Frugal Parents Share 50 Ways To Treat Your Kids Without Breaking The Bank
In this day and age, when many adults can barely afford to take care of themselves, providing a comfortable life for children can seem overwhelming. And most parents don’t want to simply provide for their little ones; they want to ensure they have countless, precious memories from childhood that they can look back on for the rest of their lives.
So if you’re a parent who wants to bring your kiddos magical experiences without breaking the bank, we’ve got the perfect list for you. Frugal moms and dads on Reddit have recently been sharing their favorite budget-friendly ways to treat their kids, so we’ve gathered their best tips below. Enjoy reading through, and be sure to upvote the ideas that your little ones would love!
When I was a kid, I LOVED feeding ducks, turtles, and fish at local ponds/lakes.
We used to do random BINGO at malls, parks, etc. homemade cards of “person in red shirt” “white flower” “lemonade stand” stuff like that. Small prize for whoever won like a dollar bill or ice cream at McDonald’s.
$5 at a Dollar or thrift store to be spent however they want. Us kids had an ongoing competition of who could get the most for their money or find the weirdest item.
We would dress up in the wackiest outfits we could make up (mismatched shoes, multiple layers, exaggerated makeup, etc), gave ourselves code names, and just play tag or go fishing or whatever.
Go to the woods and build a fort with only rope, a tarp, and whatever we could find.
$2 afternoon matinees on a weekday at the local theater.
There were 6 of us kids and we weren’t exactly swimming in money so a lot of our excursions involved hefty imagination. Best memories I have are doing things like that.
2 pink drinks is like $10? so instead take her to a book store or art supplies store or something similar (whatever she’s interested in honestly) and let her pick one thing out for around the same price. My dad used to take me thrift shopping every Monday because I loved fashion. I’d only get one or two things each time but it was such a great experience and to this day I’m still so grateful that he saw something I was interested in and invested in it even though he didn’t have a lot of money at all. It feels great to feel treated but also have some sort of value come out of that $10
Don’t count out the simple evening of a walk through your local park and bringing some sandwiches, snacks and a towel or blanket for a small picnic. Can also bring a frisbee or card games etc to play. If you are in a colder climate my parents used to sometimes just have us go to $5 and below and pick out a new board game or something and we would stay home and play the new game and watch a movie etc. Unfortunately as far as things to do like laser tag, go karts etc are pretty pricey now but always keep an eye out for promotions for them because there can be some great deals!
A few things my daughter and I do that are special:
– we buy a card game and then play that for months at coffee shops or parks
– we got really into doing tastings. So for a while we’d buy one piece of chocolate from any chocolate store and kept a log on our favorites. Pretty cheap and very fun
– similarly we had an m&m tasting and bought all the flavors. Now when we see a new one it’s super special. There are close to 20 flavors these days!
It might not be for everyone, but I take my kids foraging and then we make tasty stuff with what we find. I know of a handful of places with persimmon and mulberry trees that we make cakes, cookies, and candy with. If you’re interested, there’s also a website called fallingfruit.org that is basically a google maps for foraging. Put in your location and the map populates with foraging spots around you. The site is fed by other foragers, so make sure to add things when you find them too to keep the community going.
Get your kids involved in creating a game for when you go out. Like who can spot the most out-of-state license plates, or count the motorcycles (which is a helpful skill when they learn to drive).
Go to an interesting market or grocery store by you and pick out some interesting things to try. I’m lucky because I have numerous Asian, Mexican, Polish, Turkish and other markets all in fairly close proximity to me, and my daughters love picking out new things to try.
Also, try a local coffee shop. The quality is usually far superior to Starbucks. Could be more expensive though, depending on your area.
This is kind of specific, but whenever my mom knows that my nieces and nephew will be at a nighttime event when there will be vendors selling glowsticks and light up toys (examples: fourth of July fireworks, nighttime parades), she spends a few dollars buying glowsticks at the Dollar Tree. That way the kids still get to wear a glowing necklace, but the cost is a fraction of what it would otherwise be.
I take my wife for ice cream once a month. Less than $5 for us both and we walk around the park and talk while we enjoy the ice cream! During the winter we get back in the car though. Then we usually sing along with the radio together and giggle at what awful singers we are 🤣
It’s cheap, fun and helps us stay connected.
Wendy’s has an end of the year deal where you can buy a pass for $1 that gets you free jr Frostys all year round, no purchase necessary! Look for it next month.
