Dating on a budget

13. August 2012 · 10 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Dating, Dining out · Tags: , , ,

Yes, it is possible. And no, it doesn’t make you a cheapskate. If you’re worried someone won’t want to date you if you don’t take them out for a 3 course meal and a Broadway show, then you probably don’t want to date them at all.  While economic stability is nice in a mate,  it’s not fair to expect someone to break the bank just to take you out.

For a first date – keep it casual and not too long.  A full dinner and drinks afterwards at the bar can really add up. And it can often be so noisy that you can’t really here what the other person is saying.   Something like a casual coffee, or a nice stroll by the lake (weather permitting) can be a great first date.  In the nicer weather, a lot of cities offer free outdoor activities – movies, concerts, and plays. If you really feel you need to *go* to something –try cheap night at the movies, or at least skip dinner – just do a movie, and then for something light afterwards.   Mr. Canuck Buck’s and I first date was at the cheapie theatre. :)

For special occasions – going out is nice, but why not a home cooked meal? I’ve yet to meet a soul who said “So and so cooked me this amazing meal instead of going out – how dare they”. Trust me – both genders are a sucker for a good cook.  You can still get dressed up and go “the whole nine yards” – you just get to do it on your schedule in the peace and quiet of your own home.

Once you’ve been dating a while – hopefully, if you’re growing together as a couple, you’re in synch financially.  One of you doesn’t want to hit McDonalds all the time, while the other wants caviar and champagne.  If you really like to go out a lot, try something like the Entertainment Book or a group discount site such as Wagjag to get discounts on restaurants. If you’re more homebodies, like Mr. Canuck Buck and I are, a date can be as simple as picking up subs and putting on a movie.

If you really want to go all out – watch for special events in your town. In Toronto, there Summerlicious and Winterlicious, which offer 3 course “prix fixe” (add link) meals for a good deal – usually for 15-25 dollars, depending on the menu and whether you go for lunch or dinner.

What’s your best cheap date idea?

Free and cheap stuff to do this summer

26. June 2012 · 5 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Vacation · Tags: , , ,

Welcome Budgeting in the Fun Stuff Readers! I’m a huge fan of Crystal’s and she’s one of the reasons I started blogging. Please check out my site, and sign up to follow me via email or RSS.

Summer is finally here.  At minimum, hopefully everyone will get to enjoy the long weekends, and some folks may take anywhere from a week off to the whole summer off.  Of course – once you have that time off – the question is – how are you going to fill it?  In order to help you, I’ve come up with a list of things that shouldn’t cost you much of anything in order to do.

  1. Staycation. Yup. Hang out at home. Read books you own, or make a trip to the library.  Maybe do some of the chores you keep putting off – or that you were planning on paying someone else to do. Clear up your PVR. Break out that box set of DVDs you got for Christmas. Clean out your garage. If you can find enough stuff, you can have a garage sale, and actually make some money. Just don’t use it to buy more stuff.
  2. Go outside. Make a big bucket of soapy water up and blow bubbles. Break out the sidewalk chalk. Hopefully you live somewhere with green space you can explore for free – parks, bike paths, etc. Some parks now include “Splash Pads”, so you can cool down if you get too warm. They’re not just for kids – I walked into one just this past weekend!  Pack a picnic and make a day of it. Just watch out for Yogi Bear. :)
  3. Free events.  While there are certainly more offerings in bigger cities (everything from Pride parades to film and music festivals), smaller towns offer a lot as well. Your library or community centre can be a great source for finding out about these. Like sports? Watch local, amateur teams for free.  And almost everywhere offers Canada Day celebrations and fun. Get out there, show your patriotism, and get some free cake!
  4. Explore your city or take a cheap day trip. If you own a monthly metro pass, you can use it to check out a neighborhood you wouldn’t normally visit. Otherwise, try to find things that are only a short drive away – such as an historical site, a working farm (mmm..freshly picked strawberries), or a great place to hike.
  5. Buy a pass. If there is something you or your family love to do, it may be worth buying a monthly pass for admission. For example – if your kids love swim, but you don’t have access to a free swimming pool, it may be worth buying a season pass. The same goes for amusement parks, museums, etc. Before you go ahead and purchase a pass, do some serious thinking about whether you’ve done this in the past, and whether you’ve really used the pass or it’s just gone to waste.

