Home | About Us | Contact Us

Submit Articles | Member Login | Top Authors | Most Popular Articles | Submission Guidelines | Links | Free Ebook

Business Career Internet Marketing Technology & Science Legal Marketing Travel Sports Writing Animals Automobiles Computers Computer Programming Entertainment Environment Family Food Health & Medical Home & Garden Humor View all Categories       Forgot Password?    New User? Please enter your Email Id: Welcome to FreeBizTopics.com! ALL » Writing >> View Article Affordable entertainment for your family By: Stephanie Foster When you’re trying to save money, it can be hard to find fun things to do as a family. Fortunately, there are many options to keep within your budget. First let’s go over your free options. Going to the park, lake, beach, etc. are all good options. Lots of fun, good exercise for the entire family and don’t forget the sunscreen. Fly a kite, play tag, push the kids on the swings. Even be a kid yourself and go down that slide. Why not? Weather not cooperating? Know if your local museums have free days. Also be aware of any free concerts or plays being held in your area. Ok, now let’s spend some money. Lots more options here for you to consider. * Rent a movie rather than go to the theater. These days, you have the option of going to your local video rental store or getting DVDs through a service such as Netflix, assuming the $20/month membership is reasonable for the number of movies you watch. I’ve seen some video stores in my area have a similar sort of deal for video games, which may be far more affordable than buying games if your kids tire of them quickly, meaning within a month or two. * If you really want to see that movie while it’s in theaters, go to a matinee or find a discount theater. * See plays at the community college. * Watch high school or college sports rather than professional. * If you just have to go out to eat at a nice restaurant, remember many places serve cheaper lunches than dinners. * If they fit into the budget, annual passes are a much better deal than individual day passes for zoos, amusement parks and so forth. If one level of membership offers free parking while you have to pay for parking on the lower level of membership, consider buying one membership at the higher level and the rest at the lower. This will allow you to save on parking without paying a higher price for all the memberships. My mother used to rotate which park we went to each year so we never tired of the membership. With these tips, it should not be difficult to keep your family entertained even on a tight budget. About the author: Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. Get more ideas for family activities at http://www.homewiththekids.com/family.htm Total Views : 337    Word Count Appx. : 450 See All articles From Author

AP - France and Egypt announced an initiative to stop the fighting in Gaza late Tuesday, hours after Israeli mortar shells exploded near a U.N. school sheltering hundreds of people displaced by the onslaught on Hamas militants. At least 30 Palestinians died, staining streets with blood.

AP - Roland Burris failed to capture President-elect Barack Obama's old Senate seat Tuesday in a wild piece of political theater, but the Democrats' opposition cracked when a key chairwoman said seating him was simply the legal thing to do. Democratic leaders, set to meet with Burris on Wednesday, were searching for a way to defuse the dispute before it further overshadows the 111th Congress.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama has approached CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, about becoming the country's next surgeon general, the cable network said Tuesday.

AP - The Capitol rang loud with vows to fix the crisis-ridden economy Tuesday as Congress opened for business at the dawn of a new Democratic era. "We need action and we need action now," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Republicans agreed, and pledged cooperation in Congress as well as with President-elect Barack Obama — to a point.

AP - Former Gov. Jeb Bush announced Tuesday that he won't run for the U.S. Senate in 2010 to replace the retiring Mel Martinez, saying that it was not the right time to return to elected office.

AP - The Grand Canyon, Mount Everest and Loch Ness will vie with more than 200 other spectacular places in the next phase of the global competition for the New 7 Wonders of Nature, organizers said Wednesday. The 261 nominees from 222 countries include some of the most famous mountain peaks, lakes, and other attractions, such as the Great Barrier Reef and Niagara Falls.

AP - Lisa Marie Presley is expressing her condolences over Jett Travolta's death and defending Scientology, the religion that Presley, John Travolta and Kelly Preston follow.

AP - Jolene Solomon is beginning the new year with her life, her mule named Lou and little else. The Southern Standard in McMinnville reported Solomon had just finished eating supper on New Year's Day when Lou's braying and acting up got her attention.

AP - The Cleveland Indians and free-agent pitcher Carl Pavano, a four-year bust with the New York Yankees because of injuries, agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract on Tuesday.

Reuters - Israel and Hamas studied a proposal by Egypt for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday that won immediate backing from the United States and Europe, hours after Israeli shells killed 42 Palestinians at a U.N. school.

Reuters - Roland Burris proclaimed himself the new junior senator from Illinois -- but it appeared only one fellow Democrat in the U.S. Senate chamber publicly agreed with him.

Reuters - Alcoa Inc said on Tuesday it would slash more than 15,000 jobs, halve capital spending and sell four businesses as it reduces aluminum production in the face of the global economic downturn.

Reuters - German billionaire Adolf Merckle has committed suicide, in despair over the huge losses suffered by his business empire during the financial crisis, his family said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Bernard Madoff is cooperating with government investigations into his alleged $50 billion fraud, one of his lawyers said on Tuesday, as prosecutors sought to revoke his bail and jail him.