Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

My New Game Closet

I have always wanted a game closet in our house. Our house has a large storage room off of the kitchen so the games have always been there. When we wanted to play a game it was always so inconvenient to go dig one out of the storage room. Then I though of a solution. We have this tiny closet in our living room that is supposed to be a coat closet. There were a few coats in it, but we never used the closet. We have a hanging rack by the front door for coats - so I decided that we would convert it into our game closet. My kids had never seen the closet empty before, so they enjoyed playing in it after we cleaned it out. (Do you like how my daughter is wearing dinosaur pajamas? I have never bought her girly pajamas - any that she has are gifts or hand me downs!)We had some old wood laying around in the garage, so my hubby cut it to size for brackets and shelves.

Voila! My game closet. I love it so much! I did have to get rid of 3 games to get them all to fit, but that's fine with me. They were games we hardly ever played.

Now all of our games are at our fingertips...I think family game nights will start happening way more often around here.
Side note...what are some of your favorite board games?
We have some unusual games as favorites:
  1. Pig Mania (pigs as dice, it is so wierd, but so fun!)
  2. Milles Bournes (a french card game all about driving - so fun!)

I don't know if they make either of these anymore - we found them at thrift stores for super cheap.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Works for me Wednesday - Cheap Thrills

Do you remember going to Chuck E. Cheese as a kid (or Showbiz Pizza - as it was called when I was a kid)? I hardly ever got to go because it was so expensive. Granted, my kids are still very little, but we have found a way to get maximum enjoyment there for a minimum price.
Periodically there are coupons in the paper for discounts on tokens. A few months ago, I picked up 100 tokens for $15.00. This takes them for $.25 each to $.15 each. Because there is no admission price, you don't have to eat to play there (we never do), and 10 games each is plenty for my kids we can go up to 5 times for just $15.00 - or $3.00 for a fun morning.
By the way...I'm not big on crowds - especially at Chuck E. Cheese, so we go around 10:00 and are usually the only ones there! This works for me! Looking for more great Works for me Wednesday ideas? Go to We are THAT Family!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Works for me Wednesdsay - Activity Box

Most days my kids spend most of their time playing with toys and watching a video or two. There are some days when that just isn't enough to keep them occupied. I started my activity box a few years ago...long before my kids would use it. Now that they are a bit older it has really come in handy. They aren't allowed to play with it every day, so when we pull it out, it is pretty special. I like that they look forward to playing with the activity box. Here is the inside - I know it looks like a big mess!



I have filled it with all sorts of things I have picked up very inexpensively at stores and yard sales. Here are some of the things I have in my activity box:


++Foam shapes

++Foam beads and shoelaces to make necklaces

++Sidewalk chalk

++Bubbles

++Stickers

++Coloring Books

++Crayons and markers

++Homemade playdoh

When I just can't take it anymore, or if the kids are getting super board - I pull out this box and let the kids have some fun. It works for me!

Check out We Are THAT Family for other great Works for me Wednesday ideas!


Thursday, February 19, 2009

Favorite Blog/Site of the Week - Hulu

Okay, this post doesn't necessarily have anything to do with frugality, but I wanted to share what a cool site HULU is. I first heard about it from the Alec Baldwin SuperBowl commercial. Then some friends were talking about how cool it was, so I had to check it out. I'm glad I did!

Hulu is a site where you can go to watch movies or TV shows instantly on your computer legally for FREE!

Are you nostalgic for old TV shows like Bewitched and Facts of Life? Watch them on HULU!

