Carnival Games
Top 5 Ways For Frugal Family Fun!
This is a guest post by Kelly Wilson, author of Live Cheap & Free! Strategies to Thrive in Tough Economic Times. You can find her at www.WilsonWrites.com
In September, we took our family to an Octoberfest celebration at a locally owned amusement park. We never go anywhere without a coupon, so after a little research, I found a 2-for-1 admission coupon for my husband and me. As the kids didn’t cost as much as we did to get in, this was great news!
But the money train didn’t stop chuggin’. There were carnival games and rides, Octoberfest treats and fair food, along with several vendors with goodies for sale. We took a break by the Maypole, trying to figure out what our budget should be. Even after the careful thought and discussion, we left after having spent about $25, without buying food to eat while we were there.
This experience reminded me why we don’t go out to these kinds of events very often. For us, it was definitely a splurge, and we had a lot of fun. But it was expensive! And it made me think about what we do to have fun as a family without spending money. I came up with five general ways that could apply no matter where you live!
Plan
We have a set budget each month for entertainment which includes eating in restaurants. When we get paid – which is monthly – we have to decide what kinds of events we’ll participate in and how much they’ll cost. If there’s a birthday in our family, then we know we’re going to go out to dinner on that night during the month.
If it’s October, we know we’re going to spend some time and money at the pumpkin patch (ours has a train…you have to ride the train). So we try to figure out from the beginning of each month how many times we can say, “It’s been a tough day, let’s order pizza for dinner.” Otherwise, we’ll overspend. But that also doesn’t mean that we never go anywhere or eat out at restaurants! Planning makes it possible.
Stay Home
“I’m bored.” This is a phrase many of us who are parents hear more often than we’d like to. My responses include delegating chores or saying, “Great! Down time is good, and inspires creativity.” But sometimes I feel bored too, but what I realized was that I’m not bored, I’m restless – a Sunday afternoon stretches ahead of me, and I feel overwhelmed by the possibilities.
When I feel this way, I do two things:
First, I take a mental inventory of all of the recreational products we have in our living space, including the garage. Second, I break the time up into chunks that I can manage, taking advantage of some of the stuff we have around – I’ll read for a half hour, then play two games of Go Fish, then go for a bike ride with my kids. It’s time with my family, it’s down time, and it’s free.
Practice
My kids recently had a day off from school. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, something fun for the afternoon. I decided we would go to the movies, and then I mentally started adding up how much it would cost – more than I wanted to afford at the time, because I knew we would need a night of pizza for dinner soon. Instead, I came up with a plan to rent a movie – even if it’s from a video store as opposed to a Redbox, renting is still far cheaper than going to a theater. I made sure we had popcorn and candy, and my boys set up a fun “pillow bed” on the living room floor.
We had a great time. But coming up with alternatives takes practice, and there are certainly a few alternatives per situation. We could have gone to a matinee with a coupon that would have knocked some money off our admission price. Or we could have watched a movie we already owned instead of renting one. I chose the option that sounded the most fun and reasonable to me, and it’s taken me some practice to think of them. This process is, however, worth it.
Explore
One of our favorite parks is a short drive from our house. It’s really a dormant volcano, covered with nature trails, trees, and fields that beg for us to eat our picnic lunches on them. There’s also a playground at the end of a hike we like to climb with our kids. We spend many sunny afternoons here, often with a bag of snacks!
This particular activity is FREE! What local attractions are free in your area? Is there a community park that hosts nights of music, or free nature hikes with experts? A simple internet search should point you in a helpful direction. Also, there are probably a few helpful blogs for your local area, which you could also find with an internet search! Sign up for email updates, and you could be informed about what free events are happening in your area each week.
Coupons
In our current economic climate, there are coupons for almost everything. Sure, you need to register or become a fan on Facebook, but it has been worth it several times over for our family. We don’t go anywhere or do anything without looking for a coupon first. Some resources for finding coupons include the internet (of course), local and state newspapers, the Entertainment book, and local ads like “The Clipper.” Keep your eye on these on a regular basis, and looking for coupons for local attractions will become easier and more automatic.
Having fun that’s free with your family takes some time, effort and practice…but it is well worth the savings you’ll experience. You’ll get to do more with less, enjoying it because it didn’t cost you very much at all!
Get freebies in your inbox- Sign up for the FFD newsletter.
Find more of Jen’s favorite ways to get freebies for your babies and kids
Weekly Roundup - Almost Frozen Tomatoes Edition
Something told me to hold off on potting our tomato plants. Last year the square foot garden sprouts were nearly wiped out by a late-April freeze. Since the tomatoes eventually grew to take over more than their allotted square we’ve decided to grow them separately this year in containers.
Good thing we held off. Last night it got down to 30 degrees and there was a decent amount of frost covering the yard this morning. I’m sure we could have covered the plants up with sheets or plastic and they would have survived, but it was nice to see my procrastination finally pay off!
With the cold weather behind us for good, I’ll be spending some of Easter weekend getting our tomato crop up and running. Maybe this year I can grow enough to enjoy salads and a jar or two of homemade salsa!
Fab Five
Saving Strategy: Bank your Raises/Extra Income. An excellent reminder with some people receiving mid-year raises soon. Most of us suffer from what economists refer to as a marginal propensity to consume. As our disposable income increases, so does our spending. Don’t fall for the same trap. Hold you spending in place and bank than raise. (@Million Dollar Journey)
Can You Pay Federal Taxes with Credit Cards? The short answer is yes, but as Sun walks you through the various costs associated you begin to wonder who would want to! I suppose if you were desperate it might offer some reprieve from owing the IRS, but there might be cheaper options. (@The Sun’s Financial Diary)
Is Suze Right? Do Emergency Funds Now Trump Debt Repayment? I rarely agree with Suze on anything related to credit management. While I agree with the premise of her argument, people should be saving more instead of piling everything onto debt, I also agree with Trent that you can take this too far. (@The Simple Dollar)
How to Beat Popular Carnival Games. Ever unloaded $26 at a carnival game to win a $10 teddy bear? Who hasn’t? Read up on some tricks for winning at the most popular carnival games. You might even impress someone in the crowd, or make the carnival game worker angry - either way, you win! (@Smart Spending)
The Art of Negotiating - A Crucial Skill For a Frugal Lifestyle. I’ve never been good at haggling, but after reading these five negotiating rules I now have some ammunition for the next time I need to negotiate. (@Simple Mom)
Best of the Rest
- The Final Decision on Downsizing
- What Makes a Good Stock Investor?
- March 2009 Was a Perfect Example of Why You Shouldn’t Try to Time the Market
- When Should You Do It Yourself?
- Save Money on a Diamond Ring
- Networking is Never About You
Site of the Week
“Go Frugal” at FreeShipping.org. A little shameless self-promotion included in this week’s selection. The site Freeshipping.org, home to tons of free shipping offers and coupons from major retailers, has started up a “Go Frugal” blog where a group of contributors from across the frugal landscape will share ways to save money. I’m honored to be one of those writers, and plan to post there on a weekly basis. Hope you’ll follow!
Carnivals
Carnival of Pecuniary Delights. A new favorite in the blogging carnival world!
Spring Has Sprung - Carnival of Personal Finance #199 Bonus: beautiful photography included!
Post from: Frugal Dad
