The ABC's of Rich Experiences, Living Rich, and DO-ing Fun!
At Cindy's Porch – we have an expression that we often use: We are
not DOing without. We are DOing within. We look at things a little differently. This isn't about being cheap or (gasp!) poor. This is about being rich in experiences!
Recently, my two youngest daughters spent the entire day making a
newspaper. They interviewed my husband, their oldest sister, and the
rabbit (he had an unbelievable story to share LOL). They baked
cookies to "sell" with their subscription (which, by the way was
free). They encouraged "letters to editors" which had my husband and
I writing to them several times during the day. And they grabbed my
camera and took a bunch of shots to complete the publication. The
newspaper "offices" were a huge fort built in the basement using
sheets. Only the dog and the two of them knew the way in (secret
passage). They had a blast. The two of them were giggling and
plotting all day long.
As I watched them fly by (headed off to the next great
neighborhood story) with huge grins on their faces I had this
thought. This is what parents are supposed to give their
children: "memories." Their day didn't cost a dime (and I have this
incredibly creative newspaper to add to their memory box). They had a
rich day!
We asked our readers for their ABC's of "Rich
Experiences, Living Rich, and DOing Fun" This isn't about feeling
poor because we choose not to enrich our lives with more stuff. This
is about feeling rich because we choose to enrich our lives with
DO's. Take the words "poor, miserly, cheap, and pinching pennies" out
of your vocabulary. We want words that are more positive
and more fun!
Thank-you to everyone who sent in their ideas! This is a great list.
Cindy
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- Abundance of things to Do!
- Acknowledging your Abundance
- Abundance of ideas we get from Cindy’s Porch ((Hugs!))
- Ant-farm. Watching it grow. Outside.
- Apple picking at the orchard.
- Absolutely anything you ever wanted to DO!
- Baking bread for loved ones
- Bubble baths - need I say more?
- Basketball played in the park.
- Blowing bubbles in the backyard. (Dishsoap makes great bubbles.)
- Bedtime story shared with your little one (Note from Cindy: don't miss out on these! It's scary how quickly those little ones grow!)
- Baking homemade treats instead of going to the Bakery.
- Berry picking on the trails up north with my aunts & grandmother.
- Collecting memories
- Creativity (Our readers have lots of that! - Cindy)
- Catching a frisbee in the park.
- Cuddling the little ones while you read a library book to them.
- Christmas Cards - made by hand in advance (just mark down on November's calendar where you put them so you remember to use them - been there, not done that LOL)
- Crafting supplies - let your kids help themselves - yes even to the "good" watercolors.
- Camp in the backyard! Set up the tent & have a ball!
- Camera - if you have one - use it!
- Count falling stars - especially in August.
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- Cash Christmas - saving ahead so you don't need to go into debt.
- Doing things that create memories.
- Dancing to the stereo cranked up loud.
- Dog walking and getting exercise for free (ours is a German Shepherd! Boy, what a workout I get from walking him)
- Declutter a little bit every week.
- Dot Dot Dot (you have to have seen Mamma Mia for this one - I am blushing here!)
- .
- Enjoying nature.
- Enjoying a hobby. (Note from Cindy: We all have hobby supplies that we have bought over the years. Make a date with yourself to DO some hobbying this week!)
- Eat @ home more often.
- Exercise on the cheap, either from an exercise video from the library or by playing tag with your kids.
- Encourage someone who seems down:
an elderly neighbor who needs someone to talk to,
a child who needs some 1-on-1 time,
write them an "I love you" or an "I appreciate you" note.
- Entertaining friends and relatives.
- Fishing at the lake
- F – Fun Fashion Show. My daughter and her little girlfriends dress up in special clothes and take my “old” evening skirts and dresses (yes, time to admit they are not in fashion and do not fit). They assemble wild outfits and then parade through the house. She has lots of hand-me-down dresses (I never say no to a box of used clothes) that are worn maybe once a year, if ever. But thanks to the Fashion Show, they get lots of use in the house. They decorate the stage area with posters and signs. It is a huge production that doesn’t cost a dime. The giggles and laughter are simply priceless. I get such a kick out of seeing those sequin tops put to good use. Abba music sets the mood for fun.
