Pumpkinville

I've found another inexpensive family fun trip! Pumpkinville in Great Valley Ny!
this talking pumpkin greats you & tells you all about pumpkins & how nutritious they are. He also tells all about Pumpkinville & what to see & do while you're there. It's free admission & Parking. you only pay for food & rides. They even press fresh cider which was a big hit for the kids to watch.
They weren't as crowded this year since we had just had all that snow. It was cold & muddy.
So we put on our winter coats & boots & had a blast! The kids really enjoyed it. Here they checked their heights.
Feeding the goats was a highlight of the day. You pay a quarter to get a handful of corn, put it in this can on the belt & crank the handle to send it up to the goat waiting for the corn.
The haunted house was free, small but the kids really enjoyed it. I lost track on how many times they went through it.
The cow ride was a hit for the younger ones. Yes, you had to buy a ticket, but it was worth it. she had so much fun! she was too young last year for this ride.

There are several cutouts through out the grounds like this one. "Kids" of all ages enjoyed theses. So, once again we found some place we could have family fun & didn't cost too much to go. We drove about an hour & a half to get there. We stopped for supper on the way home. That was probably the most we spent all day.
Share your ideas on inexpensive family fun!! We can't let the economy keep us from spending time together.

Fall in Rural America

Living in rural America has so many benefits. One of the best is all the beauty that surrounds us. The temperatures may be falling, the leaves are falling, But, the colors are so beautiful.
The views from the hilltops are just so amazing! I just love this time of year!
This is a simple country road near our home. It's so peaceful there. I'm reminded of postcards I've seen in my life. I get to see it in person.
This amazing view is from my own front door. When I'm surrounded by so much beauty I have to stop & count my many blessings. With all the drama in our lives day in and day out, coming home to this just puts everything in perspective.
Share the beauty in your lives!

Childrens Birthday parties

Children's Birthday parties can become very expensive. With the economy as it is today we can have great parties at low prices.Making the cake yourself can save you big time. with all the recipes out there you can fun finding just the right cake for any theme too! At my grand daughters party recently the theme was "farm", (she loves her farm animals), they picked the "kitty Litter cake" It looks like a cat's litter box that has been well used but it's really cake & very good too! they made the decorations as well. They look great & cut cost.

Making the food yourself is another way to cut cost. Be creative! You really can have fun & why shell out extra cash for a caterer when you don't have to?
The games are always a hit with the kids. You need to hire a clown or pony for the party. Again; be creative.
This low cost party was a big hit & "kids" of all ages had a great time! Another note. you don't need a professional photographer either. any simple camera can capture the memories for years to come. Have a couple people taking pictures can really get some great shots, different angles as well. So, as you see, there are ways to have fun & save money. Cutting cost in this economy doesn't have to cut out the fun.
OK, your turn, send us your family fun ways to save money & cut cost in this economy!!!

County Fairs

Summer is winding down. County Fairs are a great family entertainment that is inexpensive. Ours, the Potter County Fair. Is still free admittance, free parking, free entertainment. We don't get the big name stars this way but when you live just down the road from the fair, it's nice to be able to go & visit old friends without paying to get in.

Whether your young or old, the fair is a great day out. Our family gets our mom out for the day & everyone who can go meets her there. she loves the fair food of course, but what she really likes is getting to see her family & old friends.
the rides are always a big hit with the kids. & with the ride all day for one price it's affordable too.
Some of these rides have been here since I was a kid! LOL! My Grand kids loved the Ferris wheel.
the good ol merry go round has been a fixture for all fairs for as long as I can remember.
Whether your showing an animal in the 4-H program. showing off your prize veggies, or that photo you took earlier this year. You are in for a great time at the county fair. If you're from out of the area it's a chance to see our residents pride in their canned goods, baked goods, home made quilts. There is always something for everyone at the county fair. If you didn't get to one this year, make sure you check one out next year!! It's really worth the trip!
Please feel free to share your county fair stories & photos with us!!!

Ways to cut cost in this economy.

