Fun at the Farm

Autumn is by far my favorite season, and I feel like I find even more to do every year. It's to the point where I've decided we need 2 Octobers to fit in all the fun!

One family tradition is to go to Hobson's Farm in Rockville, IN. I love that you pay one admission price and get to enjoy a variety of activities! This is fun for the whole family and I love that we got to enjoy it with my daughter's girl scout troop this year!

The Best things in Life are Free

One aspect of frugality that can be the most difficult is the feeling that you're constantly denying yourself the things you want. Spending money can be more fun than saving it, but there are ways that we have fun and make our families happy without breaking the bank.

The simple things in life make me happy. I love sleeping in a few extra minutes, getting to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, lazy Sundays where the kids wake to their own internal clocks, and the chance to spend time outside in the dirt. I think my kids would agree with that last one. They love to ride their bikes, create pictures out of paper, crayons, and glue, and play with the dog.

We are blessed in that we get to do many things as a a family, but some of the things that make us the happiest are ones that we take for granted. We have at-home movie nights as a family which really can be more fun than going to a theater because we can enjoy the movie without worrying about making too much noise. We are happy to just relax in the comfort of our own home and spend time together.

Gardening is another thing that makes my family happy. We enjoy the food it provides, but it is also a hobby that we can all enjoy together. The kids helped my husband plant the starts a few weeks ago and a few days ago they were so excited to report that some had sprouted. When the plants are in the ground outside they are my biggest helpers and love to water the garden, pick the produce, and eat what they pick. It helps save money, but it is also a fun and happy experience for my family.

Reading is another frugal activity that makes my family happy. I love a good book and my kids aren't able to go to bed until they have heard a bedtime story, or 4. We keep this frugal by going to the library often. The library is such a great resource in our area. They have a weekly story time for my son, but also have many reading programs for kids of all ages. We participated in their summer reading program and my kids were so happy to get to read so many books and earn prizes. Each week they would get to learn about something new, I think my son was the happiest when Firemen came to speak and he got to sit in the truck.

How do you make your family happy without breaking the bank? Are the best things in life really free?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

What are you reading?

I took a day to "recharge" yesterday and turned the computer off for 12 hours (non-sleeping hours). It felt almost like an escape. I read a book start to finish and got to make a more time-consuming dinner. I let the kids sleep in and just enjoyed the quiet and peace in the house. It was a pretty great end to Spring Break.

I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen after hearing all the hype about it. I think it was well-deserved hype! I was able to dive right into the life at a circus, it was a real escape. I loved that it was so realistic yet still an imaginative story. I know I will reread it because I feel like I was reading it so fast to see what would happen next that I probably didn't process some good parts. I tend to do that when reading, I want to know what happens so much that I fly through it and then feel like I need to reread it to really grasp everything that happened.

So now I am on the lookout for a new book to read. What books are you reading? Do you have a "to read" list? What are some all-time favorites?

I need to make a list together and hit the library this week.