There is nothing that will squelch the joy in frugality faster than pinching your pennies so hard that you never have any fun. And if you're planning to practice thrift for the long haul, you need to strategically come up with ways to keep life interesting, exciting, and fresh.
Just because you don't have a lot of money or are trying to live on little doesn't mean you can't find ways to have fun and splurge a little without breaking your budget. Here are a few things we've done:
-Go out for dessert and coffee. Or, if you're really strapped for cash, skip the dessert and split a latte. We used to do this at Barnes and Noble back in our law school barebones budget days. We'd browse books, buy a drink and split it (often paying for it with a card I'd earned through reading emails from MyPoints!), and then sit and read and talk for awhile. It made for a very relaxing evening that cost us next to nothing!
-Take your children to the pet store and then to McDonald's for $0.99 cones. (Use the seasonal free cone coupons--if you have them--to save even more!)
-Plan one nicer dinner each week. If beans and rice make up a large part of your diet, plan ahead so that one night per week, you have "feast". It doesn't have to be anything elaborate--maybe something like meat loaf, a potato dish, some homemade bread, veggies, and a dessert. Or if you can't even afford that, add a dessert to your normal fare and bring out the nice dishes or add a centerpiece. A dessert and a candle can make you feel like you're having a gourmet dinner even if it's hamburger helper!
-Ride your bikes or put the kids in the wagon and walk to the nearest ice cream shop and order a few cones to split.
-Have a progressive dinner at your own home. Decorate four different rooms with four different themes and then serve a coordinating menu item for each. (Read about one such dinner I planned here.)
-Rent a movie with a free code from RedBox (or the library), make some special snacks, and watch the movie together under blankets in the living room.
-Plan a CVS "date." Have extra ECBs to spend? Why not make a fun evening of it? Let each person pick one treat for under $3 to buy and then go to the park and share the goodies!
-Go yard-saling or thrift store shopping as a family or couple. Give each person a small amount of cash to spend and see who gets the most bang for their buck!
-Go to the library as a family (or as a couple, for date night!) and browse different books that you usually don't get a chance to look at and check some out. You'll feel like you went shopping
-Have a "Loose Change Date." Take all of the loose change you can find in the house and figure out a creative way to maximize it. Divvy it up between the family members and let each person decide how they want to spend their part for a family evening out.
-Find out if any nearby bowling alleys have $0.99 night or discount nights (many do). When we were first married, we'd go on $0.99 night and rent our shoes for $0.99 each and play two games at $0.99 each--and it was such a fun outing and it only cost us around $6!
What are some things your family has done to frugally "splurge"?
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Keeping frugality fun: Strategic "splurging"
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We do the Barnes & Noble date a LOT...but for us it's Borders. We never actually purchase a book (tempting though it is!) but if we see a title we like we'll try to find a used copy for super cheap on Amazon.com. Last Christmas I got my husband a Larry Burkett young couple's budgeting book for $1 on Amazon (totally a whim too - a "filler", or so I thought!) and now here we are in the depths of frugality!
Our favorite dates are coffee dates. We first met in a local coffee shop, actually, so that might have something to do with it!
For Valentine's Day 2007 I ended up in the ER due to an ice storm that blew through Southern Maryland, so we came up with a spontaneous plan to run around Target to find an inexpensive, yet fun and/or quirky gift for one another. I am the QUEEN of practicality, so this was a stretch, but we are now making a tradition out of it! Who needs a dozen roses and a pricey dinner when you can spend an evening laughing with your spouse in the checkout lane? :)
Here's a link to my post about that Valentine's Day: http://taralynn819.blogspot.com/2007/12/february-23-2007-work-waldorf-thai.html
When it was just the hubby and me we would collect our change in a jar and then go out for iced coffee when we had $7 worth of change ... we'd pay in dimes, nickels and pennies :)It was such a HUGE treat for us!
We love doing the yard sale thing together too :)
My husband loves cooking, so sometimes we plan to eat late, put the baby to bed, and then spend some time cooking something together and then eating it on formal dishes :) It's an enjoyable 'date' for us!
We go to our $2 theatre for a movie.
We go for a hike or go to our botanical gardens and walk.
And we take advantage of any free night such as free cones at ice cream shops.
For a fun time without breaking the bank (or keeping too tight a reign that we go crazy) we will:
*Go hunting, fishing, trapping. (I married an OUTDOORS MAN)
*target practice
*camping
*Tubing down the river
*Bike riding
*Hiking
*Hit balls at the batting cage
*Go to the summer fairs (pack our own drinks/food)
Family hobbies are GREAT! Once you have the equipment it is cheap fun to go fishing!
I LOVE summer!!!!!!!!! We have so much fun!
I save all of the heels of loaves of bread in our deep freeze. We will pack a lunch for the 4 of us, go to the park, and take the stale bread heels and feed the ducks.
Picnics are popular around here! There are lots of free shows in Las Vegas that we sometimes go see.