As an Auntie I always pack a BIG bag of snacks – hranola bars can go back into the cupboard if not eaten and carrot sticks can be cooked. I’ve occasionally thrown out some battered jam sandwiches but will shoulder that cost. And I throw cartons of juice and bottles of water into the car.
This means if we’re having fun we don’t have to stop. It also knocks a big part of the cost of a day out off. Buying lunch can be really expensive but this means we can go out more and then maybe buy ice creams or souvenirs instead. And they always all get hungry separately.
I also learnt to have a couple of towels and car blankets. Then I will happily let them do anything even if its messy and/or wet. ‘Go ahead. If your clothes get nasty you’ll be stripping off at the car and going home in a blanket toga, if you’re OK with that I’m OK with you going swimming in your pants, making a mud slide, climbing the wet trees covered in lichen or having a leaf fight’.
Being told yes has always been a big treat.
My kid loves books. Bookstores and libraries are her jam. We use gift cards for the bookstore and libraries every other week as a treat.
My kid also loves chocolate. We go to a local dairy that serves soft serve ice cream, a McDonald’s sundae with hot fudge or the local chocolatier. Once in a while we get hot chocolate at Starbucks for $1.45.
My kid also thinks that trips to museums are a fantastic treat. She hasn’t realized I’ve never paid admission to a museum because i find so many with free admission. Many museums have free “locals” days or free passes through your local library.
We also have season passes to Great America and it pays for itself after going twice in a year.
We were very poor when I was a kid.
My dad would take me to pick blackberries. Not in a farm where you pay to pick but like on a mountain road somewhere.
He would take me fishing a lot. Worms are cheap to buy or you can dig them for free. And the fish you catch adds food to your table.
We would go camping a lot. It doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t need columbia hiking poles and northface mummy bags. You don’t even need a tent if the weather is mild. I’ve motorcycle camped with my dad plenty of times to prove you actually really need VERY little to do it.
Free campsites are abundant. You don’t have to stay for a week. Just one afternoon, one night, and a morning can be a fun experience for kids. They WANT to stab a hotdog with a stick and burn it in the fire then eat it. The meals don’t have to be elaborate freeze dried backpacking stuff. Bologna Sandwiches followed by throwing rocks in the creek followed by burnt up hot dogs and smores is an event for kids.
Being out in nature is good for everyone. You can make it as comfortable as you want, as cheap as you want. If you don’t have things and you’re interested ask a local buy nothing facebook page. There WILL be people with a tent that they have had in their garage for 6 years that they never used and they want it gone.
I took my eclectic teenager thrift shopping on Melrose Ave and Hollywood Boulevard. We didn’t get much, but they loved the shops!
This sounds nutty, depends on the age, but my son and I like to venture to thrift stores. He’s 3.5 and those old run down toys that cost $1 are his favorite. I enjoy watching him walk through aisles trying to find some new things
I once took a road trip to St. Louis. I made a playlist of songs from St. Louis artists. My friends loved it, even tho it was literally just Nelly and chingy lol. She wanted me to make one for every road trip we went on (Wisconsin, Florida). Maybe yall could do something like that.
When mine were little, I kept a selection of park toys, kites, sandbox toy, bucket of hot wheels, etc) in the back of the van and we’d go to all the different public parks in driving distance. They’d grab up the kids there and invent epic games. I remember this parachute toy, They’d throw it up in the air and freeze tag as many kids as possible until “the ref”declared the round over when the parachute hit the ground. Sort of a human jacks game. They thought it was a big deal. We did this until the youngest was a teen.
One of my kids is now a games designer for a large video game company.
Encourage play!
Something funny and cute my daughter did, for her 15th birthday, she wants to try and hit as many places she registered for free birthday giveaways. She has it all mapped out. I think it will be fun.
Grocery store bakery section? Like where you can pick a singular donut or apple fritter. Like a dollar each. My brother and I loved picking out an Arizona tea, too (.99 each).
Any nice parks near by? Maybe a nature walk and then McDonald’s hot chocolates? (Their app has tons of deals)
Lots of library systems have museum passes. Libby has audio books, you guys could play one in the car as a part of a special tradition.
