7 Tips for Thrifty Road Trips

With a gymnast in the family, we travel a LOT, and it isn't cheap. Food for seven people, hotels, gasoline, it all adds up.

1. Stock up on snacks for the car ride, instead of hitting three McDonalds. Don't buy snacks from gas stations. Instead, go to your local grocery store, get some bags of chips/crackers/snacks and take them for the road. 
2. Bring a cooler (Thirty-One lunch bags and coolers are the best!) and pack your own drinks.
3. From a garage sale hand towel, we made our own toothbrush/toothpaste holder, which eliminates seven bags each family trip. It is super simple to make, and reusable. Here is what it looks like.
4. Take advantage of free breakfasts and hors d'oeuvres at hotels!
5. Collect the little shampoo/conditioner bottles in hotels. Even if you don't use the shampoo/conditioner, you can put your shampoo/conditioner in it and this takes up less space.
6. Pack your own food. We have invested in Thirty-One lunch bags that are not only super-cute, but are very useful and keep our lunches nice and cold. 
7. For vacations, meal-plan for the week! It will save you hundreds of dollars, if you stick with it!

9 Reasons Why I Homeschool

NOTICE! I will no longer be posting on this blog. See here. 

{Written by: Samantha}

What about socialization? Do you have friends? Do you have to take tests? Do you see other homeschoolers? Will you go to college? How do you get a diploma? Will you take the GED? How do you graduate?

I don't mind questions about my education, like "How do you graduate?". What I can't stand; the Socialization question. And, the Socialization question is one of the reasons I homeschool. Although we are a proud Christian family, we do not homeschool for religious purposes, although I know a lot who do.

Why I Homeschool

1. I can personalize the education and curriculum.

Think of it this way: You have a six year old. What would be better: buying clothes of your average six year old, or trying clothes on, and seeing what works best for HER, not your average six year old? The answer, of course, is option 2. The six year old may be size seven, or maybe size five. Every child is unique and different. With homeschooling, you can adjust curriculum and even grades to fit the educational needs of our child. This is why some homeschoolers aren't in a specific "grade". They may be in fifth grade science, sixth grade mathematics, and eighth grade English. 

I can adjust curriculum according to learning styles. I, an analytical visual learner would learn best by watching a video, whereas my young sister, a kinesthetic learner, would get bored with that and would rather be doing something with her hands.

2. It takes less time.
I am a very fast learner, and waiting for an entire class to learn something and me doing nothing (especially when teachers wouldn't let me read in between!) is very irritating for me. On the other hand, if a student struggles in a subject, they may get need more one-on-one time to complete something than another student. In third grade public school, a spelling test with five three or four letter words took about 20 minutes. In homeschooling, I can take a spelling test with 20 words in five minutes with just me and my sister.

3. I learn so much more.
I learned nearly nothing in my four years of public school. Sure, basic stuff, but as I look into what I should have known, I am fairly certain I wouldn't have known most of the things I should have known. The stuff I did know? You can thank my parents and the world around me. I mean, in the beginning of fourth grade, I actually thought Europe and Denmark were in western USA somewhere. Partially because I had never done History or Geography prior to homeschool.
In my four years of public school, I only did Math and Language/Spelling, no science, history, or any of the other main core subjects. I had the same teacher for grades 2-3, and she was AMAZING. During math class, she would let me watch Geometry videos (in third grade) and let me study Latin/Greek prefixes and suffixes instead of the easy spelling words. During reading comprehension, she bumped me up to the highest level, high-school level. Of course, she was the rarity. My lack of education was one of the reasons I wanted to homeschool. Besides, isn't the whole point of school an education?

4. Socialization
You (or your kids) spend 8 hours in a building for 180 days with children the same age and maturity; and you wonder where I get socialization? When you think of teenagers, what comes to mind? Drugs, underage drinking, teenage pregnancy, disrespect. Why would I want to "socialize" with that? How am I to gain maturity if the majority of my time is spent around peers?
Homeschoolers have an advantage; they socialize with the people of the real world and of different maturities. You are only with your peers for so long. When you get our of school, you're in the real world. You will be socializing with adults. And since homeschoolers aren't confined to four walls for eight hours in the day, they get to explore this world! Believe it or not, homeschoolers are actually better socialized than their peers. They socialize with young children, peers, adults, and the elderly.
Besides, you go to school to LEARN, not socialize.

