A recycled food container makes an attractive flower pot

The modern world is an increasingly ‘throw-away’ one. People choose to replace rather than repair, and manufacturing encourages this. It used to be commonplace to see older cars on the roads but not any more. Take your car to a garage and chances are they’ll put it on a computer that tells them which part to replace – replace, NOT repair. Not too many years ago that shoe or handbag that was chewed by your new puppy could be taken to a traditional cobbler. He may not be able to make it exactly like new, but he could repair it so it was still usable.

Rubbish bins, recycling centres and landfill sites all hold their share of items discarded as soon as anything happens to them. Our forebears wouldn’t have declared an item useless following a chip or crack, but many people today have been seduced into believing it must be replaced. The concept of repair is alien. Likewise the thought of using anything in less than perfect condition or finding a different use for something when its original purpose has disappeared.

Greece offers two angles here, as usual at each end of the scale.

Many Greek people have a ‘throw-away’ mentality, regularly discarding things that other westerners religiously recycle such as plastic bottles. Waste bins at the end of the tourist season are also testament to the Greek throw-away nature, filled with chairs, mattresses and other items of furniture that are no longer wanted. Local refuse services take anything left in, or around the bins, which encourages the practice. Greek people aren’t yet expected to sort their rubbish, or to pay for the disposal of bulkier items like in the UK. The state still happily does it all for them.

But in other areas the Greeks remain re-users and repairers:

Many people use old olive oil and feta cheese tins as plant pots and plastic bags are routinely re-used as bin liners. Some plastic bottles find a new life protecting electric cables in partially built houses – it’s not unusual to see a row of upturned plastic bottles along a wall, where one day there will be lights.

Our washing machine recently needed attention. The door had come off: the metal hinge had broken through. Replacement of the machine wasn’t even considered, nor was searching out a manufacturer’s spare part. A replacement hinge could be fashioned by a local metal worker at lower cost and much faster than tracking down a part.

A friend has a 15 yr old 4-wheel drive vehicle which needed a new front bumper complete with light fitments. Rather than send to the manufacturers for an expensive new part, the local garage had one made up locally, again at much less cost.

Local garages repair many older cars and other vehicles that would either have to be scrapped due to lack of skills and knowledge, or expensively repaired by specialist garages in other countries. I’ve read that Greece has followed other countries and introduced its own scheme to scrap older vehicles, giving payments both for the scrapped vehicle and towards buying a newer, more fuel efficient one. Somehow I can’t imagine that this will be the end of the ‘repair before replacing’ way of life.

There are many things that frustrate me about the Greek people, but I do like the fact that they still work by many traditional values.

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solar and wind power is affordable with a little effort

Save money, go greener and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself!

There are many ways to save money, whether there’s an economic downturn or not.

Often these mean we need to change our thinking, to get away from the modern ways of buying everything we need. There’s a tremendous amount of satisfaction from making things, especially things that – we’re told – can only be made by the experts. Browse the web and you’ll find lots of examples of this: people powering their cars with water, building homes from bags of earth or metal shipping containers, using things designed for one purpose for a completely different one.

In our desire to live a greener, more economical life we’re also trying to do as much as possible ourselves here in Greece. Many Greeks are set in their traditional ways, especially when it comes to building anything, so we’re regularly facing the question: ‘Why do you want to do that?’ Explanations and justifications for our ideas often fail to get across, and we’re increasingly falling back on one of two answers: ‘Because we do’ or ‘Why shouldn’t we do it?’

As we now have an accessible piece of land to build on, we’re starting to make plans of how to use it efficiently. We hope to get mains water, but mains electric is a non-starter, partly based on cost, but also because we have massive supplies of sun and wind available, so we’d be fools not to take advantage of them.

Browsing the web to find out about solar energy systems and wind turbines can be off-putting. There is so much information out there, and so many companies looking for your business, usually at a cost that will take many years to recover. And there’s no guarantee that these companies offer the best route: we have friends who failed to site their solar panels in the best place, because they weren’t given all the information they needed. They were, however, persuaded to buy an expensive freezer that was designed to be powered by a solar energy system, only later realizing that it was no more efficient to run than a normal one that cost much less.