Remember – you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.  While sometimes it’s nice to spring for big ticket items, some of the best memories I’ve made with my nieces have been just playing cards or going to the park.

What’s your favourite free or cheap summer activity?

 

Last minute, cheap summer program ideas for kids

04. June 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Kids, Summer · Tags: , , ,

Summer is fast approaching, and for those of you with kids, it’s both a blessing and curse. The kids are looking forward to long, lazy days, but you’re tearing your hair out thinking “What do you mean I had to sign the kids up in March for summer camp?!”

When I was a kid, my Dad was a teacher, as were a lot of other parents on the street. So, they never had to figure out what to do with us kids over the summer. Most people don’t have that luxury though.  So, here is my list of of last minute, relatively inexpensive ideas if you haven’t managed to sign Junior up for 8 weeks of chess camp:

1. Talk to other parents in your neighbourhood. With luck, you may be able to find a willing teenager, stay at home parent, ambitious teacher, or unemployed adult, who will watch several of your precious darlings over the summer.  Going together should mean you can negotiate a group discount. Make sure you do your research so you are comfortable with whomever is watching your child.

2. Try a home based day care. If you already have your child in before or after school care, your care provider may be willing to provide all day care over the summer.  Don’t just assume they will though – they may already be at maximum capacity with children who attend full time year round.

3. Ask at work. I know my work provides emergency day care for a certain amount of time. This wouldn’t cover you for the whole summer, but it might tide you over until you could find something else.

4. Determine if you’re kids are old enough and responsible enough to stay home alone. Depending on where you live, there may be no specific legal minimum age, but you should keep a lot of things in mind before deciding to leave your kids at home along.

5. Local day camps. When I was a teenager, I spent 2 weeks volunteering at a camp called “Summer Activity Centre”. It was run by the city, cheaply – cause most of the stuff were volunteers like me. You could bring your kid as little or as often as you liked. And most kids survived the day – honest! :)

Hope you find these ideas helpful. What are your ideas for cheap summer programs for kids?

A free and fun afternoon with a four year old

30. April 2012 · 6 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Kids

Is that a great title or what? I love alliteration (bonus Canuck Buck points if you know what that means :) ).

I went over yesterday to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and incredibly adorable 4 year old niece (yes, I’m a bit biased – but I’ll freely admit she gets her cuteness from her mother’s side, not ours).

I’ll refer to my niece as L – that’s her middle initial. L and I spent 2 very fun hours together and it didn’t cost a cent. First we spent some quality time making pretend strawberry tea and lemonade.  We just used a variety of plastic toys to pour water around and through things.  Then we headed over to the park for an hour.

City parks have got to be one of the best ways to spend time with kids for free.  This one is great – it’s got small climbing walls, swings, slides, and stuff you can swing across.  L was perfectly happy to play by herself some, and then we both went on the swings, and I chased her around the park, and down the slides.

Finally, we went back to my brother’s and she raced me around a little pond there. And she won. Fair and square. She’s in much better shape than I am. :)

It was a great afternoon, and we both really enjoyed it – and it didn’t cost a thing! My brother has actually been telling her stories about how I’ve been training night and day in order to race her.  I guess my pretend training hasn’t been strenuous enough.

What’s one of your favourite ways to spend a free afternoon – either on your own, or with others?

 

How to see a movie in the theatre for 2.50

23. April 2012 · 8 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Entertainment, Kids · Tags: , , , ,

Over the years, movies prices have been steadily rising. To take family of four, it can costs at least 50 dollars just to get in.  If you add in snacks and drinks, you might as well take out a second mortgage to pay for your admittance.

However, there is now a way to a) see movies in the theatre for cheap b)support a good cause while you’re at it.