Find out how cool it is for yourself - check it out here.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Frugal Friday - Cheap Dates

I love my kids just as much as the next mom, but one of the good ways to make a marriage strong is to date. Alone time without the kids always recharges my batteries! When you are trying to keep to a tight budget, sometimes dating can fall by the wayside. Just going to dinner and a movie could set you back almost $100.00 including paying the babysitter! With a little creativity, you can still date your spouse and spend little to nothing doing it. Here are some of the things we do:

  1. Watch a movie to watch after the kids are in bed, have cheap/free snacks, pop some popcorn. (use a FREE Redbox code, grab a movie from the library, or swap movies with a friend)

  2. Take and nice long walk and talk with each other. This is good for your body and for your marriage!

  3. Take the kids to a friends house and go home and have a nice quiet dinner. This is an actual dinner my hubby prepared for me as a surprise. He even borrowed his parent's table linens, candelabra, and china!

  4. Spend an evening taking pictures of each other with the digital camera. We have done this so many times, it can get really silly!

  5. Pack a picnic and eat it in the backyard, living room, or go to a park.

  6. Find a book you both want to read and spend some time reading it out loud to each other.

  7. Read this article I shared early on in my blog about some other fun date ideas - some I have tried, and some I haven't!

How about you? Any great date ideas?

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Works for me Wednesday - Cheap Thrills for Kids

I don't know about you, but during these cold winter months, my kids aren't going outside. They are staying inside and saying they are bored. One thing that I do (not very often so it is a novelty) is build an indoor fort. My kids play in it for hours!


Here is how we do it:

  1. We take 4 kitchen chairs and put two on each side of our living room rug facing away from each other (see picture above).
  2. A twin sheet fits perfectly around the chair seats.
  3. The flat sheet goes over the top the opposite way (it isn't in its lowered position for this picture).
  4. We usually put a pillow and blanket in there and my son likes to look at books, bring his toys/cars and play, or take a nap.
  5. Voila! Happy, entertained kids!
    Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer for other great Works for me Wednesday ideas!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Entertainment Book 2009

I finally got around to ordering my Entertainment Book for this year and I am so glad I waited! Now through the end of the year you can get $10.00 off your Entertainment Book and FREE shipping!

The regular price for the Entertainment Book for the Boise area is $25.00, so I was expecting to pay $15.00. For some reason when I went to checkout it was only $13.00! I'll make that up with one buy one get one FREE meal! Woo hoo!

Hurry over to their website here and order yours today! Don't know what an Entertainment Book is? Read my previous post here.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

FREE Family Fun!

Do you have a Cabela's in your area?

Cabela's is an outdoor outfitters type store that is all over the country. The coolest thing is that they have all sorts of displays that are so fun for kids to see. At the Cabela's here in Boise there is:
  1. An aquarium - there are some HUGE fish in there!

  2. An "African" animal scene complete with a Rhinoceros and Zebra (I think the Zebra was stuffed and the Rhino was a sculpture).

  3. A "Mountain" animal scene with a Polar Bear, Grizzly, Buffalo looking thing, and so much more!

They also have some great sales - we picked up a fun gift for my husband's Dad for Christmas. Woo hoo!

Anyway, it was fun to get out of the house AND the kids and my husband loved it! If you have one in your area, check it out!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Entertainment Book 2009

I wrote this post a couple of months ago about the Entertainment Book. This is a book of coupons that are good for restaurants, movies, dry cleaning, etc. Many of the restaurant coupons are buy one get one free. Great news! The price has been lowered by $5.00! For the Boise, Idaho Entertainment Book - it is now just $20.00. You can have the book shipped directly to you for free. It is so easy to make up the cost of the book by just using a few coupons. The Entertainment Book would also make a great Christmas Gift (it's just over a month away, people!). You could also split the cost of the book with a friend or family member and split the coupons!

This $5.00 off offer is good until November 30th. Hurry and get your 2009 Entertainment Book here.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Entertainment Book 2009

Do you LOVE going out to eat but hate paying the outrageous prices? If so, you need to get an Entertainment Book for 2009! These books are amazing, and pay for themselves very quickly. For $25.00-$45.00 (depending on where you live) you get a book tailored to your area with tons of buy one get one free coupons for dinners out, coupons for local attractions, movies, shopping etc. Simply click this link, enter your zip code, and get a peek of what coupons are available for your area. If you see coupons you will use - get one!

