One of the biggest expenses we can have when we have children is keeping them entertained. It can make you wonder where the days went when kids just came home from school and played outside with the other neighborhood kids until supper time and Saturdays were looked forward to because they had all day. The first part of the morning was spent watching cartoons on free television channels and they were thrilled with the programming they had.

Children today think that if what they do for entertainment does not cost a parent a hundred dollars a day, then it just can not be much fun. We all know what a trip to the movies can cost or a day at the local arcade. Buying video games can get pretty expensive and the average child can finish with one in a couple of weeks or less. A family vacation can cost several thousand dollars even if it is not that extravagant. More and more families are looking for less expensive ways to have a good time.

It is not always how much we money we spend on our children that will bring them the most happiness, but the actual amount of time that we spend with them ourselves. There are a lot of ways to do this without having to break the bank. Being outdoors is one of the healthiest and cheapest ways to have family time together. It may be difficult at first to convince some kids that there is a life outside the house and one that is not connected to an electronic device, but it can be done.

Some families love to camp and others might not think of it as a vacation at all. It is a great way to vacation when you are well prepared. Campsites are far less expensive than hotels and today many offer fun activities and will have a pool, hiking trails, stores, and entertainment. You just have to look for them on the internet to find a perfect place.

Home activities used to be so much fun for families. When was the last time you had a volleyball net set up in the backyard? Neighborhood barbeques are a great way to meet your neighbors and have a little fun too. Community activities like street fairs and any other local entertainment that is free should be taken advantage of. Keep checking your local paper and get on the internet to find other free things to do close to your area.

It is important that we teach our kids to think outside the box, the video game box that is. They need to know that there are fun things to do that do not have to always be associated with the almighty dollar. Some of the best things and the best times in life really can be free or at least a little closer to it.