How To Be Frugal But Still Get To Do Stuff
Before embarking on our financial independence journey, our family spent a lot of money on entertainment. Restaurant meals, shopping trips to TJ Maxx and Target, and family outings to trampoline jump rooms and ax throwing spaces– we loved, and still love, getting out of the house together. When Mr. Sense and I decided to make dramatic changes to our spending, I was concerned that the quality of our family time would decline. While we can have a good time at home, there’s something special about getting out of the house as a family and making memories together. Especially since we have fewer years living together as a family because Kid came to us as a teenager, I wanted to make sure we jammed as much quality bonding time in as possible. Fortunately, the frugal alternatives we’ve replaced our old activities with are not just more budget-friendly, but also more fulfilling.
I’m sure other parents would agree that well rested and physically active kids are more enjoyable to be around. Kid Sense is at her best right after going for a run or other workout, and not so much after watching hours of YouTube videos in bed. We start each weekday with some exercise to get her (and ourselves) into the right frame of mind to tackle algebra and chemistry. Exercise is so beneficial to mental health and relationships, but it’s often one of the first things people deprioritize when stressed. In the same vein, Mr. Sense and I frequently take long walks in the evenings and bike rides when it’s nice out (I’m a year round bike commuter, but Mr. Sense understandably avoids just for fun bike rides in the rain, snow, and cold). We’ve found it’s wise to leave our wallets at home when walking around downtown, so we can more easily avoid the temptation to duck into coffee shops, breweries, or antique stores. We have a family membership at the local YMCA, an inexpensive but valuable resource for our family. We enjoy weekly family racquetball tournaments, and recently my more accomplished father has been coming with us (and beating us mercilessly). Gym membership rates vary widely, and it’s key to weigh how much you’ll actually use a membership before signing up. For our family, dividing out the membership premium by the number of hours we spend at the gym reveals that we’re getting a positive and healthy experience for relatively little. Of course, if we were digging out of consumer debt or facing a loss of income, we could cut this expense and switch to running at the park and doing free workout videos.
Even in a smallish town like Staunton, there are tremendous community resources for entertainment. The public library is one of my favorites. Besides the obvious access to free books (that get returned, leaving our house with no additional clutter!), library bulletin boards let us know about local events coming up. Gypsy Hill Park is walkable and bikeable from our house, and hosts lots of free and cheap entertainment, especially during the summer. The whole Sense family is fanatic about the local Valley League baseball team, the Staunton Braves. Tickets to home games are $5 at the gate, but the games are sponsored by local businesses, which generally give away free tickets if you just drop by beforehand. The sponsors are listed online, and we make a point to pick up tickets ahead of time. Since we attend almost all the home games, we save hundreds of dollars with a few minutes of planning and directing our walks towards the sponsoring businesses.
While it’s certainly more than “entertainment,” our church is probably the most common place we spend time outside of our home. We live very close to Trinity, and the proximity and wonderful community has been a blessing to us. The church hosts many high quality music events, including the annual Staunton Music Festival. Some events cost money, but they are generally very reasonably priced and many are free of charge. Kid Sense and I both sing in choirs at church, which gets us out of the house for rehearsals and gives us an opportunity to praise God in a meaningful and joyful way while improving our skills as musicians. Our family typically attends weekly dinners at church, as well as frequent after church brunches, allowing us to socialize with fellow Christians and break up our regular meal routine. If your church is a good theological home for you but lacks convenient programs like this, I recommend finding a church close by your home to visit during the week. Most faith communities welcome non-members at weekday programs and evening events. Our church choir has members who attend other churches, and the weekly Tuesdays at Trinity dinners often include folks who aren't part of the parish. Mr. Sense is particularly grateful for visitors since he coordinates a volunteer program and is always trying to recruit teams from other churches.
Living frugally doesn’t have to mean sitting at home every night and spending your weekends on the couch. In fact, inexpensive activities are often healthier and more rewarding. I’d love to hear about your favorite frugal family activities!
