Big Adventures on a Little Shoestring

Things to do before I'm... 10?

The pink piggy

It is never too young to start your 'to do' list and learn how to budget so that you can afford to live a good life... is it? Frugal Gran at your service!

 

This is the first of a series of blog posts that I'll be including here, as this huge adventure unfolds. You can follow them by following the blog or by clicking on the link called 'Frugal Gran' that will appear in the index at the bottom of the blog. It's going to be fun, fun, fun! :)

 

It was eldest grand daughter's 9th birthday recently. Like all junior misses, birthday girls just wanna have fun... so she partied at the weekend with other junior friends.

 

But I wanted to do something a little bit different for this birthday, something that could grow and develop with her as she journeys through her final year of being a single digit age and then decide for herself if she wants to continue along the frugal path when she reaches the ripe old age of 10.

 

I devised a plan, a secret plan, one that involved a 'to do' list. Then, instead of giving her a wrapped-up, tied with bows gift, I issued dear grand daughter with her personalised 'official invite' to join the adventure... and awaited her reaction!

 

She absolutely loved it , is extremely excited and desperate to get started!

 

What so enthrals a 9 year-old, you might ask? Fun and frugal learning, that's what!

 

Here's how it works (so far) and I hope that you will all find this as entertaining as I did, should you choose to pursue a similar path. First of all, the secret paperwork needs to be assembled into a notebook format. Simply put, I printed out a homemade card on paper and inserted it inside several other sheets of paper, marked off headers saying 'NOTES' and added a 'Happy Birthday' graphic to the front. This is what it said inside:

 

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Dear xxxx,

 

This is your very special birthday invitation to come to Thrift Cottage for holiday adventures. You can arrange to stay any time you want and we will have an adventure, no matter what the weather.

 

To prepare for these adventures, I have bought us some adventure kit, including the things in these photos.

 

I have been putting all the spare coins into the pink piggy bank, so we will count them all out when you come to stay. Then, we will go into town in search of our first big adventure before planning the next one.

 

Keep this special adventure booklet safe so you can keep a note and photos of things you do before your next birthday. Being 9 is going to be great fun!

Just to make sure we get plenty of time for extra special outdoor adventures, I have made sure we are all prepared for overnight stays. 

 

The big 'xxxx' storage space at Thrift Cottage will also include crafting stuff and sleepover items, just in case we manage to get out to do some camping. Even indoor camping can be fun!

 

I couldn't find us any pink sleeping bags and pillows, so blue and purple will need to do, but these will go with the tent.

 

Let's hope we get some nice sunny weather for the next school holidays so we can get started with our adventures as soon as possible.

 

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School is already back, here in Scotland, so the next holiday that's long enough for a big adventure is mid-October. However, there is time to fit in a couple of mini adventures between now and then, even if it means indoor camping and planning future expeditions. Believe it or not, Frugal Gran is every bit as excited by all of this! I hope you will all enjoy following us over the next twelve months, as we go off in search of new knowledge that will, one day, become fantastic future memories. Everything will be done on a shoestring budget in an effort to discover just how much fun can be had while following a frugal lifestyle.

 

I'll let you know how much is in the pink piggy as soon as it has been officially counted.

 

Frugal Gran!

Edited in: We counted out the pennies from the piggy and managed to just squeak in at £40. :)