Cineplex is now running a series of movies on Saturday mornings, and listings are available from here until August.  Here’s a sample of some of the films running:

  • The Great Muppet Caper
  • Babe
  • Chicken Run
  • The Iron Giant (excellent movie, if you haven’t seen it!)
  • Big
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I’m tempted to catch this one!)
  • Follow that Bird (I was forced to see this at the age of 10. I do not recommend it for the the 10 and up set. Smaller children may enjoy it)
  • Night at the Museum

Yes, you can probably get these for free on T.V or from the library, but I have to admit, there is nothing like seeing a movie on the big screen.  If you have young children who have never been to a movie, this might be a great way to introduce them. After all, if they can’t make it through the movie, then you haven’t wasted too much money.

As for the good cause I mentioned – it’s the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps provide support for family outing and activities, educational programming, and other great things like hospital playrooms for seriously ill children.

To find out more, check out the Family Favourites page at Cineplex.com.

And remember – you don’t have to be a kid or have a kid to go. You’re perfectly welcome to relive your childhood all on your own!

Are any of these movies ones you’d like to see on the big screen again? If not, what would you like to see?

Have you checked out the library lately?

26. March 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Free Stuff · Tags:

It’s really amazing what you can find at your local library these days. I realize that depending on the size and location of wherever you live, you may not be able to find everything I list here, but you’re still sure to find something you’ll like! Here’s a list of all the *free* things I have access to thanks to my library:

  • Books. Yes, people still read books. Hard covers, soft covers, best bets. Large print.  Audio books as well.  ine has a “7 day loan section” which I used recently to get out “The Hunger Games”. I’d have had to wait forever for it otherwise!  Getting books out for kids is a particularly good idea – they can have exposure to lots of different books without it costing you a fortune – or clogging up your house!
  • DVDs – Great selection of movies for kids and adults. Usually you can take them out for 7 days. Coming in ahead of something like March or Christmas break and “stocking up” can help keep the kids (or you!) busy and from going stir crazy if the weather is bad.
  • Video games.  This is a fairly recent addition. Mine has video games for various platforms, including the Wii, Xbox and Nintendo DS. Video games can run anywhere from 20 to 50 dollars a pop, and often you find out you don’t really enjoy a game after you get it.  Getting them out of the library enables you to have a free test run.
  • Ebooks.  A lot of people don’t know about this, but many libraries offer eBooks you can download directly from their Web site.  These are the ultimate in cost saving – you don’t even have to leave your house to get them. They become locked on your eReader (that is, you can’t read them any more) when your time is up, but they’re never overdue, and you don’t have to remember to return them.
  • Free and legal music downloads. This is quite new – but I can download 3 songs each week – legally from Freegal Music.  They’ve got everything from the latest hits to heavy metal.  Your library has to subscribe to their service to access it.

Also remember that libraries over Internet access and activities for adults and children. So, if you haven’t been lately, I recommend you check out your local library!

7 cheap and easy ways to keep your kids occupied this March break

13. March 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Cheap activities · Tags: , , ,

If you’ve got kids, you probably dread hearing the words “I’m bored”. But you also don’t want to blow a bunch of money to keep them entertained just for a few hours.  Here are some great suggestions to keep them busy:

1. Ask them to put on a show.  It can be one they do themselves, or they can act out scenes from their favourite movies or books.  You can get other kids involved, and design sets and costumes (using stuff around the house of course!)

2. Do a scavenger hunt. You can make your own up, or download one (try here: https://www.scavengerhunt.org/).  If your children are really little, you can do it indoors and just ask them to find things that are a certain colour instead of specific objects.

3. Hit the library! Libraries have free books, movies, activities, and more. Some of them even have video games you can take out.

4. Pull out a board game. You can change up rules to make it easier or harder.

5. Pack a picnic and go to a park (it’s so nice out where I am – hope it’s the same for you!)

6. Introduce them to a movie, book, or T.V. show from your childhood! What’s the point in having kids if you can’t make them like the stuff you like?

7. Do a home made science experiment. I’ve tried one where you put together corn starch, food colouring, and water. It’ll turn into a fairly awesome goo.  For ideas, try here: http://listverse.com/2007/12/03/top-10-coolest-home-science-experiments/

For kids, the memories come from having fun, not from spending tons of cash?

What’s the best cheap or free activity you’ve done with your kids – or when you were a kid?

 

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