The Saving Advice Forums - A classic personal finance community.

Saving money on recreation

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Saving money on recreation

    What are some ways you have found to save money on recreation? I am finding that more and more this part of our budget is so critical to me hanging onto my sanity.

    I just found out that you can find codes for free redbox movies on sites like retailmenot.com, so that's something I'll be taking advantage of soon.

    We use our CC for everything we are able to and we can either get cash back or gift cards for movie theaters and restaurants. I also go through Mypoints anytime I purchase something from one of the retailers listed and get points for gift cards there as well as getting CC points. I buy my DD' s airline tickets through Expedia and get 750 points for each purchase, an She flies at least six times a year, so that alone gets us a gift card or two for eating out, an the ticket prices are the same as anywhere else.

    An art school in our neighborhood has a free art class for teens every Friday night that DD goes to, and they even provide pizza. That was an amazing find. She really enjoys it and has made friends there. The Seattle Art Museum is free to the public the first Thursday of every month. There is a program called Teentix here where kids can get into arts and cultural events for $5 an they can also take one adult guest for $5.

    We live within walking distance of the Pacific Scince Center and we pay 100 a year for a membership which we use as often as we can. We easily get $500 worth of value out of that membership each year and always have something to do that won't cost us anything aside from the annual fee. We get 8 guest passes a year with it too, and adult admission is normally $17 or something, plus we get free laser shows, planetarium shows, and IMAX documentaries. It also gets us into a bunch of other museums around the country for free, which we have used when visiting relatives in other cities. Well worth less than $9 per month.

    We buy gift certificates from Restaurants.com and Groupon and usually save 1/3 to 1/2 off the cost when we we eat out. We get points on Mypoints for both sites too. We try to do lunch instead of dinner when we can too. A couple of the restaurants we like to go to are part of a rewards card program program called Five Star where you can get free entrees with multiple visits. I get coupons from the Valpak for nearby restaurants too, usually buy one entree get one free. Eating out was a pretty major expense for us before we started really budgeting, and we've been able to cut down on how much we spend by a lot and still be able to do it once or twice per month.

  • #2
    Things I do personally that don't cost anything (except transportation in some cases):

    - Take advantage of my local library for books & DVDs. Our local library offers lots of programs for children; often when I go to the library on the weekend it's packed with kids doing a variety of fun things.

    - Volunteer; it's fun & rewarding and a great way to meet people with similar interests.

    - Visit parks.

    - Walk in the neighborhood.

    Where I used to live, a group of us had game night (playing board games) that was tons of fun. I've thought about starting one up where I live now. We took turns buying refreshments, so there was some expense there but really worth it.

    Comment


    • #3
      DH and I used to go on a lot of long walks together until he started having problems with his feet. I enjoyed that.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by hamchan View Post
        DH and I used to go on a lot of long walks together until he started having problems with his feet. I enjoyed that.
        Is it still possible to walk together? For example, could you go someplace and do a short walk together, then find a bench with a nice view where he could sit and rest while you continue to walk? I don't know what part of town you live it, but Seattle (where I used to live) has so many great options. It sounds like you enjoy walking and maybe miss it? It's an awesome stress buster.

        I used to walk my dog every day. After he died, I started walking my neighbor's dog. I call it my "pet therapy."

        Comment


        • #5
          Right now he needs to keep being on his feet to an absolute minimum. He has a wound on his foot that has tunneled almost the the bone. :-(

          Comment


          • #6
            aquarium, zoo, library, god I'm going to sound boring sometimes we just walk the aisles of target or the mall for a/c and let our kiddo run around. We people watch and chill out. She has a blast. A lot of times when weather is bad we'll do a mall and let the kids run and burn off energy.

            There are often discount movies on tuesday or wednesdays. Or you could find cheap bowling during the week.

            The library at least where we live has movie nights once a week for families adult and kid movies. There is also story time, music etc. We also go picnic, farms, kayaking, biking. And we do crafts at home.
            LivingAlmostLarge Blog

            Comment


            • #7
              My DD loves going to IKEA. It takes about an hour to get there by bus, we wander around the store for an hour or two, she spends a few dollars from her allowance, and we get a hot dog and ice cream cone each for $3 and go home. This might not work so well for people who tend to spend money compulsively, but that isn't much of an issue for me. She also enjoys going to the thrift stores.

