Embracing Family Fun

Finding ways to have fun on a budget becoming more and more popular as the economy becomes more precarious. Just because the money is tight doesn't mean that we have to give up family fun. All we need to do is come up with some frugal ideas using a little imagination and/or some of our own childhood memories, we can come up with some great ideas that will become family favorites in no time. Whether you have a small family or a large one, you will want to inject some great fun into your family life. I have a few fun ideas that might appeal to your sense of a good time.

The Backyard family camp-out was always my favorite. It was so much fun to spend a warm summer night with the grill lit to roast our marshmallows on a stick as we told stories and laughed to our hearts content. Some of the best bonding with my siblings came from these nights spent in our backyard. This is one idea that I also practiced with my own kids. They still love it when it is camp-out time even though they are now adults. If you live in and apartment and do not have a backyard. This can easily be adapted to into a living room camp-out with popcorn and fun stories. But make sure the TV stays off or you won't have as much fun.

Charades will have all the family laughing in no time. Even pre-schoolers can get in on the fun as they try to guess what is being depicted if you keep it simple. One of my funniest memories is my three year old trying to act out a fireman. It was hilarious as he pretended to climb a ladder and put out a fire. My 5 Year old was the only one who was able to figure out what he was doing.

Taking the family out to fly kites is another frugal fun idea. You can purchase kites for about $1.99 if you stay with the simple ones, or better yet you can each make your own which is a lot of fun also. It is really simple to make a kite. Do you have some old Newspaper or plastic bags lying craft shop. You will need a strip of cloth for the tail and glue or tape along with rolls of kite string or any other type of string that won't easily break. You now have the ingredients necessary for everyone to make their own kites. Once the kites are finished it is time to head out to a park or field and try them out. Even the toddlers will be delighted when the kites head up into the sky.

These ideas can help get you started and just maybe you will find that having family fun with frugal ideas is more then just fun on a budget, it can also be an incredible time of building the ties that hold a family together over the years.

Guest Post by Jamie Myles
Photo Credit © Can Stock Photo Inc. / micropix