With Summer fast approaching you
may have more time on your hands and need ideas of things to do with your
family that are not super expensive.
If you are working on paying off
debt or living on a budget, life does not have to be boring. It make take a little bit of creativity and
planning but you can have a great summer without going into debt.
It is wonderful if you have already
saved and budgeted for a summer family vacation but if you have not, you can
still have fun and create wonderful memories the entire family can enjoy.
Movie Theater
A great summer activity if you
have young kids is to partake in the Summer Movie Programs.
Cinemark has what they call
Summer Movie Clubhouse. If you buy a
pass in advance you can pay $5 to watch ten films. Or if you want to partake in just a few of
the films it only costs $1 per film. All
films are rated G or PG. You can find
the schedule of movies for your local area at this link: http://www.cinemark.com/summer-movie-clubhouse. At my local Cinemark, all show times are at
10 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This
is a great way to stay out of the heat during summer break! This starts in June and goes through August,
most of the films you might have already seen, but again, it’s fun for young
kids to watch it on the big screen and get out of the house. This is also a great time to take a little
one to the theater who has never been before, so you can see how they sit
through a movie before you take them and pay full price for a movie
ticket. I do recommend getting to the
theater early as it is based on a first come first service basis and some films
do tend to sell out.
The films Cinemark are showing
this Summer are: Dolphin Tale 2, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Penguins of
Madagascar, Night at the Museum, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Alvin & the Chipmunks-Chipwrecked,
Dog Days-Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Nut Job, Rio 2 and Turbo.
The Regal Entertainment Group does
the Summer Movie Express, in my local area showings are $1 each move on Tuesday’s
and Wednesdays at 10 AM the films this year are: Nut Job, Annie, Earth to Echo,
Boxtrolls, Paddington, Turbo, Rio 2, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Mr. Peabody,
Book of Life, Night at the Museum-Secret of the Tomb, Penguins of Madagascar,
Madagascar 3, Dolphin Tale 2, Muppets Most Wanted, Alexander and the Terrible
No Good Very Bad Day, The Lego Movie, and SpongeBob Movie.
You can find more information and
schedule of movies for your local area at this link: http://www.regmovies.com/movies/summer-movie-express.
Bowling
Select bowling centers
participate in Kids Bowl Free Summer Program.
My kids and I have participated in this program and it is another great
way to stay out of the heat and have fun during summer break. Registered kids receive two free games of
bowling daily. You only have to pay for the
rental bowling shoes. They also offer a Family
Pass option that allows for up to 4 adults to bowl 2 FREE
games every day all summer too. It’s only $24.95 and it allows parents,
older children, adult babysitters and grandparents to join in the bowling fun
too. The pass is great to incorporate
into your date nights with your spouse too!
You can register and find information on this link: http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/.
Game Night with Friends
Plan an evening to host a family
game night! You can make it a potluck,
so everyone brings a dish, dessert, or finger food to share. This is great for young married couples to do
with no kids, but also great to do with families with kids. Set up an area in the backyard or part of the
house for the kids to play games, their type of board games or Xbox, or a Lego
building station, etc. Then have the
adult games, poker, charades, or whichever games you enjoy.
Volunteer
Find things you like to do and
inquire about volunteering at that local establishment. Do you like animals, you can volunteer at
your local zoo. Do you like to golf? Maybe you can volunteer to mow lawns or help
at events in trade for time on the putting green. Give back to your local community, not only
is it FREE, you will feel great about giving back and making a difference this
is also great to do with your children and teach them about giving back, at a
local food kitchen, your local church, community clean-up’s, etc.
Pinterest
If you are familiar with
Pinterest I am sure you have plenty of things pinned that you would love to do
or hope to get around to. Schedule time
this summer to accomplish and complete some of those DIY projects you have
pinned. Even cooking up a new recipe,
get the kids involved or make it a date night, where you and your spouse can
cook together and try something new.
Local Parks
Many times people visit the same
local park that is near their home.
Explore and find local parks all around town. I found a local Facebook Page that was
created by a mom who visited 68 parks in 68 days in my local area, she posted
pictures and information on each park.
This is a fun adventure to tackle and it’s FREE.
Community Pool
Visit your local community
pool. Many times it only costs a few
dollar per person to swim all day. Find
out of they have a summer pass with more savings to enable you to swim all
summer long.
Community Center
Visit your local community
center. Many times they have groups you
can join, dance groups, scrap-booking groups and a variety of groups, some might
cost a small fee, and others might be free.
But your local community center is a great resource to find out what is happening
locally for free or cheap.
Local Retail Classes
My local Home Depot, Lowe's and
Michael’s Retail Stores offer free workshops.
Some for adults and some weekend craft projects for kids ages 5-12. Call or search on-line for free workshops or
classes that you can do with the kids.
Movies or Concerts at the Park
In my local town they have quite
a few different venues that offer free concerts in the park and free movies on
a big screen at a park or even at our local Mall. This is another great way to spend a summer
evening as a family or on a date night with your spouse that will cost you nothing if you pack a lunch or eat before you go. Or can have a low cost if you plan on eating from a food truck or somewhere near the venue beforehand.
Community Sports
Many local communities have
community sporting teams. This is another
free thing you can do with the kids, watch a local baseball game or soccer
game. More often than not it will be a
park, so you can spend some time at the park and spend some time watching the
game.
Camp in the Backyard
I love camping and grew up
camping quite a bit during the summer.
If you cannot travel far or want to cut back on spending, set up camp
right in your own backyard. My boys love
to do this. We make s’mores, have the
luxury of the bathroom when needed and they have a blast.
Those are some ideas of what I
consider outings or activities, and of course you can come up with another
entire list of things to do at home like blow bubbles, chalk art, ride bikes,
etc. If you need help coming up with
things that are cheap or free to do try Google or Pinterest, you will find
plenty.
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