I am unemployed. What can my family do for cheap or free on weekends for entertainment?
We are a family of 5 and we cannot always afford to go on paid family outings.
1. When the weather is nice, we spend a lot of time outdoors. The best thing about this is it’s usually FREE! We will hike nature trails and our oldest will collect bugs and critters along the way and then release them at the end. We will feed the ducks or bring seeds to feed birds in the spring.
2. Make up a picnic basket and have a picnic at a nice park. If you have young kids, you can find somewhere that also has a playstructure.
3. Beach. Again, bring a picnic lunch, some beach toys, and it’s a full day of fun for everyone.
4. Set up a little pool, sand table, or even the sprinkler at home.
5. Our neighbourhood has splash pads and some of the older neighbourhoods have wading pools. The wading pools are excellent retreats as they’re not as busy as the newer splash pads and they are very clean. It’s city run and there is not cost to use. Our kids love the splash pads and wading pools.
6. Take a look at your city/town’s local events for special events. Many of them are free entry. We like to bring food with us when we can so that we’re not wasting money on over-priced (and usually unhealthy) food.
7. Kids play gyms. In the winter-time this is a fun activity. We go to play centres where there is no charge for parents so we just pay for the kids. (They are the ones having all the fun, after all!)
8. Watch for coupons that offer a 2-for-1 admission. This can be a real cost-saver.
9. Going to the movies on cheap night. We also bring our own food and I have brought my own popcorn too! I just bring the kids’ favourite snacks and some spill-proof drinks in a small backpack.
10. Camping. Camping for a weekend is by-far your cheapest family overnight getaway. You can save even more if another couple is interested in joining your family and sharing the campsite. Best of all, kids LOVE camping. There is so much to do and the evenings are relaxing with the kids tired out from a full day of trails, sun, and swimming.
I don’t know were you live but we have a Free Family Magazine here that announces Family activities for night and day. Also check out the City or Counties website for free or low cost events around town. In San Diego, we have free admission to Museum’s (but only on Tuesday) but you can check with the Museum. They usually have cheap ones. It might be classified as park but in California there are Missions you can visit or Historical Landmarks type thingy. We have Old Town, which is free and you can bring your own picnic things to eat rather than eat at the restaurant if you saving money. Check out events at your local college university types for events. Hope that helps… Have you try googling your town?
