Family Activities on a Budget

Spending time together is an essential ingredient in the recipe for a happy family. The bonding that occurs through quality time is a beautiful thing. Don’t let your budget hold you back from creating memories together. Here are a couple inexpensive or free activities you can do as a family.

Hiking

Hiking is a great way to exercise together as a family. You can enjoy the fresh air, beautiful scenery and each other’s company while you walk. Look up any nearby hikes you can do as a family. Make sure the difficulty level of the hike is in line with the ages of your children.

Service

Doing acts of service for your neighbors or other community members is a great way to spend quality time together as a family. When you come together for a worthy cause, it will leave everyone feeling happy and satisfied. Teach your family the importance of service. Donating blood, picking up trash, visiting an assisted living facility, and serving food at a homeless shelter are all excellent options for service. If you need additional ideas of ways to help your community, you can find some suggestions here.

Cake Decorating

A really easy way to spend some quality time together as a family is to bake! Try holding a baking competition within your family. Bake the desired number of cakes and purchase frosting, food coloring, sprinkles, and anything else you’d like. Have each member of your family vote for their favorite cake but make sure they know they can’t vote for their own! This is a really fun activity for cold weather, or a rainy day. The extra cake you’ll get to eat throughout the week is just an added bonus!

Scavenger Hunt

Creating and executing your own scavenger hunt is easier than you think. Start by choosing a location for your scavenger hunt to take place. For example, you could pick a local park. Then, create a list of items each team needs to find during the hunt. It’s a simple yet fun way to get outdoors and have a little friendly competition. You can even let the winning team decide where to go for a treat afterwards.

Yard Sale

A yard sale is an excellent way to spend time together as a family. It feels good to join together to complete a project. Cleaning up your home and making a little extra money are also excellent motivators. Work together to gather, price and display your items as well as man the sale. You could even sell water bottles and homemade cookies to sell alongside your items. Have someone keep a list of which items sell and for how much money. That way, you can reward your kids with their share of the earnings.

Spending time together as a family is so important. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Create lasting memories with your family by thinking outside the box. They will remember and appreciate it for years to come.