Frugal Summer Fun
June 20, 2008 |
Crystal asked us to post some of our frugal ideas for family fun, here are some activities our family enjoys.
- Save your old bread and then feed the ducks. This is probably one of our favorite family activities that we have done since our kids were little.
- Take Nature Walks. There are some trails by our house that we have been walking this summer. The kids have had a great time and have seen many neat animals. Two days ago we saw a red fox. Usually when we come home the little ones draw a picture of something they have seen.
- Go to the park. Another favorite, it also burns energy so the kid are ready for bed!
- Swim at the neighborhood pool. We do a little research to find out when the pool is the least crowded and go during those times.
- Movie Night. Since movies are a huge treat at our house the kids really look forward to this. We pop a big bowl of popcorn and sometimes we even let them have a small glass of soda.
- Do something crazy for dinner night. Sometimes we have something crazy for dinner, like popcorn or ice cream or another treat. The kids really love this.
- Window shopping. The kids love to wander stores like IKEA and Target. We don’t usually buy anything, but they have a fun time looking around.
- Visit free activities in your area. We are blessed to live near D.C. which has some amazing free museums. We pack a picnic lunch and make a day of visiting some of our favorite ones.
- Nerf gun wars. This will probably only work if you have boys, but we set up in the front yard and try to “take the fort.”
- Go out for ice cream. This is the only time my kids get to go to McDonalds, the cones are cheap (around a $1) and sometimes we even let them play in the play place.
- Make your own pizza night. I make the crust and then have the toppings ready to go for the kids. The love being able to make their own dinner, and usually eat every bite!
- Visit Yard Sales. My kids take their own money and love to find a special toy to give to a sibling for their birthday. With gas prices so high, this might not be so frugal anymore, but if you can find a neighborhood sale, you could walk it.
- Bike riding. Years ago we purchased a bike trailer and have used it for 6 children. Our little non riders use the trailer, and the big kids ride along.
- Visit Krispy Kreme. This is a little more expensive depending on the size of your family, but my kids love, love, love to watch the donuts come down the conveyor belt.
- Go fishing. My boys love to fish, and we live a few miles from a great fishing lake. My girls like to fish too, but when the little ones get bored there is a big field to play in as well as a playground.
- Visit your local library. My kids absolutely love the library and to be able to pick out their own books. I reserve my books online so that when I go, I can spend time with the children, letting them wander the library to find their books. Then when they are done I pick up my books at the counter and we can go.
Most of these activities are free or almost free. What fun frugal activities does your family like to do?
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June 20th, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
Great ideas, thanks for sharing!
June 20th, 2008 @ 3:59 pm
Awesome ideas!
June 22nd, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
Exploring the outdoors with our field guys is fun for us to do. We also have art nights where we all draw together or art gallery nights where we invite a couple families over and have all of our children’s art set up. We like to write books together…we just did a sidewalk chalk art contest, that was fun too. And fishing, fishing we do a lot.