Frugal Family Entertainment. How To Have Low Cost Family Fun

Why does there always seem too much month for our money? Sometimes money can get so tight that for the last week of the month I have to start reverting to tips I used in my student days to make the pennies stretch further. Now I don't mean eating beans on toast for every meal, or having pasta with, erm, pasta, but trying to find more frugal ways to have fun with my son. So I thought I would share some of my cheap family activities for frugal family fun.

Low Cost Ways to Have Family Fun

Having little spare money does not have to mean boredom for your family. You can still have family fun without having to spend too much. Here are some ways to keep your family entertained without putting a big dent to your budget, and maintaining happy families and health.

Fun Things To Do As A Family

Grow a Green Thumb: Gardening is one of the most productive and yet less-costly ways to entertain oneself. If you have the kids helping, you can double the fun. You can have so much fun growing vegetables and fruits that you can also use to make your own meals. This means more savings for your family, as well as promoting good health and family life.

Watch your Local Sports Team. From football or rugby to cricket or hockey. Kids enjoy watching sports. Support your local sports team by adding yourself and your kid as part of its cheering team.

Look out for local free events, such as village fetes, town shows or festivals to visit. Check our magazine or website for event listings in the area.

Visit your local museum, which is usually free or has cheap admission, especially when they have family-friendly events or exhibitions running.

Turf out the junk in your, cupboards, attic or from the back of your garage and run a garage Sale - get the kids to make some posters that you can put up around the neighbourhood. Great fun, and an inexpensive way to earn some extra money.

Do you own a tent and some camping equipment? Shake off the dust and set up camp in your back garden. Get the camping stove out to cook some bangers and baked beans for tea. Great fun, and a nice break from the TV!

Purchase annual passes for cheap family outings. Do you live near a family attraction? Check out their annual pass or family membership packages. Buy these at a time when you do have a little spare money, or ask for them as a Christmas or Birthday gift. This will always give you an exiting place to go when money is low.

Get on the net for some free fun. With most of us using broadband with monthly payments instead of the old-fashioned pay as you go type connections, making use of the internet is great when looking for family entertainment. Visit YouTube for some hilarious videos. Watch movie trailer clips to see what's about to be released at the cinema. There are also loads of online games you can play for free, such as those to be found at www.funnygames.co.uk where you can play all sorts of games, you can even get nostalgic with space invaders and pac-man. My son really enjoys playing on sites that are specifically designed for children, like www.clubpenguin.com, or www.moshimonsters.com or www.binweevils.com These sites are all free to play, and you don't have to pay for memberships unless you want to.

Belt it out some tunes. If you do not have a karaoke microphone, you can borrow from your friends. There is also an online version of karaoke that you can also use as a form of free entertainment.

Have a family day. Whether you play scrabble, monopoly, or another favourite board game, watch DVD's together, or even getting into the kitchen to bake some cookies or make a cake, setting a regular family day doing these simple and yet fun activities will condition your family to look forward to less-expensive ways of having fun. It's a great way to bond with your family too.

Here's to plenty of low-cost family fun!

Patricia Morrison sent us a great no-cook recipe for Banana Chocolate Trifle that would be great for kids to help you make in the kitchen. Patricia says her grandchildren love to help her in the kitchen, so this recipe is a firm favourite.

You will need: 1 chocolate swiss roll, 1 packet of banana flavoured instant dessert (like Angel Delight), 1 packet of chocolate flavour instant dessert, semi-skimmed milk, 2 ripe bananas, 1 packet of chocolate buttons.
How to make the trifle: Slice up the chocolate swiss roll and place into the base of a large trifle bowl. Make up the banana and chocolate desserts with milk in separate bowls according to the packet instructions. Pour the banana dessert mix over the chocolate swiss roll slices. Slice up the bananas into coin shapes and lay them over the surface of the banana dessert. Pour over the chocolate dessert mix and level off with the back of a spoon. Decorate the top of the trifle with chocolate buttons. Leave in the fridge to set and chill through before serving.

Here is another no-cook recipe that came to us from Helen Potter. She tells us she had something called Coeur a la Crème while on honeymoon in France. She asked the waiter if she could ask the chef for the recipe, to which the waiter said it translates into something like hearts of cream, and rather than ask the chef he had a simple recipe she could use. Helen now makes this at home and it works out beautifully every time, and is just as good as those she ate at the hotel.

You will need: 8 oz full fat cream cheese, ½ pint of sour cream, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (not concentrate as it doesn't taste the same), 2 tablespoons caster sugar. You just blend all the ingredients together until creamy, then fill little ramekins or small tea cups with the mixture and chill in the fridge. Helen says these are very rich, so they are best served with some fresh berries. A simple but delicious dessert.

Thanks ladies for sending in the recipes - please keep them coming!

Browse a copy of our free online magazine for lots of ideas for free family fun, kids crafts, and recipes the whole family can get involved in making together!

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Stuck for something to do? Don't forget you can browse a free copy of our Mini-Messy Tots Craft Book, full of our favourite crafts that you can do at home with the little ones!

Wishing you the best of Family Life.

Michelle and Nicky
Joint Editors, Cotswold Family Life