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Outdoors

A Cheap Way To Go Camping

a cheap way to go campingMy husband and I love camping during the summer and we’ve even tried our hand at winter camping.  I must admit I enjoy camping in the summer a lot more.  It’s a lot more comfortable, except for the insects.  Camping is fun, but it can also become expensive if you’re not careful.  Some simple things we do to save money when we camp include bringing our own food rather than purchasing our food at overpriced campgrounds or eating at campground restaurants.

We camp in a tent rather than staying in a cabin.  Our campsite fees are cheap because we don’t require electricity.  Some people prefer to camp out “in the sticks” where they don’t have to even pay any campsite fees.  We would probably do that too if we were more familiar with the areas we camped in.  The downside is there’s no fire pit and no bathrooms!

We never make reservations as it costs more when you do, and so far we’ve only regretted that decision once.  There is almost always a space available so making reservations isn’t really necessary unless you plan to camp on a Stat holiday.

For entertainment, we fish for a while and go on some of the hiking trails.  We also spend a lot of time just lounging on chairs and eating Spitz.  We fish off the shore and my husband is usually successful at catching at least a few fish for our dinner. I am definitely not a skilled fisher, but my husband seems to always do well.  You definitely don’t need to own a boat or have your own private dock to catch fish.

To make it special, we often bring our favorite foods to enjoy in the outdoors and we often eat a lot!  Hopefully we burn some of the calories on our fishing and hiking adventures!

It’s just nice to get out of the city for a while and except for the cost of gas to get to our destination, there isn’t a lot of expense involved when it comes to camping in a tent.  If you and your family need a getaway, camping might be just the thing for you.

August 5, 2009
Travel & Entertainment

15 Cheap Ways to Have Fun

cheap ways to have funYou can have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money.  Try out some of the suggestions below:

 1.  Play board games or card games with family and/or friends.  You can even entertain yourself by playing solitaire or free online games like spider solitaire, mahjong, etc.  

 2.  On a clear night, go stargazing and watch for falling stars.

 3.  Visit your local library.  Take advantage of the free books, movies, and music.  Libraries are a great place to take your kids – instill in them a love for reading and learning.

 4.  Go on a picnic in your favorite park.

 5.  Go sledding.  This is fun even if you don’t have kids.  My husband and I go out once or twice every winter and it makes us feel like we are young again!

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April 26, 2009
Travel & Entertainment

Save Money When Eating Out

My husband and I don’t eat out a lot because it is expensive, and we can buy a lot of groceries for the cost of one meal at a restaurant.  However, eating out is a lot of fun, especially because then we don’t have to cook and clean up.  Whenever we eat out we try to order something really unique that we wouldn’t be likely to make at home.  We also usually follow these simple suggestions below that help us to save money when we do eat out:

 1.  Drink water.  Beverages are overpriced at restaurants.  Instead of spending extra money on beverages, order some nice dishes instead.

 2.  If it works with your schedule, eat out at lunch instead of supper.  At most restaurants, you can often order virtually the same dish at lunch and it will cost a lot less.

 3.  Skip the appetizers.  Unless you are going out with a large group and everyone is splitting the bill, I wouldn’t recommend choosing appetizers.  Your dollar will go the furthest if you order the main dishes.

 4.  Order main dishes that will be filling enough that you won’t have an appetite for dessert.  Desserts are usually overpriced and, at least for me, they are often disappointing.  Somehow they just don’t taste as good as I would have expected after looking at their pictures on the menu.

 5.  Use coupons.  Restaurants often mail out coupons to their local areas, or you can find coupons in your local community coupon books.  Some restaurants also offer promotions and coupons online on their websites. 

 6.  If you are really hungry and want it all – appetizers, main dishes, soup, salads, and dessert – go for a buffet.  For a flat fee you can eat as much as you want and it will cost a lot less than if you were to order everything individually.  We especially enjoy going out for a seafood buffet  – all you can eat crab legs and shrimp is absolutely fantastic!

April 25, 2009
Travel & Entertainment

How To Save Money When Watching Movies

If you’re a big movie fan like I am, you may be spending a lot of money on movies. In order to avoid spending more money that you need to, here are a few recommendations:

1. Be patient! If a movie has just come out that you really want to see, wait until it comes to the “cheap theatre” before watching it. Try to limit the amount of popcorn and other snacks you buy because even the cheap theatres have expensive snacks. If you want to really save money, make it a habit to eat a snack or a meal at home prior to going to the theatre so you aren’t tempted to buy the overpriced items.

2. Matinees are cheaper than evening movies, so you can get a better deal at most theatres by going mid morning or early afternoon. If you have a whole day free, why not go for the matinee?

3. Better yet, rent movies rather than going to the theatre. That way you can watch with a group of friends or family members without each having to pay individually. You can also make your own popcorn and snacks.
Although going to the movie theatre can be fun, especially when a movie you really want to see has just come out, I highly recommend waiting. The movie will still be just as entertaining and you will have saved enough money to watch 3 or 4 movies for the price you would have paid to see one if you were impatient!

April 23, 2009
Travel & Entertainment

Make Good Use of Your Local Library

Libraries are a great way to provide entertainment for your whole family at very little or no cost. You’re paying for them with your taxes anyway; you might as well reap their benefits. Why buy books when you can read them for free? Most of the time we only read them once anyway and then they collect dust on the shelf. If you don’t have a lot of spare time to wander through the library searching for books, check out your library’s website. You will more than likely be able to request the book that you want so they can put it on hold for you. That way you just have to pick it up and it saves you the extra time. Libraries usually also have movies that you can rent for little or no cost if you prefer movies to books. They have a wide variety of children’s books and of course many how- to books if you want to save money by learning how to do things yourself rather than hiring someone else to do odd jobs. There are also some great books out there for people who want to learn how to become financially free. I highly recommend the Rich Dad books by Robert Kiyosaki. They really inspired us. I will write more about those books later.

April 4, 2009