The Budget Diet

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family fun night
The average cost for a family of four to go to the movies and enjoy popcorn is $80.

If you want to take your family to a sporting event, plan on shelling out at least $200.

A concert…forget it!

Give your wallet a break this weekend, and enjoy frugal family fun!

10 Ideas for a Family Fun Night

  1. Pizza Taste Test and a Movie – Buy an assortment of frozen pizzas and have a taste test for dinner while you enjoy a movie. The added bonus is that after a few weeks of taste testing pizzas, you’ll know which frozen pizza is your favorite! Think of all the possibilities beyond pizza taste tests!
  2. Sundaes on Saturday – Start a tradition of serving ice cream sundaes on Saturday, complete with all the fun and festive toppings!
  3. Minute to Win It – Host your own Minute to Win It event. The silly challenges use everyday household items, and the possibilities are endless! Check out some Minute to Win It challenges that are easy enough to do at home.
  4. High School Football Games or High School Musicals – If you’re not taking advantage of the cheap entertainment at your local high school, this is a great week to start! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the reasonable ticket prices for both sporting events and theatrical productions. We’ve seen amazing high school productions of Godspell, Grease and High School Musical.
  5. Family Videos – Pull out the old family videos for some FREE entertainment! My teenagers always get a laugh out of watching themselves as crazy toddlers!
  6. Cooking School – Stop watching Food Network and start cooking! Your kids will love learning to cook and eating their creations. Add to the fun by letting them choose the recipes.
  7. Take a Hike – Pack a picnic and take a hike on a nearby nature trail. When our children were little, they loved going to Skidaway Island State Park and walking on the trail with bridges, marsh, fiddler crabs and even a tall tower where we enjoyed our picnic! Go exploring and save money.
  8. Backyard Campout – Pitch a tent, tell ghost stories, play flashlight tag, catch fireflies and cook s’mores on your grill.
  9. Game Night – Put a twist on family game night by making it a regular event. The winner gets to choose next week’s game and dinner menu.
  10. Bike Ride – Doesn’t a family bike ride sound like fun? You could even stop for ice cream along the way!

 
There you have it, 10 ideas for frugal family fun! What will your family be doing this weekend?

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Image courtesy of: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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12 Comments

  • Wrote on 14th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    Thank you! These are wonderful ideas! We go hiking often, as we live only about 15 minutes from a National Park. The boys think it is one of our best family activities!

  • Wrote on 14th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    There are great and fun activities for the family :) Right up my alley, I love low-cost activities :D

  • Wrote on 14th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    I’m always looking for fun (FREE) things to do with the family. This weekend we went to a local newly-discovered beach and watched the sunset. Saturday we went to a local Minor A team ballgame for $12 (for all of us!), and Sunday we cooked out and had relay races in the backyard :-)

  • Wrote on 14th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    Oh I am loving these frugal things that we can do as a family, thanks so much for sharing.

  • Wrote on 14th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    The back yard camp out seems like sooooo much fun – especially now that the weather is getting warmer!
    Great ideas
    Leigh

  • Wrote on 14th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    what a super list!!!
    Our family always did the high school musicals—mostly because we had family in them, but also because our wallet$ cannot handle much more!!!

  • Kristl
    Wrote on 15th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    The backyard is a great way to try camping, and you can always run back inside if you need something or the weather gets bad!

  • Kristl
    Wrote on 15th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    I’m always so impressed with the talent in high school musicals…well worth the $$!

  • Kristl
    Wrote on 15th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    Thanks for adding to the Frugal Family Fun list!

  • Kristl
    Wrote on 15th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    Looking back, I think some of our most memorable family moments were free! Spending money is really not required for family fun.

  • Kristl
    Wrote on 15th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    15 minutes from a National Park…WOW! I hope you take advantage of the Free Admission Days…here’s a link of the National Park Free Admission Days for 2012

  • Wrote on 15th May, 2012 at 6:00 am

    We do so many of these and LOVE it! Friday movie nights with popcorn is a hit! I love the idea of Sundaes on Saturday! Anything to get my kids to play at home and bring friends over so we know who they are is a win win in my book!

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