The thing about salaries...

It's funny going from inconsistent money to a salary. Although my salary isn't massive, the simple fact that there is regular amounts of money being placed in my bank account twice a month is incredible, especially for someone who has always worked either hourly or by contract. The temptations which, only a few months ago, I could avoid because I couldn't justifiably afford them, are now within my grasp, and it has taken me a few months to properly adapt to my newfound "wealth".

The pay schedule in most companies in Canada is really quite fantastic. We get paid twice per month, as opposed to monthly in the UK. This allows me to more effectively budget my finances: my rent comes out of one paycheque, my credit card bill from the other.

The issue is, though my base expenses are significantly lower than my monthly pay, I had two months of large required expenses (furniture and a plane ticket), and one month of splurges which I shouldn't really have done but I don't regret (a show ticket, sporty clothing, and a reunion). In theory, I should be able to put aside nearly $600 per month. In reality, I've been managing about $250. Because I have no debt to pay off, this all goes into a savings account with the highest rate of interest I can find.

Now, you might be a bit confused as to why I'm not using my newfound wealth to it's full extent. When I explain to people that I have a salary but not a car, that equation doesn't always compute.

But here's a question: What if I lose my job? What if I encounter a major expense which I need to cover? If I had a car, if I spent my full wage each month, the answers to these questions would be financial destitution. I am not prepared to put myself in that situation, especially since I can take measures to avoid it at this point.

And I'm glad I have. This past weekend, a small part of my dental work fell out, leaving a small but noticeable gap in my teeth. A friend reckons this will cost around $300 to fix. Four months ago, this would be an expense I couldn't cover. Now I can. And it won't make my day-to-day won't be adversely affected.

Tip #24 - Beware of planned obsolescence

It’s that time of year again.

No, I’m not talking of the time of year when I start filling up my volunteering calendar, though that’s happening too.

I’m talking about the time of year when people around the world look at their one-year-old phones, tablets, computers, or gaming device, and think “why on earth did I spend so much money on this? It’s SO OLD!” and proceed to purchase, at great expense, the newest model on offer, tossing aside their current, perfectly functional, device.

Now I know I sound a bit cynical, and sometimes the advancements in technology really are impressive or really do make a positive impact in our busy lives.

But the marketing directors at top electronics and design houses have an extra ace up their sleeve: the concept of planned obsolescence, or in the words of Brooks Stevens, the man who made the idea famous the concept of “instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary”.

This evil little term is why our relatively new items of clothing or technology suddenly seem incredibly outdated after just a year or two. It I why things are not backwards-compatible (for example, why something saved in .docx may not work on a computer running an older version of Microsoft office, or why the new Nintendo games don’t work on previous GameBoys).

It is also why so many products these days are not ‘built to last’. If something breaks beyond repair, if that breakage was in-built but undetectably so, the consumer has to spend money to replace it. Or why the cost of repairing something is so ridiculously out of proportion to the cost of purchasing a new one, and that you may as well just buy new. Forever.

The origins of planned obsolescence were reasonable enough. It was thought out as a way to get consumers spending again during the great depression. Which is all well and good. But now this system is being applied to luxury items, which many people can ill afford to buy new every year. I know I can’t. But yet there is still pressure. The “ooo, that’s pretty!” or “ooo a new type of camera in the phone which does exactly one new thing and is totally worth an extra $500!” is heard every year.

Unfortunately, planned obsolescence is here to stay. I would hazard a guess that even now, only a couple days after their latest release, the big whigs at Samsung already know exactly what the Samsun Galaxy 5 will look like, and what it will contain, even if they haven’t quite worked out all the technical stuff yet.

So if you want to avoid paying out extra money because of planned obsolescence, here are some useful rules to follow:

1- Purchase something because you need it, not because it’s pretty. A major purchase should serve a useful purpose in your life, one that was not filled by your previous item, or to replace the loss of a previous item.

2- Read the customer reviews. If customers are reporting serious flaws in the product, then it might not be a good purchase! Search for the name of the device, including product number if necessary + customer reviews, and read a variety of reviews from a variety of sites. Read both the top and bottom reviews to get a better picture of the strengths and weaknesses of a device.