If, like me, you never studied physics and have no idea about volts, amps, watts and all those other obscure terms, you may feel daunted at the possibility of building your own solar energy system or wind turbine. There are lots of guides out there offering to help, but how do you know whether the one you buy will give you help at the level you need?

Solar energy systems and wind turbines need to be built properly, and for many of us that means we need a simple step-by-step guide with lots of pictures. As far as the technology is concerned we need straightforward explanations of those things we need to understand, without confusing us with the complexities of those things we don’t.

We’ve found a product that looks the business. It has clear instructions, lots of pictures, DVDs so you can see someone actually going through the process, plus a lot of supporting information. Check out this video for a preview of what I mean.

Then if you get the bug, like we have, why not give it a go?

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I want it all, and I want it now!

The mantra of consumerist society.

Clever marketers have persuaded us to believe that we just can’t live without whatever new product they want to promote. Actually they know, and we know if we’re honest, that we can easily survive without that latest gizmo. But they’re skilled at making us believe that, if we don’t rush out to get it, we’ll somehow be inferior, out of step, out of touch.

It’s okay to have a different make or model of cellphone from your friend, so long as you’ve both got one that takes pictures, accesses the internet, holds more music than you could ever listen to and makes a fantastic latte. If you’re still walking about with something the thickness of a candy bar that only lets you make calls and send messages, you’re up there with the dinosaurs – even if the gadget does everything you want of it.

Expectations have been created in our children that there’s an electronic solution to everything, and that this is the best – even the correct – solution. Even toddlers can have their own play versions of laptops, cellphones, music and movie players. Those marketers are smart: hook them into the idea early and you’ve got them for life.

Look round at children in airports waiting for planes. How many of them are in some way hooked in to electronic machines? Teenagers and adults too. Dad gives his son a gizmo to keep him busy so he can check the ballgame results on the web in peace.

It’s not just entertainment. Satellite navigation is also being pushed as a ‘must have’, turning the traveller from a thinking machine into an automaton, responding to commands, even if these don’t seem to make sense (it looks like a dead end but if the satnav says to turn there, it must be right). Cars are becoming more dependent on computers that diagnose faults whose solution is usually to replace a part, rather than repair it.

We’re growing a generation of people who expect their every entertainment need to come from a shiny little box. Or a shiny big box hanging on a wall emitting larger than life pictures. A whole bunch of people who are being discouraged from thinking and acting for themselves, of making their own entertainment. People who don’t know how to do simple repairs, or even maintenance checks on equipment. A generation who believe that home-made bread comes out of a machine sitting on the kitchen counter, an hour or so after all the ingredients have been tossed together.

What sort of legacy is this for our children? For YOUR children?

If they always expect someone or something to provide a solution to their needs, be it entertainment, equipment problems and household repairs, or travel directions, they’ll go through life relying on others.

Do them a big favour and make sure they grow up with their own coping skills and resilience. Limit the amount of time spent on electronic games and computers and make sure your child has a variety of different stimuli that will develop different skills and abilities.

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Use pen and paper based word and number puzzles to develop writing skills including spelling and grammar, as well as logic and reasoning.

Get them involved in practical tasks around the home to build practical skills and confidence. A cake baked at home gives much more satisfaction than one bought in a shop, even if the shop-bought one looks more attractive.

Teach stewardship. If something goes wrong or breaks, explore repair before replacement. Help your child to understand that we don’t live in a throw-away world.

Make sure they interact with others. Too many electronic games are played solo, or turn by turn, and even when there is more interaction it’s rarely face to face. Help your child build socializing skills, learn to give and take, and to win and lose in real life.

Invest your own time with your child so he can talk to adults as well as people closer to his own age. Discuss current affairs and encourage your child to express and explain his views. The more comfortable he is with talking, forming opinions and debating them, the better prepared he’ll be for the world of work. And he’ll be better able to discuss any personal issues that arise.

Encourage links between the generations. Many adults regret not knowing more about their family history. If there are elderly relatives in your family get them talking about their childhood but make it relevant for your child. Talk about the first television set, a rare trip somewhere, an eccentric or noteworthy ancestor.

