Who couldn’t use a bit more stretching, right? Well, this isn’t for your typical stretching! This is all about stretching out your food, your budget, and your family fun!

Two times every year, challenge yourself to a stretch-it-out month! A stretch it out month is a month where you try to use up food that you already have so that you can save some money on your groceries. It’s a month where you can try to cut your expenses by every effort possible – no eating out, no coffees out, no non-essential spending! It’s a month to seek out fun, free things to do with your family for entertainment!

My favourite months for stretching it out are January and June!

January is a perfect time to stretch your food and money further after all the expenses of the holidays! Who couldn’t use a little extra savings that month, right? June is another great month for this so that you can save up some extra spending money for some summer fun!

Save on groceries

There are a couple of ways to save money on your groceries. I think the best and most obvious method is to simply use what you have. Try Meal Planning from your pantry! It relies heavily on what you already have so that when you do go to the grocery store, your shopping list is VERY minimal! Don’t forget your baking cupboard! It’s amazing what snacks or meals you can come up with from your baking supplies! The main idea is that you try to spend as little on groceries as possible throughout the entire month. Find local food markets to try to get a discount on groceries. Through January, especially, try to find some post holiday sales!

Stretch your budget

In June, stretch your gas budget further by walking or riding your bike instead of driving if you can. If you have birthdays or events to give gifts in June, try shopping your closet or trading goods with friends for gifting. If you are giving out teacher gifts, try making things instead. It can work as both an entertainment activity and as a great thoughtful gift! If you get to the warmer weather and find that you need new clothes, try hitting up a thrift shop or, again, try trading with friends. If you’re crafty, why not try upcycling some old clothes from your closet! In the warmer weather, it’s so much easier to get away with funky clothes – even with holes in them! Look at your budget categories. See what you can do without. For January, use Christmas to buy some of the essentials you may need through January. Talk to friends and family about your gift exchanges if it’s getting to be too much. Try a Secret Santa type gift exchange instead. Try getting together and spending time together rather than buying gifts. Try a game night where every family brings their favourite game and everyone needs to try them all! Rebel against the whole idea of making the holidays about gifts!

Save on family fun

This is where you can really save some money! In January, there’s so many new things to play with, whether it’s new toys, books, or games! If there is snow, find a hill to sled down or build a fort. If you spend some time thinking like a kid, I am sure you will find lots of free things to do! With warmer weather in June, it’s so easy to head outside for some free entertainment! Look up walking trails, picnic locations, different playgrounds or parks, and even free local events at the library, outdoor pools, or splash pads. Look up outdoor concerts or weekend festivals and see if there are any local events that your family is interested in. You can even just have some backyard parties with friends! There’s no need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on big out of country trips, make the most of staying local, and get creative with your fun! Don’t underestimate the power of setting up a small tent inside to play in, too – I mean, the options really are endless!

Use some time over the next couple of days and figure out where you can cut from your budget for the month of June! Plan your meals from things you already have, and find the best nature trail around! Enjoy the month, and stretch your money further so that you can have some awesome memory making moments through the summer!

Thanks for coming home!