3- Get a good warranty. Invest in a warranty that at the very least covers the minimum amount of time you want your product to last. When I purchased my laptop, for instance, I bought a 3-year warranty because I wanted it to last at least three years. It has now lasted 3.5, and though I’m now out of warranty, I still believe I made the right decision.

4- Understand your warranty. Read through the warranty information carefully. If something happens to your item, you need to know who to call, what to do, and what might invalidate a warranty. For example, trying to fix a computer problem yourself, instead of bringing it to an accredited repair site, can make a warranty void. If you respect the warranty, and have a breakage to your item, you should have the repairs made at no extra cost, and you may receive a free replacement, especially if your device is no longer sold.

5- Accept that your items will no longer look shiny and new, and that that’s ok. For years, I had a dumb phone (you know, the opposite of a smart phone), even when smart phones were all the rage. My answer, when people ask how I could live with such a ridiculously low-tech piece of kit? “I use my phone to phone people, and it phones them rather well, thanks very much.” There isn’t really a good comeback to that!

Tip #22 - Buy a farm share

It's that time of year when you can juuuuuuust about smell spring in the air, but there's still snow on the ground. That time of year when the days are getting longer but still not long enough. That time of year when you start thinking about how nice it will be when fresh fruit and vegetables start growing again.

For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be able to "grow our own" for reasons of time, money, or simple lack of garden space, a great alternative is to buy a farm share or participate in a community farming association.  Community Supported Agriculture programmes are available in several countries and regions. Just google "CSA [your area]" to find one near you. By doing this, I've found CSA farms in many Canadian provinces and US states, as well as in England.

Here's the basic principle:
A farmer sells a certain number of "shares" to individuals in the community.
Individuals purchase these shares in late winter or early spring (aka NOW), providing farmers with starter income for the upcoming season.
The farmer then provides its shareholders with weekly or bi-weekly 'baskets' of produce from the farm throughout the production season. Shareholders usually have to pick up their shares at a pre-determined location.

However, if the farm has a good season, shareholders can make gains too, as the equivalent cost of the produce is higher than the initial cost of the share.

So you're supporting local farmers, and getting discounted produce at the same time. Oh, and did I mention that these farms often use organic methods, and many are actually certified organic? Sounds like win-win-win to me!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a gamble. If there is a poor harvesting season, or if the farmer is unable to maintain the farm for whatever reason, you may not receive your food. Read the terms and conditions of the shares closely before you buy to make sure you understand the potential risks.

Look around to find a farm which suits your needs. There are certified organic farms, there are some which allow you to substitute fresh produce with preserves, there are some which provide smaller baskets, or more flexibility, or who offer home delivery. Some also provide meat or eggs. Also consider the growing period - some farms grow produce with a smaller harvesting window, so will provide you with fewer baskets through the summer, whereas others will continue into the fall.

This year, I'm splitting a farm share with a friend. Each share should be enough to satisfy both of us and then some. We're getting 23 weeks' worth of baskets, starting in May. You can be sure there will be photos in good time! I can't wait!

Accepting the things we cannot change, and changing the things we cannot accept

If you haven't heard of the horsemeat scandal which is shaking the UK, here's a brief overview. Cheap minced meat from several low-priced product lines (for example 6/1pound burgers) has been found to contain horse DNA - sometimes up to 100% of the product is proven to be horse. Blame abounds, with fingers pointing at everyone from consumers to supermarkets to European mafia.

Side note: another big problem is the traces of porcine (yes, pig) DNA found in halal-branded food. That's a problem. A big problem. But outside my present argument.

In fact, food fraud seems to happen fairly frequently - we just don't realize it. I'm fairly certain the honey in my fridge (which I bought from a bulk bargain store) is actually coloured corn syrup, and I wouldn't be at all shocked that the cheapest store brand olive oil in my cupboard is just a cheap alternative. But you know what? I'm ok with that. The products serve their purpose in my food preparation. Also, I can't afford pure honey bought from a beekeeper, nor can I afford pure olive oil. I've accepted this. I'm ok with it, if not happy.