Make sure your child reads regularly and not just off a screen. Make available books and magazines on things that interest her, and ask her to read things to you – a recipe while you’re baking, the instructions to set the DVD, anything that will make sure she’s seeing correct spelling and grammar, rather than only being exposed to the language of computers and cellphones.

On a car journey, take a map. Plan your own journey then see how it compares to your satnav one. Follow the satnav directions on your map. Look at the places you’re passing through: are there interesting things to see? Strange names for places? You can bet your satnav voice won’t be giving you a commentary about the country you’re going through.

The younger you can start this the more effective you can be. But for older children who have already become slaves to their electronic toys, only switching them off when there’s something they really must watch on television, the task is both urgent and important if you want them to develop self reliance rather than always looking to someone – or something – else to solve all their problems.

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Do YOUR kids think there's one of these growing in the garden?

The Importance of Savings
Whenever you get some money, whether you’ve been given it or earned it, don’t be tempted to spend it all. Make sure you put a proportion on one side as savings. Not savings for something specific, savings that can be a buffer for those times when money gets tight or you have unexpected expenses. And if you need to dip into those savings, replace what you took as soon as you can.

The Benefits of Planned Savings
Make sure your savings earn you money. As a young child, knowing the number of coins you’ve got in a piggy bank is growing is a good incentive to save. But as soon as possible you should get this money working for your child. Investigate savings accounts geared towards children but don’t automatically choose one of these unless it is a good investment. Ideally you should find a savings account that pays interest gross, so your children don’t lose money in unnecessary taxes. If you can find an account that pays monthly interest and encourages regular saving, all the better. And consider using a notice account where they can’t just withdraw money whenever they want. You could get a better interest rate that way.

Really Making Your Money Work for You
Show your child the benefits of compound interest, either through their own account or yours. Show them that money saved earns interest not only on the original amount, but on the interest itself. Get them to see savings as a way of acquiring extra money without doing anything for it – apart from not touching their savings of course!

It’s Worth Waiting
Always apply the concept of ‘wait a while’ when your child wants something, especially something expensive or ‘hot off the press’. Instead of buying it straight away, agree to wait for an agreed period first. This will do several things:

Firstly it will show whether the article is really wanted. If, after waiting three months, your child still wants to purchase then it’s a committed buy, rather than a whim. But if they’re no longer that interested, they haven’t wasted money on something they would have quickly grown tired of.

Secondly, and particularly if the article was a new release of something expensive like software or cell phones, the price may well have fallen. Anyone who buys into a technology product as soon as it’s released is spending money they don’t need to. Often after only a few months these products can show significant price reductions. The opposite side of this is that similar products, or earlier versions, may also show price reductions in an effort to maintain market share, so there could be other bargains to compare the original item against.

Thirdly, it will show your child that, despite what the marketing people or their friends say, it IS possible to survive without those ‘must have’ items. This begins to break the hold of the instant gratification culture.

Money Isn’t a Dirty Word
Talking openly about money is a good thing. Many families try to shield their children from discussions about money, especially if they are having difficulties or worried about paying bills. But if you don’t share this with your children how can you expect them to ever develop a realistic understanding of money?

If they aren’t involved in discussions about budgeting, cutting back, changing spending habits etc. you’re doing them a real disservice in preparing them for future life. And if they don’t understand your financial situation they can’t give you their support. Don’t underestimate your kids: if they know cutbacks are needed they’re likely to come up with their own ideas, both for cutting their own spending AND for cutting back on household expenses.

Money Isn’t Everything
We live in a society that has been persuaded to believe that the only things worth having are those that cost money. We’ve been lulled into the false belief that anything that’s cheap – or free – is inferior. But that’s not always the case.

A country walk with a picnic prepared at home costs little money-wise, but pays dividends in terms of the quality time you all get to spend together.

Family efforts like tidying the yard or clearing the garage can be great fun and lead to other activities, such as collecting a stack of items to sell on eBay.

Growing things is an excellent way of teaching deferred gratification: that plant is going to grow in its own time, however much you want to rush it. And if you grow edibles as well as garden plants you get a double benefit. There are lots of things that can be grown in pots, tubs or window boxes, and that are easy enough to care for that the kids can be given partial or complete responsibility. When you’re eating salad with tomatoes, peppers and lettuce grown by your children, their satisfaction and your pride are priceless.

