Get out of the House with Free Local Activities

Guest Post from Daria of Mom in Management

I?m a single mom of 3 kids in Colorado. And like many of you, I look for ways to make ends meet and still have fun with the kids too.

I make a decent salary. But even so, after I pay for preschool, sports fees (ouch!), bus fees, field trips, medical co-pays, a roof over our heads and decent food in our bellies ? there isn?t a whole lot of money left at the end of the month for fun. Not to mention the alimony I pay my ex-husband.

As an aside: Anyone else find it ironic that what I pay for alimony is identical (to the very penny) as I pay for my 5 year old?s daycare?

Since fun is optional, it tends to be last on the priorities in my budget. But honestly, is fun truly optional? Our kids only have one childhood. I want it to include great memories, so rather than bemoan my inability to afford to take us all 4 wheeling or horseback riding, I look for free activities that we can do together.

Heck, even if you have plenty of funds in the bank, saving money while having fun is a win-win no matter what your financial situation may be, right?

I thought I?d share some of the things we take advantage of in our community to start your wheels turning too. I live in the Arvada/Westminster area so the specific links are for programs in that area, but you can look for similar programs near you.

• Free Concerts and Movies in the Park ? Many recreation centers will sponsor free movies and concerts in the local parks during the summer. Look up the schedule and put it on your calendar.
• Story Time at the Library - If you have younger kids, the local libraries often have puppet shows, story times and even magic shows periodically.
• Parks ? If the weather is nice, there is nothing quite like going to a park and throwing a frisbee or football or kicking a soccer ball. Get engaged with your kids and join in. Those slides are fun even at our age!
• Free Day at the Zoo - Many arts and culture foundations provide free days to give access to families that wouldn?t otherwise be able to afford to take advantage of the existing cultural exhibits in their city.
• Crafts ? find random things in your house and then get the kids involved in creating something. It doesn?t have to be anything you even use past that day. For example, painting rocks is fun for all and costs next to nothing since most of us have some sort of paint lying around.
• Free Days at Local Rec Center - The APEX recreation center near my house has a Tryathlon running through March during which they are having free classes to get people interested in signing up for a program. So far my family and I have gone rock climbing, tried our hand at gymnastics, gone ice skating, and learned cheerleading stunts ? all for FREE!

What are some of your budget friendly ways to have fun as a family?

Source: http://copingwithfrugality.com/2013/02/get-out-of-the-house-with-free-local-activities.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=get-out-of-the-house-with-free-local-activities

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