Make a scavenger hunt-bucket list-bingo type checklist for 2024:
a motorcycle driver do a wheelie
Had hot chocolate and watched the grinch
Took selfies in front of a lake
Things you might do anyway, but write them down in a spiral notebook or binder, and each time you check one off the list, write out the experience from your POV and have her do the same. I would encourage anybody else that was present to participate. As you both get older you have it to look back on.
Check out your local library to rent books and movies for free. They normally have free events, too.
You could try an afternoon at a local park to walk around and have picnics afterward.
(For an indoor treat like a bad weather day) maybe a special drink night and movies at home. You can make your own smoothies or cold drinks along with snacks to have with the movie.
If you have the space, you can even try to make a mini garden with your kid. From planting the seed to it into food.
Keep an eye out for deals at roller rinks or even bowling alleys. Whatever is nearby ish for special treats.
Or maybe make up your own events like a scavenger hunt. Or a photoshoot that you go somewhere and you take the photos but bring outfit changes and whatnot.
You can even check out local fairs, flea markets, convetions, and garage sales to see what you can find. Sometimes, local colleges will have events that have things kids can do.
Perhaps there is another local coffee shop too that has better prices and decent drinks or snacks. Even if it’s a convince store, you pick drinks up with her, then find somewhere you can sit and just chill and talk.
My mom used to let me play with her old make up. We’d flip through a magazine and find a photo of a celebrity or a model, and we would “recreate” the look. I would put make up on my mom and she’d put a tiny bit on me. We’d also play beauty parlor and she’d come to my “salon” and I would let her in, decide what the price was and then we’d put on lip gloss, lotion on our hands or brush our hair etc and I’d have to add up the cost of services and charge her. Some people might find this silly but I cherish those memories of us hanging out in her room, and it taught me about self care and made me feel so grown up. It was all older make up so it didn’t cost a thing.
We also used to make collages, we would cut up the week prior’s newspapers, circulars, junk mail. We’d pick a color or make a theme and all we needed was glue sticks and scissors. She still has one we made on a paper plate of the beach 🥹
This isn’t “ out of the house” but we’d go “bowling “ . We’d set up empty yogurt drink containers and anything else that was tallish and light enough to be knocked over with one of their balls. They had a bunch of little rubber/plastic balls and we would use the whole lot so they could take turns bowling at the items until they were alll knocked down . The “pins” would be set up in all kinds of configurations, including on top of the chairs , just being careful of not hitting the tv , for example. Great on a rainy day or in the evening. They loved this. It was a pain gathering the targets and balls but setting them up but they enjoyed it. Also made it harder as they grew up , from the regular position to harder, as I’ve described.
I still remember walking up early on Saturday my dad would pack us up sandwiches and we’d go to the nice neighborhood for garage sales and they’d have the best books and toys afterwards we’d go to the park to play and eat our sandwiches. Special times
Buy a bag of lollipops and only give them out on special occasions. It’s not what you do, it’s the feeling of being treated to something special
Lots of boardgame stores have a collection of board games in the back for people to sit down and play- sometimes they even have a boardgame day. Call around your local hobby shops and see if they have games you can play in the afternoon, and the cost (sometimes there is a minimal fee, usually it’s free).
Libraries dont just have books any more, many also let you check out board games, and even toys. See what your local library has.
If you are in Canada Toys R us often has a free lego build, where they give a mini set as a promo. Give your toys r us a call.
Not sure if the American Home Depot does this, but in Canada Home depot has a free kids workshop second Saturday of the month- for absolutely free you and your child can build a prefab kit together. I’ve seen bird houses , picnic tables for katchup and mustard, and more- they definitely will have something christmas themed for December!
I buy ice cream, cones, sprinkles at grocery store and we make ice cream cones my son loves that. We also have baked a cake together. As for places I agree with dollar tree mcdonald’s ice cream is also pretty affordable also 5 and below to pick a toy
My dad used to surprise me with ice water from a gas station or drive thru when he’d pick me up from daycare. I really thought it was a special treat for a long time.
When we were teenagers, we were super poor and couldn’t afford even basic treats. But my mom took all three of us as teens to the local park to hang out, she had bottled water or juice to quench our thirst. We hadn’t done this as kids, and she wanted to make up for lost time by taking us out. Best memories ever.
For winter it was our uncle that took out sledding. We all had fun, especially him even though he was in his early 30s.
My children are adults now. But when they were growing up I think we were able to frugally enrich their lives by the considered purchase of family annual or season passes to things.
