Quality Time: Fun and Inexpensive Ideas for Spending Time with Your Teens

by Mrs C | Oct 16, 2019 | Coupons and Rebates

As any parent knows, getting your teenager to sit down and spend time with you can be challenging in the best of circumstances. While it’s not impossible, it’s difficult enough that you have to put effort into it to find an activity that both of you will enjoy. Then, of course, how can you spend time with your kid without breaking the bank? Thankfully, there are good ideas out there. Here are three thoughts on how to spend time with your teenagers and avoid spending a small fortune.

Spend the Day in the City

If you live within driving or mass-transit distance of a city, you’re in luck. Most cities have museums, parks and sports arenas, and some may have sharable electric scooters to ride around town on. Before you go, do a little bit of Googling and see what your options are. Thankfully, however, most major cities have websites that list their free and inexpensive activities. Once you’ve identified some things to do, visit those websites, get more information and make sure you have the hours right. Run them by your teenager, and make sure that it’s something he or she may actually be interested in doing before you go. The last thing you want to do is take your kids somewhere only to have them huff that they hate the place you took them.

Take a Class Together

A key question to ask yourself is, what does your teenager like to do, or what did he or she likes to do that they might want to do again? Ask your child what his or her passion is, and see if you can take a class together. This offers the benefit of not only giving you and your kid a chance to spend some quality time together, but it can help teach you skills that you can use. As a bonus, it may give your teenager something to put on a college application.

Enjoy Digital Bonding

Sometimes, you have to go where your kid is. And if you have a teen who won’t put down his or her phone, go join him or her. Find out which games your kid likes and play them together. Keep in mind, engaging in an activity like this is best if you make a set time to play together, not just when one of you goes to the bathroom. This is supposed to be quality time, and while that can happen digitally, it’s best if you combine it with real-world activity. Remember, if you want to really spend quality time with your teenager, you have to find out what your kid likes and spend time doing that. Teenagers are independent, autonomous young adults, and they deserve respect in their choices. Spending time with them means meeting them where they are.

If you come up short or run out of ideas, discover your child’s strengths and go from there. This not only helps you bond with your kids but helps teach them skills and interests that will help serve them later in life.

If you’re looking for some snacks to eat while you spend time with your teens, try using some of these coupons for snacks!

Now is the time to sign up for Amazon prime

by mrscarrigan | Oct 15, 2019 | Coupons and Rebates

Holidays are coming and with that comes black Friday and cyber Monday! Be ready and sign up for Amazon prime before hand! You can sign up for a 30-day free trial (or six months if you’re a student). After that, the membership costs $12.99/month or $119 a year. Membership costs $6.49 a month for students and $5.99 a month for EBT or Medicaid cardholders.

A Guide to a Successful Family Road Trip

by Mrs C | Oct 15, 2019 | Coupons and Rebates

If you’re feeling the pull of the open road but don’t how to road trip with the family, we have some good news! Advanced planning and preparation make road tripping with a family possible. In fact, family road trips can be so successful that your kids will carry memories of them into adulthood. Follow these tips to make the most of your family time on the road.

Make a Plan

Flying by the seat of your pants when on a family road trip is not a great idea. The lack of a plan can end in disaster with kids in tow, and it’s much more expensive to wing your trip. Plan thoroughly before you head out so you will know where you are going to eat, where you will get gas, and how often you plan on stopping for breaks and to view the scenery. According to Travel Mamas, you should pack plenty of snacks and water in the car so you don’t have to stop as often. If you want to take it one step further, pack meals for everyone and place them in insulated containers. This will save money and allow you to drive further since you won’t be stopping for every meal. Make a list of everything you need to pack and check that you actually did pack it before you hit the road. These simple steps can make your trip run smoothly and give you the peace of mind you feel when you have a plan in place.

Safety

You want to make sure your car is ready for the family road trip before you set out for your destination. Stewart J. Guss suggests that you get your car serviced before your trip, especially if it’s an older car with a lot of mileage. This will ensure the oil is changed and the tires are properly inflated to help you avoid a blowout. If you are crossing state lines, make sure you know the laws for each area you are driving through. Follow all traffic laws and be extra careful when driving around large trucks. They have blind spots that make it easy for them to overlook smaller vehicles, so you have to make sure to give them plenty of room on the highways.

Plan for Entertainment

If you are going to be in the car for a long time with kids, you do not want them to get bored. That’s when the inevitable whining and questioning start, and this can make it difficult to have a good attitude during the trip. Visit your public library before you leave town and borrow audiobooks you can all listen to in the car. Skip to My Lou suggests that you plan car games that will keep your kids occupied and put together playlists of music that your family enjoys. You can always use screens to get your kids through the trip, but there are plenty of other ways to keep them content and involved while traveling.

Taking a road trip with your family can be fun when you plan ahead and make the most of it. Enjoy your travels and help your kids make memories for life on the road.
To save money on road trip snacks, try some of these coupons!

How to Have an Awesome Family Campfire Experience

by Mrs C | Oct 15, 2019 | Coupons and Rebates

Whether camping out in the wilderness or hanging out in your backyard, a classic campfire is a great way to have an awesome family experience. Kids and adults alike are naturally drawn around the fire, providing the opportunity for lots of family fun. Just make sure to put safety first, and you can build a memorable night around the campfire.

Safety First

The first consideration is the location of your campfire. Keep the fire pit 10–25 feet away from other structures or yards, out from underneath awnings or hanging branches, and on top of nonflammable surfaces. Make sure that you have ample water or a fire extinguisher available nearby in the event of a spark flaring up, especially when camping and during dry conditions. Clear flammable debris from around the pit and wet the area down slightly. Check out safe fire building techniques to know how to properly stack the wood to prevent collapse or wood from spilling out of the pit. Children and pets should be supervised at all times, with at least one adult always keeping a close eye on the area. Children should be taught about general fire and heat safety ahead of time, and rules explained and enforced. Do not allow children to run near the fire.

Campfire Food and Treats

One of the great things about a campfire is all the yummy foods that you can cook up over the open flames. You can choose from elaborate dinners to simple desserts. Cast-iron cookware and grates allow you to turn a campfire into an impromptu oven or grill, meaning you can whip up dinner for the family like a cowboy out on the trail. Alternately, get long skewers and stick hot dogs or sausages on for some roasting. Just remember that heat will cook, but flames will burn. Once dinner is done, it’s time to roast some marshmallows, either just by themselves or to go onto a delicious s’more. You can even get creative and stick marshmallows on candy such as a peanut butter cup. Even consider grabbing a cast-iron pie maker to toast up some homemade pudgy pies with whatever filling you desire.

Campfire Activities

While campfire cooking and snacks are an activity unto themselves, they are not the only thing to do around the campfire. Campfires are great for coming together as a family without burying faces into ever-present electronics. Singing songs and telling spooky stories are great ways to get kids involved in the fun. Camping games like cornhole are always a hit, or you can break out some cards to play by the light of the fire. Don’t forget to spend some time gazing up at the sky; you may even be able to identify some constellations.

A campfire is a way for a family to come together, talk with each other, and have fun as a family unit. Whether it’s some primal urge or just a convenient icon, the humble campfire has served as a gathering point for ages. As long as you plan ahead and observe basic safety, your next campfire is bound to be a big hit for the whole gang.
The next time you go camping with your family, try this hiking backpack to store your gear!