Posts tagged with "frugal"

8 Budget-Friendly Ideas for a Summer Birthday Party

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Summer birthday parties are usually accompanied by great weather and holiday vibes. There are lots of great ways you can create exciting and fun parties on a budget for kids and adults alike, so here are a few ideas to take inspiration from:

Kids Parties:

1)    Choosing a Theme

Having a theme makes it easier to take inspiration, so consider what your kid enjoys. Nintendo’s game Animal Crossing is currently a great fun choice for themed parties, as it is a game that’s loved by both kids and adults. Many people enjoy throwing virtual parties in the game itself, but the cute art style and elements within the game give plenty of inspiration for a real-life party.

2)    Entertainment

When it comes to entertaining kids, there needs to be lots of things to do. Take into consideration their hobbies and interests to generate a theme but keep the activities all-inclusive. Scavenger hunts and treasure hunts are great fun, and you can incorporate their interests to create a themed hunt. You can DIY some clue cards and hide ‘gift bags’ for kids to find.

3)    Fun Place Settings and Decor

Characters from their favorite games or tv shows can be used as markers, or even as table place settings. You could use some of their toys, or even models or figures of their favorite characters. Nendoroids are very popular collectible figures, and you can even buy them online, but they also make ideal place markers, scavenger hunt markers, or even gifts. In fact, you could even use one as a fun cake-topper!

Food and Drinks:

4)    Barbeque

BBQs always make for great parties, but if you needed a good excuse to get the BBQ out, a Birthday celebration is definitely the perfect one. Owning a decently sized barbeque and purchasing some ingredients is the only big expense. You can also make this a daytime or evening event, whichever you prefer.

5)    Tropical Party

Fitting perfectly in the theme of Summer, hosting a Hawaiian or tropical themed party can be great fun. Make sure you have plenty of fruit like pineapples, mangoes, and coconuts and set up a cocktail bar too. Just make sure everyone wears their best Hawaiian shirt!

Evening Parties:

6)    Movie Night

The perfect way to celebrate when the sun starts to set is by setting up a screen and projector outside. Having an outdoor, backyard movie night can be great fun. Simply set up your projector and screen, some string lights or candle lanterns, and bring out the comfy blankets and cushions. You should also make sure to get lots of popcorn!

7)    Camping and S’mores

If your backyard is big enough, a great party idea is for everyone to bring along their tents. For an outdoor version of a pajama party, set up a small campfire and roast some s’mores. This is a great way to enjoy a group camping trip in your own backyard. Lots of stores sell campfire kits, but you can also DIY one too!

Summertime Fun:

8)    Pool Party

If you have your own pool, a pool-party is a no-brainer. The perfect thing to go with hot weather is a dip in the pool, so start blowing up your favorite pool inflatables and picking out your swimwear. Some iced drinks and sun chairs and a fun music playlist make a pool party fun and relaxing. If you’re throwing a pool party for kids, make sure everyone can swim and that someone can supervise at all times!

The summer weather means there are plenty of great options available to throw a fun birthday party, even on a small budget. Just don’t forget to wear sun lotion!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

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My mom has been making this homemade chicken pot pie for years, and now I make it for my guys! It is a go-to recipe that family asks for all of the time. Not only is it super easy and delicious, but you can also make it ahead of time and freeze it. I also whip up this recipe to take to friends who are sick or just because! I always get asked for the recipe and am happy to share my momma’s easy and delicious chicken pot pie!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 box of 2-count pre-made pie refrigerated pie crusts

2 cans of mixed vegetables

1 can of cream of chicken

2 cooked, seasoned chicken breasts, shredded (to save on time, I love to buy the rotisserie chickens and shred them)

salt/pepper for taste

onion powder for taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the veggies, cream of chicken, shredded chicken salt and pepper and onion powder in a large bowl.

In a pie pan place one of the refrigerated pie crusts. Top the chicken mixture over the pie crust. Place the remaining pie crust on top of the veggie mixture. With a fork or knife, make sure to vent some areas in the top of the pie crust so that the steam can escape.

Bake for around 40 minutes or until pie crust starts to become brown and the chicken mixture is bubbly.

This yields one chicken pot pie. If you are going to use an entire rotisserie chicken, I would double the recipe and you could freeze one of the pies for later.

Serve and enjoy! We love to have this with a salad or fruit.

Fun, Frugal & Free Summer Activities for Kids!

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A huge welcome to those of you who are visiting from Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend! If you missed my segment, feel free to watch it HERE. Planning summer activities for the kiddos doesn’t have to drain your wallet. In fact, there are so many fun, frugal and free things that you can do with them! 

Kids Bowl Free– Register your kids HERE. to receive 2 free games of bowling every day during the summer months. This is a great way to keep the kiddos cool all while staying active. 

Kids Skate Free– Register your kids HERE to receive 2 free roller skating passes each week at select roller rinks across the country. 

Free Kids Movies– Theaters liks Cobb and Regal Cinemas offer Free and $1 movies all Summer long! My boys and I love this and go every week. GO HERE to see the entire list of participating theaters and movies. 

Free Summer Reading Programs– You can see the entire list of Free reading programs for the kids HERE. This is a great way to keep those reading skills at their best! 

Living Social and Groupon-Daily deal sites like Living Social and Groupon are a great way to take advantage of local attractions and activities at deep discounts. You can save as much as 50% off or more. 

Local Bookstores- We love to head over to our local Barnes & Noble just to relax and read! I always grab a few magazines and the boys get their favorite books. We sit in the cafe and enjoy a treat while reading! They also have a great children’s section.

Workshops at Michaels and Home Depot– stores like Michaels and Home Depot offer free and frugal workshops for kids featuring crafts, projects and more. GO HERE to check out the Michaels classes. GO HERE to check out the date for the next Home Depot workshop.