gwrrty/Flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains
A couple of years ago during the Los Angeles fall fire season I had to decide which of my belongings to pile in my car when I evacuated. The items I left might be burned to a crisp. The stuff I could take with me was limited and therefore HAD to be my favorites.
One of the things I grabbed was my Klutz book
What are Klutz books? They are THE standard in hands-on learning for everything from crafts to science.
Over 33 years ago, three college buddies stood a sidewalk corner and began selling juggling lessons. This turned into the very successful how-to book “Juggling for the Complete Klutz,” which now comes with instructions and juggling balls. People liked it. I mean, they REALLY liked it. These three guys must be making a fortune.
My first Klutz book was the polymer clay book. I bought it used because I didn’t need the clay that the new version comes with. I needed the instructions. I pulled the book apart, put the individual pages into a ring binder, and used it to teach hundreds of students how to work with oven hardened clay.
Then I discovered that many people sell their Klutz books once they have used up the supplies that come with the book. The supplies are good, but the best part is the instructions. So began my pursuit of used Klutz books.
The books are almost always bound with white wire spiral, which makes it simple to find them at a yard or book sale. I just reach in, grab that binding and if I am lucky, there is a fabulous Klutz book in my hands. Instead of paying $10 to $24, I pay a buck. Yipee skipee! Yard sale score!
I have Klutz books on face painting, costumes, table top football, nail art, trick photography, magic, science, car games and more. My latest Klutz acquisition is the “Klutz Book of Animation”
The next book I really want to get is the Superhero Starter Kit
Related posts:
Free movie tickets for kids and families this summer
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains
intotheforest/Flickr
I used to teach two daily arts and crafts classes at a school that had practically no arts budget. I got exceptionally good at finding and creating projects that the kids loved but that cost very little. Here are some of my most resourceful ideas for arts and crafts.
I think my favorite project started by chance. I was driving down the road and saw someone selling plants. They had just thinned out overgrown flower beds and had tons of baby plants. I stopped and explained that I was a teacher. They gave me enough plants so that each child would have one.
I then got an okay from the school to clear out an overgrown area of the school yard. The kids helped me to do this. We divided the land into individual small garden plots using stones and sticks for boundaries. Now the fun began. The kids started bringing in their own little seedlings to grow and creating miniature pieces of art to decorate their plots. Parents helped out by bringing more plants. Soon we had an amazing garden project.
This craft is the savior of every budget-strapped art teacher. All you need is a piece of paper. I have taught origami using gum wrappers or pages of magazines. There are many levels of origami from a simple origami dog face to a complex grand piano. Many excellent instruction sites exist on the web and there are lots of books in the library on this subject.
Draw Squad 3D Drawing
If you need to teach your students to draw and can only get one book, get Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad Book. Even better, borrow it from the library and photocopy it. The author gives you permission to do so. This author is passionate about teaching people (especially kids) how to draw in 3D. He starts from a simple hat and works up to super complicated scenes. Teaching Draw Squad is slightly more expensive than origami because you need blank paper (cheap photocopy paper is fine) and a No. 2 pencil with a good eraser. I think this is still within the most limited of budgets.
In today’s world of eco-awareness, it is getting easier and easier to find industrial and business “waste” that you can use for art projects. Businesses want to appear green and there are tax incentives to donate for recycling instead of sending waste to the landfill. Almost every major and many minor cities have organizations to help businesses recycle their usable waste. Trash for Teaching is a great place in the Los Angeles area to get items for recycled projects for your students like this frugal juice carton wallet.
By the way, do not feel like YOU have to create projects for the kids to make with this stuff. If you bring the material and have a means to fasten them together (tape, staplers, glue, etc) the students will make the most incredible pieces of art. Yard sales, thrift shops, and swaps are a great source for free or cheap art supplies.
These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg so please don’t tell me we need to cut art from our schools because there isn’t enough money. You don’t need money to teach art. You only need someone that will allow the children to be the natural artists that they are.
If you need help coming up with more art ideas, let me know. I’ve got millions.
makelessnoise/Flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Decorating and dyeing Easter eggs is a wonderful frugal activity. For about $4-$7 you can buy dye, a dozen or more eggs that you are going to eat anyway, and create family memories.
Dyeing eggs
1. Boil or blow your eggs. Blowing out raw eggs requires putting a small hole in one end and a slightly larger hole in the other end. While holding the egg over a bowl, gently blow into the small hole so that the liquid egg goes into the bowl.
2. Mix warm water and a coloring agent. I use 1/2 cup warm water to one dye tablet. An egg dyeing kit at your local drug or grocery store is about $1.99 before sales. Each kit includes dye tablets and a dipping tool. The best part is the box. It comes pre-scored so that you can push out holes and then put your eggs in the holes for drying. This is the only product that I actually buy FOR the box, above. Many stores have post-holiday clearance sales and some start before the holiday. Buying your supplies at the last minute can lead to great discounts.
