If a lunch note every day is too much for you (I totally get that!) then pick one day of the week to send in a handwritten note to your kiddo.  Print one of these everyday lunch box notes to tuck in your kiddos lunch.  Maybe you homeschool and don’t make lunches that are sent to school in a lunch box.  If that is the case you can put this note on your child’s school work area.  Think outside the box and have fun!

FREE Every Day Lunch Box Notes

{CLICK HERE} to get your very own free, lunch box jokes perfect for any day of the year.  Go ahead, make the school day a little more special.

 

More Lunch Box Notes

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Every Day Lunch Box Notes – Perfect for Every Single Day of the (School) Year is a post by Coupons Are Great

Materials Required to Blow up a Ballon with Vinegar and Baking Soda

• Balloon
• Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Funnel
• Dry empty bottle (like a water bottle)

Science Experiments for Kids – Inflating a Balloon with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Step 1: Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of baking soda to the unfilled balloon.

Step 2: Thoroughly rinse and dry the funnel.

Step 3: Pour 2 or 3 teaspoons of vinegar to the water bottle using the funnel.

Step 4: Attach the balloon to the top of the water bottle, being careful to not let any of the baking soda slip in until you are ready.

Step 5: Quickly tip the vinegar so it mixes in with the baking soda.

Step 6: Watch as your balloon blows up.

You can see our whole process in the animation above.  My girls asked if we could show this science experiment to the neighbor kids, and we went and recreated this carbon dioxide experiment one more time.  It was just as magical the second time as it was the first!

Why does this experiment work?  The vinegar and baking soda react, forming carbon dioxide, which fills the balloon.

The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book is sure to add even more fun science to your family.

Do you have a science experiment that you love?   Please share if you do!

We love crafting!  Be sure to check out our Craft Posts for more ways to create fun, frugal crafts and projects at your house!

This post contains affiliate links. Coupons Are Great is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that allows associates to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to their website. 

Science Experiments for Kids: Blow up a Balloon with Vinegar and Baking Soda is a post by Coupons Are Great

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ReadySetSnack #CollectiveBias

Hershey’s Ready to Eat pudding comes in convenient packs of four.  I purchased Chocolate and S’Mores flavors and saved a little bit of money with the $0.55/1 Hershey’s Ready to Eat Pudding coupon found in the September/October edition of All You (I love all the inspiration in that magazine – and the coupons are a fantastic bonus).  These puddings are found in the dairy section at Walmart, which is easy to remember if milk is always on your shopping list (like it is ours).

These pudding cups were the base of today’s craft. Pudding is incredibly handy to have in the fridge when someone in your house needs a quick snack or yummy dessert. Busy moms need quick after school snacks for when their kids get home from school or sports.  Hershey’s Pudding is rich, creamy pudding made with real Hershey’s cocoa.

Oh the things you can make with some pudding cups!

To create monster pudding cups get creative with card stock (or construction paper), googley eyes, and ink.  I used my Cat’s Eye ink pad from my scrapbooking days to edge the eye shaped card stock to make it pop a little.

Using different sizes of googley eyes gives these pudding cup monsters a different personality – and you have to have more than two eyes per monster.  Don’t forget to give your monster some scaryish teeth to complete his look!

Creating a pudding cup spider is super simple and only requires pipe cleaners (AKA chenille stems), scissors, googley eyes, and hot glue.  This would be perfect to accompany nursery rhymes (the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Little Miss Muffet) and scientific school lessons.  To make the legs for this spider fold your pipe cleaner in fourths and cut.  Then pinch each small stem in half and glue to the pudding cup.  Adding eyes completes this spider.

Of course some kids like witches for Halloween (like my younger daughter) and a kitty cat pudding cup would make them the most happy.  Use used leftover stiffened felt for this little guy since I was curious the difference would be between card stock and stiffened felt.  The answer, not much at all.  They both work extremely well. Most of us will not have stiffened felt on hand and that is just fine!

When making a kitty you will need to cut out triangle ears, thin rectangle whiskers, a triangle nose, and a mouth.  A pipe cleaner makes the perfect tail to complete this project.  I liked the look of the Hershey’s S’mores Ready to Eat pudding for this cat, but if you wanted a “black” cat for Halloween you could use the plain Hershey’s Chocolate Ready to Eat pudding instead.

