5 Things to do with a family on a budget

Kids these days. With their iPods and their Xboxes and their cellphone texting. Overdeveloped fingers and underdeveloped social skills. You disobedient rugrats, get offa my lawn!
Annnnnnd apparently I’m an old man waving a cane from my porch rocking chair. But it’s true that kids have gotten highly dependent on their technology, and they may not take it well when you have to cut down on luxuries like cable and cell phone allowances.
See it as an opportunity. Through no fault of your own, your kids have to do without technology. This means they could spend time doing other things. Like . . . gasp! spending time with their families.
That’s you, by the way. Ever wish your kids spent more time with you? Well, now they have nothing shinier and more brightly colored distracting them. Take advantage.
One of the best things about family outings is that they’re cheap. The idea is to spend time together, not to spend money. Here’s 5 Things you can do with your kids on the cheap. Who knows, they might even have so much fun they won’t complain about the fact that they can’t bring their handhelds.
Well, no. That’s a little too optimistic. But they might forget to complain for awhile. You know, while they’re having fun.

#1 Pack a Picnic.
Make it a big, complicated picnic. The more accoutrement involved in getting the picnic together, the more exciting the prospect.
Send the kids around the house for a good blanket to lie on, a Frisbee and a football, a baseball bat and a ball appropriate for their age range. Bring books. If you have younger children, bring ones you can read aloud. Bring a boombox with a good CD in it that you can play low in the background. Bring a book on trees, insects, flowers, or animals if you want to throw a little education into the mix.
Take your picnic to the beach, the park, or even the backyard. Just laying out a picnic is incredibly satisfying. The best part is that the meal itself doesn’t have to be any more expensive than your usual lunch budget. Sandwiches, chips, and fruit are easy and cheap. They’re also hard to screw up if you aren’t the culinary type.

#2 Take Them Out to the Ballgame.
Gone are the days where you had to sell your firstborn for seats to see the home team. The economy sucks – take advantage.
I’ve seen tickets for the Padres at $12, which price also includes a hot dog and a soda. Remember when you used to have to pay $12 for the hot dog and soda alone? Those days are gone. Kick back, put your feet up on the seat in front of you, and teach your kids about the fine art of watching a good game – namely, eat bad food, cheer a lot, and don’t throw up.
You can also do this with your local high school or college game. Trust us; the cheering is the same no matter where you go. And a smaller venue with more people in it is just as exhilarating. Also, they probably won’t kick you out if you say something mean to the ref. They’re used to crazy parents.

#3 Monopolize Their Night.
Monday nights are boring. Competition is exciting. They can make beautiful music together. Crack out the Monopoly board, Trivial Pursuit, Life, Trouble, or any other board game you have sitting around in the closet. Make some snack foods and get some cheap paraphernalia to make it more interesting. Hats are always good.
If you’re really adventurous, try your hand at turning your kids into card sharps. Teach ‘em poker or blackjack and use pennies, nickels and dimes for chips. Playing for real money – even when it’s literally chump change – appeals to kids of all ages. At the end of the night, they’re up two dollars. Wooooow.
Seriously, they’ll love it.
You can also take bets. Not real bets. We’re not trying to turn your kids into the spawn of Vegas here (although if you train ‘em really hard, maybe they can get you out of your debt in their new careers as professional poker players). But fun bets. If they win, you take them for ice cream. If you win, they have to do the dishes.
I used to do this with my girlfriend. We were slightly more avant-garde. I believe I was cured of any betting addictions that may have been lying latent in me when I had to run down a beach in a wedding dress carrying a boom box on my shoulder playing Tiny Dancer by Elton John. That sort of thing is better than any 12-step program.

#4 Kick a Ball.
Or hit one. Or throw one. Or do whatever the hell it is soccer players do with their foreheads. Go play a game, an impromptu playground-style game, at the park. Invite another family you know, or start a pick-up game with other families at the park.
Hint: kickball has never not been fun. Ever, in the history of kickball games. If your kids are too young or uncoordinated to hit a baseball reliably or make a basket, they can still kick the bejeezus out of a bouncy rubber ball, and have a great time doing it. The nature of the game also means they have a pretty good shot of getting to first base, even if they kick it right to someone.
Play Ultimate Frisbee, or football, or Monster Tag. Have your kids teach YOU the games they play on the playground at school. Just get out there and roll in the grass. They call it “fun and games” for a reason.

#5 Take a Hike.
Wherever you are in the United States, there is a pretty trail just begging for you to walk it. Mountains are great: they’re pretty and they’re challenging, so your kids will be focused on getting to the top and not on nagging you about whether they’re there yet. No, you’re not there. The top is when you’re there. Bet you I can beat you.
No kid is going to let you beat them up a mountain. Well, your six-year-old might. But after about the age of ten, there’s no way they’re letting you beat them.
And when you get to the top, you can pass them the water bottle and have a heart-to-heart, just like you wanted. They’ll be too exhausted to run away.
You never know. Having to cut your entertainment budget may be the best thing that ever happened to your relationship with your kids. Get creative. Spend some time with them. And save some money while you’re at it.