Get the kids involved in staging their own entertainment. Older children could act out stories for younger ones. You could search the web for puzzles or questions and put together your own quizzes and competitions with prizes. Sort through old photographs and start to build a family tree. The possibilities are endless. All it takes is a little imagination.

With older children get them exploring career ideas on the web to start preparing for their own future. The more they learn now, the better prepared they’ll be when they need to make decisions about college and employment. And you will be better prepared to support them, and avoid costly mistakes from hastily made choices.

Many activities that cost money offer temporary satisfaction, and need a regular ‘fix’ to keep that going. Substitute lower cost or free activities that develop your child’s own internal resources: their sense of responsibility, creativity, self confidence, real social skills (as opposed to exercising their texting thumbs), reasoning skills etc. and you’re giving them a priceless gift for life.

Money Doesn’t Bring Happiness
There are many examples of people with lots of money who are beset with difficulties – just read the pages of any celebrity rag.

More difficult to find, there are also examples of people enjoying a satisfying, fulfilling life on a low income.

That’s not to say that money can’t result in happiness, but just possession won’t do it. What you do with the money you have is far more significant than the amount you possess. If you use money to facilitate real life choices (we’re not talking about designer trappings here, but things of real value) then the outcome can be positive. And if you can create happiness on a limited amount of money, you’ve found the key to a good life.

Make sure your children don’t make the mistake of equating money with happiness or a trouble-free life. The more realistic their attitude towards money, the better chance they have of avoiding the pitfalls of worshipping at the altar of materialism.

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I read a news item in the last few weeks on the sorry plight of British ex-pats living in Spain and Portugal and how difficult they were finding things these days. Brits have been hit hard by the exchange rate fluctuations over the past eighteen months or so, from around 1.40 euros to the pound back in 2007 to almost parity in early 2009.

But I did find it hard to accept the media story at face value. It suggested that ex-pats need a minimum of £1,000 per month for living expenses. Many ex-pats are living mortgage-free in places that have a warmer climate than the UK, which means that annual fuel costs are less. Accepted, we’ve just had the worst winter in many years in these countries, and fuel costs this last few months will have been higher. Offset against this is the ‘free’ hot water that anyone with a solar water system enjoys. It doesn’t need full sun all day to get a tank of hot water, just a few hours or so.

Also offset for many people is the winter fuel allowance paid by the UK government, which is still paid even if you’re sunning yourself on a sandy beach.

So with no mortgage to pay, that £1,000  (around 1,100 euros at current exchange rates) has to pay for utilities, food and entertainment, plus some funds for savings and emergencies.

It all comes down to lifestyle choices.

If you choose to visit cafes every day and eat out at night, the expenses are going to add up quickly. If you’ve chosen to live abroad but want regular trips back to the UK the costs are going to mount.
If you’ve chosen a life style that is similar to a never-ending holiday, you can expect to pay for it. But with a little effort it’s possible to live on a lot less and still enjoy this ex-pat life.

We rent an apartment and have the following regular monthly expenses (for 2 adults):

Choose to spend lots of time eating out and your living expenses will be higher

rent 320 euros
internet 50 euros
utilities (electricity for heating, hot water and cooking) approx 50 euros
food 250 euros
fuel 50 euros
money saved for annual bills (car tax and insurance, other insurance etc.) 150 euros

Total 870 euros.

That still leaves us around 230 euros a month from the notional 1,100 for other expenditure. I can live with that.

When we finally get our own place we’ll save that 320 euros rent monthly. And one day we may even get access to broadband internet, which will bring these costs down even further. We’re starting to grow vegetables which will shave a bit more off those food bills.

I’m not suggesting that everyone should make the same choices that we have. But at the end of the day that’s what it’s about: the choices we make. An economic downturn is an opportunity to review those choices, to think about the habits you’ve gotten into and whether they’re all good ones.

I’m sure it’s it’s as difficult for people who were used to getting 1.40 euros per pound to quickly adjust to this change in their income as it is for anyone else suddenly faced with a significant income drop, for example due to redundancy. But unless they were already living to the limit of their income there should be the potential to make savings. And surely this is a better option than moving back to the UK, which seems to be the automatic reaction of many caught in this situation, according to the media.

