Life is what you make it. So is it possible to still have fun in life even if you are on a budget? The answer is… definitely YES! We all have heard that money doesn’t buy happiness. And while that is true, it sure is nice to not have to worry about money or stick to such a tight budget that we feel deprived.
Here are some ideas to help you enjoy life and learn how to have fun while being on a budget.
This postis sponsored by CreditRepair.com. All opinions are mine alone and are honestlyconveyed.
Host a backyardpotluck
Hanging out with friends doesn’t mean that you have to goout on the town and spend a ton of money on dinner and entertainment—in fact,you can still live rich, evenon a budget. Host a potluckparty instead. Hosting a party doesn’tmean that you have to provide everything.Set a date and time and invite all of your friends over and ask them tobring their favorite main dish, snack, or dessert to share. No need to hire a DJ, either—simply turn onyour favorite music on the radio. Chatwith your friends, play card games, or start a fun backyard game of baseball,soccer, or your sport of choice.
Take a minivacation
If you are trying to save money, you can still plan agetaway without spending thousands of dollars.Instead of planning an entire week long vacation, opt for a longweekend. So instead of staying at the beachfor a week, just stay for three or four days.You can literally cut your vacation budget for the year in half by justcutting down on the number of days you spend at your destination. Also going on your vacation during theoff-season can also save you a ton of money.For instance, take a beach vacation late summer or early fall. It will still nice and warm, it much cheaper(and much less crowded!). Avoidingholiday travel can save you a lot of money too.It may not be as convenient for your schedule, but traveling atoff-times will give you the same destination experience for a lot less!
Related article: 12 Budget Friendly Staycation Ideas
Attend local/communityevents
Visit your local city’s visitors and convention bureauwebsite or tourism webpage. You willfind lots of information regarding free and cheap local events. Many will also have community calendars togive you an idea of events that are open to the community throughout the seasonor year. There are many festivals,concerts, parades, street fairs, and other entertainment that you will be ableto find in your community or the surrounding areas if you just do a littledigging. Visiting these types ofwebsites for vacation destinations is a great idea too. You can probably find some free local eventsfor the area that you are going to visit.
Take advantage ofbirthday freebies
Many restaurants and stores offer some sort of freebie onor around your birthday. You canprobably find programs for both adults and kids. This can be a great way to save yourself somemoney on eating out and entertainment.Some stores even give you a “gift card” for your birthday that you canuse toward your next purchase.
This is not a comprehensive list, but here are 105+Places to Get Freebies for Your Birthday.
Have a weekly family night
Having a weekly family game night or movie night at homewill not only save you money from taking the entire family out, but it truly isfun! With all of the video games andtechnology at our fingertips, it is nice to take a night off from that and justenjoy being together. My kids absolutelylove board games and getting to pick a movie to watch as a family. Our schedules are always so busy, that takingtime in this way really is a novel idea.Believe it or not, this is also a great way to connect with yourkids.
Free summer fun for kids
It can be pretty easy to avoid entertainment during theschool year because everyone is so busy—and the kids are occupied most of theday at school. But as parents, we allknow that after being out of school for about one week, you kids are mostlikely sitting around and declaring how bored they are. So the temptation to spend more money to goand do “exciting” things may be harder to resist in the summer. However, there are so many fun ideas that youcan do with your kids over the summer that won’t break your budget.
Kidsbowlfree.com is a nationwide program that you can sign your kids up for each year and they can bowl free all summer long. You will need to pay for shoe rental and check with the participating location for specific times and dates. I did this with my kids last summer and they loved it! They had never been bowling before, but they enjoyed it so much that we went nearly every week!
You can also take advantage of Cinemark and Regal movietheaters summer movie club for kids.This is so great because you are getting the movie theater experience,but for a fraction of the price. Thesetheaters have certain showings throughout the week that are family-friendly andonly cost $1.00 per ticket—adults and kids!And there are even specials for popcorn and drinks. AMCtheaters have a slightly different special—$4.00 for a ticket and snack pack isincluded.
Get out intonature
There are so many things that you can do outside, thereis no reason to be bored—or spend a lot of money! Depending on the season, you can find a lotof entertainment in the great outdoors!
Spring/Summer
- Take a hike at a state or local park
- Go for a jog
- Take a walk around your neighborhood or find awalking trail
- Go to the park
- Visit a local pool or splash park
- Go apple or berry picking
Fall/Winter
- Visit a pumpkin patch
- Go through a hay maze or corn maze
- Take a nature hike
- Collect leaves, acorns, and pine cones
- Build a snowman
- Go sledding
Some of the best things in life really are free.
