We have come to the end of my spend free week!

TOTAL MONEY SPENT: $0.00

TOTAL FUN HAD: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000….

LESSONS LEARNED:

• We ended up cutting down on TV.  I wanted to reduce the amount of TV the kids watch so that they would get out of the habit of always asking to watch TV when they were bored. Turns out that this week, we were able to cut down the TV watching to a DVD a day. The kids weren’t too interested in the TV (except for DS4. I would get the question from him at least once a day – but believe me, that is 100 times better than before). They were content to play with their toys or each other. It was great!
• We ended up cutting down on Sugar & Fat. We didn’t spend any extra money on takeaways or other spontaneous treats or junk food so we reduced the fat and sugar that we consumed this week.
• I had so much fun not spending any money! Having a list of possibilities helped me stay one step ahead so that I was always thinking “what cool thing could we do next” rather than “I need some time out, why don’t the kids play by themselves”.
• The kids had a really great time, and didn’t seem to be effected by the fact that the activities that we were doing didn’t cost any money.

I think I would like to do another spend free week next holidays! If you want to give it a go, here are some tips:

1. Make a goal and share it with your family. Sell it to get support.
2. Research all the free activities in your area. A good place to go is your local council website or google “kids events” to find event calendars.
3. Go online to research free activities to do with your children.
4. Choose activities that suit your children. Keep in mind what their interests are, their age, their abilities etc. Make a list.
5. Maintain a tidy kitchen and tidy play area. If you are staying home, make a special effort to keep the play area and kitchen clean. This way you have options. If your kitchen bench is a total mess all the time, you are less likely to do baking, or other fun things like potions, and playdough etc. If your play area is a mess, the kids won’t be in the mood to play there. You w0n’t want to be there. Once again you reduce your options, you won’t be able to play games or toys easily or do crafts etc.
6. Extend outings by being aware of what activities are available in the area. If you go on an outing, think of what other things are close by that you could also visit. Eg Go to a mall show, then go to a nearby park.
7. Be prepared. Always pack food, water and extra clothes when you go out on an outing. This means you won’t need to cut your trip short, and you won’t be tempted to spend money on food.
8. Be flexible. Be aware of the circustances (kids’ mood, your mood, weather etc) and do activities accordinging. Only tell your kids what the next activity is, rather than the run down of the whole day. That way you can change your mind when needed. I usually have 2 or 3 options of what we could do next and then narrow it down as we finish up our current activity.
9. “Be present!” Have fun with the kids, get involved!

You may also be interested in:

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 2

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6