Running: A Very Thrifty Activity

I’ve been running for almost a year. No-one will be more suprised by that than me. Usually I’m the sort of person who starts something then lets it gradually slip, but I’ve kept going with it right through the winter and I’m glad I have. Now, just to be clear, I’m still pretty slow and can’t go for more than about twenty minutes at a time, but I head out a couple of times a week and it’s enough to keep me reasonably fit.

I think one of the reasons I’ve stuck with running is that you don’t need any fancy equipment (although you could, of course, buy all manner of accoutrements if you wanted to). All I have is a decent pair of running shoes, shorts, top and sports bra. All of these items are fairly old. I listen to my IPod too but that’s not strictly essential. The rest is free. No gym fees, no pricey paraphernalia. What’s not to love?

How to Make Extra Money

It’s Thrifty Thursday again and I thought it might be nice to share some money making tips (actually, I’m hoping that lots of you will give me ideas too).

We both have ‘proper’ jobs - G’s an accountant and I work part-time as a pre school teacher - but what I want to tell you about today are all of the other little sundry odds and ends which bring in a few quid here and there.

Firstly, it’s all about using your skills/qualifications/expertise. As a qualified primary teacher, one of my main ways of bringing in extra cash is by marking test or exam papers. I do this once a year. It’s easy-ish work which can be done at home (a big plus) and fits in around the kids. If your child’s doing KS2 English SATs this year, it’s quite possible that I may be marking his or her paper! In the past I’ve done the odd bit of tutoring too, again cashing in on my teaching skills. What are you good at? Could you use your professional knowledge to earn some extra dosh?

One of the other ways  I make a few pounds is by selling stuff. Now, I know some people make a full time business out of this type of thing, but I’m talking about listing a few things on Ebay and for Ebay success, I think you have to have a bit of an eye for what people are willing to pay good money for. Personally, I can’t be bothered selling a shabby kid’s t-shirt for 50p or a an old pair of wellies for a quid. On the other hand, I know that there are certain brands and items which are always popular and worth making the effort for (and let’s be honest, listing items on Ebay does take a bit of effort, doesn’t it?).

I often daydream about selling pretty handmade objets in my currently empty Etsy shop, but this isn’t a realistic way for me to make money – my creative skills are way off the mark and certainly not of a standard to sell in any volume. If, however, you’re blessed in this way, then I reckon you could have a nice sideline selling online or at craft fairs.

An area which, for me,  is very much in an embryonic stage is freelance writing. I’ve been approached by a few companies and individuals asking me to write articles on my blog, but it’s important to be selective and decide if the content will work without compromising your style. No point in me blathering on about motorbikes or similar (not that I’ve been asked to, mind, but you get my drift). Seriously, though, I love writing and could think of no better way to make a living (hint, hint to anyone who needs a writer). Talking of blogs, I know that some of you make a few pennies from advertising and sponsorship. I haven’t done this but I suppose the idea is to make your website work for you. Again, I think you’d have to be cautious about who you associate yourself with.

Making spare cash can be quite thrilling, especially if it comes about by doing something you enjoy. I think we need to be wily these days and seize any money making opportunities that might come our way. What do you do?

Thrifty Thursday: Cheap & Cheerful Messy Play Ideas (oh, and a linky too!)

It’s Thrifty Thursday again (I have no idea where the last week went) and today’s post is packed full of fun messy play activities to keep the little ‘uns busy. I used to be a reception teacher and now work part-time as a pre-school teacher, so I’m no stranger to mess. Without a doubt, the best messy (or malleable as it’s known in educational circles) play uses everyday items which are usually cheap as chips. Could even be chips. Now there’s an idea…

Anyway, here’s my list:

Play dough (cooked) – cook the following in a large pan over a low heat, stirring continuously: 2 cups plain flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tbsp cooking oil, 2tsp cream of tartar, food colouring, 2 cups water. Remove from the heat when the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. You could add glitter or dried pulses or whatever you like if you want to add texture.

Old fashioned soap flakes

Shaving foam – make sure it’s fragrance free and designed for sensitive skin. Wash off after play.

