free things

25 Ways to Entertain Your Child for Free or Cheap

Jason Topp — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:00:22 +0000

Parenting is hard work. Keeping little ones (with little attention spans) occupied is often half the battle. It doesn't take long before children run to their parents looking for things to do.

If you aren't careful, keeping kids busy can put a major dent in the pocket book. Having a go-to list of frugal ideas to keep your kids entertained is key. Otherwise, you'll be unprepared for those two little words — "I'm bored."

Check out this list of 25 ways to entertain your child for free. (See also: Entertain Your Kids Without Breaking the Bank, via Parenting Squad)

1. Play Make-Believe Games

Kids love sailing seas, conquering kingdoms, and rescuing princesses from the dragon's lair. Have fun with your kids in an imaginary world!

2. Go to the Library

Libraries are chock full of wonder for kids. Books, activities, and story times are all part of your local library's calendar.

3. Play With Animals

My kids love heading to the local pet store and playing with the puppies.

4. Go to a Local Park

The park is a great place to let kids run around and rid themselves of pent up energy.

5. Make Sidewalk Art

Grab the chalk and allow your imagination to run wild. The other day my four-year-old daughter said, "Draw me and you together, Daddy." I was glad to try!

6. Make Kites and Fly Them

Take a look around your house to see what materials you have available to make a kite. Then go outside, and let your kids fly them!

7. Head to the Beach

If you can put up with getting sand in your car, head to the beach. Kids love playing in the sand and water!

8. Put a Puzzle Together

Puzzles are a great way to keep kids occupied. Sit down with them, and do it together.

9. Find a Spot to Watch the Sunset

We have a lake by our house that offers some great views of the sunset. Find a place in your area to take your kids to watch the magic of a sunset.

10. Have a Bonfire or Campfire in Your Backyard

There's something about sitting by the fire that kids love, and you can make s'mores.

11. Play Soccer or Some Other Sport Together

Head to the park, or play in your own backyard. You can kick the soccer ball around, or grab another ball and play some catch.

12. Make a Picnic Lunch

Throw a picnic lunch together, grab a blanket to sit on, and head off to a park for a little picnic lunch.

13. Go Fishing

There's something about fishing that kids love. Grab poles, find a pond, and cast those lines! If you don't have fishing poles, learn to make your own kid's fishing rod.

14. Plant a Garden

You can make a garden box or even an herb garden if you don't have much room. Your kids will really enjoy watching the veggies sprout up, knowing they played a part in making the food.

15. Play Board Games

Kids love to play old favorites like Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land. Check out this list of classic kids' board games to play, or you could even make up your own games to teach your kids about things like personal finance.

16. Rent a Movie From the Library

Libraries have a host of free movies that your kids will love. Take a trip and let your children pick out a great movie. Here's a list of the 50 best movies for kids!

17. Go Hiking

Put on those hiking boots, and find a trail at a local forest preserve! Your kids will love going on a nature walk.

18. Go Swimming

Got a friend with a pool? Head on over to their house and have a swimming party. Or take a journey to your local community center for a dip.

19. Have a Dance Party

My kids love it when we crank up the music and have a little dance party. Need to fill a kid-friendly playlist for a dance party? Check out this list of top kids dance songs.

20. Volunteer at a Non-Profit Organization

You get to impact others' lives and teach your kids some valuable lessons at the same time. You will need to check with your local organization to see if they have any rules about bringing your kids, or check out this site for volunteer opportunities near you.

21. Draw and Color Pictures

What kid doesn't love to draw and color? All kids are budding artists, so grab crayons, markers, and paper and let them doodle until their hearts are content! If you're looking to teach your kids how to draw, check out this great site to help learn how to draw step-by-step.

22. Make Finger Paint

I don't know why, but my kids love to finger paint — I guess because it's one of the few times we encourage them to get their hands dirty! You can try your hand at some homemade finger paint, and let your kids get a little messy.

23. Play with Play-doh

Play-doh is always a favorite among children. The smell of a freshly opened container of Play-doh is nostalgic for many of us. Sit down with your kids, crack open a thing of Play-doh, and have some fun! Here's a site for some creative Play-doh ideas, or a video about making things with Play-doh.

If you're thinking about making your own, try this recipe for making Play-doh.

24. Ride Bikes

Hop on those bikes, and take a ride around your neighborhood. Don't forget the importance of bike safety!

25. Go "Exploring" on a Night Walk

Occasionally we'll take our kids on a night walk. We let them have some flashlights and pretend we are "exploring." Any time kids use their imaginations, they're content.

