Frugal Family Fun: Ways to Save Money While Enjoying Times with Family

05.08.2018 WELLNESS 0.0 0

When you think about saving, fun probably isn’t the first thing that comes to your mind. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. It doesn’t matter how you perceive saving money, all you need is a bit of guidance, and you will soon understand that saving money while having fun with your family is easy. We did a bit of digging around, and we’ve come up with these tips for having a frugal family fun. Hopefully, these tips will get you on the right track, so let’s get straight to it.

Understand Your Cash Flow

The first and the most important thing you need to learn when it comes to saving money is how to manage your household’s cash flow. You will have to learn about your spending patterns, how much cash do you spend on necessities, and how much do you spend on a weekly basis. When you devise a budget for a week, it’s much easier to keep track of your cash flow. If you’ve spent too much money one week, you will need to tone it down a bit during the next one, but if you’ve spent too much during the whole month, it can be quite harder to get back on track.

Save Money on Utilities

One of the biggest hits on anyone’s budget is definitely paying the utilities. Now, it may seem like saving on your utility bills simply can’t be fun, but there are a lot of things you can do to change that. You can learn about electricity price rates and organize your chores in such a way that those appliances that use the most electricity are used only when the price rate is low. You can organize a time sheet and assign roles for every family member, so you make sure all the chores are done during that time period. You can also turn your AC down (or up, depending on the season) a few degrees, and this can save you up to 10% on your next utility bill.

Shop Second-Hand

Another great way to save money and have fun while you’re doing it is to buy things in second-hand stores. There is virtually an endless sea of all kinds of second-hand shops where you can find almost anything. From used tech all the way to kids’ clothing, there are loads of ways you can save money. Plan for a second-hand shopping day, and make it look like an adventure. Go around town with your family and look for various stores. Try to find things your family likes. You can save quite a lot of money by avoiding expensive brands and start shopping in second-hand stores. Not to mention it’s much more fun.

Get Creative

Sometimes you simply need to get some more funds to your home budget. It may seem like something impossible to achieve, especially if you’re already occupied with other business ventures. However, you can find your creative side and realize it can help you earn some extra money. Writing, illustrating, and even selling your family’s arts online can all be fun ways you expand your budget. Involve your kids in this creative process, and you will soon have a happy family with some extra income.

Find Free Fun

No matter where you are in the world, there are probably loads of interesting things right near you. Instead of staying in, get your family to explore the free activities in your city. Visit parks and open galleries, lakes, camping sites, and hiking trails. Look for practical folding bike you can get and organize a family biking trip. There are tons of amazing free and fun activities right around the corner; you just need to discover them.

Handle Your Kids’ Allowance

If your kid is reading this, then this tip might not seem as fun as it should be, but it is something you really need to take care. There are some ways to handle your children’s allowances, but they don’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. You can teach your children the real values of currency, while you find the way to compensate them. You can reward them in other ways – teach them to create something, include them in some of the “adult” chores as a sign of trust and a reward.

Visit a Library

One of the best ways to learn and discover new things is to visit a local library. With so many different topics to choose from, your entire family can find something interesting to learn about. Libraries can also offer an almost endless sea of frugal ideas, so it's a great place to go. Borrow books or movies and organize a fun evening for your family with an almost no impact on your budget.

Wrapping It Up

The frugal way of life can seem a bit challenging to maintain, but it really isn’t. Once you start getting the hang of it, you will start saving more money for the things you really need in life. Don’t get discouraged, but focus on research instead, and you will soon start noticing the positive change in your household.

Guest post by Audrey Taylor

About the Author

Audrey Taylor was born in San Francisco, and moved to Adelaide at the age of five. She is a marketer researcher and social media manager on hold, full - time mommy of a cheerful two-year-old. Audrey graduated from Queensford college, worked in a couple of marketing agencies across Australia, and is eager to learn more about business and share her experiences. She traveled across Europe. Her hobbies include home decor, fashion, travel, music, old movies. Follow Audrey on Twitter.

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