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If you haven’t had a chance to read last week’s post, “5 Frugal Ways to Treat Your Family,” you can catch that post here: 5 Frugal Ways To Treat Yourself and Your Family. Today, I will share with you 5 more ways to share a frugal splurge with your family.
1. Take your kids to the dollar movies in the summer time.
Even though the summer is almost over, this is a tip to keep in mind for next year. Some of the movie theaters will show family movies which cost only a dollar to watch on the big-screen. These are older movies, but there is something more special about watching a movie on the big screen. Here are a couple of theaters who take part in showing these cheap movies in the summer time.
- Regal Summer Movie Express: They play $1 family movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning at 10:00 am. Not all Regal theaters participate. Enter your zip code on the above landing page to see if you have a participating theater in your area. They currently run family movies for nine weeks of the summer.
- Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse: Cinemark’s family movies are 50 cents if you buy the 10 pack for $5. Or, you can go to only the movies you want to see for $1 each. At our local Cinemark theater, the movies play on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:30 am for 10 weeks during the summer. Check the above landing page to see if there is a participating theater in your area.
2. Use the entertainment options at the public libraries in your area.
Most public libraries run programs throughout the year for children, adults, and families. Many programs require an advanced sign-up, but there are some that have open attendance. Each time there is a new round of programs listed on our library newsletter, I have my kids mark all the programs they wish to attend. Then, we try to attend those if it works out for our family’s schedule. We have seen puppet shows, ballet performances, concerts, and taken art class for free at our library. One of my youngest daughter’s favorite library activities is to read to the therapy dogs.
3. Check your newspaper or local websites for free or cheap entertainment.
We have a great local website which lists a plethora of family activities in Northeast Ohio. Each weekend they come out with a list of fun ideas within our region of Ohio. If you live in our area, you can check it out at Weekend Fun In Northeast Ohio. If we have any free time on the weekends, we will often check out this site for ideas. Many of the activities listed are often free or low-cost. To see if there are websites like this in your area, search Google for “family fun near me” to see what kind of sites show up.
Local newspapers often list their entertainment options online and sometimes will also list free activities. Or, you can find local activities by searching online for “(your city) family activities.” When I completed this search, I found our city’s summer program information with a list of parks, special events, paid programs, and other activities in the area. Many of the events listed are great ideas for a free or cheap night of fun for the family.
4. Go on a hike with your family and end with a sweet, cold treat.
We are fortunate to live in an area with trails galore. We could spend every weekend hiking and never run out of trails around here. One of my favorite things to do is go hiking with my family. Because we are so busy, I crave the quiet and slow-pace which hiking provides. It is a great time to have focused conversations with your loved ones. One website I use to find trails is www.alltrails.com. You can enter your zip code and it will show trails as well as ratings/reviews for some of the trails. If you don’t live in an area with an abundance of trails, you might be able to find a local park with some walking trails.
After our hike, we will often reward ourselves with a cold treat.
5. Use 8Coupons to access many local deals in your area.
While I love the concept of deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, I don’t like keeping track of the deals on each of these sites. 8coupons shows you all the deals in your area from these sites as well as many others in your area. You search by zip code and all your local deals are displayed. You can then sort by most popular deals, newest, or closest deals to your location. We have found many restaurant, ice cream, and fun things to do on this website. You just have to make sure you use the coupon you purchase in a timely manner as the deals will often expire within a certain timeframe. I usually don’t buy these coupons unless we plan on using it within a week of purchase.
These are just some of the ways you can save money and still have fun with your family. What are some ways that you have fun while being frugal? Feel free to leave a comment with some of your ideas.
