Frugal ideas for rainy April days

rainy dayWith the rainy days of April upon us, you may want to prep yourself for some potentially long, indoor days.

To save yourself from going batty, be proactive when it is sunny and make plans for what you’ll do with the kids when it is raining.

Planning ahead is your best bet against impulse spending and derailing your budget!

Go outside anyways

There is something magical about doing the opposite of what one thinks one should do- particularly when you’re a kid.

So, while everyone is heading inside to stay dry, put on your boots and raincoat and head out doors. Not only is splashing and jumping in puddles allowed- it is encouraged.

Dress-up

By the same “forbidden” token, let you kids loose in your cupboard to play dress-up with your actual clothes. The results are pretty funny (especially if they start imitating you).

Bonus- while they are pretending, you can go through your winter clothes and purge to get ready for spring!

Treasure hunt

When the sun is shining (and the kids are in school, or otherwise not with you) hit the dollar store for loads of little items. When the rain is coming down, organize an indoor treasure hunt for toys, complete with treasure maps and the like.

New toys! I love rainy days, say the kids!

Family portraits

Sit the family down and draw portraits of each other. Draw each other doing favourite activities. You may even produce some treasures to keep!

Charades

Ahh.. the timeless classic. Your only limitation is thinking of cool things to act out. This could go on for hours!

Dance party

Draw the shades (don’t want to scare the neighbours) and crank the tunes. Shake it out as a family. Jumping off couches doing air guitar is strongly encouraged.