5. My education is unlimited.
In first grade, my young sister, in public school, was not allowed to write her name in cursive "because that's not what first graders do". Since I was in third grade at the time, of course I wanted to teach my little sister cursive writing! Who says a first-grader can't write cursive? Who says a third-grader can't read chapter books? Who says I have to study more about American History than African history?

6. I get more time to read.
I don't think I have ever read a science fiction or romance novel, and I read all the time. The last time I read a piece of contemporary fiction was a mystery book about nine months ago. Before that, I don't remember. My thirteen year-old sister Hannah just finished Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera, and I am currently trudging through Great Expectations.

7. Delight Directed Learning.
If your son is interested in baseball, you can design an ENTIRE curriculum that is centered on baseball. English? Baseball sentences. History? The history of baseball. Science? Science project on baseball! It is personalized and is something that child would be interested in. This method is called Delight Directed Learning and I believe it works the best because it's about the KIDS, not a standard curriculum. One of my favorite quotes is from this article."Schools are built for the adults that work in them, not the children." 

8. I learn about interesting people in history. 
In public schools, you learn through textbooks. Textbooks lists boring dates and names.  BUT living books, documentaries and movies bring history TO LIFE. My extensive study of WWII in the past two years has taught me my family a LOT - both historical and lifeskills. Who knew Adolf Hitler survived FORTY-TWO assassination attempts?? Or there were nearly 14,000 Gentiles who risked (and sometimes lost) their lives to rescue Jews during the Holocaust? It's not a textbook's fault; it can't include everything. I am interested in the 1940s, but my sister prefers studying the American Civil War. I mean, everyone knows who Harriet Tubman is, but what about Sarah Emma Edmonds - one of the many female cross-dressing soldier heroes during the American Civil War? And you may know what the Vietnam War was about, but what about Dieter Dengler - who escaped from a prison camp in Laos and posthumously survived in the jungle for over three weeks?

9. I enjoy spending time with my family.
I will not write "it is always fun! We get along perfectly!" we fight, we get mad, we yell and scream and tattle. But, ultimately, I am glad to have four great sisters and I love it.


I am not going to sugar-coat it. Homeschooling is not easy, and it is certainly not for everyone. There are some days when I want to throw my Algebra book across the room, or when the toddlers are fighting over a Barbie doll, or when I'd rather be reading or writing then spending hours researching curriculum and searching for the best prices. But, I definitely wouldn't change anything and I am so blessed with the opportunity to homeschool.

These are a few of the many reasons why I homeschool.

Why do you homeschool?

5 Life Lessons From A Holocaust Survivor

Eva Kor (from her website)

I have been heavily studying World War II and the Holocaust for over two years, and in that time, I have always wanted to meet a Holocaust survivor. I had that chance. Yesterday, I had the privilege of a lifetime meeting Holocaust survivor Ms. Eva Mozes Kor and it was the most amazing time of my life. I was speechless - I could not believe I was meeting a Holocaust survivor! I could not believe it. Most teens dream of meeting a celebrity, I have dreamed of meeting a Holocaust survivor.
Eva's lecture consisted of three parts; her story, her message on forgiveness, and her life lessons. I have seen many videos of Holocaust survivors speaking, but being in the same room with her and hearing her in person was priceless. I have heard many Holocaust stories, but her message on forgiveness and her life lessons were so powerful! A camcorder cannot do justice to the powerful, inspiring testimony of a Holocaust survivor told in person. You hear, live, the emotion. This is a short news video of Eva. (this is the one I attended)

Eva signing her memoir for me!