Dried and/or cooked pasta – spaghetti’s great, especially if you add a little oil and food colouring

Cornflour mixed with water – fantastic fun to see how it solidifies and then liquifies.

Tinned baked beans (no really) – never done this one myself, but know colleagues who have

Ice cubes – particularly good on a hot day. Why not make an arctic role play game with polar bears and penguins too?

Potting compost – bury plastic insects for digging out purposes.

Sawdust/bark chippings

Sand mousse – basically sand, food colour and washing up liquid whisked up together

Jelly

Now, unless you’re really laid back (sadly I don’t fall into this category), you may want to do some of these activities either outdoors or on a big plastic sheet!

Anyway, before you go off and start a batch of play dough, why not link up your own Thrifty Thursday blog post? Thrift power!

The Thrifty Thursday Blog Carnival!

Drum roll please… Introducing the first Thrifty Thursday Blog Carnival.

If you’ve got a thrifty blog post that you’d like to share with like-minded individuals (or even with differently-minded individuals), then come and share it here. I’ll be hosting this time and it’s a great opportunity to spread the thrifty gospel far and wide and to find fellow thrifty bloggers.

All you need to do is email (livingitlittle@gmail.com) or tweet me (@living_itlittle) with the following info:

Your name

Your blog’s name

Your blog’s URL

Your thrifty post URL and title

Deadline for submissions is midday on Wednesday 25th January, the carnival will take place on (Thrifty) Thursday 26th January.

Can’t wait!

Thrifty Thursday: Hand Me Downs

When M was a baby she had everything new. Partly because we didn’t really have (at that point) friends with children but mainly, if I’m honest, because we wanted her to have new things. For whatever reason. We bought the occasional item from Ebay but really it was nearly all new. When K came along four and a half years later, things were (and continue to be) very different. For starters, as soon as we knew we were having another girl, we started saving things. We had also formed a group of ‘parent’ friends too and all of this meant that where M had everything spanking new, K has everything handed down. Bless her, she doesn’t seem to mind. Yet.

 When I look at K this morning,  the only newly purchased things she’s wearing are her vest and her shoes (I have a thing about shoes actually. I think they should be new, particularly for littles ones). Her trousers and top came from a friend who used them for her two daughters. Her coat was M’s old one which was one of the few items which came second hand from Ebay. The sleeping bag she woke up in used to be M’s. A fair proportion of the toys she’s been playing with were M’s too.

Aside from the obvious financial benefits of reusing clothes/toys/bedding/furniture (you name it) there’s something extremely pleasing about giving something a second (or third, or fourth…) airing. It feels like the right thing to do in these straitened times and saves a whole load of guilt about futher damaging the environment or supporting child labour. Right on. And it doesn’t just need to be kid’s stuff either. The hand me down system can be adapted to encompass swapping or borrowing all sorts of items.

Thrifty Thursday: Homemade Apple & Pear Chutney

I set about making this last weekend with the aim of allowing it to mature for the next few weeks and be ready in time for Christmas. It’s pretty straightforward, here’s the recipe:

500g apples

500g pears

4cm piece root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped

100g dried apricots, quartered

150g sultanas

400g demerera sugar

500ml cider vinegar

1tbsp wholegrain mustard

1tsp ground cinnamon

Peel and core the apples and pears, then chop into bite-size chunks. Place in a large pan along with the ginger, apricots, sultanas, sugar, vinegar and cinnamon. Add the mustard and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook on a gentle simmer for around 2 hours, until you have a thick syrupy texture. A good test is to drag the back of a wooden spoon across the top of the mixture. If it leaves a line which doesn’t instantly fill with vinegar, then it’s ready. You can then spoon into warm, sterilised jars (wash in hot soapy water and then place in a low oven for about half an hour to sterilise), right to the top. I found this quantity is enough to fill about three medium sized jars. Finally, seal, label and add a pretty top if you like!

Thrifty Thursday: Batch cooking

It’s Thrifty Thursday again (hell, that comes round quickly) and today’s post is a foodie one, aimed at not only saving you money, but also time.

