Communication Is Key

Image via Wikipedia

Question: How do we keep communication strong with our tween Grandchildren, even when we are generations apart and live hundreds of miles away?

Answer: It’s a Zombie Apocalypse!  No, really, it is.

Certainly we are not a technologically challenged family.  We have had and used computers from the time that 8 GIGs took up half an office.  You could actually walk though the server columns.  My daughter remembers when the internet was DOS chat rooms.  Those days are definitely remnants of the past.  Now, you only have to buy a cell phone and activate the service and you can access the web from anywhere, emailing, blogging, surfing away your life. To think, we are only sixty years apart, but I never dreamed as a child that I could call someone without telephone wires, and my youngest grandchildren will probably never even know what a DVD or CD is, they will stream all their movies and music and might never carry a textbook if Apple gets it’s way.

That said, the cost of these services can be prohibitive, but most sixth graders have cell phones, and my grandson has an Iphone.  So my husband and I recently jumped into the world of Iphones too, and wow, are we ever amazed that we lived without them.

If you happen to have one of these phones, and you also happen to have a tween or teen that has one of these phones (or an Ipad or iPod, or a Droid) that has apps, this is your chance to connect with them every day.  Get a shared gaming app they play with their friends, like Zombie Farm or Words with Friends, and suggest that you two start-up a little friendly competition of your own.  Bonus points in Grandma-land:  you look cool, you look smart, and you get to beat the pants off the twelve-year-old!

If you are techno-shy, which I totally understand, all you have to do is:

1. Call your daughter or son and find out of your grandchild has one of these types of cell phones or devices
2. Write down which one it is (is it a Droid, and Ipad, an Iphone, etc)
3. Ask your grandchild to come to the phone and find out what his favorite app is (you can start with the biggies: Mafia Wars, Zombie Farm, Hanging with Friends, Words with Friends) – you may have to supply these suggestions if you have a grunter like I do: one grunt for yes I play it, two grunts for no.
4. Get their user name – this may be called a “gamer tag” in tween lingo, but you need this to invite them to a game.
5. Tell them you love them and miss them.
6.  Walk into a service provider (think Verizon, Apple, Sprint, T-mobile) and let them know you want to know what their rate plans are to allow you to download apps (and specifically to play the app your grandchild plays – from the grunted answer).
7. Pick the least expensive plan that meets your needs.  If you want bells and whistles, that is up to you, but don’t be fooled into having to have them.  If you only talk on a cell phone five hundred minutes a month do not buy unlimited talk for an extra $10.00 per month – by going the app play route, you will probably talk less because the grunts get shorter.
8. Have the guy at the store you choose set up your phone: transfer your numbers in, fix the ring to something you can stand, and download the apps you want for you.  They will do this if you ask. In fact, I like making them fix all my settings and do a tutorial at the same time, I hate trying to do set ups at home and I figure for the cost of these phones I should get a little TLC from the guy at the desk.
9. Open the app, set up you own gamer tag – something like “gramma rocks” “im gonna beat u bad” and shoot off an invite.

My grandson and I play both together – the free versions.  We love checking our farms for onion-head carrot arm creatures, debating the best way to grow a turnip arm-broccoli head zombie, and we love trying to best each other in a game of scrabble (I usually win, he is a twelve-year-old boy, after all).  This little game playing takes about ten minutes of my time a day, but it has really connected us through the distance in a way the texting and emailing and phone calls have not.  Sure, it is not the same as sitting around the table on family game night, but it is a far cry from the grunting and three-letter texts I get when I try to call.  And maybe one day he’ll scrabble me the name of the girl he’s dating or the college he hopes to get into.  If all it takes to connect with a tween is a Zombie Apocalypse, sign me up!

Related articles

• Grandparenting in the Digital Age (education.com)

Valentines Day Treats

Valentine’s Day just would not be complete without a special meal or treat for your Grandkids.  But how can you do this without breaking the bank?  We have some suggestions for using your everyday meals… but putting a heart felt-twist on them to make sure your grandkids LOVE them!

Heartwarming Mini Pizzas!

Use fresh dough shaped into a heart, or take bagel thins and a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped bagels.  Let the kids add sauce, shredded cheese, and bake!