These also make great Christmas gifts for the hard to shop for person. They are also perfect if you are planning a vacation. You can purchase a book for the area you are traveling and save on attractions, dinners, etc for that area during your stay.

We usually purchase an Entertainment Book every year - and are always so glad we did!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Digital TV Conversion

In about six months there is a required conversion from analog to digital TV broadcasting. Like many frugal people we do not have cable, satellite, HD, etc. We have our good old fashioned rabbit ears! We do use the TV as a source of entertainment - we love watching the Olympics right now, I am addicted to The People's Court (don't ask me why), we also watch the semi-annual General Conference for our church. In order to keep being able to watch our programs, we have to purchase an HD TV (worst case scenario as far as I am concerned) or a digital converter or we will just see static on our TV. I have been pricing these and they are somewhere between $50 and $60, however, you can get a coupon for $40.00 off from the government. We just received our coupon in the mail earlier this week. I am wondering though, not only from a frugal standpoint, but from a moral, physical, mental, and spiritual standpoint, would it be so bad if we didn't buy the digital converter and talke with each other a little bit more, read a few more books, and took a few more walks in the park?

I am curious to see how other frugal people are feeling about this change. Please leave your comments...

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Cheap Dates/Dating your Spouse

I am a HUGE advocate of married couples dating. I think it is really important to continue the courtship - but how can you do this without breaking your budget?

A few years ago I taught a dating class at church called - Re-discover your mate...go on a date! These are some of the ideas that I shared with the class (these are from coolestdates.com) - pick out a few ideas and have fun with your husband or wife or significant other. Enjoy!

Natural Scenery: The beauty of nature is all around us and it doesn't cost a dime. Whether it's a trip to the beach, a walk in the forest or a search into a cave, it can be done together for practically nothing. Take the time to find the natural scenic spots in your area and utilize them for your dates.

Sports: If you and your date are both athletic, sport activities together can be a great way to spend your time. Play a set of tennis, jog in the park, toss a Frisbee about, play catch with a baseball or football or shoot some baskets. Whichever you choose, you can spend quality time at minimal cost and get some exercise in, too.

Picnic: Picnics are great for dates because they can be taken along wherever you plan to go for the day and they cost a fraction of going out for a meal. They also can be made as casual or as romantic as you want. Take a casual picnic meal, add some cheese & wine along with a red rose and the picnic instantly takes on a romantic feel.

Historic Places & Buildings: It seems the only time people go looking at the historic landmarks near where they live is when visitors come from out of town. Many of these historic or culturally significant spots have no or small entrance fees and make a great place to go on a date. You also get to learn more about the area you live.

Meal/Evening At Home: Cook up a meal at home and spend the evening watching movies or some other activity such as a board game. The meal most likely will be better than at a restaurant and the evening will cost a fraction of what going out to dinner and a movie would cost. Cook the meal together to spend even more time together, or do it yourself as a special surprise.

Memory Album: Take your camera or purchase an inexpensive disposable camera and make a day of taking photos together. Make a theme for the day if you want or just take any crazy photo that comes to mind. Once finished, get the photos 1 hour processed and create a memory album together for the day that will live on forever.

Museums: If you have museums in your area, they can be an excellent place to enjoy an inexpensive date. Admission prices are usually reasonable and often they have discounts for those attending a number of events over the year.

Learn A New Skill: Gather some information on a skill you always wanted to learn and spend a day practicing it together. It could be a day of learning card tricks, learning how to juggle or learning to make bird calls. Any skill you have always wanted to try can make a fun and interesting date.

College Events: If you live near a college or university, utilize their resources for your dates. Guest lectures, music recitals, art exhibitions and plays are common and are often free of charge. The quality can be excellent and the variety enormous.