Cutting out two black bat wings and two white triangle teeth and adding some googley eyes is the perfect way to make a bat.

Be sure to check out more delicious topping ideas and fun crafts at Kraft.com. I’d love to hear your favorite!

If you are looking for more Halloween inspiration, but not necessarily edible Halloween projects, check out the following posts:

Candy Corn Door Wreath – one of my all time favorites!

Glitter Pumpkin Tutorial

Ghost Hair Bow Tutorial

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Edible Halloween Crafts with Pudding Cups: Monsters, Spiders, and Cats is a post by Coupons Are Great

It is always so much fun when my girls come home from school after sharing these jokes with their friends in the cafeteria.  I tuck the girls’ lunch box notes into their lunch boxes with their EasyLunchboxes 3-compartment Bento Lunch Box Containers.  Sometimes their teacher share the joke(s) with the entire class.  How cool is that?  My girls love sharing these jokes with their friends and they often come home telling me all about how so-and-so laughed so hard.  Once in awhile they will have a blank look on their faces and tell me they didn’t understand the joke (it must have been too punny) and we get to spend a few minutes talking about what made that joke funny.  It is always great to see their little light bulb moments when they then understand why that missed joke was funny.

Printable LEGO Jokes

To get your very own printable LEGO lunch box notes to print and  use yourself all you need to do is click here for the pdf.  You will be able to save this PDF to your computer and can print it when you need it!

Check out these other bricktastic posts:

The Time We Made Chocolate Lego Men and Chocolate Bricks

LEGO Friends Sugar Cookies

Create LEGO Earrings

If you love saving money, and who doesn’t, check out these deals and freebies that will save you even more!  Be sure to subscribe to Coupons Are Great so you don’t miss out on great deals, fun freebies, crafts, and more. 

Printable LEGO Lunch Box Notes using LEGO Jokes is a post by Coupons Are Great

Why we Pay our Children for Doing Chores

Chores Teach Responsibility. 

One of the best ways to teach your child to be responsible is to give them goals to achieve.  A chore/responsibility chart is essentially a large reward system where money is the ultimate goal.  We are building a positive correlation between doing work that we don’t love and a reward.  Really, who loves cleaning a toilet or vacuuming a house?  No one, but we do it because the sparkling toilet and dirt free floor are the results that motivate us.  Children make a positive correlation between things that they wouldn’t necessarily choose to do and rewards when they have household chores to complete.

Chores Prepares Children for Adulthood.

By having chores and responsibilities at home we are preparing our children for life in the real world.  We are creating a base of knowledge regarding money, cleaning, rewards, waiting for pay day, and being self sufficient. We want to prepare out children so when they move out of the safety of our household they succeed. Working and chores are part of the real world.  By giving them small amounts of money today they will be prepared for the day when the numbers are bigger.

Chores Makes the Household Workload Bearable.

Let’s face it, if we spent all our time cleaning up after our children we would be grumpy monsters.   Chores and responsibilities  help the entire house reach a state of harmony.  Childhood is an excellent time to learn the old adage “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

We Want Them to Make Mistakes.

Yes, it’s true.  We want our children to make financial mistakes when they are young and we are by their sides to help guide them through tough situations.  We only have 18 years of our children living with us…..and approximately 12 or 13 years to teach them about money.  Mistakes happen to the best of us….we all buy something cheap that falls apart.  Getting up, brushing ourselves off, and learning from our mistakes is crucial.  Not only do we want to model a few mistakes for our girls, but we also want to hold their hands when mistakes happen to them.

When children have money they get to spend it on cheap toys and small things that they want immediately.  My girls have learned that cheap toys and impulse buys are not all that great and instead save their money for more expensive items (like a $5 toy instead of a quarter machine purchase to put “expensive” into perspective).  The small inexpensive mistakes they make teach them the value of money.  The sooner they learn that cheaper is not always better and that there is buyer’s remorse associated with impulse buys they better off they will be.  Paying with their hard earned cash has helped the girls learn that the appeal of some items does not justify the dollar signs.

We Want Them to Succeed.

