Hotmail10 free or cheap ways to keep kids entertained
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6. Get support from grandparents, aunts and uncles. The more people who adore your children and want to be involved in their lives, the better. If you have close family members who know you’re going through a tough time financially, ask them to help you grant wishes that are beyond your budget. “Just ask anyone who’s on the bench in your child’s life to help in specific ways,” Beacham said. “They’ll want to do it.”
7. Barter, swap, wheel and deal. The amount of barely used toys and kids’ clothes and books that can be picked up at garage sales and via a wide variety of Web sites is shocking. You really don’t have to pay top dollar for a lot of the stuff your kid might want. Just head out to garage sales in nice suburban neighborhoods on almost any Saturday morning, and your haul can be phenomenal.
You also can swap toys and other items on SwapThing.com, and you find all sorts of items through Craigslist, The Freecycle Network, Sharing Is Giving, Freecycleamerica.org, ReUseIt Network and FreeSharing.org. If you do nab any used toys or gear, check for recalls through the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by calling 1-800-638-2772 or visiting its Web site.
8. Become an expert on all the free kids’ activities in your area. If you just don’t have time to do this kind of legwork, turn to a friend and fellow mom who does. Public libraries always have activities for kids that are completely free, and most museums offer free or greatly reduced admission on one day of the week or month. Some kindergarten teachers also can be fantastic resources in this department, Beacham noted, so be sure to ask them whether they know of any fun free stuff to do. And don’t forget the power of the Internet. A quick online search for the name of your city along with the words “free kids’ activities” can do wonders. Some Web sites are dedicated to highlighting free or dirt-cheap activities for parents in certain cities; Red Tricycle, for instance, provides lists of such options in the Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego areas.
9. Help your child establish a ‘coupon fund.’ Here’s a deal you can cut with your kid: If he or she finds coupons for items you buy as a family and clips enough of them that you manage to save $10 on groceries, you can promise to share $5 of that savings with your child. Then your child can save up that coupon money and put it toward something he or she has been wanting. “So they tell you they want a video game. You can say, ‘Use your coupon money. How much do you have saved up now?’ ” Beacham suggested.
10. Get outside. So long as the weather is tolerable out there, your kids could benefit immensely from getting some fresh air. Maybe you don’t have the time, energy or resources to organize a big camping trip right now — but could your kids camp in the backyard on a Saturday night? Could you even help them roast some marshmallows out there without burning the house down? Other ideas: Are there any beaches, beautiful parks or nifty points of interest in your area where you could let your kids run around, burn some energy and get some exercise? If you already have bikes, could you go biking together on a day off for no money at all? (Just carry some snacks or sandwiches with you in a backpack!) By doing something along these lines where you live, your kids will have loads of fun, and you’ll feel better too.
Sources and resources:
- Susan Beacham of Money Savvy Generation
- Melissa Tosetti, editor and publisher of Budget Savvy
- Kids’ Money
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