              It can be hard to find family activities where we live. Our neighborhood's under 18 population is only 4%. I rarely see kids here, and most of the kids I do see are preschool age. So many businesses and free events are 21 and up or just geared for adults. There is a lot to do downtown but most of it is crazy expensive. She is only here for the summers and school breaks, which makes it harder in some ways because she doesn't have any friends to hang out with. Most of the kids at her art class don't live close by.

              Comment


              • #8
                I often go roaming around all the thrift stores I can find for items I know are of value. Real silver silverware, gold items, Collectables. Getting a good find is exciting.

                I try to use my phone apps when going to stores to get reward points. Helps justify having a smartphone. I also use it for gasbuddy to keep my fuel cost as low as I can and try to work my justifiable route with it. I get regular Redbox deals sent to me there or look them up on the phone cause I never really get to plan when to watch a movie.

                I go gold mining for some time and exercise. I often pay for my fuel doing it (But my location being Alaska helps me on that one)

                Road trips are my favorite thing to do. I miss living in the lower 48 for that because the roads are more like a web and give me a wide variety of options to never need to go the same way twice. I hate back tracking on routes unless it is the only option. I feel I'm wasting my money that way seeing the same stuff twice if I do.

                Comment


                • #9
                  If watching free movies on YouTube is considered a recreation, then yes. Cooking my own meals I guess would be another one.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Our public school system offers a phenomenal selection of 'LearnTo...' via continuing education, evening programs every fall and winter. Craft shops teach 'How To...' by their knowledgeable staff but you're expected to buy your supplies there. Similarly, Home Depot has Saturday AM DIY classes, High Schools, College and Universities offer students performances like Shakespeare in the Park for donation. Philharmonic Orchestra has concerts once a month targeted to kiddies to talk about instruments and play familiar tunes.

                    The politicians [municipal/provincial/federal] all hold some type of free, community event like Pancake Bkfst, BBQ, Picnic, Corn Roast. Speeches are just greetings and an opportunity to meet people in your neighborhood. Entertainment is amateur and often funny in spite of themselves. Big parks offer theme festivals organized by ethnic communities. You pay for [ethnic] food specialities you choose to try but entertainment is free. The costumes are often spectacular.

                    Make a few $$$ being a dog walker at the local dog park. Very interesting people are dog owners and enjoy talking to strangers. Watch & cheer at community baseball & soccer fields. Ride bike paths.
                    Last edited by snafu; 07-28-2013, 12:41 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      One benefit to living where we do is we can walk half a block and get a great view of the New Year's fireworks at the Space Needle, and the 4th of July fireworks over Lake Union, and we get to skip the crowds. There are usually a dozen or so other people nearby but nothing we have to fight to get home through.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        We have a Dollar Theater here.
                        Half price eating out coupons
                        Free Museum Days
                        Our local Children's Theater offers $6 homeschool tickets. We sign up for 3 or 4 per year and they are usually surprisingly well done.
                        $3 local indoor waterpark on Thursdays
                        $12 days at the Renaissance Festival every year

                        I could go on and on.......there are always ways to get in for free or reduced rates to somewhere.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by dawnwes View Post
                          We have a Dollar Theater here.
                          Half price eating out coupons
                          Free Museum Days
                          Our local Children's Theater offers $6 homeschool tickets. We sign up for 3 or 4 per year and they are usually surprisingly well done.
                          $3 local indoor waterpark on Thursdays
                          $12 days at the Renaissance Festival every year

                          I could go on and on.......there are always ways to get in for free or reduced rates to somewhere.
                          It's good to read your reply ,i got very informative points thanks for sharing.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            As we're currently traveling while trying to maintain low spending, we've spent a lot more time doing free activities. Most of them have been mentioned, but our favorites:

                            - visiting free museums and art exhibits
                            - spending time at the library
                            - visiting parks, botanic gardens etc (that are free of course)
                            - actually talking to people when we are in public!
                            - checking community calendars for free events/movie screenings/festivals, etc
                            Current Status: Traveling North American in our 1966 Airstream. Check out the remodel here.

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X