We are teaching them the ultimate life goal – If you can’t pay cash for an item, you can’t afford it.  Paying cash will keep keep them out of debt throughout their lives.

We use a printable responsibility chart in our house.  You can read all about the system and print your own chore chart here.  Recommended reading: Smart Money, Smart Kids.

How does your house handle chores and responsibilities for kids?

You may also want to read:

Teaching Kids About Money with Two Piggy Banks

Kids and Finances – Teaching Kids About Money: Opening a Child’s Savings Account

Kids and Finance – Teaching Kids About Money: Setting Goals

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Teaching Kids About Money: Why We Give Our Kids a Responsibility and Chore Chart and Pay for Chores is a post by Coupons Are Great

My girls are almost 8 and 6-and-a-half.  The years between now and driving are going to blur.  One book that I recently read is Smart Money Smart Kids written by Dave Ramsey and his daughter Rachel Cruz.  It is a must read for all parents who have kids from birth to college.

Over the years we have cleared our debt, built an emergency fund, and accumulated money in our savings account.  Wouldn’t Dave Ramsey be proud?  When I am at my running group my ears tune in to the conversations about cars, college, and weddings since those are major dollar sign events.  Everyone has a different approach to these events, but what does a financial guru do?  Dave and Rachel chronicle how life was like growing up in the Ramsey household.  Children used a commission (similar to our Responsibility Chart for Kids printable) and were encouraged to Give, Save, and Spend. The kids were given a budget for clothing at an early age.

A few categories that I really paid attention to were cars, college, and weddings.  The Ramsey’s matched their child’s savings for a car.  If a child saved $5,000 then they matched $5,000.  That is simple way to do it!  Your child will learn the value of money before leaving for college.  College tuition was paid for based on in state tuition.  One check was given to cover the wedding expenses.  Whatever was left over (if anything) from that money was theirs to keep.

Smart Money Smart Kids Overview

Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze teach parents how to raise money-smart kids in a debt-filled world.

Financial guru Dave Ramsey and his daughter, Rachel Cruze, team up to teach parents how to “raise money smart kids in a debt-filled world.” Starting with how to teach your children to work, and continuing through what your child should do with their hard earned money (spend, save, give), Dave and Rachel talk about the principles of good money management for children as well as giving the reader plenty of stories of what life was like for the Ramsey kids. The second half of the book dives into more advanced issues such as how to be debt free for life, including how to go to college debt free.

My Thoughts on Smart Money Smart Kids

The information presented in this book is not new. This information applies to children and helps prepare their futures so they can live debt free.  This book gives us insight in the lives of the Ramsey children as they grew up.  Isn’t that what we really want to know?  How DO the financial guru’s children grow up?  Do those families practice what they preach.  Dave and Rachel teach us how to teach our children through practical tips.  When children younger than 6 are saving money it is best to keep it in a clear container.  Six to thirteen year olds need to set small savings goals such as saving for a toy or video game. Children ages 14-18, need to learn how to save for something big, such as a car or college. What you end up with is a very practical guide for how to train your children to handle money at every age.

I learned so many things from this book and have told many people that they need to read it.  That includes you!  Change your family history with money and give your kids the tools today to have a debt free tomorrow.  Order Smart Money Smart Kids today…or check it out from your library!

Check out other great Ways I Save.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Coupons Are Great is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that allows associates to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to their website.  Read my disclosure policy here.

Smart Money Smart Kids is a Must Read for Parents is a post by Coupons Are Great

How to Save Money on Pet Food

1) Use coupons.  You can find some coupons for pet food in the Sunday newspaper. Check the website and facebook page of your pet’s brand of food.  Email the manufacturer your compliment about the product. Tell them why you chose their product over the competitors and why you are a long term customer. Ask if they have a mailing list for coupons. Many times pet food makers will send coupons in the mail. Redplum and Coupons.com offer a whole section of Printable Pet Food Coupons.  Combine coupons with cash back rebates (like Ibotta) for maximum savings!

2) Shop at pet specialty stores like PetSmart and Petco and use their shopper reward card. You will earn perks the more you purchase food in the stores. By frequenting Petco somewhat regularly they send me 10% off my total purchase coupons about every 6 to 8 weeks.

