Summer Activities that are In the Budget!

End of Summer Activities- In the Budget

     The movies for a family of four will cost you, your first born, an arm, and leg. Everyone enjoys the movies and of course popcorn is needed , a drink, and at least one thing of candy (cause EVERYONE is sharing) that’s going to run you about $60+  for a family fun activity. That’s a little pricey, especially if you’re a family on a budget. 
****Check your local movie theaters for updated options****

     During the Summer the kids get bored and you are constantly looking for things y’all can do as a family and not spend a fortune because  you did something over the weekend and have something planned again for the upcoming weekend.  Around our town there is a lot of things to do that are reasonably priced and free.  At our local theater they have Free movies all Summer long for the kids. At this particular theater you do get free movies but you have to pay regular price for concession and even though that is cheaper it still can put a damper on the budget.  Carmike Cinemas is offering  $4 Movies that come with individual popcorn, drink, and fruit snacks for everyone. For a family of 4 it turns out to be $16 and you receive all the necessities beginning at 10:00a.m. on the designated day.  My children look forward to this every week and frankly it is something very special and works within the budget! Who can complain about that?

Take a look at the website and see what theater is available in your area! There are still 3 to 4 weeks left for movies! Ours  are every Thursday! This week we saw Happy Feet 2!

Bowling

Bowling is also a great activity to enjoy during the Summer. Most cities and towns have a bowling program where your kids can get 2 games each free. Bowling is also another activity that can get pretty pricey with a family of 4. Our local bowling alley, required us to sign up online and each week I receive a coupon for the week for my children to go bowling. We can go daily if we wanted. The bowling alley also gives you the opportunity to pay 24.95$ and you can add up to 5 adults that will also be given two games daily as well.
Check out your local bowling alleys to see what they have available in your area.

Library
     When I was a child there was nothing more exciting  than going to the public library. To a child this is such a wonderland world of endless possibilities. Here you can just hand out with all the kids let them pick out some special books and sit down and enjoy the time together. Our Library has a huge children's area. We allow the kids to pick out 8 books a piece. My son chooses a few chapter books, and then its anything from Garfield Comics, to Lego building books, all the way to scientific encyclopedias. The kids really enjoy it because they think they are getting “new” books each week! I actually enjoy it also because were not spending money on books that they will read once or twice and then just sit on their shelves.  Again, saving money is important so we can do other things that actually will cost money.

Museums
Another fun inexpensive thing to do with children is to go to museums. Here in our town we have several museums, some that cost and some that do not. On of my favorite that I went to many times as a child was the Naval Aviation Museum. At this museum the kids get to look at all the planes and climb in a few and learn all about them. Our kids really enjoy it and its Free. We also have a Exploreum which is a Science museum for the kids. Our kids love it but it is a little expensive. That is a museum that is a special occasion type of visit. There is a new museum in Pensacola, ( it’s a neighboring town, we live right on the AL/FL state line) It is a  Children's Museum as well called Pensacola Mess Hall. It is not as expensive at all. It is only $8 per person which would be fun for a Family Activity within budget and then you could always picnic in the area. I think that is going to be a activity that gets added to our list of to do’s before Summer is out.

These are just some fun inexpensive and some are free activities you can do with your children before Summer is over. Summer is such a great (sometimes, makes you want to pull your hair out) but a great time to spend with the kids and do some fun activities. There is no schedule to abide by, no alarm clocks and books. I really enjoy the relaxation of the Summer. However, school time is coming around, and the countdown has begun!
     Take some time and enjoy one of these activities with your children. It’s time you can enjoy with them and it is absolutely time they will enjoy! Have a Great rest of the Summer!!