It's that time of year again. Summer is in full swing! Yard sales are plentiful so make the most from those. Sales are on for school clothes & supplies too. Remember to check out those clearance racks!!! It's amazing how much you can save there! K-Mart runs a lot of sales on their clearance items on weekends too. Pay attention to the normal prices compared to the clearance prices though, sometimes they aren't such a good deal. I lucked out last year at Fashion bug, I got a really nice shirt, normally $24.00, I paid $3.98! Becky from Pennsylvania loves the clearance racks!
Have you taken advantage of the summer weather & hung your clothes out to dry? Well, it's rained a lot here in PA this summer but, I've hung out as much as I can. I saw a story on the CBS Sunday morning news show that some places are actually banning the practice of hanging your clothes out to dry! Can you believe that? Not only does it cut cost on your energy bills but it saves the earth too! Aren't we all going green?
How are your gardens doing? I was able to can some green beans & greens today. It's been so wet, we probably won't get as much as we had hoped to. Our blueberry bush is loaded this year, if we get some sun so they can ripen we'll be all set.
Family reunions are popping up all over as well. We had 3 this month. It's a great way to get together & catch up. Everyone brings a dish to pass, it's held at either a community park or someones home. that's a great low cost way to stay connected.
So, what have you done to cut cost this summer? Where did you go for vacations?
Send me your ideas on cutting cost in today's economy!!

Don't be afraid to buy second hand.

With the economy as bad as it is. We are looking for deals everywhere. Buying second hand clothes or items for your home is a great way to stretch your dollars. It's summer time & yard sales are popping up everywhere. You can find some amazing deals at yard sales. You know the old saying "one mans junk is another mans treasure". You can find some things in next to new condition at rock bottom deals. Most people will wheel & deal at these sales as well so they won't have to pack the stuff back up. When children are small you can really make a haul on their clothes. Kids out grow stuff before it wears out. If you're expecting you can find most of the things you need for baby at yard sales. When my daughter in-law was expecting, she found a really nice baby swing, the lady at the sale paid $150.00 for it new, wanted $75.00 for it. My daughter in-law wheel & dealed her down to $30.00 & she came away with a shelf, & Mary Moo figurines for her collection to boot!
Dawn from Ohio wrote me that she likes yard sales to get her kitchen towels. She gets such good deals she won't buy them anywhere else.
If you can't find a good yard sale in your area or you just didn't find what you're looking for, try the local Salvation Army, Goodwill, or any thrift stores. These a great for finding quality stuff or donating your unwanted items. I'm told donating to these stores count as charitable donations on your taxes. Check it out! We have to save money anywhere we can in this economy now don't we? Have you checked out the link to "my store" yet? It's an on-line garage sale! You can sell your unwanted items on line! Best of all, it's a free store for you!! Check it out!
Ok, send me your ideas to cut cost in this economy! You don't have to live in rural America like I do, share your ideas from anywhere you may live.

low cost family fun

I'm always looking for ways to spend time with family, a recent trip to Animal Land was one low cost way.
here our Granddaughter learns about bald eagles from a park ranger. This was at the bottom of the PA Grand canyon.
This waterfall is in the PA Grand canyon. This was a mile hike down to the bottom. There are atleast 3 waterfalls down there.
This is the top of the canyon. it was beautiful day for a hike.
Here we go! On our way down to the bottom. The path down winds around for a mile, there are also steps along the way. After we got to the bottom, with 2 strollers, we sent my husband & son back up for the cars & the rest of us headed down the bike path. 3.7 miles to the end. After hiking 4.7 miles, & seeing the bald eagle demonstration. We had a picnic lunch then went to Animal Land. (where we walked some more.) There are several animals there, from deer & goats, to a cougar, bear, & monkeys. As I said, low cost family fun is the goal. With the economy as it is, we're all short on funds. John & I have spent over 26 years finding low cost ways to spend time together, & with family. It's amazing how many low cost things there are to do near our home. this trip was only a 2 hour drive from home. We came home & had a cookout for our supper. The evening ended with a camp fire out back & smores. I took over 200 pictures on this day. I love spending time with my family & try to document all of it.
So, that's one way we found to have low cost fun. What are some things you've found to spend time together with out going broke?