⋄ Provident Fun ⋄
There are so many ways to have fun without breaking the bank! Explore this section to inspire your next night out, vacation, family field trip, or a grand day of fun! Enjoy life, have fun, but do it the provident way!
Please keep checking back, we’ll be adding more handy tips & suggestions soon! And of course, if you have any grand ideas for topics we haven’t covered here, please feel free to send them to us! We can’t wait to hear from you!
- Fun on a Budget -
- LIBRARY, LIBRARY, LIBRARY, LIBRARY .. We should all have a yearly Andrew Carnegie Day in celebration of our local libraries. In nearly every town, the public library is a resource just waiting for you to take advantage of it. It is probably one of the few government run ‘benefits’ that is happy when you the tax payer fully utilize it, so do it! Libraries are full of not only books, but magazines, movies, music, lectures, resource librarians just anxious to help junior, summer programs, winter programs, day time programs, anytime programs, free books, a/c in the summer, videogames, art displays, cheap books to buy, maps, phone books, newspapers, comfortable chairs and often free internet access. Before you buy anything in any of those categories, check your public library!
- Get every benefit from your ‘benefits’. Check with your HR department for a listing of discounts they may have for employees at vacation destinations, movies, local attractions, health clubs, etc.
- Ask for discounts at lodging, airlines, restaurants. Know which ones in your area offer discounts for your demographic.
- Sign up for loyalty programs every where you go.
- Freebies! You can get into Disney parks for free on your birthday. It is just one of the examples of ‘freebies’ that exist out there if you look for them. Many museums have free days. Deep discounts also appear on amusement park tickets in late winter/very early spring.
- Cancel memberships you aren’t really using and/or can’t afford. Do you really go to the gym? Does your office have a free gym? What about just running around the block for free?
- Play at home! Play games, talk to each other, read a book, watch movies–just enjoy being at home.
- National Parks are a treasure trove of adventure, programs, lodging opportunities and activity centers.
- Likewise, local parks offer a variety of activities, programs, preschools and other wonderful things.
- Volunteer. You’ll meet new friends, maybe learn a new skill and give back in a great way. Teach your children early the joy of giving by having them participate in appropriate ways.
- Have an adventure on public transportation. See the city from the subway system or bus system. It can be an inexpensive alternative to tour buses in metropolitan areas.
- Slickdeals.net offers forums for the listing of great deals on a wide variety of activities, products and services. Just a few of the offers listed included Thursday free breakfast at Chik-fil-a, free bug educational materials, free diapers, free admission to the Henry Ford Museum and the list goes on & on.
- Invite friends to go somewhere with you if you can get a group discount on tickets. These discounts can be sizable and worth the hassle of coordinating the whole thing.
- Movies -
- Analyze how you spend your entertainment dollars and the benefit you receive from it. Are you really utilizing that NetFlix account? Can you afford it? How much are you spending at Blockbuster?
- Watch for deeply discounted or even free movie days. Many chains offer free summer movies for children (but you can go with them) or deeply discounted matinees for seniors–again they don’t check your age at the door.
- Take your own snacks to the movies.
- Wait to see a movie until it comes out on DVD (even better if it is at your library for free).
- Rent movies at the ‘Red Box’ for $1 a night instead of $5+ at Blockbuster. Just be sure to drop it back off the next day.
- Eating Out -
- Don’t order the drinks at restaurants. Alcohol is always marked up (often as much as 600%) as well as most soft drinks and those cute ’specialty drinks’. Instead, order water and your body will thank you.
- Avoid the multi-course trap when you are eating out. Do you really need the calories and cost of an appetizer? Share one or share a dessert.
- Complain nicely when your food or the service isn’t right at a restaurant. Ask to speak to a manager and tell them the problem. They will make the situation right and/or give you the meal for free. Also remember to compliment a job well done.
- Eat appetizers as an entree. Many are big enough for a meal.
- Eat a small snack before going out–you won’t be tempted to binge on appetizers.
- Eat out as a rare treat, not as an every day/week occurrence.
- When you do eat out, look for buy one/get one free coupons in papers, online and in booklets.
- Eat out where they offer a discount for your demographic.
- Eat out at lunch time when portions and prices are often lower.
- Invite friends over for a potluck instead of going out.
- If you are going out with a group, ask the waiter for a check that reflects just your bill. You won’t get roped into the ‘let’s just split the bill’ scam when the guy next to you has ordered the most expensive things on the menu and four glasses of wine.
- Check out local grocery stores for a change from restaurant fare. Especially with a family, you can often save by purchasing a whole lasagna or sub sandwiches along with some fruit from the produce section.
- Roast marshmallows and hot dogs in your own back yard.
- Provident Travel -
- Carefully shop for airline, hotel and car rental rates. There are wide variants in all and your time shopping online and on the phone can be invaluable!
- When checking in at your airline gate, ask if the flight is oversold. If it is, they will put your name on a list and possibly offer you a ‘bump’ incentive to take a later flight in exchange for cash or future travel credit. While you wait, ask for meal vouchers. If it involves an overnight stay, the airline will pay for your hotel. It can be quite lucrative and a bit of an adventure. At times, the alternative travel arrangements beat your original itinerary.
- Join every frequent customer reward program offered by any airline you travel with and any hotel you stay in. This can add up for business travel and you can use the reward points for vacation travel.
