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In times like this it helps to be as frugal as possible. But you still want to get out and have some fun right? So I thought I would share some of the ways that my family has found to go out and have a good time without spending a bunch of money. I think in order to stay sane some times you have to go out and have a good time. These are just a few ways you can do so.

1. Drink Water at Dinner

This is a pretty common way to save some money when you go out to a restaurant. The drinks can cost quite a bit of money. On average you are looking at $2 a person. That’s $8 for a family of 4. The average family of 4 spends about $30 – $40 on a simple dinner (assuming you have kids who eat for less). Which means that if you can knock out the drinks you can save as much as 20% off your meal. That can be huge if money is tight.

2. Go Out For Just Dessert

Many times we will eat a nice dinner at home and then go to a restaurant for dessert. You still get out of the house and get to eat usually a really good dessert item and save some money. You get the nice atmosphere and you are out of the house as a family.

3. Look For The Deals

Every month we get a coupon for Sweet Tomatoes in our email. We are on their email list and so they send that every month. The coupon is for one free meal. So guess what, we go. Every time we go to any restaurant we usually consider who is running specials and who has coupons out there. We also get the Sunday paper to get the coupons. It’s just a smart way to save money.

4. Layoff the Haagen-Dazs

Going out for some ice cream does not have to be a $20 deal. Many times we will go out to McDonald’s for ice cream. For the 4 of us this only cost about $5. No it’s not Ben and Jerry’s but it’s 25% of the cost.

5. A Home Vacation

I remember one time we really needed a vacation but did not have the money to go anywhere. So instead we had a home vacation. We stayed home for a 3 day weekend and told everyone that we were on vacation. No phone calls were allowed. We rented some movies. Bought some stuff for banana splits. Scheduled game times, pool times etc.. We tried to do as much fun stuff as possible. It was a great and relaxing weekend and it probably cost us maybe 25% of what we would have spent going out of town.

6. Look For Family Fun Nights

I recently wrote a post about family fun nights and where to find some. These are popping up all over and you can have a great time for very little. Like Chick Fil-A does free meals for kids that night and they get a balloon and some other events are usually going on. We recently started going to the local Ci-Ci’s pizza near us because they have a singer every Thursday night where the kids can play in the band. They give out coupons and lower the price of the buffet.

7. A Snack and A Park

Another great thing to do is go grab a coffee and a snack and head to a park or a beach. For a few bucks you can again have a great time. Every month I take the kids out on whatever day their birthday is for a “Daddy Date Night”. Many times this is what we do and the kids love it. You get far more quality time out of it than if we were at a movie or somewhere else.

8. Play Outside

I know pretty simple right? It’s something that is quickly fading though. Just drive down a neighborhood street, it is rare to see a family playing outside. You may see some kids but not so many Dad’s out there playing catch or better yet the whole family. Keep in mind this is a free event.

9. Switch Things Up a Bit

Sometimes you just need to change things up to make them more fun. For instance, every Friday night we do a movie night with the kids. But instead of just a movie, my wife brings out the air mattress and the kids get their pillows and blankets and we lay on the mattress to watch the movie. Then the kids sleep out there for the night kinda like camping to them. It’s just a fun way to do something simple and have more fun at it. It’s also really cheap!

10. Be Creative

Just be creative. Come up with some really cool stuff to do that is inexpensive. A friend of mine use to take the family out for slurpees at 7-11 and then they would go to the local airport where there was a parking section right under where the planes come in to land. They would just sit there and look at the stars and watch the planes fly over.

There are tons of ways to have fun and not break the bank.

What are some ways that you have fun and save money?

Eating Healthy On a Budget