3) Shop online. Many pet food suppliers offer pet food online, and their delivery prices are incredibly practical. We are switching and will be purchasing from Amazon with their subscribe and save option. We were payign $35 every 6-8 weeks for our dog’s food but going through Amazon drops the price to $24 shipped! You don’t even know how happy I am to avoid the pet store. I am totally allergic to that place.  Plus, the savings of $11 every 6 weeks is a savings of almost $100 per year.

4) Shop wholesale at Costco, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club. The wholesale stores have large bags of pet food for a great price.

5) Stock up when you find a good deal.  Pet food has a long expiration date and is shelf stable.  The free Science Diet dog food of 2011 lasted our dog 9 months.  Please note, that dog food deal is no longer available.

Have you found other ways to save money on your pet’s food purchase?  We would love to find more ways to save on Fido!

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5 Ways to Save Money on Pet Food is a post by Coupons Are Great

What is Geocaching

Geocaching is a scavenger hunt filled with technology.  Carefully placed caches are hidden all over the world in areas ranging from cities to forest trails.  These caches are hidden very well, but you should not need a shovel to retrieve it.  Each cache has a “log” where the finder can sign or initial that the cache has been found.  The size of the hidden caches range from micro to much larger.  For beginner geocachers it is not recommended that you find one of those first.  There is a give and take system in some geocaches as people leave treasures in the box for the next person to take (if desired).  You take a treasure and leave another in its place.

Geocaches are rated on two different criteria…difficulty to find and terrain.  Easy to find geocaches are registered as a 1. These are good for beginners and small children.  A rating of 5 is for pure crazy people who like a big challenge.  You will find the rating on the Geocaching website.

Geocaching with Kids

Time and time again I have mentioned just how awesome being part of a running group is.  A few weeks ago the friend I was running with told me that her family started geocaching right before they went on vacation and she said that it made their road trip much less stressful.  Say what?!?!?  She also said that it was a great way to get the kids out of the house and having fun.  I was instantly intrigued.  Despite the fact that during the hot hours we may melt when we go outside I want to have summer fun outside with my girls.  Could geocaching add that much excitement to our summer?  Please note: this post contains affiliate links.

My First Geocaching Attempt

Being frugal (this site is called Coupons Are Great after all) I decided that I would just download the free version of the Geocaching app.  We were at a park and I checked the app.  Low and behold there was a geocache near us!!!  Knowing nothing about geocaching we went on our way.  The free geocaching app does an alright job explaining things for newbies, but it is far from perfect.  We ended up not finding our first geocache.  I thought my girls were going to be devastated and never want to go on this treasure hunt again.  I was wrong!  The next morning Little Sister (age 5) said “Mommy, all I dreamed about last night was geoMAPPING.  Can we go again?  I want to find a prize!”  Just remember, you may not always be successful, but there is always the next geocache to find!

Tips for Geocaching with Kids

• Sign up for an account at Geocaching.com
• Spend time browsing on the computer for Geocaches in your area.  There are 2,108,878 active geocaches and over 5 million geocachers worldwide.
• Note the “Last found” date.  Don’t waste your time searching for a geocache that hasn’t been found in months (especially if you are new to this).
• Scroll down to see if there are photos.  Those are a big help!  When you and your kids know exactly what you are looking for there are approximately 500,000 questions less coming from them.  Be forewarned, there will still be approximately 1.5 million questions asked during your first few hunts.
• Pack a small bag with quarter machine type toys (silly bands, plastic animals, baseball cards) and take it with you.  Some geocaches have a give/take system where you can exchange treasures.
• If you are going to a park or anywhere suburban wear pants and tennis shoes.  
• Once you are ready to actually find your first geocache download the app for your phone.  I downloaded the free version (I am frugal, what can I say).  My husband was frustrated with the free version so he ponied up the $9.99 for the paid version.  I have no affiliation with this company.  The free app definitely lacks compared to the paid app.  The upgrade is definitely worth it if you will be geocaching in the future.  
• Have fun!  Remember if you don’t find your first geocache that there is always next time.