 

English Muffin Hearts

Using a cookie butter, stamp out a heart shape of the English muffin.  Topped with butter and jelly, they make the perfect breakfast or after school snack.

 

 

Lemon Love Potion

Pink lemonade, a scoop of raspberry sherbet, and lemon lime soda mix to make a love potion nobody can resist.  Serve in a glass with straws to really impress your sweetheart.

 

Heartfelt Pancakes

Using your own pancake recipe, shape your breakfast cakes into hearts on the griddle.  A warm way to start this special day and let your grandchildren know you love them.

 

 

Save Big at The Grocery Store and Spend Big on the Kids!

Image via Wikipedia

Being retired, I have found that the very same tricks that helped me manage the family grocery budget with a household of six also helps me to manage a home full of grandchildren!

There are so many ways of cutting financial corners, Groceries are just the tip of the iceberg.  You will be surprised how fast an extra $20.00 will find you.  And since that will allow you to spend extra money as well as extra time, you can plan a great adventure with your grandkids, so stay posted for my upcoming article… Grandchild Adventures on $20.00!

1. Plan Ahead: Do you use time and gas making extra trips to get a forgotten item? I use Sundays to plan out my errands for the week so I can maximize my gas dollar.  Of course, the best laid plans can sometimes be foiled by an unexpected surprise mid-week or an emergency, but coordinating the most efficient route for errands can save you not just hours, but miles.  The current tax reimbursement rate per mile traveled is $0.55, so even cutting 20 miles per week out of one regular day will save you almost $600.00 per year!
2. Food:  Eliminate the waste by taking the time to clean your fridge regularly each week and have a special shelf for leftovers. For bread, leave out only what you will eat before it molds and freeze the rest. For canned items, write enlarged expiration dates on cans with a sharpie so they are easily visible. Rotate cans and put the ones that expire first in the front. Plan meals around items that need to be used. You aren’t saving money if food ends up being thrown out.
3. Coupons: Have you ever gone shopping and forgotten to give the cashier your coupons? Find a system that helps you to remember to redeem coupons. I put a note on my grocery list, but I also have friends who have a dedicated shopping wallet: it contains their list of must get items, grocery money for the week, and their coupons. When they go to the store, they take that wallet instead of their every-day one.
4. Grocery/Club Cards: Some stores offer club cards that offer members reduced prices. In exchange they usually ask for your contact information and some personal information so they can market to you.  You do not have to give “real” information, they do not check!  Just make sure to use your card to get the proper discount. If you try the grocery wallet trick, you can keep these cards there.
5. Know What Stores Offer Matching: In my neighborhood, some stores will double or triple coupons, that is great, but it isn’t always the best deal.  The best deal is when I can make one trip, get what I need and get out and start having fun!  I have found some stores, like Walmart Marketplace, do not advertise, but they quietly offer price matching on all local stores ads.  So all I have to do is go through the weekly ads, compile the list of best prices and bring the ads when I shop.  I get the best deals and I maximize my gas dollar.
6. Buy the Right Size and Amount: One grocery store had a special going where if you bought five items, you got five dollars off. It was cheaper to buy five than to buy two or three during these sales. There are also times when the larger item may be less expensive per unit, and if it won’t expire and you have the room, it may be worth buying more.  Check to make sure you have the right size and number of items so you the bargain price.
7. Reusable Bags: Some stores offer incentives (up to 25 cents per bag of items purchased) for bringing in your own bag. You also help the environment. You can find out with a quick internet search if your local grocery store participates.
8. Rebates: Many stores and companies offer rebates when you buy their merchandise. Be prompt in mailing in rebates or you may lose the opportunity.
9. Shop the Outskirts: Most grocery stores keep their fresh food on the outskirt of the store, produce to one side, meat and dairy in the back, and fresh bakery to the other side. Not only does shopping the outskirts keep you away from processed foods that contain hormones, preservatives, and dyes that are not as healthy for you or your grandkids as fresh foods are, but those pre-prepared items cost more too!  Except vegetables, which can be much less expensive if you buy frozen than fresh, most of the food that you can use to prepare healthy snacks and meals can be bought at the outskirts of the store at a tremendous savings!
10. Beware Organics:Organic is a food label used to play on your emotions as a grandparent.  It is not a word that means anything, it is like saying something is “magical”.  I actually saw the word organic on a gummy fruit snack the other day!  How a gummy chew qualifies as organic is beyond me, but the price of that gummy snack was an entire dollar more than the non-organic version. Save you spare dollars and look at the labels.  Pesticide free, dye free, hormone free, preservative free foods are without argument healthier: but you can remove any residual pesticide from your apple by the simple act of washing it, and by paying $0.40 less for every apple you buy, you can easily save $60.00 a year.

