Cheap Dates & Low-Cost Family Fun

Lately I’ve been on a bit of a self-improvement binge. I’ve created a new budget to help us save money. I’m trying to serve my family more fruits and veggies. We’re trying to dine out less often. And I’m trying to focus on maintaining strong relationships with my husband and my son. The thing is, I’ve found that spending more quality time together and still saving money might take some creativity. Take my “action item” to go out on at least one “date” with my hubby every month. (That’s not asking too much, right?) How can we plan an evening out — which usually means paying for a babysitter, a meal and drinks, and some sort of fun activity — while staying within our budget? And how can we plan fun family activities — which in the past has meant things like bowling, going to a movie, visiting an arcade or some other costly extravagance — without breaking my “let’s save more money” spirit? I’ve come up with a few ideas (see below), but I would love any and all suggestions to add to my list. Here’s what I’ve got so far: Cheap Dates: * Picnic in a park and/or a hike. * See a movie at one of the many local “cheap” theater-with-food establishments. * Play pool. (Some bars offer free pool on Sundays.) * Go out for happy hour. * Enjoy a four-course dinner (or three-course lunch) at the Oregon Culinary Institute. (Price is $18 per person for dinner, $9 for lunch, but there’s a 2-for-1 coupon in the Chinook Book.) * Go to a free lecture or a reading at a bookstore. Cutting Babysitting Costs: * Schedule a sleepover for our son. (We can rent videos for a truly affordable date night!) * Swap babysitting with other parents. * Go on afternoon dates while he’s at a friend’s house. Affordable Family Fun: * Take a hike. * Ride our bikes. * Bake together. * Play board games. * Rent a video for a movie night (or movie rainy afternoon). What’s your family’s favorite low-cost form of entertainment? How do you manage “date night” (or “date afternoon”) on a budget? How do you tame the high cost of babysitters? (For more on saving money, see “ Money Matters ” in our January issue and our “Money Matters” articles online .)

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Cheap Dates & Low-Cost Family Fun