Journal · Wellness ·
FAMILY FUN WHEN MONEY IS TIGHT
Cheap family fun ideas when money is tight: Rachael J Katz shares how she made joy for her boys on almost nothing, and simple memories that cost very little.
By Rachael J Katz
When money is tight, family fun can feel like one more thing you are failing at. I felt that way for a long time. Here is what I learned: the cheap family fun ideas that worked for us cost a dollar or nothing, and my boys still talk about them.
During our years in the RV, I would scroll past other families on vacation and feel the sting. We were not getting on planes or spending Saturdays at theme parks. We were counting quarters in a coffee mug to see if we could afford dollar ice cream cones. For a while I let that comparison steal the joy from what we did have.
THE DAY I BOUGHT BUBBLES
Then came a hot afternoon when the RV felt like a toaster and the boys were bouncing off the walls. I grabbed a cheap bottle of bubble solution from the dollar store and walked them to a patch of grass near the campground. For the next half hour they chased bubbles, laughed and collapsed in the grass.
“This cost one dollar. One dollar for half an hour of pure delight, the kind of laughter that leaves your stomach sore.”
That was the day I decided to make joy on purpose, with whatever we had. I also changed my words. Instead of saying we do not have money for that, I started saying let's see what fun thing we can do with what we have.
WHAT CHEAP FAMILY FUN IDEAS WORK?
- 1
Fancy dinner night. Light one candle in the middle of the table and serve spaghetti like it came from a five star restaurant. My boys sat up straight and ate with their pinkies out.
- 2
Movie night at home. Pop popcorn, turn off the lights and cover the windows. Our screen was an old laptop balanced on a crate, and it felt magical enough.
- 3
A scavenger hunt walk. Walk around the block or a park and call out things to find: something smooth, something red, something that makes you laugh.
- 4
Dream house drawings. Pull out crayons and draw the homes you hope to live in someday. My boys always drew a room for me, an office for when my business got big.
- 5
A picnic close to home. Spread a blanket outside your door and eat dinner there. It turns an ordinary night into an event.
- 6
Made up stories at bedtime. You do not need new books. Kids love stories where they are the heroes.
HOW DO YOU SAY NO WHEN MONEY IS TIGHT?
Joy on a shoestring did not erase the hard parts. There were still field trips I could not pay for, and those talks hurt. I did not brush off my boys' disappointment. I let them feel it, and I felt it with them. Then we planned something small of our own for that day.
If you are a parent carrying this kind of stress, be gentle with yourself too. Kids do not need perfect. They need you present, and they need to see that hard seasons can still hold good days.
WHAT YOUR KIDS WILL REMEMBER
“The RV taught us that joy is less about the size of your space or the number in your bank account and more about the intention you bring to the moments you are given.”
Today we can afford more. We take trips and eat at places without dollar menus. Some of our favorite moments are still the simple ones, like board games at the kitchen table and walks around the neighborhood with the dog.
“You are allowed to create joy right where you are.”
If the holidays are adding pressure this year, I shared a simple spending plan in How to Avoid Holiday Debt This Year. The whole story of our RV years is in Welfare to Wealthy, and the money steps that got us out are in The Key. If you want to talk about your own next step, you can reach me here.
Quoted passages are from Welfare to Wealthy: A Single Mom's Remarkable Rise to Riches by Rachael J Katz.