You probably lead a pretty busy life. These days, it can be pretty overwhelming when you’re actually faced with the sheer amount of stuff that you have to do on an average day or week. From dealing with the stress of work every day to the madness that so often comes with raising kids, to trying to focus on your relationship with your partner, to attempting to maintain some semblance of a social life, it’s tough to even fit it all in. Of course, that’s not even counting one of the biggest factors that impact your ability to do a lot of things in your life: money. Hundreds of people every day find themselves wishing that they could spend more quality time doing something fun with their family but they don’t see how it’s possible because they don’t have the money to be able to afford it. Well, if you’ve ever felt that way then you’re in luck. However much it might seem like it, you really don’t need money in order to have a great day out with the people you love. In fact, some of the very best things that you can all do together won’t cost you a penny! With that in mind, check over here for some ways that you and your family can have a fantastic day out without having to fork out huge amounts of money.
Go to the beach
The beach is one of the very best places in the world for families. It’s the kind of place that offers a little bit of something for everyone. If you want to spend your time relaxing on the beach, soaking up the sun and working on your tan, you can! If you’d rather run around on the sand throwing a frisbee around, then you can do that too! And if what you really want to do is to slip on your wetsuit and go diving in the waves then there’s nothing stopping you! Not only that but you and your family can do any and all of these things as much as you want. And the best part? It’s free! One of the most enjoyable and fun things that you can do as a family is right there, for free, waiting for you. If you want to save even more money, then you can avoid expensive food from beach stalls by bringing a picnic along. If’ it’s a nice day then there’s nothing to stop you spending the entire day there, alternating between swimming, playing and lounging. Of course, just don’t forget to take sun cream with you! Nothing ruins a great day out like a serious case of sunburn.
Get a discount!
Of course, if you’re the kind of family that really love things like activities then you might still need to pay some money in order to do it. However, there are plenty of places where you can get discounts on a lot of the most popular attractions. If you and your family like to go out shopping but don’t want to spend huge amounts of money when you’re doing it, then sites like Coupon Sherpa can help you save a surprising amount. Of course, if a shopping spree isn’t your thing then there are sites out there that offer discounts on everything from cinema tickets to go kart racing. Whatever you and your family love to do, there’s a way to save at least some money on it! Even a little bit of a discount can often make things much easier, and you’re sure to find something that you and your entire family are sure to enjoy.
Go get lost
This is something that far too many people spend their time avoiding. Yes being lost can be scary and potentially dangerous at times. But when you’re with your family, and you’re somewhere that you know is pretty safe, losing track of where you are and simply wandering around, discovering the world around you can be incredibly exciting. It lets the adults get to know a place even better than they already do and it’s the kind of thing that is sure to fire up any kid’s imagination in a way that no theme park could ever hope to manage. Of course, it’s a good idea to at least keep a vague idea of where you’re going. Luckily, thanks to smartphones, it’s near impossible to get so lost that you have no hope of finding your way back. You don’t even have to go especially far to do this. You could get lost in the area near your home, or you could find somewhere to get out into nature and enjoy the wilderness for a while.
Have a treasure hunt
If there’s one thing that kids really love, it’s a treasure hunt. The mystery, tension, and excitement of it are enough to send any kid absolutely mad. The great thing about a treasure hunt is that you can even do it from within the house. Whether you have something hidden throughout the rooms or you’ve kept them all in the garden, if you pick your hiding places properly, you could keep your kids entertained for hours. It’s all about finding the right balance between too hard and too easy. Too easy and the kids would just be grabbing up whatever they found so quickly that it wouldn’t be fun, too hard and they are likely to get pretty bored before they ever even find anything. It’s entirely up to you what the treasure actually is. It could be anything from sweets and chocolates to little toys. You’ll probably find that the treasure itself isn’t really all that important to your kids. The truth is, it’s the act of trying to find them, of solving a mystery and enjoying the rush when they finally got their hands on it that kids really love.
Take a bike ride
Many parents worry about their kids not being active enough with the advent of smartphones and gaming. If you want to avoid that then why don’t you all get on your bikes? Not only are you going to be able to all get out and about as well as getting quite the workout, but there’s also no way to use a phone while riding a bike. Pack a picnic and draw out the route that you want to take together. That way the kids can feel more like they’re going on a real adventure, rather than being dragged along to something that they don’t want to do.
Have a movie day
Then again, who says you even need to leave the house in order to have a fun and memorable day with your family. Why don’t you all get cozy under a blanket and have yourself a movie day? You can even let everyone in the family pick the movies that they want to watch. Your home can be the site of some of the most fun games ever. Why not set up the movie night inside a giant blanket fort? These kinds of things are a way to avoid everyone turning into zombies who just spend all of their time in front of a screen or their phones. Instead, getting together and enjoying a film as a family is not only a great way to bring you all together, but it’s a great way to create some really fond memories around a film that you watch together. It might feel as though having a movie day is a bit lazy, and you’d be right! But who isn’t entitled a bit of a lazy day from time to time? There are few things more fun than getting the whole family together, curling up under a blanket, and enjoying a film that you all really love?
One of the main reasons that so many people feel somehow inadequate when they can’t afford to take their family on expensive days out is that they have been trained to think that the only things that are really worth doing and having are going to cost a lot of money. It’s the same attitude that makes parents feel terrible when they can’t buy their kids the newest toy on their birthday or at Christmas. But it’s incredibly important to remember that material items and money aren’t the things that are going to really make any of you happy. When you look back in years to come and think about the happy memories that you have with your family, you’re not going to think about the stuff that you had or the amount of money that you spent on a particular trip. You’re going to think about the way you felt when you were all together. You’re going to cherish the memories of your kids in that moment when you were all able to get away from all of the stresses of modern life for a little while. Not only are those things going to be far more valuable to you for far longer than any item or expensive day out, but those things are also absolutely free.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
I love movie days when we go to the dollar theatre! It’s not always the newest or most popular movie showing but the kids still get a kick out of going.
Thanks for all your tips and advice. Keept it coming!