Our bowling alley on base has family bowling on Sun that is a $1 shoe rental and $1 per game. It's a great way to spend some time as a family. Also, we will periodically walk to the bx and get ice cream for under a dollar and just wander. The kids love it and we all get a chance to get out of the house. But there favorite splurge is when we get papa murphy's pizza (with coupons!) and have a picnic with a movie in the living room.
Erin
We have "cheap date" night sometimes, living far from family and not being able to afford a sitter very often. I'll pick up two different yummy desserts from our favorite tea room and we sit in the living room and share them and talk after the kids are in bed (or maybe watch a movie, just depending on the day).
We also have the kids in things like Pizza Hut's Book It program, and I'll save their free pizza coupons and we'll occasionally get those and then pay for just two personal pizzas for us grownups and eat "out" cheaply. Little Caesars's offers $5 large pizzas, so we sometimes pick up one and take drinks (from home, of course) to the park and eat and play for an impromptu picnic.
Our family is working hard paying off debts due to some international buisness failures we cwere involved in so we try to live very frugally.We have four small children and homeschool so we really have to make our dollars stretch! We believe that our priority in life is to be fishers of men and to that end we enjoy reaching out to others by inviting people to our home.We find it very enjoyable to make a treat meal and relax over coffee afterwards. It helps alleviate the days when meals are less varied!
I get a big kick out of taking a small amout of money like a dollar and change and going into Goodwill to see what cool stuff I can find for that!
If you have a cellphone with free phone minutes anywhere,making out of state calls to friends is lovely.
Our children enjoy free classes like the carpentry ones the first Saturday of the month at Home Depot. Michael's has some cheap children's classes too.Get their monthly calendar.
Save up a dollar here and there until you have enough for one pricey item like a really cool book.
A lot of the fun is in the outlook of "getting away" with having a good time without having much in one's pocket!
I just love you ideas! Nothing terribly new about this idea but every Friday night I feed the kids something simple like eggs and toast or pasta and put them to bed a little early. Then my husband and I have a glass of wine and hang out and cook a more elaborate (but inexpensive) meal together. We love to cook and especially love ethnic foods which are often very cheap to make. Then we eat at the table with candles and just chat. It's nice to look forward to our date night. Sometimes we watch a free movie from the library if we just want to veg out.
Thanks so much for all the hard work you do on your OUTSTANDING website!
We have a $1.50 theater (this is in the middle of Orange County!!) and on Tuesdays, they have $1.00 movies :)
We'd also stay home and watch a netflix movie and make homemade popcorn, with our favorite toppings - seaweed or Mrs. Dash.
WE have carpet picnics- get an inexpensive table cloth and make chili cheese fries- frozen french fries you make in the oven- brown 1 lb of hamburger then add a cup of tomato sauce, and a can of chili beans. Once the french fries are done, add the hamburger mixture- we ususally add only half for two of us- put it back on the oven with cheese and top and cook for about five minutes more- add sour cream, onions- whatever you like and then share on your tablecloth on the floor while watching a movie=) free of course from the library=)
These are GREAT ideas, many of which we've used to help keep costs down, but still have fun. I hadn't thought of the progressive meal idea..think we'll try that out soon. Thanks!
Feed the ducks! We love to buy old cheap bread (or use the heals that I saved) and go down to the lake and feed the ducks. The kids love it and it is so relaxing!
Toni
http://thehappyhousewife.com
I signed up to be a mystery shopper! We've gone bowling for free, out to dinner, and done little fun shops like getting pretzels or a sub sandwich. =) You have to pay out of pocket, but I've always gotten reimbursed by the companies (policies vary). I researched everything on mysteryshop.org
Hi!
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your blog! I did a post today on my new found joy in saving money and put a link to your blog for my friends! Thanks so much for all of the great information you share with us! I appreciate you giving of your time for others!
Blessings,
Kimberly
Some things we do:
Letterboxing - kind of like a treasure hunt. I like it for the exercise, my son likes trying to find where the "treasure" is hidden. You can check it out here http://www.letterboxing.org/
Camping in - We make tents from old bed sheets and camp out in the den.
Saving up - we collect loose change and then splurge on something for the whole family.
The pet store is always a crowd pleaser - especially when they have adopt-a- pal Saturdays - lots of dogs to pet.
Library programs, parks, free Fridays at the zoo, free Saturdays at the art museum, summer movies in the park (a local church sponsors this and it is great), concerts in the park.
My husband and I have frequent diner cards to a local brewpub (it's actually a chain), RockBottom and we do very well there. They have 1/2 off burger nights for their "MugClub" members. We can usually split one between the two of us since they are huge. They also other specials and free appetizers or dessert for completing surveys after your visits. The other great thing is they are very kid friendly. Even though I don't think all that much beer, especially being pregnant or nursing for the last 2 years I still get benefits for visits like free glasses, t-shirts etc...
So we get to enjoy a night out and great beer on the cheap and can do it without needing a babysitter!
I'm surprise no one mentioned the minor league baseball teams in their area. Around Tulsa, lots of people attend the Drillers Baseball games for free with tickets the team gives out at local convenience stores.
