Saving Money on Holiday Fun
We seem to spend a whole lot more money during the holiday season on fun. This is probably because the kids are out of school, but there are a whole lot of fun things you can do with your family that are free or pretty cheap. Here are a few ideas!
1. Games– Spend time playing games and/or cards with your kids. We always buy each kid a new game for Christmas so they have plenty. This is one of my favorite times of year because we spend a lot of time playing all of those new games as well as some old favorites!
2. Go Caroling– This can be a really fun time for older children as well as adults. Our church goes and then after we all have some hot chocolate and cookies. It’s not only fun but takes up most of a night.
3. Use the Redbox– You may have seen these big red boxes at restaurants or even Walmart. Get familiar with these boxes because they can save you a whole lot of money! This is a great alternative to spending all that money going to the movies at the holidays or anytime! When you go online to Redbox and sign up, they will give you your first rental free. You could use this for one night this holiday season to enjoy a movie with your family. They also have codes that they e-mail you to get free movies on Mondays. You have to have a credit card, but as long as you bring the movie back the next day, you will be charged nothing! Also, the movies are only $1 a night so even if you had to pay for a movie, it would still be lots cheaper than if you went out to the movies. I have used this service for quite awhile now and only had one movie that would not work. I e-mailed them and they sent me 2 free codes to use on some more movies. So, they have great customer service! Another great feature is that you can return your movie to any Redbox. We got a movie from our home Redbox and went to my parent’s house for a visit this summer and were able to return the movie there. So, if you are traveling this holiday season, this may still be an option for you.
4. Read a good book– This would be perfect for you to get some mom fun time. Pick a great book at your library and snuggle up by the fireplace. You might even want to make some hot chocolate or cider.
5. Go to a cookie exchange– Not only will this save money, but it will also save you time. I went to one last year and had to bring 6 dozen cookies. I went home with every kind of Christmas cookie you could think of and also had fun while I was there with my friends. Best of all I won’t have to go out and buy all the ingredients to make all of those cookies or spend extra time making them!
6. Bake some Holiday treats with your kids– My kids love to bake in the kitchen with me. There are so many things that they can help you do. Let them stir, mix, or even break an egg or two. It makes baking more fun for me too because I have help. I usually have all the ingredients on hand to bake some kind of cookie.
Try to think of fun things your family can do that won’t cost you much money this holiday season. This is a great time to spend more time with your family and it does not have to cost you much at all!
