Becoming Thrifty

Today was a great activity! I talked to the girls about how much it costs to run and home and a family and talked to them about ways that we can save money. One of the things that we discussed was making things at home that we usually buy at the store. Then we made three different things- all of which the girls got to be a part of.

The first thing was hand cream. So easy and it only took about 3 minutes. Here are the instructions:

15 oz. baby lotion (can use generic)
3.75 oz. Vaseline (can use generic)
18 oz. St. Ives Vitamin E hand lotion (don't use generic!)
4 oz. Fruit of the Earth Vitamin E Skin Care Cream (don't use generic!)

Melt the Vaseline in warm water. Mix everything together and viola!

I bought little containers (either Rubbermaid or Ziplock) and filled one for each girl. They loved it!

*I was only able to find the Vitamin E cream at Wal-Mart. It is in the hand lotion area and comes in a pack of 2 for about $3.88. At my store it was on the very bottom shelf.

Next we made Ice Cream in a bag. The girls said it tasted like a milkshake!

*We used 10lbs. of ice per 5 girls. Also, be prepared to double up on the gallon bag. Some of the bags got holes and we needed to add another. One more thing, I would add more salt than it calls for- it freezes a lot faster that way.

And while they were shaking and eating that I made homemade tortillas. Since the ice cream didn't take very long some of the girls were able to help. They buttered them up and thought they were great!

*If you want to do this activity I would recommend making the tortillas a few times before the activity (if you have never made them). You don't want to be trying to figure out your method on the spot.