A super fun time for our whole family was moving the table & chairs out of the kitchen spraying three cans of inexpensive shaving cream on the vinyl! Our very own ice skating rink. Everyone loved it from oldest to youngest. Catch the cream on sale & it is a bargain for the FUN!
Our local Perkins has "kids eat free" nights on Tues. and Thurs. My husband and I and my oldest daughter order and my other three young ones get their meals free. The company also has a balloon artist/magician come in on these nights and entertains at no extra cost. It's fun to do every once in a while.
I just signed my son up for kid club for baseball game costs $10 which include free admission to zoo, autograph sessions with baseball players, discount to baseball camps, up to four free tickets to five family nights and free tee shirt and my good friend found this information, I thought this is a good deal! :-)
Last night was my 35th birthday. I decided I wanted to fix a special dinner.
There is a local butcher in our area that sells steaks for $2.00 each. I bought 6 rib-eyes for $12. I picked up some potatoes that were on sale BOGO 5lb bag at Bi-Lo. I already had salad items that were bought on sale.
I served a nice steak dinner for 6 for less than $15! It was a splurge compared to our normal dinners, but it sure cost less than going out for steak dinners.
At this price, we might be having steak once per month!
We can't afford any family vacations, so we will either go camping at a state park (around $12/night) or hit my parents up for a weekend at their cabin.
For shorter weekends, our cul-de-sac often has potluck night. Everybody brings a meat to grill and a dish to pass. We often are the only adults eating hot dogs, but I get to enjoy all the side dishes from my neighbors. I normally bring lots of corn-on-the-cob from the farmers market. Cheap, feeds a lot of people and everybody loves corn.
I just remembered this. In the summer our movie theater plays kids movies on Mon, Tues and Wed mornings at
10 AM. The movie is free and the pop corn and drinks are $1.00 each. We love to go to these. We get the fun of the movies without the high price!
Since our early married days, we've enjoyed dinner at Costco's food court. Really. We used to drive up to 45 minutes just for a hot dog and coke. Now with five kids, we usually order a pizza. But, when we splurge, we let the kids each order a hot dog and a pop. They can't believe their good luck! No sharing straws! For a buck fifty it's a great deal!
Several of our local radio stations give points for "secret codes" they list on the radio.
Then on their website you can enter them and gain points that you can use for auctions on restaurants or event tickets. It is fairly easy to get enough points to win a few prizes every 2 months or less- these make great free or cheap dates.
I am saving them right now to buy some special stuff for the hubby's b-day in June.
jenetta
Sometimes when my husband and I go out to eat together we'll figure out what meal gives us the most for our $ and split it. This especially works at places that have free chips or bread, etc. At On The Border we used to split the fajitas (which is great because you each make your own - and my husband is a picky eater!), but lately we've been getting the Big Borderito (its huge!). Texas Roadhouse has a really big Country Fried Steak thats really good. Red Lobster we'll get a Create Your Own Combo and then we each pick one or two items and share it all. This way you still get the "feel" of a dinner out but almost have the cost!
Another great thing is to find out what museums in your area are free! The Indianapolis Museum of Art is beautiful - inside and out (there gardens are great for picture taking!) - and free.
We are living pretty tightly these days but that doesn't mean we don't have fun. On some recent days off we rented B1G1 free videos, went out to the bookstore to read/for coffee, went out for a chinese lunch. We also watched some shows online and made popcorn.
The weather is really starting to get nice now, so the next time we have off we'll probably go for a picnic or go to the zoo and feed the ducks. One time we even went out on the paddle boats. Simple frugal joys are abundant if one looks around for opportunities.
-Have a theme party- For example a green meal and everything is green for dinner, country themes, movie stars (We did a Paul Newman theme one time and watched one of the movies and ate Paul Newman food- which is not cheap usually, but we got alot of it at a discount store)
- Make finger foods for dinner and eat on the floor
- Game night with friends, ask everyone to bring snacks and it is good, free, fun!
- Resteraunts that have free kids, IHOP here is has on Mon and Thursday, free kids, no limit as long as one adult meal is purchased. Also, after birthdays some give free meals too.
-I will splurge on smaller things like a candy bar on occasion for my husband, a "new" used book from the bookstore, a trip to the second hand store can be a fun adventure!
-The ingredients for fancy cookies to go with tea, we will have "tea" for a fun family thng to do, it is much cheaper than going out for tea
Crystal,
I love this post. Last night DH and I went to a book signing party for a wonderful woman I met through my blog. It was a great date night (and I'm even getting a post out of it since it was the perfect "green" party), but darn if babysitting isn't still so expensive. It was $60 for the sitter. I live outside DC, where everything is so expensive. Sometimes I can send my big boy to his friends, but with a toddler I'm still really particular about who is watching him, and I can't just send him off to a sleepover! -- Lynn from OrganicMania.com
Mike and I will go to a certain restaurant (local) that offers 25 cent wings- so many a basket. There are other restaurants that offer this deal I have heard. This makes a fun but inexpensive evening with friends.
Our bible study group sometimes will get together for dinner. Each person will bring a dish. Last time we rented Thou Shalt Laugh, a christian comedy. We all ate and then watched the DVD and had a ball.
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