Frugal living can mean spending less and enjoying more. I wanted to kickstart teaching my son more about money and budgeting this year. And so, when I observed he needed a haircut – I scheduled a trip to the mall with “teaching” in mind.
I am sharing our frugal weekend at the mall experience to fellow moms because it wasn’t just successful in teaching my 5 year old how to budget money but it was a loving bonding experience between mother and child.
First, I asked Ashton to ask his Daddy for our budget. I think this will give him an idea who provides at present and where the money comes from (source). Daddy gave him 1,000 pesos for both of us to spend. We explained how this is the only money we’ll be bringing with us and is available to spend.
Ashton and I rode public transport since the mall is just near us, only 1 tricycle ride at P8 each.
Cheap Hair Cut at the Salon
Total expense for two haircuts that will last for months: P330
Our first stop was at the salon that offers haircuts for children at P150, adults at P180. This was our first stop as being frugal means a great deal of prioritizing what’s important. For me, it’s important to look neat and tidy.
Ashton and I both got haircuts here. My usual haircut at another salon costs P500, at first I was afraid my hair style will be ruined – but it turned out okay. From now on, I will get my haircut here and save P320 every time!
Mommy Lace Tip: Don’t be afraid to try a cheaper salon, your hair will grow back anyway 😀
Window Shopping for Inspiration
Do you like designing your home but don’t have a huge budget? When I can’t afford something, I still let myself enjoy looking at items like home decor, flower vases, and furniture. So after our haircuts, Ashton and I went inside the home store and enjoyed the inspiring home design items. I am lucky my son appreciates design & decor, we talked about how something would look nice on our kitchen, Valentine’s Day decors, and more while walking.
It was also the perfect spot to take a photo of my son and his new haircut. Using the mall’s free wifi, I sent this photo right away to our family members especially our relatives abroad. We like keeping in touch all the time, it makes us feel connected, happy, and the thought of having people to share your days with is priceless.
Frugal Eating at the Food Court
My son and I originally intended to eat at this pizza parlor because he likes the mojos there. Me, I can’t think of anything I’d like to order which won’t ruin my healthy diet. Also at this point we only now have P670 left. Before entering, we sat down at the waiting area not to wait but to review the menu and choose carefully.
My son enjoys his mojos at the food court, this saved me from buying a more expensive meal at the pizza parlor.
I decided to just take out what my son is craving for (mojos and dip P120) and just take it with us to the food court where I can pick something healthier, cheap, and satisfying. Mommy Lace Tip: Always bring water to save on drinks.
Here’s what I picked: Gyoza and California Maki from the food court and it only costs P196
My son and I shared everything and we left the food court very satisfied and with a total of P354 left in our budget.
Reading and Buying at the Book Sale
Ashton first wanted to buy another “toy” but I explained the budget left and provided him options including buying his favorite kid activity magazine (Disney Junior) and how it will leave us with more change. He chose the magazine. I also wanted to break the monotony of reading from the iPad so enjoyed selecting a magazine for myself while my son safely reads old books by my side.
Here are the magazines we got: Disney Junior P120, Shape Magazine Back Issue P150. Total of P270.
Now we only have P84 left. Although we want to try and be frugal, I still encourage my child to enjoy what other kids enjoy as long as they are within budget. Ashton likes riding these electric bikes for kids inside the mall. The play area is very small.
Cheap but Enjoyable & Safe Kiddie Ride at the Mall
At first, he wanted to ride for 10 minutes P80 but I showed him what was left of our budget. My son decided, by himself that he will only ride for 5 minutes P45 – that way we will still have change and budget for the ride back home. At this moment, I really felt successful at teaching my son about budgeting. Experience is really the best teacher.
As a bonus, the kiddie ride operators gave FREE balloons to the kids who enjoyed their ride. Ashton and I were both surprised and delighted. He held the balloon all the time.
You see, not having too much allows you to enjoy and see the beauty of something simple as a free balloon.
At the end of the day, we had P39 left. We paid P24 for the tricycle – I let my son pay the tricycle driver and wait for the change, including a new version of the 5 Philippine Peso coin. Without me telling him, Ashton hurriedly dropped our change P15 for the day inside his coin bank.
What a happy frugal day it was!
Mommy Lace is a blogger from the Philippines. She started this blog to share information on pregnancy, breastfeeding, childcare, family, and health.
