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Frugal fun; Fun Cheap Things to do with your Frugal Family this Summer and Beyond
Frugal Fun
Try some of these frugal fun ideas next time you’re low on dough and looking for fun cheap things to do. If you’re not worrying about how much money you’re spending, you can spend more time enjoying the company of your happy frugal family. Relaxation is important to a healthy lifestyle, but many recreational activities are expensive. Having fun without spending any money is a skill we often lose as we get older. Kids don’t seem to have any trouble finding fun things to do without money, so why can’t both kids and adults enjoy themselves for free? *Free Movies for the Kids. Since 2001 Regal Films has offered FREE Family Film Schedules for tickets to great kids movies at your local Regal Theatre. Movies start at 10:00 AM the day of the show and are first come to theatre capacity. Check out the movies offered in your area at http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx *Get wet! If you don't have a pool you can still have a splash with your kids by visiting a local water park, which are very affordable. If you can, the beach or public pool offers a great summer day activity. A little known tip: Call around to your local hotels and motels with pools. Some of them open the pool to the public for a small fee, especially during mid week when demand is down. * Take advantage of frugal fun FREE Bowling! Bowling centers that are participating offer 2 free games each day with the steeply discounted purchase of a family summertime pass. This includes adults too so you can play with your kids. Check out FREE Bowling in your area here http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/ Frugal Family
Living frugally with kids can be difficult until you retrain them to not consider shopping as entertainment. Kids always want the shiniest, newest, most expensive toys on the market and they may not understand why they can’t have them. A frugal family doesn’t spend money on these silly new toys, or on video games, or on cable television. A family that is smart about money knows that the best entertainment is free. With younger kids, the best games are those that use your imagination and involve getting up to play. Kids love playing games like charades, hide and seek, and shadow puppets. Adults often forget how fun playing these games can be. Cards are another essential in a frugal family game closet. Cards can be used for hundreds of games, tricks, and other frugal fun. A large collection of board games can also be inexpensive and can keep a family entertained together for hours. Board games don’t have to set you back a lot of money if you get them used. Try your local second hand store for cheap family fun in a box! * Take a Hike. Most areas have local nature trails that gets the family out and moving fast. Pack some water bottles, a snack and don't forget the sunblock! * Go Digital. Let everyone have a turn with the family digital camera. Take pictures and movies of yourselves, dress up, do charades and download to your computer. Print out the best ones and give to each child as a memento for the fridge or the bulletin board. When my son was five I had him help me take professional shots of things I would sell regularly. I kid you not, he learned how to compose a shot as well as anyone, and he did not drop the camera either! More Frugal Fun* This tip isn't for everyone, but if you have a tolerance for animals get some for your kids. They provide endless entertainment for the right child, and teach responsibility relatively painlessly. We got some ducks, but yours could be baby chicks, a new puppy, or even a bearded dragon for your teen boy. Hint: Moms of teen boys, bearded dragons are not yukky like a lizard or snake. They are clean, quiet and friendly, and they don't need live mice to dine on! Frugal Fun and Cheap Things to Do
One of the best ways to keep a frugal family occupied all day is to make these activities into an event. This is particularly true in the spring and summer when the weather is nice. If you have a back yard, you can pack up a tent full of board games and have an all day game marathon in the yard. Even better, you can spend an entire day in a park by packing a lunch and bringing enough games and toys to keep the family occupied. It’s amazing what a difference a change in scenery can make in the amount of enjoyment a child gets out of an activity. In the winter, don’t underestimate the amount of fun a family can have indoors. You can make a tent or a maze out of blankets, for instance, and read books out loud. Building a fort indoors is great cheap family fun because the materials are inexpensive, building the fort can take hours, and playing in the fort can keep the family busy the rest of the day. Talk about a serious staycation! * Make a Weekend Splash Central. When it's hot you are going to be glad you did this one. Get a hose, water slide, kiddie pools, water toys both homemade and store bought, squirt guns too, and let the kids spend the weekend wet and cool instead of hot and crabby. * Make a BMX Track. For parents of Teens, this is what your frugal family may be doing when they get really bored on a hot summer day. Run out of motorcycles? Fire up the oldest lawnmower and head for the homemade BMX track. Free fun! A Frugal Fun Horse Ride* Ride a Horse. Kids from toddlers on a pony to middle school and high school age kids always remember a horseback ride. Even if you don't have your own you can still find pony rides during the summer, riding lessons for the child serious about horses, and guided rides for middle school kids and up. Cheap Family Fun
To pick the best frugal fun for your family, you really need to have a keen eye for your collective interests. For example, if art is a family favorite, you could go to a museum on its discount day, which will be less expensive than normal or even free. Zoos and aquariums also usually offer a discount day, and you may be able to find coupons in local newspapers. These opportunities for cheap family frugal fun can be stretched out by incorporating other activities related to the trip: painting pictures with the kids of what they did that day, or reading books about the subject aloud. Families with older kids might enjoy simply spending the day doing independent activities together in a common room, such as knitting, reading, or drawing. Just remember that time spent with people you love is never time wasted, even if you don’t do anything at all. You Might Also like to Read:
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