As for horsemeat, my personal view is that horsemeat must be pretty tasty if it's been passed it off as beef for so long. I personally have no problem with eating horse. However, I do have a problem when packaging says "100% beef" and the contents turns out to be Black Beauty rather than Buttercup. In England at least, the horsemeat industry is not as regulated as the beef one - the meat may contain many chemicals which may be harmful to us as consumers. This is a big problem.

If you do have an issue with eating horsemeat, then consider the wider picture. If a manufacturing company has managed to fool everyone with what animal is in their food, what else are you being tricked about? How have they managed this?

The only answer I can give is that the manufacturing chains are too damn long. We have no idea what's in our food anymore. Mostly, it's food - but what food, where, and how was it produced? We just don't know.

So we as consumers have two options:

1. We accept that we will never know what we're eating again.
2. We don't accept this, and we take steps to change.

In my case, I've accepted that some of my food is probably fake or below-standard (the honey, the oil), but I'm also taking steps to change. In my case, I'm purchasing a Community Supported Agriculture farm share (to be discussed in a future post), which will connect me directly to a local farmer. I will get fruit and vegetables every week during the spring and summer, and I can ask questions about the production methods, the fertilizers used, even what variety of vegetables they're growing.

It's also possible to get CSAs for meat, but I just don't have a big enough freezer to store half a cow or a whole pig. Sadly.

The capitalist world we live in emphasizes profit over quality. That's a shame, and it makes living on a tight budget an occasionally morally questionable practice. So my challenge to myself, to you, to the world is to choose what is acceptable and what isn't.

I've made my choices, what are yours?

Tip #21 - Take advantage of your supermarket... legally

I went food shopping today! For most people, that's a pretty boring task. But for me, it's always an adventure, even more so since I started on my $35/week budget. Delicious-looking food seems to jump off the shelves, trying to force their way into my basket, and I have to fend off the onslaught.

I've found that the best way to spend as little money as possible in the supermarket is to know my supermarket's secrets - the ins and outs of their pricing and specials, to take full and legal advantage of what they have to offer.

Of course, the most famous example of taking large-scale legal advantage of supermarkets is from the TV show Extreme Couponing. This works very well in many US states, but not so well where I live. Coupons really don't exist to the same extent, and are only offered on brand name products, and the savings are often small.

Instead I use two tricks which have served me well in both the UK and back in Canada: reduced for sale items and multibuy offers.

Reduced for sale

These items are reaching their best-before or sell-by dates, and stores need to clear them out quickly. They may be placed in a separate section, or have identifying stickers stating the percentage reduction or the new price. In England, these stickers seemed to be universally yellow, but in the supermarket nearest to me now, they're giant and pink (often covering up the product name or description!)

When buying reduced for sale items, check the best before date. This could be a few days away, but the product will still be edible even after this date. If the product has a use-by date, make sure you will consume the entire product before that date.

Any item which is reduced for sale and which can be frozen (such as meat or bread) is an even better bargain! Put the meat into a freezer bag (in portions, if it's chicken breasts or thighs, or ground meat) and stick it in the freezer until you will use it. Then, fully defrost when desired and cook it immediately. Bread will last at least a few days after defrosting.

Sometimes these reductions take place at specific times during the day or week. A few hours before closing is often a good time - as the store tries to get everything sold as fast as possible. 

Today I got lucky and found some reduced for sale yoghurt (best before the 7th) and orange juice (best before the 6th), both reduced by 50%. In fact, since the orange juice's reduction didn't go through at the check-out, I got a 100% reduction from customer services!

Multibuy offers

These can be useful, but also dangerous. Investigate the available multibuys before you get to the supermarket, either online or through the store's weekly flyer. Multibuy offers can lure you into the exhilarating feeling of getting a bargain, even when you don't need the item, and planning ahead will help you avoid these temptations.

Multibuys on pantry essentials are especially good. Stock up when the items are cheap. If there are multibuys for fresh produce, use it as an excuse to eat more fruit and vegetables or try new things. But make sure you use them! A multibuy offer is no good if the food goes to waste.

