My Frugal 5 – Camping with the Grandchildren Edition

My husband and I took our grandkids camping for a weekend. They are 3 yrs. and 5 yrs. which means we were very busy.
 
1. We picked a State Park at $27 per night. We did a bunch of the free stuff around the State Park during our weekend. They have a playground, beach, hiking trails, fossil hunting, a nature center, a wildlife rescue habitat, along with other activities. We did the planned family movie on Saturday night. Everything is free to park visitors.

2. I collected a few fun/crafty activities for the grandkids to do that I had in my stash of supplies. They enjoyed doing activities at the picnic table in the evening after dinner. I had bubbles and sidewalk chalk packed to use and beach toys too. We watched cartoon movies in the evening before bedtime. I didn’t have to spend any money on any of these items, because I already own them.

3. I picked up a few clearance snacks that they will enjoy like Teddy Grahams and a trail mix. They'll have fun making a Jell-O Creations Dessert Kit S'Mores Cups on Saturday afternoon after lunch.  I have cocoa and the makings for S’mores over the campfire too.

4. We’ll keep the meals simple, cheap, and kid friendly. I’ll prepare a few things at home to take with us with food we already have like muffins for breakfast. I’ll make a fruit salad and 2 meals worth of macaroni and cheese. I could cook all the food while camping but preparing a few things will save us time. An example dinner will be grilled chicken breast, macaroni and cheese, and fruit salad.  I’ll keep the food budget low by using as much as I can from home.

5.The State Park that we stayed in had an Anniversary celebration at their resort. We enjoyed free activities, swimming, and food.