When preparing for our no spend month, one of my concerns was our 3 kids. How would they handle not being able to sweet talk us into Sonic burgers after a baseball game? What if someone NEEDED new clothes? Will they get bored and need to be entertained?! Can they handle eating their less than favorite foods that are in the pantry? I thought of every possible scenario that might come up during any normal month and tried not to stress. While kids and money don't often mix, approaching the month with a positive attitude and a challenge invited the kids to feel the same way. We never made it sound like we HAD to do this to survive, reminded each other of our end goal with enthusiasm, and faced the month with a good attitude.
Let kids help menu plan and meal prep.
While I do most of the cooking, it's so much more beneficial to let the kids choose dinner. If we had ground beef, they chose between tacos, burgers, or meatballs. Giving them options meant I could think less and they would get exactly what they wanted, lessening the cries for eating out. Before starting school, I double check our menu, take out any meat from the freezer, and let the kids know what we're planning. There are no tears come dinnertime if they know all day what the meal will be.
Letting them help with chopping, washing, setting out a topping bar for things like tacos or breakfast for dinner, and stirring pots made meals go smoothly too.
Pin a few boredom buster ideas
Again, planning ahead can save you many headaches. During my nightly scrolls through Pinterest, I kept an eye out for activities, games, websites, and crafts that my crew might enjoy. Making brownies, muffins, or popsicles is a great way for them to kill some time and it helps Momma out when it comes to snack time! Search "science experiments for kids" and you're sure to discover some easy educational ideas you can do with things around your house!
Uncover some 'new' toys
While you're home not shopping, head to the bottom of the toy box or the back of the closet! Look for items to sell or donate, and you're bound to find forgotten favorites! Kids will be so excited to rediscover toys they haven't seen in a while! Maybe there are toys still wrapped from holidays or birthdays. Now is a great time to present them for an afternoon, when spirits are low or they're getting frustrated with staying home.
Look for free things to do beyond the couch.
Our area has lots of free things to do to get us up and out of the house. There's only so much swinging the kids can do in the back yard. We took advantage of LSU's FREE Spring football game, costing us gas, packed lunch, and Brad volunteered some of his allowance for a drink and nachos to satisfy a cranky Reese. If you're committed to not spending, there isn't a whole lot of harm in window shopping. We went to a few new stores that we didn't need anything from but only wanted to pass some. Other things we did to keep from going stir-crazy were visiting the local library, cooked dinner for my cousin and her family, spent time at other families' homes, went to baseball practice earlier to let the kids throw some balls and hang out with us before everyone else showed. A no spend month is a great time to explore your library, dream stores, local neighborhood, nearby cities, and the perfect opportunity to bless friends and family with your presence and baked goodies using ingredients from your pantry!
If you've roughed the No-Spend-Month waters with children before, how did you keep everyone on board? What are your family's favorite free activities?
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