Geocaches come in different sizes.  There are micro ones….and I am terrified to hunt for one of those.  The ones we have found were “medium” sized and they were difficult to find!  I can’t imagine looking for something really small.  I have confidence that as we get better at this we will work our way up to a micro cache.  I would never, ever think to pick up a rock geocache (like the photo above).  Those are some super advanced skills!

My girls are hooked on geocaching.  They are constantly asking me to use the app on my phone to see if there are any nearby.  I am so excited that we have a fun, frugal family activity.  I am looking forward to a few summer road trips where we can geocache at rest stops along the way to our destination.

Once you get the hang of geocaching you may want to make your own.  This Geocache kit is a great place to start!

Check out more Activities for Kids and Craft posts for more inspiration this summer!

Frugal Summer Fun: Geocaching with Kids is a post by Coupons Are Great

Big Sister, who is in third grade, just got a sneak peek of these jokes.  We went to a friend’s house this afternoon and I heard her say “You know those jokes my mom tucks into my lunch??  She had MINECRAFT ones!!!”  Her friend was almost as excited as she was.  I guess that means I should print them now to put into tomorrow’s lunches, which are already made.   I tuck the girls’ lunch box notes into their lunch boxes with their EasyLunchboxes 3-compartment Bento Lunch Box Containers.  It’s always fun when they come home saying their friends…or even their teachers….loved their jokes.

Printable Minecraft Jokes

To get your very own printable Minecraft inspired lunch box notes to print and  use yourself all you need to do is click here for the pdf.  You will be able to save this PDF to your computer and can print it when you need it!  If you have any problems, please Email Me

If your family is really into funny jokes you may want to consider:

• MINECRAFT: 100+ Funny clean Minecraft jokes and memes for Children. ( memes for kids, minecraft jokes and memes, minecraft funny comics, minecraft kids short stories, minecraft jokes for kids.)
• Diary of a Wimpy Steve series: Minecraft Jokes for Kids! – Currently $2.99
• And these Minecraft Papercraft Animal Mobs Set (Over 30 Pieces) look incredibly cool!

We have created many printable lunch box jokes over the years.  You are likely to find another free set that you love as much as this one!  While you are here, be sure to subscribe to Coupons Are Great so you don’t miss out on great deals, fun freebies, crafts, and more. 

Printable Minecraft Lunchbox Jokes is a post by Coupons Are Great

When shopping online retailers often offer a small percentage of money to the site that referred you.  When you go through a cash back site you get money back in your pocket.  It takes a few strokes of the keyboard to line your pocket with a little extra money.  Ebates is my favorite cash back site. I have cashed in hundreds of dollars using Ebates since 2009.  I have saved my friends quite a bit of money by telling them to use a cash back site like Ebates too.

Using Ebates is Easy!

1. Sign Up  and you will get $10 in your account just for signing up.  * To qualify for a Welcome Bonus, you must be a new member and make minimum qualifying purchases totaling at least twenty-five dollars ($25) within ninety (90) days of becoming a Member.
2. Head to Ebates before you shop online.
3. Search Ebates for the store you are shopping at online.
4. Wait a few seconds.  A tracking tickets is issued.
5. Shop, shop, shop at the store you were directed to from Ebates.  You can still use coupon codes and other discounts at checkout to save even more money.
6. You will receive a percentage of your purchase price in to your Ebates account.  Generally you can see this credit a few days after you place your order. Sometimes the money is credited in a few hours, which is always exciting.
7. At the end of each quarter a check will be mailed to you if your account balance is $5.01 or higher!

You can shop at over 1000 stores including eBay, JCPenney, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Overstock.com, Walmart, Kohl’s and Home Depot.  Cash back typically ranges from 3 to 5 percent.  It is always neat to see high rates (up to 26%), and that does happen!  Be on the lookout for some great Black Friday stores that will offer Double Cash Back!

Ebates has a great referral program. You will earn $5 for every friend who signs up.

Get your cash back from Ebates.  Start today!

Check out these Ways I Save for more money saving tips and tricks.

 If you love saving money, and who doesn’t, check out these deals and freebies that will save you even more!  Be sure to subscribe to Coupons Are Great so you don’t miss out on great deals, fun freebies, crafts, and more. 

Save Even More Shopping Online: Ebates is a post by Coupons Are Great