Budget Vacation Family Summer Fun While At Home
If you’re looking for something to do now might be a good time to plan some exciting family summer fun.
We’ve had to stay home now since the second week of March and with an energy-filled young boy finding things to do can be challenging.
I watch the news like most people do to find out more information about the COVID-19 pandemic and perhaps any sign of a peak but so far, that’s not happening.
Personally, I don’t think the kids will be returning to school for the rest of the year and if they do it will be near the end of the year to tie up any loose ends.
As a parent, I am doing my best to work from home, complete renovations and manage my time with my wife and young son.
He requires so much of my attention because he’s a daddies boy, of course. Ha
There’s not a moment where he’s not behind me asking questions about something or other.
I give praise to anyone has to stay home or stays home by no choice without transportation, as it’s not fun when there’s nowhere to go.
I’m sure many of you have thought about this as a sign of what’s to come for retirement and why it’s important to have hobbies.
Keeping Costs Down While Planning Summer Family Fun Events
To have fun doesn’t cost lots of money unless you plan on travelling, eating out, buying “stuff” or tickets to attend events and concerts.
There are plenty of retired folks who find joy in doing the simple things in life but having the opportunity to move freely around your community helps.
Since we are only allowed to get out for some exercise, grocery shopping, pharmacy and medical appointments there’s one place left to be.
At Home.
Going to the cottage is out of the question (not that we have one) but for those that do we’ve been asked to stay home.
The reason for this is because lots of these small cottage country community hospitals can’t handle any influx of patients that contract the virus.
Even going for leisure drives such as road trips are off the table and because really there’s nowhere to go at this point.
So, we stay home as requested by our government, and that leaves us not many options, in fact, only three.
- Inside the house
- Outside the front of the house
- In the backyard of our house
Just about every night before or after dinner we take a family walk around the neighbourhood that lasts about an hour.
During this time we play games such as scavenger hunts or trying to find as many colourful Spring flowers as we can in bloom.
With the weather in Ontario being less than desirable most days it has proven to be a bit colder than normal.
Even so, we still find some aspect of nature to tackle as a family while we are out and about so we can have a laugh and learn session.
In times like this where we are limited to where we can go, I think it’s important to continue being optimistic whilst protecting ourselves.
One of our conversations turned into what we would do for the summer holidays this year if we were not in the clear to leave home.
Stay Home Family Summer Fun Events
So, we decided ahead of time to start planning fun summer activities we could do at home that were budget-friendly.
I know it sounds daft but the fact of the matter is we don’t know how long this pandemic will go on for.
Planning summer events for the kids while social distancing might be a fun task you can all enjoy doing.
We are finding much joy in spending more time together than ever before and we’re taking advantage of the opportunity.
In fact, I think social distancing and quarantine will teach us all how much we’ve been missing.
By coming up with themed summer events you at least have something fun to look forward to.
Family Summer Fun Water Balloon Games
An example would be a summer water balloon pool, sprinkler, bucket or water hose party BBQ event.
You can buy a big pack of those water balloons called a bunch of balloons at Costco or on Amazon.
We have a pack that was given to our son for a Christmas gift so he’s been waiting to use them.
However, if you can’t afford the price tag, the Dollar Store has loads of balloons that can be filled manually.
I mean, that’s what we did in the good old’ days right?
We also have 3 bags of balloons that we ended up getting in a mixed bag from Value Village last year.
Typically we just chase each other around like nutters and throw water bombs at each other.
That seems to get everyone laughing, smiling and soaking wet.
Outdoor Family Game Night
Add a family game to the mix or educational game and either a bbq dinner or healthy snacks and you’re all set.
Trying to keep kids engaged and happy should be fun for everyone including the adults.
This is where we create recipes with our son in the kitchen that can be grilled so he can watch.
I also teach him how to start the BBQ using wood and newspaper.
Just this week I carried home a huge piece of cherry wood that a neighbour left on the curb.
I thought that would be wonderful for our BBQ this summer although I do BBQ year-round.