I'm having particular fun with multibuy offers in Canada, because the laws here seem to require multibuy pricing to extend to the individual items. So, for example, a 2 for $5 deal means that each item must be individually priced at $2.50 each. So my box of cereal, normally $5.58, currently on offer at 2 for $6, cost me only $3, even though I only bought one! Fantastic!


These are just two examples of ways to get the most out of your supermarket, which are well used in both Canada and the UK. Are there any tricks that you use?

Tip #20 - Cook in bulk, freeze in portions

I started a crazy budget plan last week. When I first planned it out I was positive the hardest category would be the food. I mean, $35/week for food? That's not a whole lot, right? Boy was I wrong.

Though I have gone over my weekly food limit for both weeks, that was mainly due to my stocking my cupboards with staples, spices, etc. In fact, I'll probably only spend about $15 next week, and that's partly because butter is on sale and I plan to stock up.

The way I've managed this is by first buying and cooking in bulk. I'm not talking about bulk in the normal sense - there are no 5kg bags of pasta or rice in my cupboards. But for my only mouth to feed, I certainly don't need 3kg of ground beef. But it was on sale, so I bought it. And then froze it in two 1.5kg batches. I also bought a whole chicken (also on sale - see how this works?) and froze it.

The next step is to cook in bulk. I'll make portions big enough for an entire family, even though it's just me eating. I take what I want for my meal, then separate the rest into freezer containers. This way, my food stays fresh, and future preparation takes all of three minutes.

In the past two weeks I've made:

- A giant pot of pasta sauce (9 servings)
- A shepherd's pie (4 servings)
- Squash soup (5 servings)
- Carrot soup (5 servings)
- Whole chicken (1 serving + 2 pots of leftovers)
- Chicken and vegetable soup (5 servings, from various leftovers)
- 2 loaves of bread (1 frozen)
- 2L of granola (this is about what I'll eat in a week and a half; no freezing required, but is possible)

I'll also admit to the fact that I also have frozen perogies as a lazy-day meal.

My normal shopping day is Saturday (only 2 days away), yet my freezer is full, and so is my fridge. So I will likely not need to buy anything aside from my butter this week. And maybe treat myself to some pickles. I know, I'm pretty intense.

This trend may change eventually. I may find that, one day, $35 is just not enough to feed me for the week. But for now, I'm buying in bulk, cooking in bulk, and freezing in portions.


Extra added bonus time: home-cooked food has made me feel incredibly full. I'm eating less by volume than I normally would. If I had a set of scales, I'd guess I'm probably losing weight too. So I'm saving money and taking care of my body too!

Tip #18 - Make a Budget

Tomorrow's a big day for me! I'm moving into a shared two bedroom apartment, so for the first time in several months I can actually budget some expenses. Living without a fixed address can be expensive because it's hard to plan where all your money will go, and how much you will have at the end of the month.

I've decided that, because I have an unsteady income through self-employment, I would set myself a strict budget which I know I can manage for at least six months on my current account balance. That amount is $1000 Canadian per month. This will be really really hard, but I think I can do it.

To make a basic budget, follow these simple steps:

1- If you can, write down how much you make each month.

2- Write down your fixed expenses: These are things which are not optional, which have a fixed monthly or yearly cost, and which can't be negotiated. Things like mortgage, rent, car payment.

[3- Write down your debt repayment costs: If you have debts, you need to make note of how much this is costing you each month. Total debt repayment shouldn't be much more than 8% of your income unless you're amazingly rich. It must be manageable - without only paying the minimum amount.]*

4- Write down your non-luxury variable expenses: Things like food, phone bill, Internet, transportation (gas, bus pass), and insurances come into this category. These expenses are ones which you have some flexibility over how much to spend, but still have to be paid each month.

5- Write down your luxury expenses: Beauty costs, entertainment, sporting events, clothing all fall into this category. I would personally put a gym membership here too, but that's up for debate depending on your situation.

6- Write down how much you are putting aside in savings and/or retirement each month. This can't be 0!