- Finding a passion.
- Facials (look for a home recipe!)
- Family History - start tracking those relatives. Ask the kids to "interview" grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles. See how far they can go back.
- Frosting between 2 graham crackers.
- Fossils - look for them at the museum or in a Book from the library.
- Fort - made out of sheets.
- Find free things to do @ home or in community.
- Flowers picked from the garden and placed in a vase.
- Friday night high school football games.
- Giggles.
- Gaining perspective.
- Gift certificates - using them before they expire.
- Garage sales, sources of fun and Great deals.
- Go for a walk (Remember to invite a friend and bring the dog!)
- Grandmas and Grandpas - visit them, call them, or write them a letter. Remember to include some pictures of the kids. Better yet, get the kids to write the letter!
- Grilling burgers for backyard BBQ's.
- Helping others through volunteering.
- Hopscotch.
- Hunting for mom's "buried treasure" in the back yard.
- Honoring your Heritage. (Note from Cindy: Here's an idea - sign out a cookbook from your heritage. Our family often will explore our Swedish, German, British, Dutch, and Belgium roots with special recipes from the library or Internet. Delicious!)
- Hugs!
- Hiking in the woods on a sunny day.
- Haircuts, Horseback ride, Hayride
- Hang laundry outside to save on electricity (We DO this! I love the way our sheets smell after they've dried on the line - Cindy)
- Hiking the trails at a nearby metro park with my daughters.
- Investment of time
- Inspecting insects (Put a hula hoop on the ground. Count how many insects you can find inside).
- Introducing spontaneity into your day. (Love this one!!)
- Ice pops made from scratch.
- Ice Cream Cones. Even better dust off the Ice cream maker and DO it yourself.
- Ice skating @ indoor rinks. (Great on a hot day!)
- Joining with friends.
- Jumping rope.
- Juggling (Note from Cindy: If you use the oranges from the fruit bowl, plan on making some orange juice afterwards!)
- Journal about your summer/your family/your pets/etc.
- Jokes and stories you swap with your kids.
- Jumping on a trampoline.
- Keeping in touch. (Note from Cindy: If you just read this, then STOP. Look up an old friend and give them a call. Too late to call them? Then fire off a quick email. Just say "hi".)
- Kite flying. Learn how to make your own.
- Kick a ball around the yard.
- KIDS, always a source of fun and entertainment even when they don’t know it.
- .
- Lemonade stand.
- Laughter, Love, Life.
- Laughing at a shared memory.
- Library books
- Living rich even if your bank account doesn’t show it
- Learn a new card game. You already own the deck.
- Lying on a blanket watching cloud shapes.
- Leave the Shopping cart at the door.
- Listening when your teens talk to you.
- Music!!!! (Note from Cindy: Dive into your music stash. You've already paid for it, you may as well enjoy it! 1980's Hits, here I come! LOL)
- Movies from the library or shared with a friend.
- Magic tricks you learn with the kids.
- Making your own fun and stretching your brain in the process.
- Medieval feast, supper without plates, knives, or forks. Haul out the costumes and dress up for the occasion too.
- Major sense of accomplishment (thought of this while I was canning cherries yesterday).
- Make someone else's day by doing something nice for them. Not only will they feel good, you will too.
- Massage each other's feet. Aaaaaaah!
- Noticing the intricacies of Nature
- Naps (and no, it's not just you, I like them too! - Cindy)
- “No” to all store credit cards.
- Never say never!!! Be brave & step out of your comfort zone.
- Neglecting the house for the day.
- Opening up the windows on a breezy day. (Love this one!!)
- Original ideas.
- Old sturdy toys which you find at a yard sale that are better than what you find new in the stores. (Note from Cindy: OH! I agree with this one. Nearly all our kids toys came from garage sales when they were little. It's amazing how clean some of the plastic stuff gets when you run it through the dishwasher!)
- Organizing a get-together with friends.
- Oven fresh cookies.
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- Pretend play with toddlers.
- Prioritizing what's most important
- Painting watercolor masterpieces. (Note from Cindy: let's skip the "masterpiece" idea LOL - just painting for fun is what really counts. I'll never achieve masterpiece - huge grin!)
