Frugal Family Fun

If you've never experienced the great outdoors, it is a great way to get away and have a few laughs.

Camping teaches survival skills and lets kids and adults experience what it is like to live with nature instead of against it. If one member of the family has great camping experience, he or she can guide the rest of the group.

Catch your supper and cook it over an open flame. Sing songs, have marshmallow treats, tell stories, and hike to new places. Camp in areas far away from Yogi Bear and Wile E. Coyote but which still maintain the element of adventure the vast wilderness has to offer.

For a large family, weekend trips are more economical sometimes than taking a week's vacation. Everyone can pile in the car and head to the mountains or the coast for a weekend of fun.

For one night, everyone can sleep in one or two hotel rooms. Consider it to be "roughing it." Visit a national park, zoo, museum, national monument, or other point of interest.

Pack drinks, snacks, and lunches to avoid incurring too many food costs. Using a digital camera for pictures saves on the expense of film. You can even save money with photo printing websites that will print your pictures online and your family can view and order the ones they want.

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Parks have come a long way in the last few years. They have cookout shelters and trails for running, cycling, or hiking, water activities, and playgrounds.

One Saturday a month, gather the entire family (including extended family in the same city) and have a picnic cookout in the park. Reserve a shelter in advance and ask each person to contribute to the meal.

Bring along board games, balls, blankets, bikes, and your best pair of sneakers. Get an early start and spend the day doing whatever you want to have fun and relax.

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On a weekend or just a rainy afternoon, kids get bored easily. We often reach for the car keys and our wallet to find ways to satisfy them. Instead of doing that, reach for a few supplies and show them how to make some crafts that won't cause you to burn unnecessary gas or spend money.

Entertaining a kid is easier than you may think. If you know the types of things they like, you are one step ahead of the game. Younger kids enjoy ripping things to pieces. Their little hands find joy in destruction. When the wrecking ball is over, they are still delighted laughing about what they have accomplished. For them, something durable is in order.

One frugal craft that can stand up to the beating (at least for a little while) is to create a town or village for their dolls, action figures, or stuffed animals.

Cardboard Play Village

You will need:

* Cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes
* Crayons
* Construction paper
* Glue
* Scissors

The play village is easy to construct. Before cutting into the cardboard boxes, decide what each will be used for. A little girl may want a palace for her dolls. Kids with stuffed animals might enjoy creating a zoo or a farm from their boxes.

Each box can then be decorated with construction paper signs and decorated to their liking. If the kids are small or the boxes are big, they can crawl into the buildings with their dolls or action figures. A play set like this can be used over and over again. If one box rips or tears, throw it out and use another one. Those expensive play sets in the store wish they could last as long.

These are always fun. As a kid, there is nothing better than getting away to someplace new and having a ball. If this is your intent, start saving early. Investigate methods of travel to find the most economical for your budget and family size.

Follow travel deals instead of just the peak and off-peak seasons. Even in peak times, families can find good travel deals so that everyone can have a good time. If you are traveling to an area where family lives ask if you can bunk with them for a few days. It cuts down on costs and you get to visit.