The Things I Do for Free

Well, I'm really not allowed to spend money this month.  So far, it's been gas, groceries and a few pizzas from the Pizza Peel because I was too tired to cook dinner last night.  So that means only 1 thing: a super-easy-super-free Spring Break for the kiddos.

One simple way of being consumerism-free this week has been the child-care exchange.  A good friend of ours keeps our kids while we go to small group and we keep hers during school hours when he's on break. It is amazing that no money has to change hands and we simply get to meet one another's needs where they are.  The thought alone that she would keep my 2 wild ones, for no pay, during breakdown time is phenomenal.

Another way is the activities we have chosen.  Feeling a need to guard myself from a house full of restless toddler/preschoolers, I checked my favorite site, Charlotte on the Cheap to see what all was going on this week.  We found that:

On Tuesday, Ben and Jerry's was hosting a "Free Scoop Day" 12pm-8pm.  And yes, we did arrive at 11:45am, eager for our share.  The kids were stoked and so was I.  I even met a mother who told me her 2 sons were only allowed 1 hour there and at 12:20 when we left, were on scoop #5.  I kid you not.  But, in the spirit of things, we moved on after having only what we needed.  (And we all really really need some ice cream from time to time).

We also spent the earlier part of the morning dying eggs.  As opposed to another PAS egg dye kit, we chose to use what we had: water, vinegar and food coloring (which we only use on super special occasions!). 

EGG DYE:

1 cup white/apple cider vinegar (we buy white in bulk and use for cleaning and other projects)

1 1/2 teaspoon (or more) food coloring

1 1/2 cup hot water

 The eggs we dyed came from our chickens and numbered 17 total!  We had no need to rush to Food Lion and grab some eggs and a dye kit that greeted us as we entered the door.  Instead, we learned a lesson in resourcefulness (though the resourcefulness of dying food for decoration is debatable) and utilized what we already had in abundance.  And, I dare say, they turned out beautifully.

And now, let's talk about all you see in this picture.  The eggs are sitting atop paper strips from an encyclopedia picked up at Free Store Charlotte, which was obviously free.  The chairs are also from the Free Store last year and cost $2 each.  I vowed not to buy dining room chairs unless they were  under $5/each.  I painted them finally and there they are.  The table cloth (bed sheet) and 2 blue mason jars came from Value Village, totaling $5, and the glass dish was given to me by my mother, because she has a tendency to remind me of my need as a woman for such dainty things.

On Wednesday, we found an Easter Egg hunt at the Harris YMCA which also was free to both members and non members.  The kids enjoyed a picnic lunch ( complete with dumpstered grapes and handmade cloth napkins from Olive O Home ) and some fun time running around.

Please don't get me wrong: This is not a "look what I can do" as much as it is "Look what we all can do".  In our preschool handbook last year, there was a page that said that as a family, get in the habit of going places without spending money and not letting each outing be contingent on what you would purchase.  That honestly took me a while to get my head around.  BUT... it can be done.  It should be done.  Maybe today or tomorrow, reconsider one thing or outing you think you need.  Odds are, you'll be excited about what other creative solutions you can come up with!