The media have a very powerful voice. The problem is that so many people take what is said as truth. So if the media say it can’t be done, it can’t. But in reality it can. All it takes is a willingness to make choices, a little flexibility and ingenuity.

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What’s the difference between a need and a want?

I need clothing. I need items suitable for work, and it’s a good idea to also have items suitable for when I’m not working, so my working clothes will last longer. I need warmer items for cold weather and cooler items for warm weather. I need clothing that will keep me dry in wet weather. I need a range of items, and a few changes of clothing so I don’t have to wash them every day.

But I don’t need all the clothes in my wardrobe. I don’t need so many sweaters, so many t-shirts, so many pairs of shoes. I don’t need several winter coats, or several different swimsuits. I could manage perfectly well on less than half the clothing I have now, so why do I still have them all: I want them.

I need food. I need a variety of food to give me all the protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals etc. that will keep my body healthy.

But I don’t need that expensively packaged cake, or that high priced ready prepared meal. I don’t need that celebrity endorsed range of exotic foods. I want them.

I need shelter. I need a roof over my head with plumbing and cooking facilities, a place to sleep, a place to eat, places to store things, somewhere to relax.

But I don’t need a 4 bedroom detached home with 3 en-suite bathrooms and a luxury fitted kitchen. I don’t need double-sized fitted wardrobes in every bedroom. I don’t need them but I may want them.

The word ‘need’ is often accompanied by the word ‘basic’ because that’s what needs are: they’re the basics, the essentials. And because of this they can often seem commonplace and unattractive. At least that’s what many people in today’s society work hard to make us believe. It’s an accepted rule of selling that people don’t buy what they need, they buy what they want – or more accurately, they buy what a salesperson or advertiser has convinced them they want (and can’t live without).

I don’t need that fancily packaged food, but doesn’t it look nicer … won’t it taste so much nicer than that more simply packaged (and less expensive) product sitting alongside it on the supermarket shelf?

I know I don’t need 4 bedrooms, a luxury kitchen and bathroom, and enough storage space to house a couple of families, but won’t it feel great to have all that space … and I’ll appreciate the extra space when relatives come to stay (how often will that be?).

I don’t need that brand new electronic gizmo that’s only just out of development phase, but  won’t it impress people when I pull out the very latest communication device and instantly send a picture of me sitting on a beach to 27 different people, complete with sounds and smells, and a  weather report provided by a passing satellite?

The fact that people fail to stop when their needs are met, but keep going, spending money they don’t need to – and quite possibly don’t have — in order to meet their wants, is a problem in modern society. Advertisers have done an excellent job of convincing us that our needs can only be met with high value products when this isn’t the case at all. Our needs can easily be met with lower priced products that do an equally good job, but that doesn’t make the big profits. We’ve been brainwashed into believing that our wants are actually our needs. Our wants have become the bottom line and we couldn’t possibly consider anything less.

Economic downturns are a good opportunity to take stock. Many people start to rediscover the difference between needs and wants, and to realize that by concentrating on meeting their needs for a while, they can probably save money.

This doesn’t mean going to extremes and denying yourself anything other than the basics. But it does mean acknowledging to yourself that you’re satisfying a want rather than meeting a need, and being comfortable with this.

It means taking a mental pause before putting that expensive food item in your supermarket trolley and asking yourself whether it’s the best purchase you can make.

It means responding to those ‘must have’ messages with the simple question ‘why must I???’, and if you are happy with the answer, go ahead and buy. But if you can’t give yourself genuine, believable reasons then forget it.

It means walking past the shoe shop and ignoring those subliminal ‘buy me’ messages that have hooked you so easily in the past.

It means putting off buying that latest gizmo until the development has stabilized and the price has come down to something more realistic. After all, you may not get the full benefit of it unless other people are using the same technology as well. And if you’ve picked something that doesn’t catch on you may be left with a useless heap of electronics. And there’ll be something else along in a couple of months that you may wish you’d bought instead.

It means not being so blinded by the marketing hype that you forget to balance it against other factors. That luxury, designer, exclusive, bespoke, executive 4 bedroom (3 en-suite) residence is impressive, but for just the two of you?

