FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT ON A BUDGET

Are you racking your brain, trying to figure out ways to keep the kids busy over the summer break?  Are you concerned about how you will do just that, without breaking the bank?  There are so many free, or nearly free, forms of entertainment out there.  It may take a bit of looking and doing a little bit of research, but rest assured, there are many inexpensive entertainment activities no matter where you live.

Below, I have listed some of the things that we do to keep the kids busy.  As a family of 8 with only one income, I am constantly looking for inexpensive ways for  us to do things  together as a family.  I hope this will be of great use to all!

1. Local Parks - I see more and more parks being built in my area all the time.  Most communities have parks at no cost.  Parks are great for getting the kids out of the house and letting them burn off that extra energy that we wish we still had!  You can even take your own homemade picnic lunch and eat it at the park before playing.  Sometimes I will just stop and buy an ice cream on the way to the park.  My kids love that.
2. Bike Trails -  Often times, we load up the bikes and take the kids to the bike trails.  This is another free activity, and boy does it wear my kiddos out!  We usually pack a snack, such as fruit, chips, crackers, along with water, juice or even soft drinks.  
3. Library - With modern technology and the internet, many people have forgotten that libraries even exist.  I recently rediscovered the library when I figured out it was too noisy to study at home!  I have one close to me that was recently rebuilt.  There is an area, with comfy chairs, where you can sit and read to your kids.  Here are just a few things my public library offers:  Mystery Group, Baby Bounce (reading for infants 3 mos. to 18 mos.), Teen Room Open (teens have an open space to use laptops, watch a movie, eat snacks, play games, do a craft and BE LOUD), Toddler Time, Preschool Story Time, Computer classes, Knitting Club, Bilingual Story Time, etc.  My point here is that the library is a GREAT way to have fun with your kids and to add some educational fun learning to the mix.  I plan to use my library a lot this summer.
4. Movies - Now normally, going to the movies is not free.  But there are ways to make it more affordable.  First, go to a matinee (afternoon) showing.  Matinees are normally at least half the price, than if you were to go at night.  Second, instead of buying your snacks at the theater, try stopping by the local dollar store and stocking up.  Most dollars stores have the name brands that the theaters do and just think of all the money you save.  Moms, just smuggle it in with your purse!  You can even pop your popcorn at home and put it in a freezer bag and smuggle that in as well.  OR, eat before you go to the movies and skip the snack all together!
5. Potluck - Inviting friends over for dinner doesn't have to hurt your pocket book.  Try having a potluck, where everyone brings something!  It is a lot less expensive for you, not to mention less to have to clean up afterward!  Potlucks have always been a lot of fun to me, and you get to spend more time visiting and less time fussing over the meal.
6. Swimming - Many communities have pools that you can swim in for free.  We have one at one of our free parks I talked about.  It is nice and well maintained.  It is open all year and they have scheduled times when you can do free swim.  They also offer swim lessons by the Red Cross during the summer.  Those aren't free, but are very reasonably priced.  You may also have a pool in your neighborhood.
7. Movie Option #2 - Instead of going out to a movie, stay in and watch a family movie together.  We love to just pop some popcorn, break out the chocolate and curl up together to a good movie.  My kids really look forward to doing that.  This is the only time they get to eat in the living room!
8. Movie Option #3 - Do you have a netflix subscription?  Check out http://www.netflix.com.  Many people might already have this but we pay about $12 a month and can even download movies on the spot.  I do try to limit TV watching with the kids, but this is an inexpensive way to have a good movie on hand at all times.
9. Walking - Take a walk together in your neighborhood.
10. Walking your Pet - We actually have a dog walking park near my house, but if you don't, you can always give your dog a walk, in your neighborhood, and get some exercise at the same time!
11. Eating Out - We also try limiting this, but we all know that there are those crazy nights where you just don't have time to cook.  You had ever intention but something has come up and you just can't tonight.  So what do you do?  Check out all of the local restaurants close to you; whether fast food or dine in.  MANY of these restaurants have one night a week where kids either eat free, or at very low cost.  Some places near me that offer this are Sonic, Chick-fil-A, Luby's, James Coney Island, Denny's, just to name a few.  I know McDonald's (in my area) are offering any size fountain drinks for $1, all summer long.  We have taken advantage of that deal a time or two!  I also take full advantage of the $1 menu that most fast food restaurants offer.  In a pinch, you can really save money using this.
12. Free Magazine - My area offers a free magazine that you can pick up just about anywhere, that gives a schedule of all kinds of local entertainment.  Most of the entertainment is free or at very low cost.  There are all kinds of festivals and other activities all year long.  If you have one of these magazines for your area, I highly recommend checking it out.  You will find a wealth of information in them.
13. Zoo - The Zoo is fairly inexpensive as far as admission goes.  You can bring in your own food at my local zoo.  If you have that same option, I recommend that as food almost anywhere can get pretty pricey.  You may even want to look into buying a family season pass.  Here is would cost about $80 for my whole family for an entire year.  Not bad with having such a large family.  Within one trip, this would end up paying for itself already.
14. Family Game Night - Break out the board games and make a night of it!
15. Reading - Read a good book!  I often have my kids read.  It is a good way to keep them away from the TV and game systems, and to make them use their imagination.

Cheap entertainment is out there.  All it takes is a little imagination and some digging.  You don't have to have a lot of money to have fun!