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.

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Christmas time also means Summer school holidays, nearly 50 consecutive days with the kids at home.

Entertaining kids can be expensive. Take just going to the movies for example. Tickets alone can cost a family around $50, add popcorn and drinks, you’re looking at closer to $80 just for a couple of hours entertainment.

I don’t believe kids need to be entertained 24/7. In fact I think it’s better if they’re not, that they have down time to use their imaginations and take responsibility for their own entertainment.

For me, Summer holidays meant riding bikes and playing ‘make-believe’. The skipping rope became a makeshift petrol pump tied to the back porch, the cubby was the shop where we it had empty cans and boxes to buy and we made our own paper money. Someone was the robber, someone was the cop someone was the shop assistant, someone was the petrol attendant… We built a ramp over the sewer access to jump over.

Summer used to mean running around under the sprinkler, trying to avoid the bindies.

It meant backyard cricket. Dad actually mowed a pitch in the lawn and we used the upturned trampoline as a wicket keeper.

And after I turned 14, Summer meant extra shifts at my casual job, keeping me busy and giving me extra cash to go to the movies with friends.

With our first born on the way, I’m no expert on entertaining kids, but I’ve scoured the net and my own childhood for free or nearly free kids activities that don’t involve the XBox.

What kind of things do you do with your kids over summer holidays?

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Photo by boxercab

I’m the first to admit, I don’t get out much. We’re not much of a socialite nor are we into ‘clubbing’ so our entertainment budget is fairly minimal anyway.

A while back, a friend encouraged us to socialise more by inviting us out. But everything was dinner out, or drinks out, or drinks first then dinner out. In other words money out, out, out.

What is the real aim of going out? Catching up with friends, socialising, being entertained, getting out of the house and meeting new people. All of this can be done on a budget. Here are 30 ideas for things to do with little or no expense.

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Photo by Robert S. Donovan

Hobbies can be really expensive. There’s the materials, the equipment, the gadgets, magazines, shows, membership fees – all of this adds up. And when it comes to hobbies, all of these things seem to be must haves. As a quilter I can tell you how tempting it is to have all the latest and greatest for your hobby.

But can hobbies actually save you money?

I got thinking about this a few weeks ago.

My husband was home from work for a week, and he spent his time making a coffee table. He spent hours happily sawing, sanding, gluing and oiling.

I thought I would make the most of his constructive mood and put in a request for a desk, a new bookshelf, a TV stand and some shelves for the garage. We’ll see how I go.

I realised that a hobby is not only an enjoyable way to pass the time, it can replace goods and services that you would normally have to pay a lot more for. 

Hobbies can save money by:

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