Stay Busy, Save Money!
The first quarter of the current school year ends next Thursday, with no school on Friday. My wife happened to notice that the hotel we frequent yearly in an area with many outdoor and indoor water parks was running a crazy sale for that same weekend. We could get a two room suite that sleeps eight people for a fraction of the cost normally paid. We decided to make it a short, one night getaway allowing our son to bring along several friends. Fun for parents, fun for kids, easy on the budget.
When I say easy on the budget, that’s relative to the normal price of such an adventure. But in the context of our weekly budget it would require us to bank some money this weekend by not spending our discretionary funds. If we could do that, and combine the saved amount with next weekend’s discretionary funds, we could make the trip happen.
Spending next to nothing for an entire weekend is very difficult. The only way to make it happen is to keep ourselves busy. If our minds are occupied accomplishing tasks around the house, we won’t have time to think about spending money, much less actually do it.
Here are some around the house projects we have in mind for this weekend to keep us busy and away from activities that would drain our budget and ruin our plans:
Decorate For Fall
With Halloween over, we need to put away all our witches, goblins and ghosts and get out our official fall decorations. Some go outside, some go inside around the home. This activity will also involve several trips up and down the ladder to the attic.
Organize Mechanical Room
Whenever something needs a home, it gets tossed into the mechanical room. Out of sight, out of mind. Over time the room becomes a gigantic mess. Periodically everything needs to be taken out, reorganized and several bags of stuff thrown away or donated.
Winterize Yard
The weather has been deceptively warm this fall in my area, but make no mistake, cold weather and snow is coming. The lawn needs one more mow and trim, and plants need to be cut down. The patio furniture also needs to go into the garage for the winter.
Clean Out Closet
Over time we seem to lose hangers in our master bedroom closet. In actuality, we accumulate new clothes. Once or twice a year my wife and I go through our respective sides of the closet, throwing away worn out or stained clothes, or donating items that are in good condition but we just don’t wear anymore. It keeps us from running out of hangers when putting away laundry, and de-clutters our closet.
These activities all have two things in common. They will keep us busy and productive, and they are 100%, absolutely free. By accomplishing these tasks, we will mark a few things off the Todo list, and allow us to bank our weekend funds to be used for next weekend’s getaway.
How about you, Clever Friends? Do you ever dive into projects around the house to keep yourselves from spending money?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
Kudos to you guys! We’ve found that for us, busyness usually leads to convenience buys to time which are not a smart fiscal decision most of the time. Then again, we’re talking busyness that doesn’t allow time for boredom rather than getting busy to avoid boredom. I hope the weekend goes well and that you have fun on the trip!
That’s a great deal – made even better by a solid plan to work it into your budget rather than just blowing your budget to make it work!