- Look for vacation rentals outside of the usual hotel listings. There are multiple online resources for reputable rentals. Also consider summer stays in college dorms, nontraditional housing such as monasteries, military facilities, (for active duty and retired military personnel and their families), friends, family or time shares that are rented out.
- Check with consolidators for everything from cruises to group beach house rentals.
- Sign up for notification of last minute deals on cruises, hotels, airlines and rental cars. Most send out emails when there is a last minute deal. The best I ever saw was a 7-day cruise on a top-ranked ship for $150 and that was for an ocean view cabin. Southwest airline offers a similar daily deal notification, while other airlines offer weekly e-deals.
- Pack light and save on checking baggage.
- Search the internet by googling (for instance) ‘Amtrak deals coupons’. We found a buy one/get one free train trip doing this. Amtrak even has weekly deals that are cheaper than driving!
- Whenever possible, stay in hotels that offer a free breakfast. Several chains also offer late afternoon ’snacks’ that are really dinners.
- Ask about upgrades when you check into a hotel.
- Consider investing in a small hot pot if you travel frequently-you can warm up soup easily for a light lunch or dinner.
- If your extended family is always nagging you to bring Junior home for Christmas, suggest the family pitch in to help defray the cost of your travel. Others often forget that YOU have to pay to get Junior to them. Perhaps you can all cut back on gifts in order to spend time together.
- Compare the cost of driving vs. other means of transportation.
- Provident Vacations -
- Consider a ’staycation’ where you stay in your own home for your vacation, but play tourist in your own town. Take a short class at a community college, visit museums, go to the movies, visit with friends, have a party, spend time with your favorite hobby–just relax and save the extra cash.
- Go camping.
- Travel in the off-season. Take the kids out of school and go on a vacation!
- Plan a day trip to areas near you. Check out your library for day guides and hit the road with a packed lunch.
- Be certain that you read the fine print on any vacation ‘deal’. Watch out for hidden fees, etc.
- Having a kitchen at your vacation destination can be a huge money and time saver. Eat in for breakfast and dinner or pack your lunch.
- Carry snacks and drinks for car trips.
- Educational & Cultural Experiences -
- See if your local theater or opera has greatly reduced or free admission to dress rehearsals. We attended professional opera for years at $5 a ticket. Homeschoolers often know about these deals.
- Volunteer to usher or be a ticket taker for your local theater or concert hall. Many of the public venues need volunteers and your duties will usually not keep you from enjoying the performance.
- Procrastination sometimes pays. Many large venues offer deeply discounted tickets on tickets unsold the day of the performance. For instance, the Kennedy Center offers $25 tickets that go on sale for some performances at 6pm the day of the performance. They also offer free performances in their lobby about the same time, so if you miss the cheapy tickets, you still get a show.
- Take advantage of colleges near you for low cost or free concerts, performances, programs, etc.
- Free concerts. Nearly every community has free concerts open to the public. Watch the calendar section of your newspaper for dates and times.
- Artwalks. Many areas have monthly ‘artwalks’ where local artists display their wares for sale or just for exhibition. It can be an open air art gallery and a good first exposure to art for your children.
- Community festivals. Many communities have festivals, celebrations, tree lighting ceremonies, parades and fairs. Look for ones that have free admission. Historical reenactments can be entertaining and educational.
- The feds. Yes, your federal government offers a wide variety of free or no cost activities for you and your’s. In addition to the park service, check out the many federal agencies offering free educational and entertainment opportunities. Children’s coloring pages, eduational plans and a variety of good stuff is out there if you look for it.
- The internet offers a wide variety of free information, activities, downloadable goodies and offers for other free things, such as this butterfly activity guide. Educator guides make great activity work books for car trips, snow days, flu days and other ‘quiet time’. Again, homeschoolers often know how to get a hold of these goodies.
- Tour the fire station. Take the fire fighters a treat and check out their cool equipment.
- Invite someone you know over to share their hobby or other life’s passion.
- Join a guild or enthusiast group. If you have a hobby, look for low-cost or free community based guilds or enthusiast groups that share your hobby. You’ll make friends and learn a great deal!
- Entertaining Children -
- You don’t need (nor should you) spend a lot of money to entertain children. Let them learn the joys of self-expression at home with simple art supplies. Involve them in cooking. Take them to a free public park. Let them play in the sprinkler. Help them learn a new skill. Play a game. Let them run around outside chasing a $1 store ball. Have them put on plays. Teach them to tend a garden, or even just one herb pot. Let them ride a bike. Or make a collage from recycled paper goods. How about a band from homemade instruments? Avoid the pit of ‘let’s go to Robby Rodent Playland and spend a zillion dollars on garbage while you get over stimulated.’ Children for generations have learned valuable skills at home with their family and their friends. Stop the madness now!
- Keep family celebrations simple and fun. Laugh more than you spend for high priced decorations.
- Teach your children to behave appropriately in public. You will be more likely to take them out for a wider variety of low-cost entertainment options and they will be more welcome. You might even find that they enjoy the activity more when they know their behavior is appropriate.
- Educational programs. Look in your newspaper for free educational programs open to the public. We have attended presentations by Holocaust survivors, actors, dancers, inventors, scientists and more. Again, homeschoolers often are tapped into this network.
- Date Nights -
- Trade-off childcare duties with a like-minded couple. Or think creatively and trade services. Maybe your niece would babysit your children if you help her edit her term paper or perfect her blog.
- Party Time! -
- Party like there is no tomorrow… just do it at home! (See Provident Parties for ideas on how to party hardy on a budget!)