- Pool, Play, Practice, Photos take them or put them in albums, Pennies for our cash stash.
- Picnic at the neighborhood park.
- Procrastinating on a Purchase, and then finding out you didn’t need it after all. (Love it when this happens! - Cindy)
- Paper airplanes. (How fancy can you make them?)
- Play with your camera and take pictures.
- Playing the piano... Get out the sheet music & piano lesson books & relive those recital moments! Or gather the family around & do a sing-a-long!
- Potluck! Bring your own.
- Free park concerts.
- Porch sitting and "neighborizing". (oops - how could forget this? Thanks! - Cindy)
- Quiet moments in nature
- Questions, 20
- QUIT - as in "I QUIT" smoking last month. Yeah me!!
- Quilts which you make from scrap fabric….after raiding your fabric stash rather than buying new!
- Play "House" with the kids only make it a castle and be Kings and QUEENS. My neighbor girl made me a servant!
- Quarters for our cash stash.
- Renewed relationships.
- Researching a project
- Responsible (for our bank accounts, for our environment (reuse, reduce), for our frame of mind)
- Riding bikes.
- Restaurant meals which are not as good as what you make at home…..so you skip them.
- Read the latest best seller - free from the library.
- Roasting marshmallows over a backyard fire.
- Remember, there is always another sale.
- SHOP at home FIRST (One of our readers actually takes a shopping bag into the pantry and deep freeze to "shop" for supper - I love it!)
- Self-discovery, Saving money! Setting an example
- Spotting Yawning people. Pointing looses points.
- See how many bad manners they can spot (we used to have a competition to
spot the worse road manners on the school run, by the time they get to
drive they know what not to do) Have the people in the next car got
their seats belts on, are the children running near the road.. Pointing
is not allowed they must describe the action. See if they can spot good manners too, someone holding a door, someone
saying thank you.
- Soaking your feet. (Mmmmmmmmmm - heavenly!)
- Star gazing. (Note from Cindy: Do you know which planets you can see in tonight's sky?)
- Scavenger hunt. Let the kids build their own.
- Sports
- Sock Puppets with the holey ones you threw out.
- Snow flakes - made out of paper and hung up during the summer.
- Sidewalk chalk pictures.
- Snow shoe!
- School Supplies Stash that you find in your cupboard….so you don’t have to buy new!
- Sing-a-long. Gather the family around the piano (or guitar) & have a sing-a-long!
- Smile.
- Sitting on the porch and watching it rain.
- Smelling the roses and flowers on a walk. (I do that - Cindy)
- Sleep. (It's midnight here. he he)
- Tasting honey.
- Time.
- Tomato that I picked fresh from my garden and ate in a sandwich for lunch. Yum.
- Table - setting the table for a fancy meal on a regular night.
- Tourist at home. (Check out the free spots in your own town/city)
- Teach your kids how to..... play a card game- with real cards!!
- Tickle someone, let them tickle you.... laugh til you cry!
- Teach - teach your child or grandchild something you know how to do.
- Being TOGETHER.
- Telling your hubby that you love him. (Love you hon! - Me)
- Umbrella dancing in the rain!
- Unbelievable sunsets (Wasn't it a gorgeous one the other night? Cindy)
- Under water games. Tub, wading pool.
- Underwear - Toss out the ones with bad elastic, holes, or don't fit so they will get replaced. (OK - quick note from Cindy: If you just read this, STOP right here! Quick, head up to your underwear stash and find that narly one you've been meaning to toss! Out it goes. Check the sock drawer for the "holey" ones too - then re-read the DO's under "S"!)
- UNO!
- U and me having some quality time together.
- Umbrella walks in sun or rain. (Note from Cindy: Be careful if you ever go walking with my mom in the rain - she likes to tip the wet umbrella on her walking partners - my kids love it!!)
- Unleashing your childlike wonder.
- Undiscovered fun. (And the best way to discover this is to join in on what your kids are DOing - they know how to have fun!)
- Unearthing treasures in the attic/basement.
- unlimited joys from Nature.
- Unnecessary purchases which you forgo.
- Using odd things around the house to create artwork!
- Unwind on a hammack just enjoying the breeze and rustling leaves.
- Voicing an opinion.
