Times are tough out there, and it's hurting most everyone's entertainment fund. But that doesn't mean that you have to sit idle, twiddling your thumbs. There are lots of fun things you can still do as a family, and many are free or cost very little.
Do you like movies? One option we've done is to buy the movies we wanted when they first came out and then watch them on movie night. If we bought them the first week they were out, they would cost $4-$5 less on sale. This is much less than it would cost for the six of us to go out to the movies.
No money in your budget for that DVD? I feel your pain. A cheaper--and sometimes free option is Redbox. You've probably seen these movie rental machines outside the grocery store, or even McDonalds. The rate is $1 per night, but I have it on good authority that you can rent free with a code on some nights--notably Monday and Wednesday. You can go to Inside Redbox and create a free account. Visit it to get the current promo code for your free movie rental. You do have to return it after the free day, or be charged $1 per day after that.
Now that the weather is warming up....well one day soon anyway (today it's pouring outside, but it's got to get sunny outside soon, right?)...It's a good idea to take your family outdoors. I found a great site today all about family fishing. Our kids love to go and don't even care if we come home empty handed because they've got their minds full of memories. The site is called Fish with your Kids and has some great information on how to make your trip fun and memorable. The cool thing about fishing is that in most states kids up to a certain age (14 in Utah) can do it for free.
I've also written an article on e-How on this topic and it gives more ideas on things you can do for fun with your family without breaking the bank. Kids don't need to go to expensive theme parks or arcades to have fun. There's so much you can do together that will strengthen your relationship, build life-long memories and entertain you all that doesn't cost much or even anything at all.
Being a stay-at-home Mom often means you have to know how to do it all for your family and get it done yesterday. Add being a writer to the mix and you've got some extra full hands! I've learned a few tricks either through personal experience or through my love of researching. Looking for ways to help your family in hard times? I'm here to help. Follow me on my journey through this economy. I'll let you see my mistakes as well as my triumphs and share useful information along the way.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Have Fun with Your Family
Labels:
dealing with a paycut,
Entertainment,
family life,
free stuff,
get more for less,
save money
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Great ideas. I just signed up for Redbox.
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Nice to "meet" you!
Excellent ideas. I never pay full price for a movie. It goes against my nature. I usually go to amazon or half.com a couple-few weeks after it releases.
ReplyDeleteOh, and check out this sweetness- once u sign up at redbox, go to this link http://www.insideredbox.com/redbox-codes/#login and you can get a free movie code any day of the week!
Thanks for the tips! I'll have to look into that too:)
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