Having children's friends over

**frugalwanttobe** · 05-07-2007, 07:24 PM

How do you handle having your children's friends over your house and still be frugal? My daughter just had a friend over and the friend used up a ridiculous amount of pump hand soap. The child continued to ask for food. Helppppppppppp!!!!

**FrugalMomof3** · 05-07-2007, 07:33 PM

Well when my kids friends come over I always have bags of $1 popcorn or pretzels that they can snack on, if your having them over for dinner I suggest something cheap like mac-n-cheese or spaghetti and sauce. Usually my kids friends dont stay for dinner so the snacks are gret here plus sometimes you can get buy one get one free deals at the grocery store.

If she's asking for food as in a sandwich or something, tell her you can offer a PB&J but that's all you have and add some chips, popcorn or pretzels on the side.

As for the hand soap, mix half of it with water (now makes 2 soap pump fulls) when you know she's/he's on her/his way over, bust out the half and half ones ... she can use those, lol.

**Darlene** · 05-07-2007, 07:43 PM

You just teach them the way you do things. They will adapt. We do it like this here and if you want you can tell them why.
Like Tracy said, the already watered down soap is good stuff. Just make it a learning lesson for all, make saving a fun thing.

It's not about doing without, it's about making the most of what you have. Kids can understand that especially when you bring it to their level and involve them.

**pita1213** · 05-07-2007, 09:48 PM

as far as teh continually asking for food thing, i always told them that we had xyz for snack and we dont' eat anything else until dinner time (or lunch time, whichever)if i gave them juice to drink and they come back wanting more, they can have ice water. one little boy kept asking me for something one day. finally i just had to tell him to stop asking me because i wasn't going to give in. if he didn't like it or wanted something else, i could take him home. i also had the problem of kids coming down to teh house just to get a snack and then running off as soon as they got it. then the rule was, if you were playing with my kids when i decided it was snack time, you could have a snack. the others were sent home.

i think some kids will continually pester you for something because that is how they get their way at home. i took dd and a friend to the park one day. we took water with us and it was just after lunch so no snack was needed. when we got there the concession stand was open. i didn't even know they had one. every 5-10 minutes the kid would come up and say i wish we could ge tsomething for the concession stand, or i really want a popcicle from the concession stand. i had nicely told him the first time that i didn't bring any money with me and i didn't know they had a stand. we weren't getting anything because i didn't bring money with me. after teh 4th time i flat out told him, i don't have any money with me, we aren't getting anything from there, DON"T ask again. he still made a comment about it out to the car. he's one that nags his mother till she gives in.

sorry about the rant. it just annoys me when kids don't show enough respect to listen to what they are told when they are old enough to understand that no means no.
and mind you that these were upper middle class families and the kids did not go without. if it was a kid who i thought might not be getting enough at home for whatever reason, i'd give a little extra.

**miss_thrifty** · 05-08-2007, 08:28 AM

like the others im the same, its what i offer and what i have or nothing at all.
If we have the odd kid over for supper its usually nn kraft dinner or what the rest of us is having.

**Hollyhandi** · 05-08-2007, 09:01 AM

Try 5 18 year olds.
Its ok they usually eat peanutbutter and honey sandwiches and are happy.
Usually have a 16 year old girl too. She usually ops for a small pizza.

**coltsmama** · 05-08-2007, 09:15 AM

I just try to keep cheap easy food on hand, with 3 children ages 16-14-9 we always have extras at the house. My dk's love ramen noodles( these are very cheap) I also keep popcorn, pretzels and fruit around. Good luck!

**Edna_E** · 05-08-2007, 04:22 PM

I actually planned and served snacks when my DS's friends were over. It was the only way I could keep them from raiding the fridge - which I consider EXTREMELY rude! I don't know what age kids you're dealing with, but plain old bar soap is less fun and sudsy, so I might put the pump away when kids are around.

**Neeley** · 05-08-2007, 04:33 PM

My kids are 14 and 11. When the friends are over we always keep a stocked up cabinet full of all different kinds of snacks. Since it is several kids at once we keep a variety to please most everyone. I also just go ahead and make sure I have plenty of drinks.

Many times I will pull out the shaved ice machine and make snow cones, the waffle cone maker to make ice cream in waffle cones, of the fryer to make funnel cakes. If it is in the winter and they get restless we pull out the s'mores maker and let them all go to town with that.

**Cricket1** · 05-08-2007, 05:16 PM

I usually make sure I have two REALLY good snacks on hand--cookies or brownies (which I make). That's their choice. If they don't want those, I have nothing else. I can make both of those for under $1.00. If they don't like it--too bad. I haven't really had a problem, though. Most kids like one or the other. If a child kept coming back for more, I would blame it on his mom!!! Say something like, "Your mom wants to feed you supper so you need to save room." or "I don't want to send you home with a belly ache so no more cookies."

**Cricket1** · 05-08-2007, 05:18 PM

Neeley--I want to come to your house!!!!

If my other suggestions fail, I repeat my mantra "You get what you get when you get it" and have my youngest one sing "you can't always get what you want."

**Neeley** · 05-08-2007, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Cricket1

Neeley--I want to come to your house!!!!

Come on over. I am the biggest kid in the bunch. DS and I are known among all the kids as the snack people. He makes homemade cookies, cakes, cupcakes and brownies for his buddies all of the time.

**annymoll** · 05-08-2007, 07:54 PM

We never kept too many snacks, other than fruit, popcorn, yogurt etc. The kids and all the friends were ok with it.But boy! our daughter now has the treats. We call her house the"Snack Shack" and DH sneaks over there for junk.

**frugalwanttobe** · 05-08-2007, 08:51 PM

I should have explained myself better. This is a neighborhood kid not someone who I could have planned to have snacks for.

We are trying to get out of debt so we only buy enough food for us for the week. If the food is getting low I reduce the amount of fruit I eat and wait till I go food shopping at the end of the week.(Also if I buy too much fruit it goes bad.) The kid asks for fruit right after I give her crackers. My daughter would never ask for more food over someone elses house. If someone offers her something and she likes it she does take it. I was brought up the same way. My mother and father would have been so mad at us if we went over someone elses house and continued to ask for food.

I think I am just going to put my foot down and say one thing of goldfish crackers and a drink and if it is not enough she will have to go home and eat.

For me every dollar I can save is one step closer to getting my husband not to have to work so many jobs. I am trying to live like noone else so we can live like noone else.

**guest56464** · 05-08-2007, 09:11 PM

At our grocery store they constantly have Cheese-its (or the store brand equivalent) on sale. I pick up those and give it to them in plastic baggies. Pretzels are good too but the sodium contents is outrageous so I don't get those too often.

As for the soap... when the friends come over switch it to a bar soap. Maybe one of the ones given as a free sample?