Eva and her identical twin Miriam Kor are in front. Liberation, 1945

Please see Eva's full story on her website here. Eva and her twin sister Miriam were only ten years old when they and their family were taken to the infamous death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Since they were twins, they were subject to inhuman, bizarre Nazi experiments by Josef Mengele. Although she and Miriam survived, the rest of her family were murdered.
Years later, in 1993, she actually forgave the Nazis for everything they did to her and her family and she went back to Auschwitz. Her story is documented in her memoirs Surviving the Angel of Death (for tweens and teens) and Echoes From Auschwitz.

Anyways, in her lecture, she gave us her five life lessons that I must share.

1. Never, EVER give up.
2. Prevent prejudice by judging people only on their actions and content of their character.
3. Forgive your worst enemy - it will heal your soul and set you free.
4. Give your parents an extra hug and kiss for us children who had or have no parents.
5. Each of us has an important part to play in repairing our world. May tikkun olam ("repairing the world" in Hebrew) begin with me!

Number two was my favorite, and number four had me teary eyed.

Of course, a simple blog post cannot compare to hearing her speak and tell her story in person. Afterward, I (well, Dad) bought her memoir Echoes From Auschwitz (I had already read Surviving the Angel of Death) and she had signed it and wrote my name in it. (I will treasure it always!)

In my head, I have always replayed the scene I had imagined of me meeting a Holocaust survivor. But...the reality was quite different. I could barely get my name out, let alone ask any questions. (Of course AFTERWARD I thought of a good question, "Have you read The Sunflower and what are your opinions on it?") All I said basically was thank-you for coming. I think (know!) I sounded like an idiot.

Eva currently lives in Terre Haute, Indiana and has a museum called CANDLES, Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors, dedicated to the victims of the Auschwitz lab experiments. If you ever happen to be in southern Indiana, I would strongly encourage you to visit.

Here is a 30 minute video of Eva sharing her story. This is VERY powerful and not graphic and I would encourage everyone to watch it.


Have you met a Holocaust survivor? If you could, who would it be? Have you met a soldier from the Greatest Generation? Please tell me your story! 

Saving on Entertainment

I am always listening to music, normally while reading a book, and who doesn't like to end the day with a good movie? Well, books, movies, and music aren't cheap. Although I am a bookworm, I own very few books compared to most. I have only downloaded a few songs from iTunes. And I watch new movies all the time.

BOOKS

As you may have guessed, I am addicted to my local library. My library has a wide selection of books, as well as free Inter Library Loans, which means I can pretty much get access to any book I want. If they don't have it, they can request it from another library. Or if it is new, my library will purchase it. (OK so there is a few books my library can't get (When there is no library in the US that has it) such as some Danish historical fiction and a few Scholastic Canadian historical fictions. Well, in those rare cases, I cry, and then get over it, because normally if there is no library in the US that has it, then you probably can't buy it in the US either.) Anyways, I use World Cat to find the nearest library that has the book I'm looking for.
Some libraries also loan eBooks, although I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet!

Garage sales, Goodwill, and any resale shop are good places if you want to buy cheap books. I have taken pictures of interesting books I see at Goodwill, and then looking them up on my library's website before. On half-off day, you can normally get a book for a little more than a quarter at Goodwill. Amazon is then my next resource...
iBooks (and most other eBook stores) has nearly all classics for free. Hannah recently read Les Misérables on iBooks, and I am currently reading Great Expectations. Not only is this free, but classical literature is often much more challenging and have valuable lessons compared to today's books. Examples of free classics include: Pride and Prejudice, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Misérables, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Phantom of the Opera, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Ivanhoe, Romeo and Juliet.

MOVIES

Firstly, we rarely go to the theatre. I mean, we can a wait a little bit if it means saving $60. I can count with my hands the times we've been to a theatre. (Eight Below, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Prince Caspian, and Courageous are the times that stick out. There haven't been much more than that.)

Did you know you can get movies from your local library - free? Most have all the popular ones, but it WILL be hard to get them because the new movies fly off the shelves. However, this is the only way you'll get new movies for free.

