In this day and age, when many adults can barely afford to take care of themselves, providing a comfortable life for children can seem overwhelming. And most parents don’t want to simply provide for their little ones; they want to ensure they have countless, precious memories from childhood that they can look back on for the rest of their lives.
So if you’re a parent who wants to bring your kiddos magical experiences without breaking the bank, we’ve got the perfect list for you. Frugal moms and dads on Reddit have recently been sharing their favorite budget-friendly ways to treat their kids, so we’ve gathered their best tips below. Keep reading to find a conversation with Melissa Vera of Adventures of Frugal Mom, and be sure to upvote the ideas that your little ones would love!
#1
When mine were little, I kept a selection of park toys, kites, sandbox toy, bucket of hot wheels, etc) in the back of the van and we'd go to all the different public parks in driving distance. They'd grab up the kids there and invent epic games. I remember this parachute toy, They'd throw it up in the air and freeze tag as many kids as possible until "the ref"declared the round over when the parachute hit the ground. Sort of a human jacks game. They thought it was a big deal. We did this until the youngest was a teen.
One of my kids is now a games designer for a large video game company.
Encourage play!
78points
#2
Weekly library + snuggle and read together on the couch while sipping a homemade smoothie or hot chocolate! :)
76points
#3
If you like pups, shelters often need people to read to the adoptable dogs. Usually age 5 and up!
72points
To gain more insight on this topic from a parent who knows how to budget well, we reached out to Melissa Vera, creator of Adventures of Frugal Mom. Melissa was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share her tips on treating kids without breaking the bank.
"Look for reciprocal agreements with museums and zoos. Most of them have free admission if you buy a family membership to one," she explained. "When my girls were younger, we bought a membership to the NC Zoo, which paid for itself the first time we went."
"With that, we got unlimited entry into the zoo, discounts at shops, and free admission to the other museums and aquariums that they had a reciprocal agreement with," Melissa continued. "It helped to bridge the gap and allowed us to do a lot of fun things. Local museums and parks are great to explore. Most of the historical sites have free admission as well. Bring a picnic and take advantage of being outside."
#4
My dad would give us $5 and set us loose in the dollar store; it was wonderful! The last Christmas before he passed, he gave both my sister and me an envelope with a $5 bill in it so each of us could go on a shopping spree on him.
69points
#5
Have her pick out a recipe online, get groceries for it together, and make it together! Kids need lots of breaks so this could be a whole weekend worth of an activity.
54points
#6
As an Auntie I always pack a BIG bag of snacks - hranola bars can go back into the cupboard if not eaten and carrot sticks can be cooked. I've occasionally thrown out some battered jam sandwiches but will shoulder that cost. And I throw cartons of juice and bottles of water into the car.
This means if we're having fun we don't have to stop. It also knocks a big part of the cost of a day out off. Buying lunch can be really expensive but this means we can go out more and then maybe buy ice creams or souvenirs instead. And they always all get hungry separately.
I also learnt to have a couple of towels and car blankets. Then I will happily let them do anything even if its messy and/or wet. 'Go ahead. If your clothes get nasty you'll be stripping off at the car and going home in a blanket toga, if you're OK with that I'm OK with you going swimming in your pants, making a mud slide, climbing the wet trees covered in lichen or having a leaf fight'.
Being told yes has always been a big treat.
50points
The frugal mom also says libraries are a great place to take your children. "Check out local libraries for story time. I am a huge believer in encouraging your child to read," Melissa told Bored Panda.
"You can grab a book that was made into a movie and read it with your kids. Then once you have finished, have your kids get involved with planning a themed movie night where they can do a craft, have a themed dinner which they help to cook, and watch the movie," she recommended. "Local libraries are a great way to get them to read, but you can also borrow movies from them as well as look for activities."
#7
This is kind of specific, but whenever my mom knows that my nieces and nephew will be at a nighttime event when there will be vendors selling glowsticks and light up toys (examples: fourth of July fireworks, nighttime parades), she spends a few dollars buying glowsticks at the Dollar Tree. That way the kids still get to wear a glowing necklace, but the cost is a fraction of what it would otherwise be.
47points
#8
When I was a kid, I LOVED feeding ducks, turtles, and fish at local ponds/lakes.
We used to do random BINGO at malls, parks, etc. homemade cards of "person in red shirt" "white flower" "lemonade stand" stuff like that. Small prize for whoever won like a dollar bill or ice cream at McDonald's.
$5 at a Dollar or thrift store to be spent however they want. Us kids had an ongoing competition of who could get the most for their money or find the weirdest item.
We would dress up in the wackiest outfits we could make up (mismatched shoes, multiple layers, exaggerated makeup, etc), gave ourselves code names, and just play tag or go fishing or whatever.
Go to the woods and build a fort with only rope, a tarp, and whatever we could find.
$2 afternoon matinees on a weekday at the local theater.
There were 6 of us kids and we weren't exactly swimming in money so a lot of our excursions involved hefty imagination. Best memories I have are doing things like that.
46points
#9
Museum day. Most museums will have a free day once a month for locals.