What other frugal ideas do you have to entertain children?

Written by Jason Topp and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

How to Visit Museums for Free

Matt Bell — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:36:22 +0000

Whether you’re into art or archeology, spacecrafts or handicrafts, there’s a museum for you — and you may be able to visit a museum that interests you for free. (See also: How to Have a Frugal Vacation and Still Treat Yourself)

Some museums are always free, including some of the most popular museums in the country, such as the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, National Air and Space Museum, and National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. In fact, most of the Smithsonian’s 19 museums and the National Zoo are free.

If you don’t live near the nation’s capital or aren’t planning a visit, don't worry. Chances are good that a museum near you has at least certain days or times when admission is free.

Search for a Free Museum Near You

A quick internet search is one of the easiest ways to find free museums in your area. Search "free museums in…” and then the name of your city. When I did that for Chicago, which is close to where we live, I found several blogs and other sites that had comprehensive lists of museums that have free days.

Here are the best sites I found for the scoop on museum free-days in the five largest cities in the country.

New York
Los Angeles
Chicago
Houston
Philadelphia (No listing of free museum days could be found, but this site shows you all of the city’s museums and their websites, so you can check for free offers.)

While searching for these, I also found these popular kids museums that offer free or deeply discounted admission on certain days and times.

The Association for Children’s Museums can help you find children’s museums in other cities.

You could also start by finding out what museums are near you by searching for the name of your city and “museums.” After finding a museum that interests you, go to its website and find its “Admission” page. If the museum offers free days, you’ll usually find the info there.

Free Museum Visits in Your Wallet

Many libraries offer card holders free passes to nearby museums, zoos, botanical gardens, and more. Check at your local library so see if this option is available.

If you have a Bank of America credit or debit card, the company’s Museums on Us program gives you free access to many museums, zoos, and more on the first full weekend of each month.

If you’re a member of a museum, check to see if it has a reciprocity agreement with other museums. Premium members of the Art Institute of Chicago, for example, have free access to 16 other museums in the U.S. and Canada.

If you’re on active duty with the military, National Guard, or Reserve, a proper ID card will grant you and up to five family members free entry to your choice of more than 1,000 museums around the country through Labor Day via a National Endowment for the Arts program called the Blue Star Museums Initiative.

"Visit" Museums for Free

One final free option for those who love art museums doesn’t even require leaving the comfort of your home. Google’s Art Project provides no-cost online access to some of the world’s finest art museums, including New York’s Metropolitan Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and Frick Collection; London’s National Gallery and Tate Britain; the Uffizi in Florence; Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum; and more.

The Price of Free

Keep in mind that free admission doesn’t mean you won’t spend anything on your visit. At most museums, you’ll pay plenty for parking, special exhibits, audio tours, and food.

It’s also best to check with the museum directly before you go just to be sure their free offers are still available.

Written by Matt Bell and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

4 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Local Library

Chris Birk — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:24:12 +0000

With municipalities struggling to stay afloat financially, public libraries are among the first institutions to feel the pinch.

At least 19 states have cut funding to community libraries in the last year according to the American Library Association. More than half reported reductions greater than 10%, and in many places, state-level cuts are compounded by similar cuts at the local level.

Increasingly, it's falling to local library boosters to cobble together funding and devote time and energy to keeping facilities open.

Perhaps the ease and ubiquity of technology has tempered your reliance on these long-cherished institutions. But local libraries continue to provide an array of key services to community members. (See also: Duh...Libraries)

Here are four reasons why you should consider supporting libraries.

They Spur Economic Investment

It might sound strange to think of libraries as an investment, but studies indicate they're crucial economic engines. A Univeristy of Pennsylvania study found that the Philadelphia library created more than $30 million worth of economic value for the city in fiscal year 2010. A key stat among the findings — nearly 9,000 businesses wouldn't have been started or nurtured without resources respondents first acquired at the Free Library of Philadelphia. “Until now, there hasn’t been a way to know exactly how much we help in dollars and cents,” FLP President and Director Siobhan A. Reardon said in a news release. “We’re an integral economic engine for the city of Philadelphia.”

They Help People Find Jobs

Public libraries offer a suite of free resources to help unemployed or under-employed citizens find gainful employment. Free classes boost education or even teach people how to craft a resume or prepare for an interview. Free Internet access and computer usage allows people to hunt for jobs, interact with potential employers, and prepare applications.

They Help Working Women

Women are far more likely than men (72% versus 58%) to have visited a library in the last year, according to the ALA. Working women, working mothers, and women aged 18 to 54 are the most likely to fall in that group. Those same demographics are also likely to have a library card.

