Thrifty Thursday - Free Family Fun

Having kids can be expensive… especially when “fun” is involved. Being an Orlando resident affords us many fun activities, however many of them cost a LOT of money. A trip to Disney with the kids would cost almost $200. So, needless to say we haven’t visited the oversize mouse just yet.

So, what do we do on our tight budget for family fun? Well, here are a few things but feel free to add your own in the comment section:

• Public Library - With younger kids this is a real winner. Most libraries have a kids section and numerous events just for kids throughout the week. Currently my wife takes the kids to story time once a week and the kids love it. Even when there isn’t a story time the library offers lots of fun stuff for the kids.
• Barnes and Noble - Typically once a week we go to B&N after dinner. It is a good way to blow those couple hours between dinner and bed time when you want to get out of the house but the weather isn’t cooperating. The kids section is great and, of course, there is the Thomas the Train toys to play with.
• The Park - If you’re a parent then odds are you know where every playground is within 20 miles of your house. This is a great option because it affords the kids a chance to play with other kids their age. Also, it is a great way for you to meet new people. Now, if you’re like me, you live in Florida and you only go to the park in the winter when it is 78 degrees. The summer heat is typically a bit too much for the park on a regular basis.
• Mall Playground - Sadly, the malls in Orlando have crummy playgrounds. When we lived in Richmond the mall was a weekly destination for the play area.
• Family Walk - Again, with the heat, these have become less popular with the family, however, when the temprature was right we often took an evening stroll together.

Now, I’m sure there are lots of other ideas out there, so lets hear’em…