I don’t know how it works in your house, but chez nous the kids have their tea separately to me and G and the cooking of it is my domain. Now, I can’t pretend that they have wholesome, homemade food every night of the week – we’re no strangers to fish fingers, oven chips and baked beans – but I feel like a much better mother if they have something ‘proper’ at least every other day.

Batch cooking doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen (although setting aside a morning or afternoon is certainly one way to do it). I find it’s easiest to just make extra of whatever you happen to be cooking. Now, obviously some recipes lend themselves to this more than others and you have to be able to freeze or at least refrigerate whatever extra you’re making. Yesterday’s tea for the girls was chicken casserole. A brilliant, hearty meal made with inexpensive ingredients and ideal for freezing. What’s not to love?  This is how I made it, although really it’s little more than a load of things chucked in a casserole pot and left in the oven.

To make four meals for two children (a 6 year old with a bird-like appetite and a greedy toddler in our case), you will need:

8 chicken thighs, rolled in flour

A little olive oil

2 or 3 large carrots

2 onions

2 sticks celery

1 large potato

1 sweet potato

cup frozen peas

1.5l chicken stock (reduced salt ideally)

Squirt tomato puree

All I do is brown the floured thighs in a little olive oil and then throw in the chopped vegetables (except the peas) and add the stock and the puree. Bring the pan to the boil and then transfer to a casserole dish, put the lid on and pop in a low-ish 0ven. Leave for 2 or 3 hours (remember to add the peas about half an hour from the end). Sorry if this is a bit vague, but it really is a doddle.

I think batch cooking is great on so many levels. You can buy large quantities of ingredients and take advantage of economies of scale. You save on fuel costs as the cooking is done in one go. You decrease the amount of time spent in the kitchen and ensure that your family has tasty, healthy, homemade food. Here are a few more meals that are ideal for cooking in bulk:

Bolognese sauce (minced beef type) – use with pasta, turn into a chilli, put on a baked potato

Vegetable curry (or any curry really, but veg is the thriftiest!)

Macaroni cheese (freezes surprisingly well) – this is a good one for me, as M loves it and K hates it. I freeze it in single portions.

Soup

Fish pie filling

Plain tomato sauce

Any kind of stew/casserole/hotpot

The other thing is to get used to freezing or saving leftovers. To be totally honest, we don’t often have leftovers in our house, but on the odd occasion that we’ve (unintentionally) made too much of something, it usually finds its way into G’s lunchbox the following day.

I hope that’s given you some food for thought (that was terrible, sorry). Happy cooking!

Thrifty Thursday: Half term on a budget

M breaks up for half term this afternoon so we have a week plus an extra day of ‘fun’ to look forward to. Anyway, as it’s Thrifty Thursday, I thought you might like to hear some of my ideas for filling the next few days without spending a small fortune.

I think the activities fall into two main categories – Home and Away. Within these categories, there are the sub groups: Free, Cheap or Pricey. Obviously this post isn’t about spending big money – that’s very easy to do without any help – so we’ll forget about anything which is too expensive and concentrate on free or cheap stuff.

Let’s kick off with Home:

I suppose this will depend on the ages of your children. Mine are almost six and 19 months respectively. Quite a large and sometimes un-bridgeable gap. I tend to tailor things around M (the big one) and then let K join in as best she can. Here are some things to have a go at:

Baking/Cooking – easy recipes such as fairy cakes or pizza – include a trip to buy ingredients and you have a morning or afternoon covered

Messy time – I hate getting paints/glue out, but the kids love it and so long as you’re prepared for the mess, this kind of thing can keep them busy for ages. There are some great websites with art/craft ideas. This can incorporate anything from finger painting or papier mache to play dough or collage making.

Halloween  – pumpkin carving and spooky dress ups. M likes to go the whole hog and put on a show complete with handmade programmes and posters.

Bulb planting – just about still got time for this and it combines fresh air with a nice wholesome task – result!

DVD and popcorn – okay, so not so much an activity as a chance to chill out, but nothing wrong with that.