*Note: I put #3 in brackets because, like myself, you may have no debts. This should mean more money in #5 ;)

The total of 2-6 shouldn't exceed the number in 1 - if it does, you will simply increase your debts further. To fix this, go through your luxury and non-luxury variable expenses to see where you can cut back. This may take some time and effort, and may well be very difficult. It requires a very future-oriented thought process. You need to know why you want to save more money, why it will be beneficial in the future, to your family or to yourself.

7- STICK TO YOUR BUDGET

Because of my uncertain income, I came at my own budget in a slightly different way, by deciding how much I was willing and able to spend each month, and working backwards to see how much I could spend in each category.

Here is my final monthly budget:

Rent: $430 (all inclusive, including Internet and cable)

Phone: $46 (after taxes)

Food: $148.75 ($35/week)

Transportation: $106.25 ($25/week)

Entertainment: $63.75 ($15/week)

Clothing and gifts: $63.75 ($15/week)

Other: 141.50 (includes insurance, sundries, and any 'float' needed in other categories)

Total: $1000

So that's a pretty tight budget. You'll notice that I have no line in there for "savings" - that's because, since I don't have a steady income, I plan on putting everything outside the $1000/month into savings. (What can I say, I'm a saver!)

I will be posting quite a bit about how I've managed to stay within this budget. I think the food bit will be the hardest. $35/week for food just doesn't go very far, despite food not being taxed in Canada. I'm slightly cheating by stocking up with "essentials" using Christmas money (about $125 worth), but otherwise all my food will have to fit within this budget. Wish me luck!

Tip #17 - A stitch in time saves... money?

This is a rather targeted blog post. Targeted to one person (you know who you are ;P) but applicable to many, many people, myself included!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how brand names in food and cleaning products didn't necessarily result in an improvement in quality, but definitely an increase in price.

The same can be said for clothing, where the glut of high street "brands" has led to lowering prices and an increased emphasis on style (what will be the new black in 2013?). But that has also come with a staggering decrease in overall quality.

I have a rant about linings and how terrible they are these days, but it's not worth putting here. Suffice it to say, too many of the clothes that I've bought from standard high-street stores have fallen apart in some irreparable way (and I can mend clothes!) before what I feel is their time.

Recently, I started looking at things a bit differently. If clothes now-a-days are cheap in price and quality, what happens when we go up the price ladder. Will we go up the quality ladder, too? The answer is usually yes, but to a point. Here's a rough paint-graph of how this works, with cost in blue and quality in red. Ok, ok, it's not scientific and is based on experience rather than fact, but I find that, while costs can increase exponentially, quality kind of plateau's at a certain point. Beyond that point, you're paying for the name or the style.

So here's the thing. When considering new items, if you buy too far down the cost line, the quality will be poor and you will have to replace the item soon. If you buy too far up, then you're adding cost with no beneficial return. The trick is to try and even out the two - to buy an item that will last a long enough time to balance out the increased cost and then some.

I have several examples from my own life:

First, my purse. My purse (handbag to avoid confusion) is a mid-range designer brand. It cost ₤148, which is REALLY EXPENSIVE. But it has now lasted me for a year and a half, which is longer than my previous four purses put together. In fact, if I had continued with the cheaper quality purses, I would have spent more in that year and a half on purses than on my designer one. And I plan on keeping it until it falls apart, hopefully another year and a half.

Second, my coat. In fact, my coats, since I have had good luck with coats. One coat cost me $220 and lasted me 10 years. A lot of money on a coat, but averaged out to $22/year, it's incredibly affordable. My current coat cost ₤127 on sale, and is a very formal wool cashmere blend. This is it's second winter in action, but the lining is still in one piece and it still looks fantastic despite some heavy use. It's vastly better than the ₤98 coat that I bought the year before, which looked old after just one year's use; and it had a hole in one pocket!