Ideally planning ahead is a smart idea but be warned that your family summer fun events depend on the weatherman.
My idea was to create summer activities that cost little to nothing using items around the house.
Let’s have a look at some other family summer fun events we will be doing this summer while we stay home.
Backyard Carnival Games – Sticky Tic Tac Toe
Again, using materials you already have around the house to limit having to go to the Dollar Store is ideal.
I’ll also link any products you can buy on Amazon Canada if you choose to do online shopping while you stay home.
However, if you must make a quick trip to finalize your family fun summer events then do it all in one trip if you can.
This sticky tic tac toe game is simple to make and I know our son would have fun playing it with us.
To make this sticky tic tac toe game you will need:
- Foam Board (I’d probably just use a big piece of cardboard or wood if you have any)
- Felt – We used 6 sheets to cover our foam board
- Duct Tape
- Glue – We used Tacky Glue
- Ping Pong Balls
- Peel and Stick Velcro
Family Summer Fun Soccer
Our son is a huge fan of playing soccer and many other sports such as baseball, basketball and kick the ball.
Kids just love playing with balls in general and so do many adults.
Since our son plays soccer we bought him an official pop-up soccer net for kids and an Under Armour soccer ball.
It’s a great soccer net to use in the backyard or to bring to parks for practice games.
For those without a soccer net, a DIY solution is to use two rectangle laundry baskets or boxes and set them on their sides.
Other fun games might be put golf, potato sack races, carrying eggs on spoons from bucket to bucket.
It’s a great way to build skill too if you create games that both including strategy and body movements.
DIY Parachute Game Family Summer
We have one of those colourful parachutes with a hole in the middle where everyone lifts the fabric up and down.
There are bean bags in the middle and whoever gets the bean bag in the hole first gets a point.
Instead of bean bags, you can use tennis balls or any other soft or plastic balls that you have at home.
Take an old bed sheet and cut it into a circle and make a hole in the middle and you have a DIY family summer fun event.
You can also colour and divide the bedsheet with markers too.
You can find 31 different parachute games online from Kids Activities.
1. MUSHROOM–A GOOD WAY TO INTRODUCE THE PARACHUTE!
1. Children evenly spread out in a circle –while holding the edge.
2. Pull the parachute taut and then lower it between knee level and the ground.
3. On a signal-all raise the chute upwards; it will fill with air and rise up like a giant mushroom (In the winter-call it an “IGLOO”)Tip #1: to get it as high as possible, all participants take a couple steps towards the center as the chute rises.
Tip #2: Practice together so the children can learn cooperation and working together as a group
Discussion: What summer fun events have you been planning for your family just in case we are still told to stay home this summer?
Leave your comments below as I’d love more family summer fun activity ideas.
Mr.CBB
Blog Posts You May Have Missed
Below is a recap of the blog posts I’ve published over the past two weeks.
If you haven’t subscribed to the blog make sure to add your email to my list so you get my weekly blog posts and access to my Free Budget Resources Library.
Plus, now I also release a bi-weekly newsletter that comes straight to your email only for subscribers.
You’ll find exclusive updates about the blog and CBB home life including photos and exclusive contests.
- Why you should stop over-thinking your financial situation (March 2020 Net Worth Update)
- How to turn leftover food into delicious frugal recipes
- Magical Pillow Fluffy Pancakes
- How we plan to be a self-sufficient household – March 2020 Family Budget Update
- Using services like XE to transfer money abroad
- How to optimize a budget to help pay your mortgage or rent
Seasonal Frugal Recipe
You’ll find a recipe that is budget-friendly and in-season which is perfect for grocery budgets and meal plans.
Now that Spring is here I’m gravitating more towards fresh garden salads, BBQ and organic recipes from all cuisines and cultures.
I found this deliciously sweet broccoli cauliflower salad created by Lacie at Easypeasypleasy blog.
If I had space I’d definitely grow broccoli and cauliflower in our vegetable garden.
My father-in-law always had broccoli and it was so fresh you could just cut it and eat it in the garden.
