the waves and listen to the radio in the dark.

4. Go for a walk

When my husband and I were first dating, our dates were often just trips into the city where we would wander for hours. We covered many, many kilometres that year! Nowadays we walk less, much to the detriment of our health, but when we do, my favourite is an evening stroll along the beach or in the park. It may seem like a boring date idea, but you’ve got atmosphere, time to talk and get to know each other, and maybe an ice cream!

5. Visit the local art gallery or museum

The local art gallery is usually free. Accompany it with a picnic or coffee and it’s a lovely inexpensive day out. Alternatively, if you’re into books, the bookstore can also make a great date out.

6. Look up free local events and attractions

Take advantage of free or inexpensive local events and attractions. A night out at the theatre doesn’t have to cost a fortune when you go to your local theatre company performance. Markets, festivals and free performances and demonstrations are all enjoyable ways to spend time together, especially if they reflect similar interests that you have.

7. Take advantage of discounts, coupons and cheap nights.

Whipping out a fist full of shop-a-dockets may seem a bit daggy on a first date, but what he/she doesn’t know wont hurt. Cheap Tuesday is a good date night, two-for-one deals, discount ten pin bowling or mini golf, lunch specials and smorgasbords can cut the cost of dating.

8. Do Breakfast

Breakfast (or lunch) is often cheaper than dinner and is a novel alternative. A favourite date (pre mortgage) that we had was a full breakfast out, then a trip to the library, then sitting in the park reading together. Now we do breakfast at home, which is almost as nice. Breakfast in bed is another option.

9. Hang Out

How often do we get time to just hang out with our partners? There’s work, the housework, grocery shopping, kids, cooking, emails, TV… Sometimes we just hang out together. We might read, or do our own hobbies together, or turn out the lights and listen to music and talk. These are my favourite days.

10. Have a movie night in

Snuggle up on the couch with some popcorn and a movie for a romantic night in. Choose a theme, for a while we went through a thing of watching Hitchcock movies (ok, not the most romantic movie genre).

11. Read a book together

Reading to each other can be a really nice way to spend time together. And maybe because it’s not the ‘done thing’ anymore, reading out loud can be quite intimate.

12. Play

Play board games, play on the swing, laugh, play. Isn’t that what dates are all about?

What frugal dates have you been on? Do you agree that money isn’t the important factor (hey its nice, but is it important)?

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Gourmet It Up is a downloadable eBook, written by an award winning chef, that shares tips and recipes to turn your next dinner into a gourmet masterpiece. Includes all you need to know from preparation basics to presenting your meal on the plate for a dramatic affect. Click here for more information.

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