I wanted to share one idea that worked well for me this summer. The boys started asking about going to a movie in late June. I am not a fan of the kid movies. Most of them I refuse to watch altogether. But I saw a promo for Fly Me to the Moon and thought maybe it would be ok.
So we started a change jar in the kitchen. After shopping trips I would empty the coins into the jar. Rob did the same, when we told him about it, and the boys contributed some change from their piggy banks and the occasional coin found on the street. They did sub on the paper route a few times this summer, so part of that money went into the jar as well.
We started just after the fourth of July and the week before Labor Day we counted, discovered we had enough money, and .... the movie wasn't coming to Rochester. Our theaters suffer from massive suckage.
So we went to a little neighboring town and for $4 a ticket saw Space Chimps. We had saved almost $30 so we had money for the bottomless soda and popcorn, AND Junior Mints and Sour Patch Kids. Excellent.
The movie was, well, it was what I expected it to be. Dreck. But the boys loved it and it was a good way for them to see how quickly savings added up, how cool it was to look forward to achieving the savings goal and getting a treat, and how planning ahead (calling the theater, finding out that matinee prices were much cheaper, etc) made a difference in the value we received for the money.
Other than that, there was the usual camping stuff (the last place we camped -- for Labor Day Weekend-- neglected to share on their website that there were no showers), an afternoon trip to the zoo with Daddy (which was a lovely day), and trying to squeeze in a few hours of bicycling, rollerblading, scootering, and playing with the neighbor kids.
All in all we had a very nice summer. It was just the right length (in other words, the kids started fighting the week before we went back), and we spent a lot of time together as a family without electronics. Rob leaves for his weeklong residency for his MBA program tomorrow and his school schedule is brutal this fall. I'm grateful we had the time this summer to regroup and get ready for a long school year.
Mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend. Scrapbooker, family historian, reader, cook, photographer. Volunteer. Political junkie. Springsteen fan. Loves deeply, strives daily to be a cheerful, kind and generous person. Fails regularly. Snarky, judgy and more than a little blunt. Some people don't appreciate my style. If you're one of them, that's ok. Get your own blog.
We are doing the same with loose change. B "won" a plastic piggy bank at some savings program done through his school. We call it the treat pig and all the "found" monies go in there. M is also charged 5 cents for making "the face" and that money goes in there. She sometimes charges her dad for "the face" as well. LOL
ReplyDeleteOur pig is about 1/3 full. Not sure what we'll do with it.
We don't have massive theater suckage and on Tues the theater closest to the house has $6 all seats (normally $9) all shows and BYOBucket which you pay 50 cents to fill with popcorn as often as you like. Woo!
As for the grueling year...just remember it's only one year...you're 1/2 way done with this program and since you got through the first half, you're going to make it.