Finally, my computer. Going into my final year of university, I managed to kill my third laptop in a year and a half. I'm abusive to computers. I type fast, I eat and drink while I'm on them, I drop them off sofas. Essentially, I put them through a lot, and the cheapy-cheap ones just couldn't put up with me. So, despite protestations by my step-father, I shelled out on a $1500 laptop, which included a $300 warranty. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY HOLY CRAP! But here's the thing: it has a shock-proof hard drive, so it's sofa-drop proof. It has a spill-proof keyboard so it won't fry. And it's got steel hinges, so I can open and close it as often as I like. Basically, it's me-proof. And it's lasted over 3 years. That's now less than $500/year. Which is incredibly affordable for a computer. The only problems are: the fan is going slightly, I had to replace the battery and the new one isn't always recognized but it works, and one of my sofa drops recently knocked out the microphone. But otherwise it's as fast as it has always been, and that's what matters.

I suppose my point here is that brand names or increased prices don't always mean increased quality. You have to search for the balance, and, when you find it, keep the products going so they are cheaper over time. Do the research, have a good feel of fabrics, check the seams, and know yourself - if I was more careful with electronics, I wouldn't have spent so much on my computer, but I knew I couldn't do that.

Happy New Year's everyone! I hope your resolution includes spending less money!

P.S. If you're yelling at your computer that I forgot about second hand or vintage clothing, don't worry. That's on my list for a future post ;)

Tip #16 - Make your Christmas presents

This is clearly a little late, but I couldn't post what I made for people until after Christmas... otherwise they would know!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've made Christmas presents for the past few years. I simply don't believe that it's necessary to spend loads of money on Christmas presents. Especially when making presents for a medium to large number of people, it's possible to save a lot of money in financial terms, while still giving thought-felt gifts. Certainly, if I added up all the time I spent this year and paid myself minimum wage, I would have spent a lot more than I could afford!

I had 10 people + my boyfriend to give gifts for this year. For the 10, I made gift bags (see here for how I made the gift bags) with three sweet Christmas treats: peppermint bark, gingerbread cookies, and chocolate-covered candied orange peel. In total, including the gift bag supplies, I spent (in cash terms) approximately ₤25, but probably spent about 3 full days between the treats and bags. 

Chocolate peppermint bark, courtesy of a recipe by canida on the instructables site (http://www.instructables.com/id/Chocolate-Peppermint-Bark/#step1). Really tasty, and would be great melted into hot chocolate.

 

These chocolate covered candied orange peels are simply to-die for. Absolutely incredible. I used a recipe from the food network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/candied-orange-recipe/index.html), then dipped the resulting concoction into melted dark chocolate, let it cool in the freezer, and yum-tastic!

I have no reference for this gingerbread recipe because my friend sent it to me several years ago. It's got a big kick to it thanks to the cloves and pepper, but do not be deceived! It's delicious.

Spicy Gingerbread Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 cup unsulfured molasses

6 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoons ground ginger

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Raisins, dragées, and/or red hot candies for decoration (optional)

Royal Icing for decoration (optional)

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and molasses. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough into thirds and wrap each third in plastic wrap. Chill for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick between two pieces of waxed paper. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer shapes to ungreased cookie sheets. If desired, decorate with raisins, dragées, and/or red hot candies. Refrigerate about 15 minutes. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp but not dark. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. If desired, decorate with Royal Icing.

And finally, ready for Christmas! :)

 

 

Craft time: Christmas gift bags

I have a bit of a trend that I make people presents, rather than buying them. The trend is sometimes broken, but generally I bake or sew or make a big batch of something, then divide it up amongst my family. But I always have difficulty finding things to put them in... the gift bags that are in my price range (read: really really cheap) look it. So this year I decided to do things a bit differently. I swallowed my pride, and went on Amazon.

Oh gosh, I know, Amazon doesn't pay its taxes. But the items I purchased amounted to about ₤6, so I don't think the tax man is losing out on too much. I purchased 15 white paper bags with handles, 1 bottle of gold paint, "Cadburry" purple tissue paper, and some cellophane bags (for the as-yet mysterious goodies!). So my packaging was sorted with very little headache and even less expenditure!

Now to make the bags a bit more special. I bought some doilies from the local super market (unfortunately, we live in a time when doilies are hard to find, so I didn't have much selection of where to buy them or what pattern to choose) and a sponge. 