The Fort Wayne Zoo, The Potawatamie Park Zoo in South Bend, the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis, The Botanical Gardens in Fort Wayne (that one was MUCH appreciated in the northern Indiana wintertime). We didn’t purchase all of them every single year. We made decisions about what was coming up and which ones would be the best use of the money.
Because we’d already paid for them, it encouraged us to not miss special exhibits. All we had to do was to drive there and pick up groceries for a picnic lunch at a grocery store. Feeling free to just go ahead instead of figuring out if we could afford to do something that week was an excellent value all on its own.
Quite frugal, imo.
My husband takes my son and daughter to those free kid workshops at Lowe’s/ Home Depot.
McDonald’s soft serve cone…costs $1.30 where I live. 🙂
Fruit buns from the local bakery cost roughly the same amount.
A detour via the library is always a win.
My sister and I also loved going to the second hand (thrift) shops with my Mum when we were kids.
🙂
We used to go ‘hiking’ when my daughter was small. We’d go to a park and explore. Sometimes that involved walking the trails, but most of the time we’d get sidetracked by something she found interesting. There’s year-round fascination to be found. Rainy days and letting them play in the runoff and streams were particular faves.
Free doughnuts at Krispy Kreme for every “A” on their report cards! 😊
Good memories of my mom picking me up on her day off and cruising through a drive thru. This was in the ancient 1990s when fast food was actually cheap ha ha. A cheeseburger from the Golden arches was a delight on a weekday afternoon.
When I worked at the bucks like 15 years ago we had a lot of parents split a Frappuccino between two cups for their kids. Can you get a venti or trenta size and share it? Still a treat but a little less $$. As everyone says the time with parents is the real treat so good on you!
Kite-flying, hiking in the woods; anything involving movement was great to us when we were kids!
Pudding is $0.50, takes 3 minutes to make. Throw in some crushed cookies.
We also did this make your own snack bag. It was probably just my mom being cheap and clearing out old stuff in the pantry. We each got one zip log baggie. Mom got out all the nearly empty bags of chips, pack of broken crackers, nuts, raisins, old chocolate chips, etc. We got creative and made our own “trail mix”. We then went to the park and ate it. Seems simple but making the bags was half the fun. My brother and I had our own “recipes”.
Go swing at the playground! Take a walk by a stream. See what’s going on at the library.
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In this day and age, when many adults can barely afford to take care of themselves, providing a comfortable life for children can seem overwhelming. And most parents don’t want to simply provide for their little ones; they want to ensure they have countless, precious memories from childhood that they can look back on for the rest of their lives.
So if you’re a parent who wants to bring your kiddos magical experiences without breaking the bank, we’ve got the perfect list for you. Frugal moms and dads on Reddit have recently been sharing their favorite budget-friendly ways to treat their kids, so we’ve gathered their best tips below. Enjoy reading through, and be sure to upvote the ideas that your little ones would love!
When I was a kid, I LOVED feeding ducks, turtles, and fish at local ponds/lakes.
We used to do random BINGO at malls, parks, etc. homemade cards of "person in red shirt" "white flower" "lemonade stand" stuff like that. Small prize for whoever won like a dollar bill or ice cream at McDonald's.
$5 at a Dollar or thrift store to be spent however they want. Us kids had an ongoing competition of who could get the most for their money or find the weirdest item.
We would dress up in the wackiest outfits we could make up (mismatched shoes, multiple layers, exaggerated makeup, etc), gave ourselves code names, and just play tag or go fishing or whatever.
Go to the woods and build a fort with only rope, a tarp, and whatever we could find.
$2 afternoon matinees on a weekday at the local theater.
There were 6 of us kids and we weren't exactly swimming in money so a lot of our excursions involved hefty imagination. Best memories I have are doing things like that.
2 pink drinks is like $10? so instead take her to a book store or art supplies store or something similar (whatever she's interested in honestly) and let her pick one thing out for around the same price. My dad used to take me thrift shopping every Monday because I loved fashion. I'd only get one or two things each time but it was such a great experience and to this day I'm still so grateful that he saw something I was interested in and invested in it even though he didn't have a lot of money at all. It feels great to feel treated but also have some sort of value come out of that $10
Don’t count out the simple evening of a walk through your local park and bringing some sandwiches, snacks and a towel or blanket for a small picnic. Can also bring a frisbee or card games etc to play. If you are in a colder climate my parents used to sometimes just have us go to $5 and below and pick out a new board game or something and we would stay home and play the new game and watch a movie etc. Unfortunately as far as things to do like laser tag, go karts etc are pretty pricey now but always keep an eye out for promotions for them because there can be some great deals!
