10 Ways to Have Fun as a Family When You Don’t Have a Lot of Money

Life is expensive these days! And when you are trying to figure out how to do things as a family when there are nine of you, it’s even worse!! 

One thing I really hate as a mom is having to say no ALL. THE. TIME!! I mean, really, it just sucks! So in order to avoid that dreaded no to everything, I have come up with some ways to have fun as a family that don’t totally break the bank!

1. Family Game Night This one is time tested and has been around forever…and there is a reason for that! We have family game nights a few times a month. One of our favorite games to play together is Apples to Apples. I have a really vocal and opinionated group. Apples to Apples normally results in someone laughing uncontrollably!

2. Going to the Movie Theater We are really lucky that our small town movie theater is budget conscious! We get new movies for only $5.00 per ticket which is a great price compared to big chains. I will add a note to say that unless it’s a special event like me only taking one child for a reward or their birthday, I don’t pay extra for popcorn, drinks or candy. My kids know this and don’t ask. That said, my kids will bring their own spending money that they have earned to buy extra treats with.

3. Groupon  I use Groupon A LOT! If one of my boys has a date, I pull up Groupon to see what’s available. Birthday celebrations, yep, Groupon! Going out of town, Groupon again! Some of my favorite Groupons we have used as a family have been for tube rentals for a river trip, paintball and a Ninja Warrior Gym. We saved a ton compared to paying full price!

4. Family Baseball When your family is big enough to be it’s own sports team, you just go with it! We have a whole bag of baseball equipment stashed away in a closet. A few times a year, we haul everything out, load it in the car, grab a few friends and head to the baseball fields. We have adapted a few rules, bent others and some we just choose to ignore. Our games usually result in some good-natured insults but, we always have fun and make a ton of memories!

5. Local Parks Now. This one might surprise you because my youngest child is 12, but my family is a huge fan of parks. That being said, we are selective. I Googled parks for older kids and obstacle course parks. We found a few in our area that have been really fun! One was built by a church and is over three stories tall. It is a challenge to every kid I have taken no matter if they are 12 or 19. My oldest son even took two of his brothers and his girlfriend back to show her how neat it was.

6. Minute to Win It Games My kids are all kinds of competitive. I mean sometimes it’s not even funny how competitive they are. When their friends who are only children, or maybe only have one sibling, come over and experience a game night I can literally see their eyes widen! The best part about these games is they normally use things I have around the house or items that were inexpensive to buy from the grocery store. I simply gathered a few things like soft drinks, candy and snacks for prizes, and it was on! Since these games normally rely on luck as much as skill, my younger ones had just as much of a chance to win as my older ones!

7. Dress Up Night  This one may not be for everyone, but my kids love to make people laugh and be the center of attention. One night they were bored and wanted to run to WalGreens. I was comfortable on the couch with a book I had been wanting to read, so I decided to raise the stakes. I told them I’d take them and the one who made the biggest impression and got the most comments from other people would get a drink from me. Soooo…. 30 minutes and lots of laughs later, I went to WalGreens with this goofy group. Of course, their objective was to embarrass me! Needless to say, I really don’t embarrass easily anymore, but it was so much fun!!

8. BeanBoozled! Anything gross is always going to be a hit with at least some of my kids. Although about 50% of them swear they will never play this particular game again. I think it may have something to do with the skunk or rotten egg jelly bean. That being said, I had a ton of fun watching them eat the jelly beans. Sometimes, as a mom, you just have to plan things for your own amusement!

9. A Scavenger Hunt This is always a fun one. I have the kids split up into teams and they have to scour the neighborhood to find the items I have assigned them. Once they find an item, they have to use their phone to snap a picture and send it to me. The first team to send me pictures of all the items on their list and return home, wins! Again. My kids love some healthy competition!

10. The Beach We are fortunate to live about 30 minutes from the beach. I will say that some of my kids do not like the beach, and usually choose not to go. But, that said, I have several who love to spend the day there. From catching crabs to skim boarding to burying each other in the sand, it’s always a fun day! And, aside from gas, it’s totally free!

What have you and your family tried? Any new ideas for me? I would love to hear from you!

Christy