Related articles

• Shopping Frugal when Sales are Scarce (savingwithsisters.wordpress.com)
• Organic Food Coupons: Why You Should Use Them And How To Find Them (tfollowers.com)
• 9 Things You Shouldn’t Buy at Grocery Stores (money.usnews.com)
• RetailMeNot.com’s Top Ten tips for saving money on groceries (theinsider.retailmenot.com)

Daily Adventures On The Cheap

One of the best parts about being a grandparent is the joy of taking daily adventures.  You are no longer bound by the conventional workweek and relegated to the cattle call of the weekend warrior, that rat-race is for your kids to deal with.  And the best part about mid-week adventuring (other than the smiles your Clouseau-lik

Image via Wikipedia

spirit will earn you), is they can almost always be Done On The Cheap!

My Top Five Favorite Places to Find On-The-Cheap Adventure.

1. Your Local Library

No longer the hallowed halls that we remember where bookish ladies glared at a rambunctious child and hissed “Shhh”, Library services have increased dramatically in the past few years, offering not only books, but popular magazines, DVDs, and free internet access to members.  For grandparents like me who have a wide age range (12 years all the way down to 1 month), your local library can be just the solution: free story time, crafts, and puppet shows for the youngest and controlled internet usage for your tweener.

2. Your Local  Community Parks and Recreation Department

Although not all offer programs, our city offers many low-cost activities, and not just to school-agers.  You can find everything from subsidized tennis lessons, dance lessons, art classes, and girls’ running clubs to preschool activities.  We are very fortunate and our city also organizes guide-led hikes for a minimal transportation cost.  Every season, our Parks and Recreation Department issues a catalog that is available for viewing on the internet or by stopping by their community center.  This has upcoming programs as well as dates and locations for great free or very low cost city-sponsored activities, like Fourth of July festivities, parades, and community gatherings.

3. The Closest Shopping Center

I can hear the groans.  Shopping malls are a money trap for many, and if you fall into this group, skip to idea 4.  I am trying to save your dollar, not spend it!  But if you are gifted with the ability to deftly side-step that 40% off sale at Ann Taylor, your local mall is a fantastic climate controlled adventure spot.  Because the primary spender in the American household is the mom, most malls are set up to not just accommodate, but cater to families!  That means not only clean family friendly restrooms but also indoor playgrounds with security.  Check around: several also advertise play date times for younger ages, mommy clubs, and stroller exercise groups.  A few of the higher end shopping centers have play fountains, schedule child-friendly shows with favorite cartoon friends, or fashion shows for that mini-fashionista in your family.

4. The Park in Your Neighborhood

I am willing to bet that you probably drive past a playground everyday on your way to fancier, far more expensive adventures.  The sun, the swings, the slides, the smell of grass you didn’t have to cut.  It all adds up to on-the-cheap fun for the whole family.  Dying to make it extra special?  Pack a cooler with a picnic and surprise the kids with juice or a favorite treat.  Spread a blanket out and let them run wild while you enjoy the sunset, walking back for baths and bed.  You don’t even have to come up with gas money for this one.  Just don’t forget the sunblock!

5. Your Backyard

That’s right, your very own.  Get out the bubbles, turn on the sprinklers.  Turn the radio up to your grandchildren’s favorite “jams” and have a dance party.  Chalk is about the most inexpensive, non-permanent way to start a game of four-square, hop-scotch, or re-create the Louvre, and it can be done two steps from your door.  I have spent many happy days seated on the porch surrounded by pinks and blues and yellows.  A simple Tupperware jar can become a bug collectors’ dream as your grandson marvels at an ants’ legs or a grasshoppers’ wings.  All you have to do is supply a little imagination to the setting and your backyard can become a Wonderland to rival the one Alice got lost in.  No shrinking juice or white rabbits required.