Hobby Together: You can set a regularly scheduled date if the two of you have a hobby you both enjoy. You can look in the local community newsletter to see if there are classes being offered in something that interests both of you. These classes are usually quite inexpensive and the two of you can enjoy a few hours each week together learning something new.

Local Thrift Shop Date: Plan a date someplace where there are a lot of people. Before going, head down to the local thrift shop together. Once there, specify a small amount of money to purchase clothing or accessories for the other and both head off in different directions. The goal is to find items the other has to wear for the rest of the day/evening within the price specified. The entertainment is seeing the reaction from all the people who see your new outfit as you wander the crowded area. Or just go to the thrift shop and see what you can get for a small amount of money - and who can make the most of the money.

Follow Them Date: As the two of you meet, you look around and pick somebody out on the street. The date is to follow that person where ever he or she goes. Once that person has stopped or you can no longer follow them, pick another person to follow. Your bound to have loads of laughs as you attempt to stay with your designated guide.

Scavenger Hunt Date: When your date arrives, have him or her make a list of what he or she considers to be 20 unusual items. Once the list is made, the date will be to try and find as many of those items as possible. We have done this with friends, but had a list of items that we had to take a picture of with our digital cameras - it was loads of fun!

Truth Or Dare Date: Pick some spots in your area to visit, but play truth or dare along the way. It doesn't really matter where you go since the entertainment is doing the various dares that the other gives in addition to telling all the truths.

Just sit in a busy bus or train station, airport, or park, and watch people. Occasionally say "hi" and be sure to wave. You will get responses.

Go to the children's section of a library or bookstore and read children's books to each other.Play hopscotch in a vacant parking lot or an empty school campus. Later return home for a bubble gum blowing contest.

Find a muddy area, dress in your grubbies and have a mud fight. For groups, take along a rope for a tug-of-war.

Make a couple of pans of brownies. Then drive to various friends' houses and deliver a brownie or two to each friend and visit for a while. When it becomes too late to be visiting people, go home and finish off the brownies.

On a sunny Saturday morning, travel around the countryside and photograph special sites and serene scenery.

Go to a free concert at a mall or local school.

Spend less than one dollar for dinner and movies. Go to the grocery store to sample free food items. Then go back to your house to watch a video. Snacks that you can scrounge from around the house don't count against the dollar.

Form a group of inner tubes of all different sizes, from tractor to car . Float down a nearby river.

Cheer on a mutual friend. If the two of you have a mutual friend who is playing in a game or a concert at school, attend the performance together to cheer your friend on.

Take a stroll around the block -- and hold hands as you walk.

Put together a puzzle on a rainy evening.

Spend an evening looking through your date's picture books and high school yearbooks. Find a comfortable place in the home free from distractions to sit down together. While looking at the picture books, try to guess what's happening, where the picture was taken, what time of year it was, etc., before looking at the description sentences. The pictures in these books will be lots of fun for the person showing them. This is also a guaranteed night of laughing together. You will learn a lot about that person as they tell you the stories and experiences behind each picture.

Clean an attic, basement or garage that no one has touched for a long time. Grandparents' houses are perfect places for this.

Lie on your backs on a grassy hill or meadow and pick out cloud formations.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Free/Cheap Entertainment

Before we decided that we needed to be more frugal, we spent more money than I care to think about on entertainment - movies, out to dinner, etc. We love to be together as a family and do things together, and we have found that you can have just as much fun and spend much less money. We have found tons of fun, free community events in our area. There may be opportunities for some free fun right in your community too. Check your local library, TV and radio station websites, the newspaper, or even just Google "Free Events" and your city's name. You will be amazed with all the things going on that you never would have thought about. For fun community events in the Boise area, check out:

Also, check for free or discount days at your favorite hangouts. In Boise, the Boise Zoo is discounted every Thursday. The kids are still free - until my son turns 3 - so we can go for $4.00 and pack a lunch and it is a cheap fun day for us!

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