But if you do take this opportunity to reflect on your spending patterns make sure the lessons you learn are there for life. The economy will turn again, the outlook will improve. And when it does you still won’t need that expensively packaged and priced designer branded food, or all those shoes.

But will you want them???

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Here are some more ideas to help you make savings on household expenses:

1. Find cheaper alternatives to replace some products. Lemon juice is great for descaling kettles, and also good for removing stains from clothing and crockery, and smells from your hands. Vinegar is also good for descaling, and cleaning glass without leaving smears. These years old methods still work despite having been replaced by newer products.

Tip 12 explains how to avoid throwing away plastic containers that still have some contents

2. Be sensible about ‘use by’ dates. There is always some leeway built into these. If a product is a day or so over it’s date, it should still be perfectly okay to use. If you feel you must follow the dates strictly, make sure you only buy what you know you will use.

3. Don’t squeeze washing up liquid bottles so hard. Dribble the liquid out under a running tap and you’ll still get a good head of foam but use less. When the bottle seems empty, rinse it out with a little water before you discard it, and this will give you another measure.

4. Cook enough for 2 meals and freeze it. This works especially well with casseroles, pasta sauces and similar. You don’t necessarily need to use twice as much of every ingredient to make twice as much quantity. Use proportionally less meat and more vegetables.
Read another 12 money saving tips here

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Many organized activities for kids can be expensive, and in the current financial climate they could be an area of household expenditure that can’t continue to be supported.

But you don’t want the alternative to be kids with their eyes glued to a TV or computer screen several hours a day, especially if they’ve given up something that kept them active.

Here are some suggestions of things to do with your kids that cost little, if anything in terms of money. They may cost you time, but when it’s time spent on an enjoyable activity with your kids, it’s got to be a good investment.

Let’s Go Fly a Kite

Kite flying is enjoyed by children and adults

A windy day, some open space, what more do you need – a kite or two, of course! Simple ones can usually be bought quite cheaply. Leave anything fancy and expensive until you’ve reached a reasonable level of skill.

Pack some refreshments, take a camera to catch those special moments, and enjoy…

Walk with a Purpose

Walking is great for exercise and fresh air, but sometimes it can seem boring. So give your walks an objective: related to where you’re walking, the time of year, or both.

You can often get guides for country walks free or at low cost. Or visit your library for local guidebooks that include detailed walks.

In the country look out for seasonal plants and animals. See how many different colors there are in the flowers, the leaves or the trees. In woodland areas look for different fungi growing on trees, plants in flower at different times of the year, plants you don’t recognize.

Look for shapes and shadows created by different amounts of sunlight.

In cold weather look for frost covered plants, spiders webs covered in dew, fringes of ice around pools of water. Take a camera and photograph patterns and details, rather than the whole scene. See how nature plants her garden when left to her own devices.

In built up areas look for things that tell you about the past. Street names, decorations on buildings, architectural styles all tell their own stories. Seek out the unexpected – the old house standing defiantly among new buildings, the green spaces in what seems to be a totally urban area, the touches of nature and color that people bring with window boxes or climbing plants.

If you’re able to get to the beach search out unusual stones and shells, driftwood and other offerings from the sea. Look at the shapes in the sand, and the marks left behind as the waves recede. And — of course – make footprints and watch the sea claim them.

Teach your children to observe the world around them, and to find interest and enjoyment in simple, natural things.

Care for Something

Maybe there’s an area near you that needs, or is getting, a face lift. A river bank that’s become overgrown and impassable, a green area that’s gone to waste, old walls and hedges that have fallen into decay. Get involved and teach your kids to give something back to the environment and their community.

Find a conservation group that welcomes children and adults.

Children may not always be welcomed at organized activities but don’t let that stop you. Turn your attentions to your own garden. Choose a new project that the kids can get involved in. Or give them their own area to manage as they want.

Find an elderly neighbor or relative who would appreciate help in their garden.

Teach your children commitment and year round responsibility through maintaining a garden or other outdoor area.

