Are you looking for a fun, family-friendly way to exercise both your mind and body? Try geocaching (“jee-oh-cash-ing”), the fast-growing sport that’s similar to a modern-day treasure hunt. Instead of a worn map marked with an X, you use a GPS receiver, a set of coordinates and (optionally) clues. And instead of hunting for a buried chest, you’re looking for a cache of goodies hidden in an eco-friendly site above ground.

With geocaching, there are no dues to pay or clubs to join. Simply log onto geocaching.com to find a cache near you. Geocache sites range from easy to challenging, and their level of difficulty is indicated alongside the cache’s coordinates.

An expensive and elaborate GPS device is not necessary. At the simplest level, you will need a GPS device for which you can easily enter coordinates. A device should also be easy to use, accessible, and durable. The GeoMate GPS is one example that is family friendly.
You can usually find GPS units at electronic, camping and boat supply stores or online. Although geocaching has been traditionally done with a GPS device built for outdoor use, you can now even use an iPhone with Groundspeak’s Geocaching iPhone Application.

No matter which device you use, make sure to take along a good map. Geocaching employs the skills of problem and puzzle solving: you’ll look for and identify clues, learn navigation and orienteering, and you may get an introduction to other related games such as letterboxing. The beauty of geocaching, besides getting out in nature and having an adventure, is that it is an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages all over the country and world.

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Here at rubbingnickels.com, we love to party! Any excuse will do. This month we’re putting on a Canning Party. It’s in the tradition of my Grandma Richardes, who always had fruit “put up” in the cellar for the winter. Today, we get fresh fruit all year round but the best local fruit always comes at the end of the summer.

Don’t know how to can fruit or veggies? Neither do we! Get a group of friends together and you can learn lots. With the help of a few cookbooks like my favorite “How to Cook Everything,” by Mark Bittman, we’ll be professional canners in no time. The fruit can come from your yard, the farmer’s market or the grocery, but try to buy local and as fresh as you can get it.

We may be ambitious, but at our party we’re going to try Mark’s recipe for traditional and low sugar jam first, using local strawberries. Next, I think we’ll try his recipe for tomato salsa with tomatoes that I’ll steal from my friend Miriam’s garden. Last but not least, we’ll “put up” some homemade applesauce, which looks super simple to make and is a wonderful “diet” dessert or topping for potato pancakes.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what you make. Use what you have and we hope you’ll have fun the in the kitchen with friends. If you supply good music, snacks and drinks, this party may become a yearly event at your house.

Here are a few canning resources for you:

1. How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
2. Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
3. www.freshpreserving.com
4. Canning, Freezing and Drying by Sunset Books, 1981

Submitted by Darcy Ratner, Founder, rubbingnickels.com

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If you are missing the swim and tennis club you were forced to sacrifice in the name of budget-cutting, we are here to cheer you up! The best investment we have made in years cost only $9.99 and has provided our entire family hours upon hours of fun. Remember the Wham-O Slip ‘n Slide you used to play on with your siblings, friends and neighbors? In this day and age of innovation and technology, it has remained exactly the same! Except, you don’t need to blow-up the “self-filling Water Bumper,” AND they throw in inflatable “Boogies”! How can you beat this!

There are, of course, more expensive models-$19.99 for a Slip ‘n Slide Wave Rider Double or $29.99 for the Slip ‘n Slide Splash Factory if you feel like splurging on some cool extra features. But, in all honesty, you don’t really need these! Our kids are out there laughing and screaming as if they were at Great America. And we are smiling thinking about their summer days past spent slipping and sliding when we were kids. Slip ‘n Slides can be found at Target or Toys ‘R Us.

Please share with us your memories of slipping and sliding or some other low-tech gadget that has provided hours of entertainment.

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If your trips to the Movie Theater, bowling alley, mini golf or amusement park have been curtailed due to family budget restrictions, have no fear, we have ideas! This section of rubbingnickels.com will be dedicated to family fun that costs little or no money. Our ideas for this month fall into three categories: kids in the kitchen, creative kids and fun for kids with playing cards.

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As more families choose the “staycation” for their holiday travel, it’s good to do a little research in your community about places you can go that cost little or nothing. Three things in most communities that are enjoyable destinations for families are farms, nature preserves and gardens. You can often visit these places for no admission fee and there are tons of opportunities for family fun and learning.

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