What I enjoyed about this recipe was the fresh ingredients, crunch factor and how easy you can make it a keto recipe.
Instead of adding granulated sugar as she suggests add a keto-approved sweetener in place.
I’d make this recipe and perhaps you might too so go check it out.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped
- 1/2 lb bacon cooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
CBB Motivational Corner
If you haven’t taken the time to sit down with a piece of paper to examine your life, do it now.
Just write down random thoughts about what you’d like to be remembered for when you’re gone.
Often times we put too much emphasis on spending money and living a dream life that we forget there’s much more outside of that box.
Gardening Season 2020
I learned about how to save seeds from your garden so you don’t have to purchase them again.
My father-in-law taught me how to save the seeds from tomatoes and peppers.
Since he’s passed away we took both peppers and tomatoes that grew in his garden randomly that season and did just that.
Now, each year we plant those seeds and watch them grow with smiles on our faces.
I thought this blog post about how to save seeds would be a great read for all of you who are into gardening.
Save your money where you can and put it back into your garden with good soil and tools and reap the rewards.
In this post, you’ll learn about how pollination works and seed saving terminology to help you save seeds.
You’ll also learn how to harvest dry and wet seeds and the process for drying them.
Your saved seeds also make great little gifts for friends and family.
I love that idea.
Home and Blog Update
Home Update
Since I’ve been home now for I forget how many weeks (days are just days) I’ve been getting busy with renos.
If you subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by subscribing to this blog you will see my update photos as I go along.
My idea is to post garden and reno update photos there for all of you who are interested in behind the scene looks.
So far, I’ve torn the deck apart and will be building a larger deck with a pergola.
The last time I built the deck was just after we moved into the house so about 10 years ago.
I made mistakes that I’ve noticed and one thing I don’t recommend is to listen to what Home Depot has to say.
The guys I spoke with there had no clue what he was talking about and I didn’t either as I trusted him.
Things have changed for me in 10 years and now I do my research from trusted sources and tradesmen friends.
Besides renovations and nightly family fun activities and homeschooling our son we have been busy creating new recipes in the kitchen,
Creating New Recipes
I hope to continue sharing keto and non-keto recipes every other Sunday on the blog.
If you would like to see more recipes other than twice a month comment below and let me know.
Our garden seedlings have been planted from cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and herbs galore.
Again, I’ll share photos in the bi-weekly newsletter email.
How’s your spring been going?
Let me know in the comments below what you’ve been up to.
Mr.CBB
Blog Update
If you haven’t noticed we now have a Birthday Freebies page on the blog which will have a cover page shortly.
I always wanted to know where I could go to snag some freebies on my birthday and now I have more of an idea.
It’s a great time to try new products from companies that do offer birthday freebies.
If you see any freebies I’m missing comment below with the link no matter where you are in Canada and I’ll add it.
Other than that we are working on updating printables and getting the Ultimate Grocery Guide organized for ease of reading.
Reader Mailbag Series
I’d love to start a reader mailbag series where you the readers send me a question and I’ll post it right here.
This will allow CBB readers to comment below to help solve your problem or give you some tips.
It can be anything from finance to gardening, relationships to parenting.
Keep your question short but with as much detail as needed to describe your problem.
If you have a photo you want me to share you can send that into my email canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca
Perhaps you have a garden plant that needs help and wants to share a photo of the issue it’s having.
Send it to me.
Mr.CBB
Saturday Search Term Giggles
These are keywords that readers typed into their search engine and landed on this blog.
I get thousands of these every single day and pick some of the best to feature right here.
- Why do people not care about the poor– Well, I don’t know the answer to that but what I will say is that what we do ourselves matters more than anything. Changing people who don’t care likely won’t happen unless they see others caring.
- What you need to create a stockpile– First, Money!
- I handed in my resignation and then changed my mind– Well, I hope it was on good terms.
- Like Scrooge Christmas giving game– OMG it’s April…no Christmas planning yet. Lol
- Keto Hostess Cupcakes– That’s right there should always be cupcakes for the hostess.
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