Frugal Coast2Coast: How to Homeschool on the Cheap

Tonight on Frugal Coast2Coast Lynnae and I are tackling how to homeschool on a budget.

Now I am not a homeschooler-but I have oodles of respect for those of you out there who do.  What an undertaking!  Lynnae on the other hand made the difficult decision to start homeschooling her children this year. As a matter of fact, last Monday was their first day of school.

So join us tonight at 8:30 pm EST as we talk with veteran homeschooler Toni of  The Happy Housewife about homeschooling on the cheap!

I got the chance to meet and hang out with Toni at BlogHer last month-what a fun and fantastic lady!  It is going to be a great show tonight, so tune in and listen live at 8:30pm EST and stop by to hang out in the chat room.

So, do you homeschool? What is your best tip for saving money while homeschooling? What area do you find it the hardest to save money on?

Frugal Summer Fun for Kids Part II

Ah summer! There are so many fantastic things for kids can do in the summer.  As I talked about in in Frugal Summer Fun for Kids Part I the backyard can be a wonderful place full of inexpensive fun. . . .

Until it rains and you all are stuck inside for a week.

Or like my sister you live in the south where the weather is over 100 for days on end.

Sometimes you need some exciting activities that take you out of the house, but into the air conditioning!

Read a Book! Take kids of all ages to the library and check out some new books, videos or games.  See what kind of summer reading programs your state offers-just google “summer reading program (state)” and you’ll pull up plenty of information. The one here in NY is always themed for the whole state.  Most of these programs reward children & teens with a prize for books read.  Libraries aren’t the only source of reading programs. Barnes and Noble and Scholastic also have programs.

Watch a Movie.  Of course you can grab a DVD for free from your local library, rent a recent release from your local Redbox or subscribe to Netflix. . . but why not get out of the house, make it an event and enjoy some free air conditioning.  Most cities have a discount or dollar theatre that you could enjoy-but even better are the various FREE movies that are being offered to kids around the country.  Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres both offer a free summer “movie camp” in select cities (see if they include yours!) and Cinemark offers a “10 Movies for $5″ deal.

Learn Something New. There are lots of national retail establishments that offer free classes for kids during the summer.  Bass Pro Shops are offering a full range of free seminars and classes  in their “Bass Pro Family Summer Camp“.  Apple is offering free apple computer classes this summer (wish I was young enough to take those!).  Micheal’s craft store has “The Knack”-a website designed for family craft fun that also lists their in-store free family events.  Check out your local library, community college or state park for free classes and activities that may be offered. Our library has craft classes for teens & tweens and basic computer classes for all ages. BCC (Broome Community College) offers a full slate of summer continuing education classes such as photography, herbs, gardening, photoshop & yoga. These classes aren’t free, but are reasonably priced and may be just the thing for a bored teen.

Hit the Lanes. Have you heard of the “Kids Bowl Free” program? This was a new one to me. . . You register on the site and kids can bowl 2 free games every day, all summer!  Adults can register and pay a one time fee for an all summer pass so they can play with the kids if they like.  I’m actually really disappointed that there are no bowling alleys near me offering this program.

Go to the Museum. There are many free and inexpensive museums out there.  I may live in a very small town, but within a 30 min drive we have a model train museum, an antique car museum, several art gallery/museums and a science museum.  Most of these have either nominal charges or are free to the public.  Target is sponsoring some free museum days nationally, as does Bank of America (must be a customer)-check and see if there are any in your area! Additionally in more metro areas museums may have free days, either monthly or annually. Do a google search for free museum and your town/city to see what pops up!

Next time (next week) I’ll share with you some fun indoor activities that you can do at home.  You can also read all about my fun outdoor ideas in Frugal Summer Fun for Kids Part I, or listen to all the fun summer ideas that Lynnae and I came up with on our Frugal Coast2Coast show about Summer Fun

Do you guys have any other great inexpensive fun ideas that will take you out of the house in the summer?

Recipe: Salmon Patties

The first time I ever had a salmon patty was about 10 years ago in a Cajun inspired restaurant in the Richmond Virginia. My husband and I were seated at a little table near the window in the very dimly lit and ambiance filled dining room. I was sort of perplexed when Yankee Bill chose Salmon Patties with a Cajun Remoulade. I guess I just equated salmon patties somehow with the unappealing tuna wiggle they used to serve us in grade school. It’s funny how those sorts of things stick with you. Canned fish=gross was embedded deeply in my psyche

Well, I am willing to admit when I am wrong. And I was wrong. The salmon patties were delicious! Of course the fact that they are fried didn’t hurt.Even a non fish lover will like these-to me they taste more like a stuffing patty than a fish patty. Even my mom-who INSISTED that she hates salmon-but when strong armed into trying these admitted that they were very good.

Canned salmon is more expensive than tuna fish, but very inexpensive when compared to most main dish proteins. My favorite way to serve these patties is reminiscent of the first time I tried them. I make a hollandaise sauce (from one of those little packages) and then add either Old Bay Seasoning or some of the Chef Paul Prudhomme Cajun Fish Seasoning.

Salmon Patties

16oz of Canned Salmon
1 Egg
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
oil

Drain Salmon. Reserve 2TBS of liquid.
Mix egg, onion, Salmon & flour.
Just before cooking, combine reserved salmon liquid and baking powder. Mix into Salmon mixture.
Form into patties and fry about 5 min each~or until golden brown.
Enjoy!

Variations:
Use any type of canned meat. I frequently substitute less expensive tuna.
Use bread or cracker crumbs in place of flour.
Add spices of your choice. “Old Bay” style seasoning is a personal favorite.
Serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce or hollandaise sauce.

Photo by Jypsygen

Next Page »