- Valuing what really counts.
- Voting - no matter what the election.
- Vitamins..... did you take yours today??
- Vitality from simple living.
- Valentines….homemade of course
- vegetable gardening. (My front yard vegetable garden - who says vegetables have to be hidden in the backyard?)
- Washing your hair until it squeaks.
- Window shopping (watch out for things to make you smile, the spider
building a web in the estate agents)
- W-A-L-K (your dog knows what this means!)
- Write a letter/postcards.
- Water balloon fights.
- xtra time with my family and friends at home enjoying our
time together
- X - Marks the spot to find the treasure.( A treat. A certificate to DO something fun. Bike ride etc.)
- eXam- Make appointments for: Dentist, well physical, eyes. Or play podiatrist and eXamine feet and toes and DO pedicures.
- Xtreme fun with simple ideas.
- Excited about living.
- Xylophone concert.
- eXhilarating
- Xpress your feelings
- Yellow day, Bananas, Wax beans, Yukon Gold potatoes. Yellow squash,
Dress in something yellow. Scrub our teeth to make sure they don't get yellow. LOL.
- Yo-yo contest. How to DO it book at the library.
- Yes's to your loved ones - "yes" instead of the "no" that often comes out automatically when Mom is "busy right now", ie, yes, we can bake those cookies; yes, I'd love to read that book you just finished; yes, I can help you.....
- Yard sale! (Absolutely - this is a great way to meet neighbors, get rid of clutter, and perhaps earn a little cash on the side.)
- You are important - not your things.
- Yarn from Yard sales which you make into gifts for others.
- Youth groups.
- Yodeling with the children – My kids think this is hilarious.
- You CAN do it!
- Zippers. Could be a camping trip to zip up a sleeping bag. Go through the closet and see how many things with zippers need to be handed down or given away. School here is less than 5 weeks away.
- Zebra stripes with melted chocolate on the cakes or cookies you make.
- ZZZZZ's - that 15-minute cat nap on a warm afternoon.
- Zeal for the enjoyment of everyday life.
- zoophilia -loving animals - watching the squirrels, chipmunks, birds, insects, & my dog, all having peaceful lives around me while I read in the backyard -nothing better!
- Zooming around on our bikes
- Z z z z ……sleeping in once in awhile! ;-)
- Going to the zoo.
- Zero balance on the credit cards.
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And I give last word to a good friend of mine (who coined the phrase "Rich Experiences) ...
Hello Cindy,
I couldn't agree more with this concept of Rich Experiences.
When our three daughters were little, we couldn't afford dancing lessons, skiing, team sports and what seemed like a hundred other activities our friends' double-income families were doing.
What did we miss? A hectic week of driving, driving, driving, too many drive-through meals and even more stress. We know this from how tired our more affluent friends often were, and from the year we DID have money for dancing lessons and lived our lives in the car.
What did we gain? On weekends we went to the park- the natural kind, not the playground equipment kind- and during the summer we went camping. All week long, the girls were drawing and playing with lego, creating plays to perform, and raiding cupboards and storage areas for costumes and props. And yes, we watched lots of movies together. Often, their friends came for sleepovers with pancakes in the morning for breakfast. All those parties cost us was extra laundry, more milk and a few more eggs.
We gained three girls who, as adults in their 20's now, are masters of ingenuity.
We have three girls who know how to find clothes, costumes and furnishings when they need them, who can sell their belongings when it comes time to move to another city, who are creative in all they do and know how to watch their money. Interestingly, all of them have told us they recall their childhoods as happy.
Perhaps best of all was a comment our oldest daughter made last winter when I visited her in London, England. "You and Dad were good parents, " she said, " because you never stopped us from doing anything."
I had fretted for years about not doing enough for them, but they are happy to 'do' on their own.
Thanks Cindy for helping cash-strapped parents to remember that the best gifts we can give our kids are our time, ears and encouragement. Kids don't need to have every moment filled with expensive activities; they also need to relax and imagine, or go for a private walk with a parent.
It's great to be able to take children to special places like ski hills, to take them to expensive resorts, teach them piano or guitar or a new language, but the simple things also add up to other kinds of riches.
All the best for the small bests in life,
D
Remember - DO within!
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