Indoor den – make some form of tent or teepee and let your kids set up a den inside. Again, this can lead to all kinds of role play games.

And moving onto Away (by which I mean out of the house rather than abroad):

Visit the local park – great time of year for an autumn nature trail. Use their finds to fuel their craft activities – leaf rubbing/printing, twig collages etc… Older kids can use a digital camera to take pics for an autumn project or make a mini film.

Musuems – here in York, we have lots of museums and quite a few are free or offer reduced price entry to locals.

Autumn picnic – you could combine this with a trip to the park (in fact I recommend that you take a packed lunch wherever you’re going.  It’s only recently started to dawn on me that this is the way to save £££)

Local library – always great for your kids to get ‘new’ books and often there are free or cheap actvities taking place during school holidays

Bike ride – if your kids are old enough to ride along on the path next to you then this is a nice way to get some exercise. In our case, M will ride on the pavement and I’ll take K in the child seat on the back of my bike. There are lots of cycle paths where we live, so this is perhpas easier here than in some other areas.

So, there you have it. A few thrifty ideas. We’ll try to do some, if not all, of these activities and I’ll let you know which ones are best. In the meantime, tell us know what you’re up to. Happy half term!

Thrifty Thursday: Purse-friendly presents

It’s that time of year when I begin to feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of gifts that I need to buy. We have three family birthdays this month including M’s which is obviously a big deal. On top of that M has four party invitations on the pinboard and then there’s a friend’s daughter to buy for early next month. And that’s just birthdays. Let’s not forget that the C-word is very much on the horizon and getting nearer. So, to launch Thrifty Thursdays, today’s post is all about how to give gifts without bankrupting yourself.

Tip One

The present cupboard. This works particularly well when buying for kids. Basically, this is a stock pile of pressies which can be plundered as and when. The key is to build it up as you go and keep it fairly well stocked. In other words, if you’re shopping in the sales and you see a toy or whatever marked down in price, buy two or three of them for the present cupboard. The real bargains are to be had when buying out of season, so you have to plan in advance and it might seem like ages before you actually give some of the gifts, but the beauty of the present cupboard is that it spreads the cost and means that you don’t wind up in a last minute panic buying something over-priced and unsuitable.

Tip Two

Make it.  If you’re a crafter then you’re probably already doing this, if not then now might be the time to hone a few basic skills and start making some stocking fillers. These could be anything from home-made jams and chutneys (there are loads of recipes online) to a hand knitted scarf (again, check online for beginners knitting tutorials). You can be as creative as you like and it’s always so lovely to receive something that someone else has pored over.

Tip Three

Offer a service. Do an evening’s babysitting so new parents can have a break or take a load of ironing and deal with it for someone. These are the ultimate thrifty gifts as they basically require expenditure of time instead of money. If you’re going to do this, try and tailor the service to the recipient so they get something really useful or enjoyable for them. No point in offering to mow someone’s lawn if they live in a block of flats. You can make little vouchers for these gifts too.

Tip Four

Put a spend limit on your present shopping. For kid’s parties, I’d say around £7 is plenty, but again, if you shop wisely then you could probably spend a lot less. This tip is best applied when buying for your own children or family members. It’s so easy to get carried away, just buying one more stocking filler or an extra pressie here and there. Set a limit for each person and stick to it.

Tip Five

Cards and wrapping. Bulk buying is the way forward here  (see tip one) and again means that you’re never stuck without a card for someone. If you’re ultra organised, you can even start a card file and buy a load of cards then store under the appropriate month for someone’s birthday. Christmas wise, everyone knows that the best time to buy cheap cards and paper was in last year’s post-xmas sales. Too late for buying this year’s stash, but bear in mind for next time. As far as wrapping paper goes, from an eco-thrift point of view, the best thing is to recycle where possible. Failing that, buy large rolls or make your own.

Right, well that was my first thrifty post – I hope you like it. Come back next Thursday for another one! In the meantime, I’ll tweet any newly discovered bargains on the high street or online, so look out for me on Twitter (@living_itlittle).