Explore Family and Local History

Sort through your old photographs and other mementos and start to build a history of your family. Use websites and libraries to research further back into your history, seeking out births, marriages, and deaths, and census returns to see how families changed over time. Learn about the places your ancestors lived and the work they did.

Try and build as comprehensive a picture as you can of your family and draw it out on a colorful  chart. Talk to older relatives to find out what and who they remember.

Do the same for the place where you live. Local libraries or book shops often have books written about the local area which were only published on a small scale. Local councils or public record offices may also have interesting records that you can view. See how far back you can trace the history, and how much the area has changed.

Back copies of local newspapers can be found in libraries and sometimes on the internet. These are an excellent source of information on how things have changed over the years. Were there any unusual events or colorful characters in the area? Elderly residents may have forgotten stories to tell.

Visit the church and cemetery to seek out names of notable local families. Are there lots of people with the same surname? Are there any well-known families represented?

Give your kids a sense of history, and the past of their own family and locality.

Make Things From Paper

Templates for a wide variety of projects are free to download from several websites. Get started by visiting those in this article. You need to provide the paper for printing, but you could save money by printing out in black and white rather than color, then getting the kids to color the pieces before putting them together.

Print off 3 dimensional cards (a vase of flowers or pop-up birthday cake, for example), or templates for small boxes, then you have an activity that results in a useful gift.

Print off the template for a picture frame, make it up and add pictures of your family, then give it to an older relative.

Help your kids develop hand to eye co-ordination, practical skills and patience through making these models

For more low cost activities for kids, read this article: Cheap and Cheerful Activities for a Wet Weekend

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The current economic woes also have an upside if we choose to consider it. They give us an ideal opportunity to rethink our attitudes and values, and a chance to step back from the excessive consumption that the media and finance industries have encouraged these last few years.

They also give parents the chance to involve their children in this process. It’s an excellent opportunity to help children learn good financial values. Such as by giving your kids an insight into household budgeting.

Give Your Kids a Budget to Manage

If your kids are used to spending their allowance on whatever they choose, and maybe coming to you for extra cash once it’s gone. This is a good way to build financial understanding and discipline. Here’s an example:

Read the remainder of Teach Your Kids How to Budget

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Even when times are hard and money is tight you still have to eat. But, like most people, you’ve probably

Frugal shopping can help keep costs down

gotten into buying habits that mean you spend more than you actually NEED to on food. While the whole world is focused on economic downturn, it’s a good time to revisit your buying habits for the long term.

It’s easy to become a more frugal food shopper without giving up on good food. Follow these handy tips:

1. Don’t shackle yourself to brand loyalty. Doubtless you have favorite brands for some foods, but if this means you never try alternatives you may have tied yourself in to needlessly expensive purchases. Experiment – you run the risk of being pleasantly surprised. Those brands you now buy automatically were new themselves once.

2. Don’t let that expensive ready-prepared salad dressing sneak into your basket. Scan the ingredients in your favorite brand, then have a go at making your own version. Combine different herbs, vinegars and other ingredients. It takes no time at all, and you may create something you like even better.

3. Don’t give in to the kids. Plasters with cartoon characters on them don’t work any better than the regular ones. Breakfast cereals in individual packaging always cost more than larger packs. Buy any product with a children’s character association, and you’re likely paying more for the branding than the quality of product.

4. Don’t shop every Saturday. If you normally shop on the same day every week, extend this to every 8 days. You’ll likely survive the extra day’s wait, you won’t buy any more, but you will cut down on the number of times you shop.

5. Don’t be fooled by supermarket classifications on fresh produce. Exactly what does that superior quality label mean? It could just as equally be about appearance as about quality or nutritious value. Does it really matter if your apples are all the same size, or your bananas all the same length?

6. Don’t pay for unnecessary packaging. It’s usually cheaper to buy loose than pre-packaged. This applies to most ranges of fresh produce – fruit and vegetables, meat, cheese etc. You’re only going to be throwing the packaging away, so why pay for it in the first place?

7. Don’t buy more than you need. The Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) found that the average UK household throws out £420 of good food each year, and for the average family with children it’s a whopping £610. That’s over 350 million tonnes of food gone to waste, and over 200 tonnes of this is food that hasn’t even been touched.
Read on for 15 more avoidable shopping mistakes

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