I placed the doily on to the paper bag, and sponged the gold paint so that it came through the holes, creating a pattern. I then removed the doily, wrote the name of the recipients, also in gold paint, and voila! Beautiful, home decorated gift bags for very little. 

I will be filling these with delicious unnamed goodies (yum!), with purple tissue paper coming out the top. Luxury on a budget, no artistic talent required!

Inspiration credit:  http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2009/11/21/diy-doily-canvas-bag/

Tip #15 - Fun for free

I got really annoyed the other day by a commercial for a new board game called "telestrations". It's currently retailing at about ₤20. It involves one person picking a word or common phrase and drawing a picture of it, then passing it to the next person, who guesses the word or phrase and passes to the next person, who draws a picture based on that guess, and so on. 

What annoyed me so much is that my friend Michelle taught me how to play this game using a ripped piece of paper folded like an accordian and a pencil, and I've used it in ESL classes as a fun way to teach certain verb tenses or idioms. It costs absolutely nothing, yet some company is trying to copyright it and charge a rediculous amount of money for it! So I started thinking about what other fun group activities I've played which cost nothing (many of which have since been copyrighted by greedy toy companies). Most of these won't be a surprise to many, but in an increasingly commercialized world I thought it would be nice to compile some of the more simple joys of large gettogethers. Perhaps this list can be useful for free family fun this Christmas!

Charades: Physically acting out a common word or short phrase or idiom. Talking is not allowed. If you've somehow never heard of charades, look on youtube for some hilarious examples. 

Possible variations: Either the group gets together to write various phrases on bits of paper, and the person who's "in" picks one out at random, or (as my boyfriend insists is the correct way) if someone has an idea they just "have a go". It can also be played as a competitive team game or a free-for-all.

Pictionary: Similar to charades, but instead of physically acting out a word or phrase, it is drawn. No words are allowed, either spoken or written. There is usually a time limit, but this may be forfeited when small children are playing.

Possible variations: Same as above; Using an easle, whiteboard or chalkboard for a bigger picture; Using plasticine to create 3D models of the word or phrase.

Who am I?: Everyone writes the name of a famous person on a sticky note, and are randomly assigned to place the sticky note on another player's head. Each player then has to ask yes/no questions to find out who the famous person is.

Possible variations: You could do certain categories, such as athletes, politicians, etc.; Playing in teams, where, like charades or pictionary, the player pulls a famous person out of a hat and has to describe them to their team; 

20 Questions: The player thinks of a noun (proper or not), and answers up to 20 yes/no questions until the group figures out what they have thought of. If they get to 20 questions without guessing correctly, the player wins.

Possible variations: "He(She)'s a he(she) and he(she)'s dead/alive" My Mum's family used to play this one when she was a kid, essentially 20 Questions but narrowing to only famous people.

Categories: We played this in English class. Grade 12 English class, to be exact, and yes at age 17/18 it was awesome fun. Players sit in a circle (or some sort of identifyable order). Each player in turn names something in a specific category, such as items of clothing, fruit, animals, etc. Too much pausing results in the person being "out" and a new category being chosen.

Possible variations: Alphabetized, where each sequential item has to be the next letter of the alphabet (ex: Apple - Banana - etc); Clappng game version, where a pattern is started before the start of the game - in English class, we used *knee slapp*knee slapp*clap*clap*snap*snap* - during the *snap*snap* section of the pattern was the time where the individual had to state their contribution

Hide-and-seek: this requires a big enough house or outdoor area, and areas such as the kitchen should probably be out of bounds for the kids, but it provides hours of entertainment for kids of all ages! The player who is "it" counts to 100 while the remaining ones hide. They then find all the remaining players. The last player found is the new "it".

Possible variations: Sardines, basically reverse hide-and-seek, where the player who is "it" hides and the remaining players have to find them. By the end of the game, there are usually limbs flying everywhere and some very squished people and loads and loads of giggles! 

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for some more Christmas treats (although I won't post my actual Christmas presents until after Christmas to avoid anyone on my list catching wind of my plans!)