A few things my daughter and I do that are special:
- we buy a card game and then play that for months at coffee shops or parks
- we got really into doing tastings. So for a while we’d buy one piece of chocolate from any chocolate store and kept a log on our favorites. Pretty cheap and very fun
- similarly we had an m&m tasting and bought all the flavors. Now when we see a new one it’s super special. There are close to 20 flavors these days!
It might not be for everyone, but I take my kids foraging and then we make tasty stuff with what we find. I know of a handful of places with persimmon and mulberry trees that we make cakes, cookies, and candy with. If you’re interested, there’s also a website called fallingfruit.org that is basically a google maps for foraging. Put in your location and the map populates with foraging spots around you. The site is fed by other foragers, so make sure to add things when you find them too to keep the community going.
Get your kids involved in creating a game for when you go out. Like who can spot the most out-of-state license plates, or count the motorcycles (which is a helpful skill when they learn to drive).
Go to an interesting market or grocery store by you and pick out some interesting things to try. I'm lucky because I have numerous Asian, Mexican, Polish, Turkish and other markets all in fairly close proximity to me, and my daughters love picking out new things to try.
Also, try a local coffee shop. The quality is usually far superior to Starbucks. Could be more expensive though, depending on your area.
This is kind of specific, but whenever my mom knows that my nieces and nephew will be at a nighttime event when there will be vendors selling glowsticks and light up toys (examples: fourth of July fireworks, nighttime parades), she spends a few dollars buying glowsticks at the Dollar Tree. That way the kids still get to wear a glowing necklace, but the cost is a fraction of what it would otherwise be.
I take my wife for ice cream once a month. Less than $5 for us both and we walk around the park and talk while we enjoy the ice cream! During the winter we get back in the car though. Then we usually sing along with the radio together and giggle at what awful singers we are 🤣
It's cheap, fun and helps us stay connected.
Wendy’s has an end of the year deal where you can buy a pass for $1 that gets you free jr Frostys all year round, no purchase necessary! Look for it next month.
As an Auntie I always pack a BIG bag of snacks - hranola bars can go back into the cupboard if not eaten and carrot sticks can be cooked. I've occasionally thrown out some battered jam sandwiches but will shoulder that cost. And I throw cartons of juice and bottles of water into the car.
This means if we're having fun we don't have to stop. It also knocks a big part of the cost of a day out off. Buying lunch can be really expensive but this means we can go out more and then maybe buy ice creams or souvenirs instead. And they always all get hungry separately.
I also learnt to have a couple of towels and car blankets. Then I will happily let them do anything even if its messy and/or wet. 'Go ahead. If your clothes get nasty you'll be stripping off at the car and going home in a blanket toga, if you're OK with that I'm OK with you going swimming in your pants, making a mud slide, climbing the wet trees covered in lichen or having a leaf fight'.
Being told yes has always been a big treat.
My kid loves books. Bookstores and libraries are her jam. We use gift cards for the bookstore and libraries every other week as a treat.
My kid also loves chocolate. We go to a local dairy that serves soft serve ice cream, a McDonald’s sundae with hot fudge or the local chocolatier. Once in a while we get hot chocolate at Starbucks for $1.45.
My kid also thinks that trips to museums are a fantastic treat. She hasn’t realized I’ve never paid admission to a museum because i find so many with free admission. Many museums have free “locals” days or free passes through your local library.
We also have season passes to Great America and it pays for itself after going twice in a year.
We were very poor when I was a kid.
My dad would take me to pick blackberries. Not in a farm where you pay to pick but like on a mountain road somewhere.
He would take me fishing a lot. Worms are cheap to buy or you can dig them for free. And the fish you catch adds food to your table.
We would go camping a lot. It doesn't have to be expensive. You don't need columbia hiking poles and northface mummy bags. You don't even need a tent if the weather is mild. I've motorcycle camped with my dad plenty of times to prove you actually really need VERY little to do it.
Free campsites are abundant. You don't have to stay for a week. Just one afternoon, one night, and a morning can be a fun experience for kids. They WANT to stab a hotdog with a stick and burn it in the fire then eat it. The meals don't have to be elaborate freeze dried backpacking stuff. Bologna Sandwiches followed by throwing rocks in the creek followed by burnt up hot dogs and smores is an event for kids.