45points
"When eating out, look for places that are family-friendly or ones that don't frown on sharing. Then, you can order a whole bunch of apps," Melissa shared. "I am also a firm believer that adventure doesn't have to cost a lot of money. A day spent at the beach or at the park with a little planning about snacks and lunch is great fun."
#10
When my kids were little (and we were very poor) we went to trips to the pet store to look at the animals. It was like a mini trip to the zoo. We would always buy a treat for the dog while we were there. An hour of entertainment for a few bucks.
42points
#11
I still remember walking up early on Saturday my dad would pack us up sandwiches and we'd go to the nice neighborhood for garage sales and they'd have the best books and toys afterwards we'd go to the park to play and eat our sandwiches. Special times
42points
#12
We were very poor when I was a kid.
My dad would take me to pick blackberries. Not in a farm where you pay to pick but like on a mountain road somewhere.
He would take me fishing a lot. Worms are cheap to buy or you can dig them for free. And the fish you catch adds food to your table.
We would go camping a lot. It doesn't have to be expensive. You don't need columbia hiking poles and northface mummy bags. You don't even need a tent if the weather is mild. I've motorcycle camped with my dad plenty of times to prove you actually really need VERY little to do it.
Free campsites are abundant. You don't have to stay for a week. Just one afternoon, one night, and a morning can be a fun experience for kids. They WANT to stab a hotdog with a stick and burn it in the fire then eat it. The meals don't have to be elaborate freeze dried backpacking stuff. Bologna Sandwiches followed by throwing rocks in the creek followed by burnt up hot dogs and smores is an event for kids.
Being out in nature is good for everyone. You can make it as comfortable as you want, as cheap as you want. If you don't have things and you're interested ask a local buy nothing facebook page. There WILL be people with a tent that they have had in their garage for 6 years that they never used and they want it gone.
36points
Shopping second-hand can also be a great treat for kiddos. "I won't say I don't buy my kids things, but I would and did, when my girls were little, thrift a lot of things for them," Melissa noted, adding that it's wise to make little ones work for things as well "because then they know the value of a dollar."
If you'd like to gain more tips for living a frugal life, be sure to visit Melissa's site Adventures of Frugal Mom!
#13
It might not be for everyone, but I take my kids foraging and then we make tasty stuff with what we find. I know of a handful of places with persimmon and mulberry trees that we make cakes, cookies, and candy with. If you’re interested, there’s also a website called fallingfruit.org that is basically a google maps for foraging. Put in your location and the map populates with foraging spots around you. The site is fed by other foragers, so make sure to add things when you find them too to keep the community going.
36points
#14
Something funny and cute my daughter did, for her 15th birthday, she wants to try and hit as many places she registered for free birthday giveaways. She has it all mapped out. I think it will be fun.
36points
#15
I take my wife for ice cream once a month. Less than $5 for us both and we walk around the park and talk while we enjoy the ice cream! During the winter we get back in the car though. Then we usually sing along with the radio together and giggle at what awful singers we are 🤣
It's cheap, fun and helps us stay connected.
33points
#16
A few things my daughter and I do that are special:
- we buy a card game and then play that for months at coffee shops or parks
- we got really into doing tastings. So for a while we’d buy one piece of chocolate from any chocolate store and kept a log on our favorites. Pretty cheap and very fun
- similarly we had an m&m tasting and bought all the flavors. Now when we see a new one it’s super special. There are close to 20 flavors these days!
- we buy a card game and then play that for months at coffee shops or parks
- we got really into doing tastings. So for a while we’d buy one piece of chocolate from any chocolate store and kept a log on our favorites. Pretty cheap and very fun
- similarly we had an m&m tasting and bought all the flavors. Now when we see a new one it’s super special. There are close to 20 flavors these days!
31points
#17
Get your kids involved in creating a game for when you go out. Like who can spot the most out-of-state license plates, or count the motorcycles (which is a helpful skill when they learn to drive).
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31points
#18
2 pink drinks is like $10? so instead take her to a book store or art supplies store or something similar (whatever she's interested in honestly) and let her pick one thing out for around the same price. My dad used to take me thrift shopping every Monday because I loved fashion. I'd only get one or two things each time but it was such a great experience and to this day I'm still so grateful that he saw something I was interested in and invested in it even though he didn't have a lot of money at all. It feels great to feel treated but also have some sort of value come out of that $10
29points
#19
On early dismissal Wednesday my kid likes that we stop by 7-11 for a dollar slurpee!
29points
#20
My mom used to let me play with her old make up. We’d flip through a magazine and find a photo of a celebrity or a model, and we would “recreate” the look. I would put make up on my mom and she’d put a tiny bit on me. We’d also play beauty parlor and she’d come to my “salon” and I would let her in, decide what the price was and then we’d put on lip gloss, lotion on our hands or brush our hair etc and I’d have to add up the cost of services and charge her. Some people might find this silly but I cherish those memories of us hanging out in her room, and it taught me about self care and made me feel so grown up. It was all older make up so it didn’t cost a thing.
We also used to make collages, we would cut up the week prior’s newspapers, circulars, junk mail. We’d pick a color or make a theme and all we needed was glue sticks and scissors. She still has one we made on a paper plate of the beach 🥹
27points