Like most families, we are on a monthly budget and we live paycheck to paycheck. There are times we simply can’t budget in a trip to the movies or the skating rink. The prices for activities have gone through the roof and when you have a 6 person family it is that much more expensive!

We have gotten more creative in the last months to find things to do as a family while also keeping the budget inline. Here are a few ideas that we use here as cheap family fun:

Rent games online – you can now rent games and have them sent to your door for one flat fee per month. There are many that are family friendly so you can play together or you can allow your children to rent what they wish. I definitely like the flat fee, it’s a huge savings.

Play Board Games – Playing board games is a good old favorite with tons of options. If you go to Wal-Mart you can find tons of games available from new ones to oldies that we grew up with.

Baking – For fun the kids and I sometimes bake a cake, cupcakes or brownies! It’s a ton of fun – we use food coloring to make the frosting different colors and also an assortment of different toppings.

Rent Movies Online – Similar to renting games online you can now rent movies for a flat free and have them sent to your door. Going to the movies can be quite expensive these days. Renting them online and having family time is much less expensive and much more meaningful.