Tip: You can also use food coloring and the empty egg carton for drying to save even more money. Why buy dye tablets if you already have food coloring at home?
3. If you want to be more natural, use natural dyes to color Easter eggs. Use spinach for green, beets for pink and red zinger tea for lavender. Coloring the eggs in this manner is more expensive, but could be more educational.
4. Using some sort of dunking tool (use plastic gloves if you use your hands) put eggs in the dyeing liquid.
5. Wait a few seconds for light coloring or a few minutes for a deep hue. You can double dip but wait for the first shade to dry.
6. Take egg out and put in stand to dry. Drying times vary. If you want to eat the eggs later, do not put the eggs in the sun to dry.
Decorating eggs
1. Disney’s FamilyFun site has a wonderful list of Easter egg decorating ideas that include using cotton balls, string, elastic bands and thumbprints to enhance your dyed eggs. My favorites are:
- Dribble glue on the eggs. Let them dry, then dip in dye. Once the dye is dry, gently pull off the glue.
- Glue small stickers on the eggs. Ensure they are well stuck on. Dip, dry & peel.
- Glue string on the eggs. Let dry. Dip & dry. You may want to keep the string on for a new texture.
- Or… just forget the entire dyeing idea and paint the warm egg with crayon. The warmth of the egg melts the crayon.
2. Put bunny ears on the eggs and hide them. Eat lots of chocolate while you do this.
3. For more decorating ideas check out these Easter egg decorating instructions from eHow.
Is Vinegar Necessary?
All of the articles I found suggested adding vinegar to the dye mixture. However, this is not necessary for every color. My daughter and I experimented adding vinegar and it makes every color brighter except purple and red. For these colors vinegar makes the colors come out duller. Anyone a chemistry major? Why is this so?
USA Weekend had a great round up of tips to save money on summer activities. Here are the best of ‘em.
- Monitor flight prices by setting up an email alert on FareCompare.com.
- Save gas and time by getting an automatic toll pass such as E-ZPass, FasTrak or SunPass (the last of which you can buy pre-paid at grocery stores in Florida).
- Join the free loyalty programs at your local movie theater. AMC’s MovieWatcher and the Regal Cinemas Regal Crown Club both have good perks.
- Find the best price for summer theater at SeatKarma.com, which monitors prices from more than 200 ticket brokers.
- Make your own fast food to avoid pricey take out. Make mini-pizzas by topping flatbread, bagels, or English muffins with tomato sauce and cheese. Make bean and cheese burritos in advance, wrap tightly and freeze for a microwave-ready bite.
- Look for discount tickets to baseball games and bring your own food as much as is allowed.
Thanks, Meital!
Not to be outdone by Bank of America’s museum freebies, Target is sponsoring dozens of free and discounted events at museums across 17 states, including AZ, CA, CO, D.C., FL, IL, IN, MA, MI, MN, MO, NY, NC, OH, PA, TX, and WA. Check out the list here.
For a snazzy list of Target freebie programs in Los Angeles, check out this page.
Thanks, Karin!
What is an appropriate gift for your child’s teacher at the end of the year? How much should you spend on a teacher? Here are six gift ideas and a poll.
1. Buy a group gift card with other parents to one store like Target, a department store, mall, or another multi-purpose retailer that gives the teacher options for how to spend it. Each parent can contribute as much as they like.
2. Buy them flowers that they can toss later. The teacher will enjoy them and not worry about accumulating more stuff.
3. Have parents email photos of each child and put them into a photo book (Snapfish and MyPublisher are two options and both often have coupon codes).
4. Give cash. Stuff the bills into a card, of course.
5. Have your child write a note about what they appreciate about the teacher. If other students can contribute, great!
6. Create a gift basket themed around the teacher’s hobby or upcoming event. If you know the teacher is moving into a new home, collect items s/he will find useful in the move. If the teacher loves to garden…you get the idea.
[poll id="25"]
Thanks, Kim and Karen!
I spent the weekend in Portland visiting family and discovered a fabulous way to make a wallet. Very hip and green! You take a half gallon juice or milk carton, cut it up, fold it just so, and voila! A pocket-sized change purse or wallet. My niece Ellie is pictured holding one she made herself.
To make one of these wallets you need:
- Half gallon milk or juice carton with plastic cap
- Scissors
- Wallet Template
- Pen
- Ruler
- Butter knife (to make the folds)
Below is a picture of an open juice carton wallet.
For step by step directions with pictures AND a how-to video, visit this FamilyFun page. The whole project takes less than an hour.
