101 FREE THINGS to DO – How to Have FAMILY FUN on a Tight Budget!

If you’re on a tight budget, you have lots of company these days. It seems everyone’s clipping coupons and cutting back. When the mortgage must be paid, the pantry stocked, and the gas tank topped up, it often leaves few dollars left for weekend fun and entertainment. But don’t despair.
You CAN build great family fun into your life, without breaking the bank.

Don’t “buy” into the notion that having fun has to be expensive.
It’s simply NOT TRUE.
So what CAN you do for fun that is FREE or almost free?
Well, in one word – LOTS!

So I’ve created a list of 101 FUN THINGS to do that are FREE or nearly free.
Basically, it simply takes a little thought, and maybe a little gas.
Sometimes a little forethought and planning.
And often a mindset for a simpler type of fun.
Whether its making fun right at home or in your neighborhood, with others or by yourself, there’s sure to be something on this list for everyone. You never know, you might just find it’s more fun when you have to be creative and resourceful, than simply dipping into your wallet.
And it certainly is less painful!

So here goes: Fun CAN be had on a budget!

In your Own Backyard

1. Have a gunny sack race, three-legged race, egg- on-a-spoon race, or wheelbarrow race
(http://www.ehow.com/info_7839021_ideas-childrens-race-activities.html)

2. Organize a scavenger hunt in your back yard
(http://www.ehow.com/how_2213209_have-scavenger-hunt.html)

3. Host a backyard bonfire, together with a sing-song and S’mores
(http://www.songs-with-music.freeservers.com/alphabetical.html)

4. Fill balloons with water, and play the balloon-toss game on a warm sunny day
(http://www.ehow.com/how_4461440_play-water-balloon-toss-game.html)

5. Host a backyard BBQ or potluck

6. Play yard games – bocce ball, croquet, badminton, horse shoes, etc.

7. Play hide & seek ,duck duck gray duck with the kids – or just blow bubbles

8. Turn on the water sprinkler or get out the super-soaker water guns on a hot summer day

9. Draw pictures with chalk on your sidewalk or driveway – let the kid’s imagination go wild

10. Jump Rope – get a long jump-rope and teach the kids how to jump rope, and sing jump-rope rhymes
(http://www.gameskidsplay.net/jump_rope_ryhmes/)

11. Build a snowman, snow angel, or snow fort

At Home

12. Watch old family videos

13. Fix up something and make it new again – paint it, sand and stain it, recover it

14. Make a cake from scratch, then decorate and enjoy

15. Wash your car – great fun on a hot summer day – get the kids involved too

16. Make cookies or homemade bread, and eat it while still warm

17. Puzzles – great for young and old on rainy days

18. Paint a mural or favorite quote onto your wall

19. Use that treadmill or elliptical that’s been gathering dust! (okay now I’ve gone too far, I know)

20. Rearrange furniture and /or accessories around your home

21. Play your Wii

Play Games

22. Board Game night with friends or family

23. Play the games you used to play as a kid (ie: tiddlywinks, pick up sticks, battleship, etc.)

24. Host a Murder Mystery Night with your friends & dress the part

25. Play Cards – get a Hoyle Book and start learning some new card games

26. Teach the kids how to play hopscotch, cat’s cradle and jacks

27. Have a game of darts (http://www.mostdartgames.com/)

Your Local Community

28. Take a walk around your neighborhood, stopping to visit a few neighbors

29. Explore a new park or playground – play with the kids, don’t just watch from the bench

30. Check out free museum (or zoo) day

31. Audit a college class – can sometimes be done for free

32. Play some tennis – don’t have to know how to play, just knock the ball around and have fun

33. Feed the ducks at the local lake (bring a bag of stale bread if permitted)

34. Bike ride – old railroad beds have been converted into bike trails in many cities

35. Go to the horse races on free or discount day – just watching is fun

36. Organize a volleyball or basketball game at your local park

37. Check out local fairs, parades and fireworks
– look in the “what’s happening” pages of the newspaper or online

38. Organize a Neighborhood Block Party

39. Attend an outdoor concert

40. Test drive a new car – just be careful of temptation!

41. Go fly a kite – and I mean this in a nice way!

42. Bird watching – remember to bring your binoculars

43. Watch the planes land and take off near the airport

44. Visit friends and family – Sundays are great for this

45. Go on a picnic – wicker basket, blanket and all

46. Window shop at a fancy upscale clothing store, and try on clothes – it’s free if you don’t buy!

47. Play Frisbee golf

48. Participate in wine tasting at your local liquor store

49. Attend an auction – be careful, a wave can easily turn into a bid!

50. Go sledding or ice-skating

Volunteer your time

51. Volunteer at church, the volunteering soon becomes part of your social life

52. Enjoy church events: retreats, praise and worship nights, bible study

53. Help at the local soup kitchen

54. Visit an elderly neighbor; play a game, help with chores, or just sit and chat

55. Volunteer at the neighborhood nursing home

56. Volunteer to serve on a committee at city hall

57. Volunteer with a non-profit organization about which you care

Time with your Spouse

58. Plan a romantic candle lit dinner

59. Cuddle together and curl up with a great movie and a big bowl of popcorn

60. Watch your favorite TV show together – make it a date

61. Turn up the tunes, clear away the furniture and dance

Time with your Friends

62. Have friends over for a meal – take turns hosting

63. Start a book club – get the book from the library

64. Have an exchange party with friends, instead of shopping

65. Start a game night/card night

66. Organize a cookie exchange

67. Host a “white elephant” holiday party

Crafts and Hobbies

68. Get out all your scrap materials and have a craft day

69. Paint a picture

70. Go out with your digital camera and capture beautiful photos

71. Build a backyard fort or tree house for the kids with all the left over bits of lumber you have collected

72. Make homemade greeting cards

73. Do a paper mache project
(http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/papermache/a/051500pm.htm)

74. Learn to knit,crochet or cross-stitch – then teach someone

75. Teach your children (or grandchildren) how to do something you love

76. Use fall leaves to make a fall center piece

77. Make a wreath for your front door

78. Decorate your mailbox (or mailbox post)

79. Get out the sewing machine, and make something from your scraps
– even if it’s just cloth napkins or a table-runner

Out of Town

80. Study the stars

81. Go pick strawberries – then make jam

82. Go visit a farm

83. Visit an apple orchard in the fall – buy a few and make apple pie

84. Go fishing (license!)

85. Drive out into the country so the kids can see the barns and the cows in the pastures

86. Play “I Spy” in the car on long trips

87. Borrow a canoe and go on a canoe trip, bring a picnic lunch

88. Go on a nature hike (collect things for your craft days)

89. House exchange with others – you use their house and they use yours (for a week or weekend)

Reading

90. Read a great book and relax in your favorite chair

91. Go to the local library – maybe explore a new section

92. Catch up on news and gossip on-line

93. Do some research – something you’ve always wanted to know more about

And Writing
94. Start a journal or little life log
(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8290045/first_person_keeping_a_life_log.html?cat=7 )

95. Work on Researching your family tree

96. Write articles for Yahoo Contributor network

97. Write a letter to an old friend you haven’t been in touch with for years

98. Write a letter to the editor

99. Write out your bucket list

100. Write poems with your kids – teach them about rhyming

101. Write to your political representative about causes near and dear to your heart

There you have it, 101 great ideas for having fun on a shoe string budget.
So now there really is no excuse for not building some FUN back into your weekends. The reality is that we have all been brainwashed into thinking “you get what you pay for”.
But I am here to tell you “it just ain’t so!”
So put your wallet away, and GO HAVE SOME FUN!


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