They Open Doors to Education and Entertainment

Public libraries host free book clubs and movie nights, and even have passes for local museums so that card holders can avoid entrance fees. They offer free or inexpensive computer courses, language courses, writing courses, and even after-school learning programs for children.

Public libraries are an economic and social lifeline for millions of Americans, and there are myriad ways to help libraries, from making donations to writing letters of support to elected officials.

Written by Chris Birk and published on Wise Bread. Read more Frugal Living articles from Wise Bread.

How to Watch Movies in the Theater for Free

Daniel Packer — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:24:06 +0000

I know this sounds amazing, and there's a kicker — you can see these movies in theaters for free BEFORE they're released to the general public!

It sounds too good to be true, but it can be done really easily. For the past year or so, I have been attending movies in theaters before they've been released. I pay nothing to see them, and to top it off, there are often no previews, so 100 minutes actually means 100 minutes.

Some movie studios provide free screenings of movies. They do this to build interest in a movie, to do research, and to allow the press to review it. If people have a good experience, they'll tell their friends and write positive reviews.

These are the same movies you can see a few weeks later for $12 a pop. Over the past six months, I've seen The Green Hornet (awesome movie!), The Next Three Days, and Limitless, among others, all a few weeks before they were released to the general public, and all for the family friendly price of "on the house." (See also: Never Pay for a RedBox DVD Rental Again)

How to See Movies in the Theater for Free

It's a very simple process, you just need to know where to look. There are two main sites that I frequent — GoFobo and Film Metro — though I'm sure there are others I haven't heard of. Some of the screenings will be available to you, in which case you just need to reserve and print your tickets (each reservation typically comes with two). For some movies, you'll need an RSVP code first. A good place to look for those is rsvpcodes.com, where people enter city and movie-specific codes for others to use.

What to Know Before Attending a Screening

There are several things you should keep in mind for these screenings:

1. Reserving a ticket doesn't guarantee you access to a movie.

For most movies, people enter on a first-come, first-served basis. I usually find that getting to the theater 30 minutes early is plenty.

2. Not every movie will be available.

I've never been disappointed by the selection, but when movies are free, it's a little difficult to complain if something's not perfect.

3. It might not work in rural areas.

If you live in the middle of Montana, it's unlikely that there are a lot of screenings in your area. I live in Washington, D.C., where free screenings are very common.

Enjoy your new knowledge, and feel free to go crazy with the popcorn and soda. When you save $20+ on a movie, there's no harm in splurging a little on the snacks!

If you're looking for more ways to save on entertainment, including local restaurants and stores, get the 2012 Entertainment Book, with coupons valid immediately!

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Written by Daniel Packer and published on Wise Bread. Read more Entertainment articles from Wise Bread.

Feeling Poor?: Things I Forget About that Don't Cost a Thing

Sarah Winfrey — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:00:21 +0000

Here in America, we're rich. Sometimes, I hear that and file it in the same place that I filed the eat-your-dinner-there-are-starving-people-in-China lines from my childhood (I learned, early on, to smile and say, "Great...can we send them this?"). But it's true. We have the dubitable priviledge of managing our money, simply because we have more than it costs to buy our basic food and clothing. In our everyday lives, we have so much that we forget about. Here are a few of the hardest ones for me to remember.

1. I have space. Some have more than others and many have more than me, but I have space and I like that. I get to control what goes in and out of it, and what it looks like.

2. I have the leisure to pursue the things I like. I only work 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, and the rest of the time is mine. Right now, I'm training for a sprint triathlon and taking an art class, and I'm thankful for the time to do that.

3. I'm paid a fair wage. So many people aren't (scroll down to Table 1). I happen to work for a nonprofit that can't pay top dollar, but I'm compensated fairly. I don't have to work 6-day weeks to make it work.

4. I am respected for doing my work and doing it well. I don't have to deal with being underappreciated, forgotten, or treated poorly. People care about what I do, but they also care about me as the one doing it.

5. I have choices. While everyone's choices matter, more wealth equals more choices. And more choices often mean more empowerment and greater general satisfaction with life (when they don't mean more distraction and more frittering time away and more indulgence). For me, they're usually good, and I'm glad I have them.

6. I have easy access to good medicine. As someone who grew up getting sick a lot, this one is important to me. If I'd grown up in a 3rd world country, there are illnesses I very well might not have made it through.

What are the hardest "item of wealth" for you to remember?

Written by Sarah Winfrey and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.