When you are trying to get out of debt, these frugal entertainment options for families are a great choice to add to your weekly plans. We recently wrote about Frugal or Free Date Night Ideas, so what about the whole family? Family entertainment doesn’t have to break the bank. Even as you are working hard to pay off debt, get out from under student loans or even work through our ultimate financial freedom plan you can enjoy fun times with your family. Check out all of our Spending Freeze posts.
Frugal Entertainment Options For Families
Play cards or board games. Board games and card games are a great way to bond as a family for no out of pocket expense. Pull out your cards and games, or start grabbing them on sale during the holidays to build up your family stockpile of great games to play. Uno, Skip-Bo, Monopoly, Clue, Jenga and more are great addition to a game closet. We have an air hockey table that we turn into a ping-pong table as well to hold competitions.
Have a video game competition. Your kids will love it if you sit down to play their favorite video game with them. Grab a new game, or pull out classic favorites and compete with your kids and spouse. A bit of friendly family competition can be tons of fun and become a weekly tradition. Classic Mario Kart is a favorite in our house.
Rent a new release movie from a local kiosk or stream online. Whether you stream using Netflix or Amazon Prime, or you head out to the local kiosk and grab a latest release movie for the night, this is a great choice. A fun movie night in can be a great way to have fun as a family on a budget. Frugal entertainment options for families can include tons of great movies.
Head outside for a nature walk and hike. Nothing is as much fun as a great nature hike with your family. Put on the comfortable shoes, layers and grab a bottle of water. Take a tote bag and collect berries, nuts, leaves and other fun items you find along the way. This is a great way to share with your kids about your local area, and learn a bit more about nature.
Head to the library. Our local library has classes all the time for kids and adults. I have even taught coupon classes at our local library several times, so I know that there are many free activities offered as a public service which is easy on the wallet too.
Read a fun book together as a family. Reading classic literature together is a great way to have fun together. From Jules Vern and H.G. Wells, to modern literature like the Harry Potter series for kids, reading together as a family is a great low budget way to have fun.
Go bowling. Bowling is one activity that can be less than $5 per person and create tons of laughter and smiles. Kids and adults alike will have fun picking out the goofy shoes, and try to hit a strike on the first try!
Take on a family project. This could mean volunteering at a local Salvation Army for lunch every Saturday or Sunday. You could bake items and take them to the local homeless shelter or hospital for families that don’t have food or can’t cook. We recently spent several days at the burn unit of a hospital over two hours away with our son. We stayed at a hotel on the hospital campus which was very similar to a Ronald McDonald house, and each night people would donate food. It was such a blessing in our time of distress.
You can also organize drives as a family such as a food drive, toiletry drive, clothing drive etc. You could partner with neighbors, families, and friends to help you collect items to donate.
Check the community calendar. Our community calendar comes out in our local newspaper every Wednesday, and it lists all the free (and at cost) activities in our area for the weekend. There are always free events like our downtown’s First Friday events, the Council for the Arts gallery, etc. The best part is that these events are often cultural or educational as well which make it a win for parents and children.
We also have live free music performances at the bandshell in our local park during the summer months, and we also have outside movie nights at another park when it is warm out. When fall hits our local town has Octoberfest, which does require payment for food and vendors, but it’s also fun to walk around and catch the live entertainment. We also have a free Christmas parade in November as well, which has a huge turnout in our area, and its free. In January we have IceFest, where our downtown is full of donated ice sculptures sponsored by local businesses. We love IceFest, and there are always fireworks that same weekend, which we love to watch in the car with our hot chocolate.
Take advantage of free admissions. We have posted about Free National Park Entrance days, but oftentimes, local museums will have these same free days as well.
Go Geocaching. There is a free Geocaching app where you use the coordinates/maps on your phone to find hidden items in your area. My friend at work told me about this because we both have sons and wanted free things to do that boys would love. This is a fun activity, and you should hear some of our stories of fun and peril at times. We have many fond memories from this activity. The best part is that it is a free adventure.
Head to the Park. Our local park has a jungle gym that is pretty awesome. I know that not all parks offer great equipment, but we are really, really blessed in this area. It’s free and there is a public restroom, and a pavillion where you can bring a lunch – all for free.
These frugal entertainment options for families will help you to manage during a spending freeze, as you try to pay down debt or just add to our savings account. Comment below and let us know some of your favorite free activities.
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