Cheap holiday entertainment

Today we have decided to have a home day. I belong to a forum called Simple Savings and the challenge for July is to try and save $50/week every week of the month. Alternatively you can earn an extra $50/week if that's the way you choose to do your challenge.

Week 1 started on Thursday. So far I have had 2 car free days, saved $30 on grocery shopping and also turned off the heat pump during the day every day since Thursday. This is thanks to bitterly cold frosts followed by gloriously sunny days. And the meat we put in our burgers last night was free from my parents as Dad has won too many meat raffles lately. So I'd be guessing at this stage that I am up to saving about $44 for this week. Hmmmm just need to find a way to save an extra $6. Cannot squeeze in an extra car free day between now and Thursday as I have work Monday and Tuesday and the boys have appointments on Wednesday. All my savings from this challenge will be split 50/50 between Queensland holiday fund and grocery stockpile.

So to start the holidays off on a cheap note we have done box construction today. Over the past term we have been collecting boxes from anywhere we can. Mostly empty pantry boxes - crackers, weetbix etc - and some shoe boxes and other interesting cartons from work. This morning it was what the boys chose as a home day activity so we got all our bits and pieces out and heated up the glue gun. The lads spent a good hour gluing and making and creating and had a lot of fun. I had fun watching them co-operate with the glue gun and thinking out their ideas. Some of which were successful others not quite so.

The next two days of the holidays will be reasonably cheap too. Tomorrow the boys will go to my girl friends for the morning until 1pm while I head into work. This is a shift I don't usually work in the holidays but I've had time off for bits and pieces lately and feel as though I haven't quite been pulling my weight enough. Also by working an extra it means our school girl will get Sunday - Tuesday work free and next weekend she'll have slightly more time off. It's good to ensure we all get a bit of a break. On Tuesday it's Granny day and the boys will spend the day with my X Mil. I think they are going to a production at the Court Theatre which is their usual holiday treat with Gran.

That's it for the cheap days though as Wednesday sees us at the dentist, podiatrist and also an outing to the movies. Still doing all this on the one day means the other days seem cheaper.