A reader named Ellie left a great comment this week that showed how you can turn something simple – a patch of water – into a very cheap, very entertaining afternoon for kids. And you can do it almost anywhere there is a public stream!
There’s wonderful park in Hollywood where I used to take my kids (moons ago!). It’s on the north side of Los Feliz, not too far east of Western Ave. Can’t recall the name of the park. There’s a creek that runs through the park, which sometimes has crawdads and other creatures in it. There are picnic tables and benches, and it’s shady, which is great on really hot days.
We used to give the kids tiny bit of hot dogs attached to strings so they could troll the waters for some kind of “catch.” They never caught anything, but were always ready to try, and loved playing in the park.
I bet my nephews would love to “go fishing” at a stream near their house. And my sister would certainly appreciate a few hours off!
Related:
Frugal activities for kids this summer
Free family movies this summer
Summer camp alternatives to save money
A site I contribute to called Toddler Magazine is giving away a 7-night stay for four people at an all-inclusive Club Med resort on Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The prize does not include airfare. Sign up for the contest here.
You can enter everyday if you like. The contest ends August 1, 2009.
This contest certainly dwarfs the $25 gift cards to Trader Joe’s or Target that I am giving away! Luckily, you can sign up for both. Win my contest and you can purchase a new swim suit to wear at Club Med if you win on Toddler!
Speaking of stuff for your kids to do this summer, Regal Theaters is once again offer free movies for kids and parents. Each week for 9 weeks starting in late June, select Regal theaters show G- and PG-rated movies on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Seats are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tickets are only available at select theaters’ box office on the day of the show. The line up includes Charlotte’s Web, Kung Fu Panda, Horton Hears a Who and more.
For listings of participating theaters by state, a movie calender and details, check out this Regal page.
Thanks, BrokeSocialite!
A reader asked for suggestions on how she could entertain her kids this summer on the cheap. I’m not a parent but I did spend many high school summers babysitting and tutoring my younger brothers and sisters. I’m afraid what we did is terribly old fashioned: swim at the local pool, tromp through neighborhood stream, design forts, etc.
So I need your help! What are low-budget or free activities you are planning for your child this summer? Are there online resources you are turning to for ideas? Please leave a comment!
Here are ideas to get your started, including a few from Jen’s List, a daily email for Los Angeles families.
- Check your local public library for free events
- Your hometown department of parks and recreation may have low budget summer camps or one-day programs
- Find out which days are free at your local museums
- Create a scavenger hunt for your kids of items they can find nearby. While they search you get a break!
- Help them set up a lemonade stand
- Check if local retailers are offering in-store “workshops” like the 3-hour sessions Apple offered to 8-12 year olds (they’re pretty much all booked, unfortunately)
- Subscribe to FamilyFun Magazine, which Jen says has great crafts and project ideas using supplies you already have in your home. Each month has fun facts and things to do around a holiday or event that month. A one-year subscription is $10 (10 issues). This month Jen’s boys made a Father’s Day calender using their hand prints to make animals.
- Buy a sprinkler to connect to your hose so kids can get wet and cool off. (Note: if you water use is restricted, opt for a wading pool instead.)
- Kids love bubble machines, a relatively cheap toy. Make your own bubbles with dishwasher soap and water.
- Chalk is cheap and kids are only limited by their imagination and sidewalk space. Hopscotch? Self-portraits? Tic-tac-toe?
- Create a schedule with other parents so each person has a day where they run a “camp” at their house. They plan the activities while other parents get a day off.
“If you think about it,” says Jen, “there is more than you could ever do.”
My ridiculously over-taxed sister always has time to share a great idea for Bargainbabe.com, which makes me very grateful for her. Here is one of her recent gems:
“Here’s an idea – how to get a pet on the cheap through adoption agencies. Sometimes they will even agree to pay the vet bills (as our rat adoption agency did.)”
First of all, fab idea sis. Second of all, rats have vet bills?! And there are agencies that tend to their adoption??? Ha! Not that I have anything against rats. I had many rat-pets growing up, including one that built a home-away-from-home in our upright piano. But that’s another story.
To find out if adopting a pet through an agency is a good deal (and a good deed) I emailed Betsy Rosenfeld, author of The Complete Singles Guide to Being a Dog Owner. Here’s what she said:
I wouldn’t say rescuing from an agency is a cheap way to get a pet, but rather it’s a safer, more predictable and budget-friendly way to get a pet because reputable agencies take responsibility for the pets they adopt out. They have paid for the shots, spay neuter and medical problems the dog came with and many rescuers will help you through the sometimes expensive process of integrating your dog into your new home. Moreover many rescues will know a dog’s behaviors so they can help you avoid common, sometimes expensive problems.
