The kids are home for the summer, or for the holiday? You want to have fun with them but the budget may be tight. It is possible to have fun days without breaking the bank.
I love hanging out with my kids but I also don’t like to spend too much money. My kids and I created a “Summer Bingo.” It has 80 days worth of things to do, and 90% of them are less than $10. Not only that, but 60% of these ideas are free! As you complete the bingo, there are rewards at the end (that are relatively inexpensive as well). You can use this for vacation, holidays and spring break!
How do I Start? Start with a large square piece of paper and section it off into 9 rows down and nine rows across. Start by putting one free thing on each row, but also in a different column. Feel free to make up your own with fun things to do in your neighborhood.
| * | H | O | L | I | D | A | Y | * |
| picnic | LEGO | Party! | ||||||
| farmers | ||||||||
| puzzle | BBQ | |||||||
| dessert | ||||||||
| Other | Camp | |||||||
| paddle | Golf! | |||||||
| Other | Library | |||||||
| capsule |
What can I do for “free?” I won’t bombard you with all of them but here are some ideas to start. Have a picnic in a park you have never been. Make a time capsule or have a scavenger hunt. Spend a day at the library or put together a puzzle. Read a book as a family. Have an “opposite day” in which you eat breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast. Have a LEGO-building or a Lincoln Log building competition. Have the kids switch rooms for the week. Have a “Star Wars” day and watch the entire series from I to VI (or IV to III – whichever)
What can I do for less than $10 a day? Make root beer floats, have a sundae bar (with all of the toppings), go to a nice restaurant only for dessert, or have a giant water balloon fight. Go to the farmer’s market or go to the golf driving range. Pay for someone else’s lunch at the drive through (make sure that it is not a car full of people). Go on the paddle boats at the park. Go to the nearest recreation center and spend the day there.
Don’t forget the “other” days. As the vacation moves along, there will be other fun things to do. Make sure to have an “other” space reserved with a dollar limit on it. That way if they get unexpected tickets to a ballgame, they can count it on that space and apply it to the rewards.
What are the “rewards?” Have a themed party for friends (such as a Jimmy Buffett party). Go camping or fishing. Have a slumber party with friends and go all out (popcorn, soda and a good movie).
How do I get my kids to do this? I have kids that like to have fun, but sometimes I have to push them into doing something different. They don’t always do this willingly. But once we start it, they usually have fun. I let them choose what we do for the day.
Whatever you do, just have fun! They won’t be young for long. Will they remember all of the toys you bought them? They probably will not remember them. Will they remember a lot of memories that you created together? Absolutely they will!
Did you make money off of the lemonade stand? Teach your kid to take advantage of the nation’s highest earning savings accounts – compare savings rates here.