Being out in nature is good for everyone. You can make it as comfortable as you want, as cheap as you want. If you don't have things and you're interested ask a local buy nothing facebook page. There WILL be people with a tent that they have had in their garage for 6 years that they never used and they want it gone.
I took my eclectic teenager thrift shopping on Melrose Ave and Hollywood Boulevard. We didn’t get much, but they loved the shops!
This sounds nutty, depends on the age, but my son and I like to venture to thrift stores. He’s 3.5 and those old run down toys that cost $1 are his favorite. I enjoy watching him walk through aisles trying to find some new things
I once took a road trip to St. Louis. I made a playlist of songs from St. Louis artists. My friends loved it, even tho it was literally just Nelly and chingy lol. She wanted me to make one for every road trip we went on (Wisconsin, Florida). Maybe yall could do something like that.
When mine were little, I kept a selection of park toys, kites, sandbox toy, bucket of hot wheels, etc) in the back of the van and we'd go to all the different public parks in driving distance. They'd grab up the kids there and invent epic games. I remember this parachute toy, They'd throw it up in the air and freeze tag as many kids as possible until "the ref"declared the round over when the parachute hit the ground. Sort of a human jacks game. They thought it was a big deal. We did this until the youngest was a teen.
One of my kids is now a games designer for a large video game company.
Encourage play!
Something funny and cute my daughter did, for her 15th birthday, she wants to try and hit as many places she registered for free birthday giveaways. She has it all mapped out. I think it will be fun.
Grocery store bakery section? Like where you can pick a singular donut or apple fritter. Like a dollar each. My brother and I loved picking out an Arizona tea, too (.99 each).
Any nice parks near by? Maybe a nature walk and then McDonald’s hot chocolates? (Their app has tons of deals)
Lots of library systems have museum passes. Libby has audio books, you guys could play one in the car as a part of a special tradition.
Make a scavenger hunt-bucket list-bingo type checklist for 2024:
a motorcycle driver do a wheelie
Had hot chocolate and watched the grinch
Took selfies in front of a lake
Things you might do anyway, but write them down in a spiral notebook or binder, and each time you check one off the list, write out the experience from your POV and have her do the same. I would encourage anybody else that was present to participate. As you both get older you have it to look back on.
Check out your local library to rent books and movies for free. They normally have free events, too.
You could try an afternoon at a local park to walk around and have picnics afterward.
(For an indoor treat like a bad weather day) maybe a special drink night and movies at home. You can make your own smoothies or cold drinks along with snacks to have with the movie.
If you have the space, you can even try to make a mini garden with your kid. From planting the seed to it into food.
Keep an eye out for deals at roller rinks or even bowling alleys. Whatever is nearby ish for special treats.
Or maybe make up your own events like a scavenger hunt. Or a photoshoot that you go somewhere and you take the photos but bring outfit changes and whatnot.
You can even check out local fairs, flea markets, convetions, and garage sales to see what you can find. Sometimes, local colleges will have events that have things kids can do.
Perhaps there is another local coffee shop too that has better prices and decent drinks or snacks. Even if it's a convince store, you pick drinks up with her, then find somewhere you can sit and just chill and talk.
My mom used to let me play with her old make up. We’d flip through a magazine and find a photo of a celebrity or a model, and we would “recreate” the look. I would put make up on my mom and she’d put a tiny bit on me. We’d also play beauty parlor and she’d come to my “salon” and I would let her in, decide what the price was and then we’d put on lip gloss, lotion on our hands or brush our hair etc and I’d have to add up the cost of services and charge her. Some people might find this silly but I cherish those memories of us hanging out in her room, and it taught me about self care and made me feel so grown up. It was all older make up so it didn’t cost a thing.
We also used to make collages, we would cut up the week prior’s newspapers, circulars, junk mail. We’d pick a color or make a theme and all we needed was glue sticks and scissors. She still has one we made on a paper plate of the beach 🥹
This isn’t “ out of the house” but we’d go “bowling “ . We’d set up empty yogurt drink containers and anything else that was tallish and light enough to be knocked over with one of their balls. They had a bunch of little rubber/plastic balls and we would use the whole lot so they could take turns bowling at the items until they were alll knocked down . The “pins” would be set up in all kinds of configurations, including on top of the chairs , just being careful of not hitting the tv , for example. Great on a rainy day or in the evening. They loved this. It was a pain gathering the targets and balls but setting them up but they enjoyed it. Also made it harder as they grew up , from the regular position to harder, as I’ve described.