So, even if the adoption fee from an agency is more than you would pay at the shelter, it’s a safer bet.
Then when you compare rescuing a dog to buying a dog, yes of course it’s a savings. However realize that the trade-off is that rescuers will ask questions and ask for home checks. They want to make sure the dog is going to a good home where whatever brought them into rescue in the first place won’t happen again.
It’s also important to know that when you buy a dog from a breeder or god forbid a pet store or online (which you should never do because they are most likely puppy mill dogs) even after you’ve already spent all that money there is no guarantee that dog will be healthy either. Breeders and particularly pet stores and online dog stores are notorious for walking away from unwell dogs, and leaving new dog owners to care for their sick puppies.
Per your sister’s situation, many rescues will subsidize a new dog owner who may be a dedicated dog owner, but who couldn’t otherwise afford a dog’s prescription or even a procedure. Rescues can pay hundreds of dollars a month to board their dogs until they find homes. It would be better to find a loving owner and help with a 40 dollar a month prescription than let the dog waste away in a boarding facility.
So yes rescuing a dog from an agency and remember many have purebreds as well – I just rescued a very sought after Labrador from a rescue – is both a cost conscious and good-karma way of bringing home a dog.
I don’t have kids but I do know that a lot of families are looking for cheap ways to keep their children occupied this summer. Here are a few suggestions:
Form a co-op
Take turns babysitting with another parent. This has worked well for a reader named Carrie, who writes NaturalMomsTalkRadio.com. “We’re doing a babysitting co-op – 3 days a week we take care of each other’s children for several hours so we can get work done,” Carrie said.
Host an au pair
If you have room, host a foreigner who provides childcare and light housework in exchange for room and board. There are many organizations that connect au pairs with families, including Cultural Care, AuPair.com, International Au Pair Association, and Au Pair in America.
Enroll in a Parks and Recreation program
Most large cities have low-cost activities for kids. In LA, the Parks and Rec department has more than a dozen programs. Reader Salima said she enrolled her boys for Palms Child Care in Los Angeles, which charges $130 for 15 hours of care per week, or about $180 for 35 hours a week. Search online for programs at your city’s parks and rec department.
Sign up for vacation bible school
A reader named Lisa said vacation bible school is a “cheap alternative to day camps – gets the kids out of the house for a few hours (and gives me time to work too since I work p/t from home). The best part about VBS is that it’s so inexpensive – most churches only charge $40-$75 a week and put on an entire week of fun all tied back to good old-fashioned values.” To find a VBS near you, Google “vacation bible school + 91367″ or whatever your zip code may be.
Rely on friends and family
A reader named Chris taps “every available family/friend resource we have and set a schedule that usually has the kids visiting different family/friends once a week. We also change our work schedule, opting to work on Saturdays (when my mother is available to watch the kids) then having a different day (such as Friday) off with the kids. I also am able to work from home one of the days, which really helps when this option is available.”
Hire a student
Post a note on the job board at your local university or college. Many students who stay in town for the summer need work. Students can be cheaper than commercial childcare centers, while still providing quality care. If possible, share a student nanny with another family and really cut your spending.
Ask for a lower rate at your regular day care
Your go-to source of childcare would probably prefer to cut you a small discount than lose you all together. Call and ask if they have any flexibility with the pricing. Explain your situation and ask them to work with you.
Check for public school programs
In Las Vegas a program called Safe Key is very popular, says reader Charlene, who runs MaxBizMom.com. It is a basic day care program run by the local school district in conjunction with the parks and rec department. “It really has been a godsend,” Charlene said. Safe Key charges about $75 per week with care from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. each weekday.
Enroll in low-cost day camp
While traditional day care can be pricey, there are cheap alternatives. Call around and compare rates.
Baby and kids gear is on sale at the Santa Clarita Valley Kids Consignment sale this weekend from April 24 to 26. Some 250 families are selling 30,000 items, including clothes, toys, shoes, outdoor items, books, videos, bikes, maternity clothes, baby gear and equipment.
Buying used clothes is a great way to save money and is also earth-friendly.
Hours are Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Most items are 50% off Sunday.
The sale is located at 24911 Avenue Stanford in Valencia.
If you are looking for gently used clothing, toys, and gear for babies or kids, check out the LA Kids Consignment sale, which starts today and ends Sunday. I called it a “garage sale on steroids” when I wrote about it more than a year ago and the sale has only grown since.
Kristin Nelson, who runs the sale, is incredibly well organized and picky. Which means the sale is incredibly organized and only the best stuff gets accepted for sale from her army of consignors.
Getting in is free but expect big lines on the weekend. Friday and Saturday sale hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, when most items are 50% off, the hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The sale is at City-Art, 7733 Hayvenhurst Ave. in Van Nuys.
