A Mother's Guide to Thrifty Picnics, Beach Fun, and More

Summer time can mean tons of fun for your family but it can also cause a parent's wallet to scream for mercy by the time August hits. Over the last eleven years of being a parent on a tight budget I have found many ways to keep the kids entertained while still keeping a few pennies in my purse.

In the summer you can find many free activities in your community, you just need to know where to look for them. If you live in a community with a recreation department check to see if they have a Website. If they do you can often find listings of upcoming events for families. If your recreation department does not have a Website you can call them and ask if they have any offerings for the age ranges of your children. Many communities will send out a mailer describing their upcoming events. Some of the activities you may find offered are organized hikes or nature walks, picnics in the park, tennis lessons, gaming clubs, children's music concerts, magic shows, baby sitting courses and some may offer supervised field trips for teens. You may even find your recreation department offers discounted theme park passes for residents.

Another source of frugal or free entertainment for kids is your local library. Most libraries in my area participate in a statewide summer program for kids. These programs usually include many free activities for kids of all ages. Little ones will enjoy activities like story time, a sing along and a snack. Elementary kids can participate in reading challenges, craft times, movie times and games. Teens can join book discussion groups and volunteer to help the younger kids. The library is another place you may find out about community-sponsored events and special offers. Ask your librarian if your library has passes to local museums, theaters, or science centers available to card holders. In my area we have a wonderful science center but the cost of admission is prohibitive for me. By using my libraries community pass I can get my entire brood into the science center for less than one regular adult admission.

Nature walks, a trip to the beach or pool and picnics in the park always sound like innocent cheap fun but they can cost an arm and a leg if you are not careful. If your kids are anything like mine they will want to have toys to bring. Balls, sidewalk chalk, rafts, noodles, and squirt guns can all break the bank. Your first stop for these items should always be the dollar store. If you do not have a dollar store nearby or they do not have the items you want it is time to check out the bargains at the local drug store or Wal-Mart. Only buy what you really will use or need. If you know that little Susie really only likes to play in the sand at the edge of the lake buy her a sand play set and skip the floats. If Joey and Bobby love to play ball in the park skip other items and just get a ball. You can also collect items as you go along, buying only the items you find on sale or at the end of the season.

The next item that can break your beach or park time budget is the food. My kids usually are more interested in playing than stopping to eat a meal. Cooking or making a meal at the park or beach can rack up a big grocery bill when you add in charcoal for grilling, paper plates, and napkins. And all of this for food your kids will only eat a few bites of before running off to play again. Instead of focusing on getting your kids to eat a full meal I suggest bringing lots of little "snackies" or "pickies". Some items my kids enjoy at the beach or park are mini fruit kabobs made with whatever fruit is on hand. Canned fruit can even work here, a family favorite is mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks threaded on tooth picks and sprinkled with coconut. This is something you can keep on hand. You could also do this with veggies and cheese, grape tomatoes with cubes of mozzarella cheese is a wonderful combo. If you like meat you can try rolling up a slice of cheese and your favorite deli meat to make a roll up. These are much easier for a busy child to grab and eat than a sandwich, plus no bread to get soggy or squished in the cooler. If you do not want to go to the trouble of making kabobs placing washed, cut fresh fruits and veggies in storage containers and bringing toothpicks can be a fun and easy idea. Pack some whole grain crackers and you are all set.

Keeping kids hydrated is important during play so packing plenty to drink is very important. I find that juice boxes are too costly and the bigger kids drink them too fast and then we are left at the mercy of expensive vending machines or vendors selling over priced and caffeine laden sodas. Instead of bringing single serving drinks I usually recycle a gallon jug or invest in one of those gallon sized drink containers with a spigot on it and some cheap paper cups. I fill our jug up with ice and kool-aid or another beverage. If you want you could just bring ice water. This goes a lot further than juice boxes and costs a lot less even when you have to invest in cups and a jug.

I know there are times when you just can not get away from home but staying at home everyday can get boring for the kids which always leads to arguing and fussiness in my house. To combat this you should have a list of creative fun to keep everyone entertained and cool. Sprinklers, water balloons, and simple outdoor games are always a hit on warm days. Even a back yard camp out can be as much fun as the real thing and it will cost a lot less. When it is rainy it is time to pull out the videos, legos, board games, homemade play dough and craft box. Another fun rainy day activity is cooking with your kids. You could make zip lock ice cream, Popsicles or just let them help make dinner. With my frugal ideas this is going to be the best summer ever!