Then there is YouTube. You will not find new Oscar-winners on there, but if it's older, rare, a Disney Channel original movie, low-budget, or made-for-TV, you may be in luck. The History Channel and National Geographic often have outstanding documentaries, and for the older ones (before 2010) you can often find on YouTube. The Hallmark biopic The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler is on there, as well as Fiddler on the Roof. For historical dramas (WWII, specifically) that were not SUPER big, you will often find them on YouTube, because, especially for WWII films, remembering what happened is the main purpose of the film. For example, the 2008 Holocaust film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has been uploaded quite a few times on YouTube. In 15 minute parts, in 10 minute parts, as a whole, in Portuguese, German and Arabic.

Hulu, Netflix, and of course, your TV, are also great resources.

Note: Never download movies from the internet for free. This is illegal.

MUSIC

I love music!! However I'm the type of person who likes a song, and listens to it a thousand times until I get sick of it and want to throw up the next time I hear it. The only time we really buy music is if we have an iTunes gift card, or if we really like the artist we will buy the CD. YouTube, radio, and Pandora are my two main sources for music. Internet radios are another free and legal source. Some good Christian Internet radios are K-Love and Air 1.

ALTERNATIVES

Of course, you don't have to always have to watch TV, listen to music, or even read. Swap some board games with a friend. Have a backyard picnic. Do a Pinterest craft with a friend. Visit a museum. 

100 Things To Do For Free

Going Paperless

NOTICE! I will no longer be posting on this blog. See here. 

One thing that we have cut out of our budget is using cloth for everything but Kleenex and toilet paper. Not only is using paper napkins and/or plates expensive, it creates a LOT of waste! More waste = more trash bags = more money. Going paper-less helps the economy, as well as your budget.

Plates

I don't know many who do this, but I am adding it on here. Using reusable plates, utensils, cups, etc. is not only cost-effective, it saves on the trash! If you are currently using paper plates, go to your local Goodwill and you will probably find a set of dishes. (Make it do)

Napkins

With two toddlers, the second they touch a paper napkin with their greasy hands, it is dirty and who really wants a dirty napkin? Cloth napkins are typically bigger than paper napkins, and we don't have to set "extra" out. Since we already do about 2 loads of laundry a day, there isn't really extra laundry involved. Folding napkins is the toddler's job.

As you can see from the picture, we have napkins of different colors and designs and materials. Last summer (2012) we went to Goodwill and various garage sales, and those were only some of the napkins we saw. Really? You want to get rid of that napkin because it has autumn leaves on it? Good for me! You should have no trouble finding napkins if you go to enough garage sales or Goodwill's.

Sure, our family of 7 cannot have the exact same napkin at one meal. But we no longer have "napkins" on our grocery list.

Paper towels

We use cloth paper towels, and after using them, we wash them and reuse. You can use old t-shirts or 25-cent garage sale t-shirts.

Trash bags

No, we do not use cloth trash bags. However, we do save money on trash bags in a way we can have one trash bag last us a day or two instead of a meal. The main reason you take the trash out is because it stinks because of food. We put our food in a Meijer bag that we get free from the grocery store and take that out! Out kitchen trash is for paper and miscellaneous things like that.

Dust rags

Most "normal" rags go to our vending business. We at home use burp clothes we have found at garage sales for 25 cents or less. They're nice and soft, and make perfect and cheap rags.

Paper

We use our printer often, and occasionally misprint something. Instead of throwing that paper away, we use the opposite side and ta-da! Paper for school tomorrow! Little kids typically make a few scribbles and then throw a piece of paper away, so this slightly cuts back on paper usage.

Recycle

Recycling will cut down on trash and help the environment! It really doesn't take much effort to recycle. It also doesn't hurt to donate your pop tabs. Simply keep a trash bin for recyclables, and drop it off at the nearest recycling station near you. (Some states give a dime or so for each pop can) For plastic, you can tell if it is recyclable or not by looking for the recycle symbol, typically on the bottom of a product. Normally, it will have the recyclable symbol with a number inside. Find out which plastics your state recycles. In Indiana, where I live, you can recycle plastics that say 1 or 2.

What are some ways your family eliminates paper?