I still remember walking up early on Saturday my dad would pack us up sandwiches and we'd go to the nice neighborhood for garage sales and they'd have the best books and toys afterwards we'd go to the park to play and eat our sandwiches. Special times
Buy a bag of lollipops and only give them out on special occasions. It's not what you do, it's the feeling of being treated to something special
Lots of boardgame stores have a collection of board games in the back for people to sit down and play- sometimes they even have a boardgame day. Call around your local hobby shops and see if they have games you can play in the afternoon, and the cost (sometimes there is a minimal fee, usually it’s free).
Libraries dont just have books any more, many also let you check out board games, and even toys. See what your local library has.
If you are in Canada Toys R us often has a free lego build, where they give a mini set as a promo. Give your toys r us a call.
Not sure if the American Home Depot does this, but in Canada Home depot has a free kids workshop second Saturday of the month- for absolutely free you and your child can build a prefab kit together. I’ve seen bird houses , picnic tables for katchup and mustard, and more- they definitely will have something christmas themed for December!
I buy ice cream, cones, sprinkles at grocery store and we make ice cream cones my son loves that. We also have baked a cake together. As for places I agree with dollar tree mcdonald's ice cream is also pretty affordable also 5 and below to pick a toy
My dad used to surprise me with ice water from a gas station or drive thru when he'd pick me up from daycare. I really thought it was a special treat for a long time.
When we were teenagers, we were super poor and couldn't afford even basic treats. But my mom took all three of us as teens to the local park to hang out, she had bottled water or juice to quench our thirst. We hadn't done this as kids, and she wanted to make up for lost time by taking us out. Best memories ever.
For winter it was our uncle that took out sledding. We all had fun, especially him even though he was in his early 30s.
My children are adults now. But when they were growing up I think we were able to frugally enrich their lives by the considered purchase of family annual or season passes to things.
The Fort Wayne Zoo, The Potawatamie Park Zoo in South Bend, the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, The Botanical Gardens in Fort Wayne (that one was MUCH appreciated in the northern Indiana wintertime). We didn't purchase all of them every single year. We made decisions about what was coming up and which ones would be the best use of the money.
Because we'd already paid for them, it encouraged us to not miss special exhibits. All we had to do was to drive there and pick up groceries for a picnic lunch at a grocery store. Feeling free to just go ahead instead of figuring out if we could afford to do something that week was an excellent value all on its own.
Quite frugal, imo.
My husband takes my son and daughter to those free kid workshops at Lowe’s/ Home Depot.
McDonald's soft serve cone...costs $1.30 where I live. 🙂
Fruit buns from the local bakery cost roughly the same amount.
A detour via the library is always a win.
My sister and I also loved going to the second hand (thrift) shops with my Mum when we were kids.
🙂
We used to go ‘hiking’ when my daughter was small. We’d go to a park and explore. Sometimes that involved walking the trails, but most of the time we’d get sidetracked by something she found interesting. There’s year-round fascination to be found. Rainy days and letting them play in the runoff and streams were particular faves.
Free doughnuts at Krispy Kreme for every "A" on their report cards! 😊
Good memories of my mom picking me up on her day off and cruising through a drive thru. This was in the ancient 1990s when fast food was actually cheap ha ha. A cheeseburger from the Golden arches was a delight on a weekday afternoon.
When I worked at the bucks like 15 years ago we had a lot of parents split a Frappuccino between two cups for their kids. Can you get a venti or trenta size and share it? Still a treat but a little less $$. As everyone says the time with parents is the real treat so good on you!
Kite-flying, hiking in the woods; anything involving movement was great to us when we were kids!
Pudding is $0.50, takes 3 minutes to make. Throw in some crushed cookies.
We also did this make your own snack bag. It was probably just my mom being cheap and clearing out old stuff in the pantry. We each got one zip log baggie. Mom got out all the nearly empty bags of chips, pack of broken crackers, nuts, raisins, old chocolate chips, etc. We got creative and made our own “trail mix”. We then went to the park and ate it. Seems simple but making the bags was half the fun. My brother and I had our own “recipes”.
Go swing at the playground! Take a walk by a stream. See what's going on at the library.
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