As I sit down to write this blog post, it is snowing outside. Huge white flakes are falling from the sky steadily. We are expected to get up to a foot of snow today. Yes, I do live in the frozen north! I know that’s not where everyone lives (I’m so jealous of you Hawaiians right now!), but I know that many of you may experience the same thing that I do from time to time, which is the winter doldrums.
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I get it. It’s cold outside. Kids are more cooped up in the house, or sometimes can’t go outside for recess at school, so they go a little crazy. We all do (it’s not just me, is it?) That sort of thing is the nature of the beast at this time of year I think.
So today I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time brainstorming some frugal ways to have FUN in the winter! Because there are actually some really great things that can only be done when it’s cold and snowy outside. Skiing is great fun (or so my hubby tells me; I’ve personally only made it off the bunny slope once!), but by the time you acquire all the equipment AND a family ski pass you’ve spent a sizable chunk of change. However, the good news is that there are LOTS of other frugal winter family fun activities out there that don’t have to break the bank!
10 Ideas for Frugal Winter Family Fun
- Build a snowman. Kids LOVE snowmen, and what is cheaper than piling up the snow in your yard? Just make sure everyone’s got warm mittens for this one!
- Family board game night. Pull out those board games and get cozy inside when it’s cold outside! Even better- serve hot chocolate with marshmallows and set up the board game by the fireplace if you have one!
- Go sledding! This is a super fun one for adults and kids alike, and is a great way to help kids run off that extra energy in the winter. All you need is a sled and a hill!
- Ice skating. If you don’t have skates, you can often rent them for cheap, or borrow from a friend! Where I live, most of the skating rinks don’t even charge admission, they are just open to the public.
- Check out your local library. If you haven’t’ yet ventured over to your local library to check out the offerings, winter is an excellent time to do this! In addition to getting to check out books and DVDs for the whole family for free, libraries will often host children’s programs other free events that you may enjoy as well!
- Family movie night. After you’ve checked out your free movies from the library, schedule a family date night where you all gather to snuggle and watch favorite flicks! Note: Popcorn and hot chocolate are practically required for this one!
- Check out your local rec center or YMCA. Who says you can’t go swimming in the winter? You certainly can if you hit up your local rec center (as long as it has an indoor pool), and the cost is often nominal (if not cheap all the time, sometimes they have certain days of the week where adults are free, kids are free, half price, whatever).
- Look at Christmas lights. One of our favorite things to do in the winter is drive around looking at Christmas lights! We usually fill thermoses with hot cocoa to drink while we drive around, and spend an hour just driving around the community to places that we know have had nice lights in past years. Kids in our family love this one, and this has been a fun holiday tradition for us for years.
- Go on a winter hike. In many areas parks stay open year round, and you can hike the trails in the winter. This is a GREAT way to get exercise when it’s cold out- just make sure to dress warmly and know the trail conditions ahead of time.
- Visit a museum. Museums often charge an admission fee, but it’s worth calling ahead to check if there are any discount days that you could take advantage of. As a bonus, museums, like libraries, often have children’s programs that your little ones might enjoy!
Have you tried any or all of these activities? What other frugal winter family fun activities do you enjoy?
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We just went to our town’s holiday parade last weekend. It was a free and fun activity and my kids got lots of candy! I see lots of movie and game nights in our future this winter.
Sounds like great fun!!
Great list! There are plenty of ways to have frugal fun in the winter time.
Definitely! Thanks for stopping by Michelle!
I wasn’t a terribly outdoorsy kid, so board games were a common go-to. My mom also used masking tape to make a hopskotch grid in our living room.
Don’t forget that a lot of local papers actually offer guides to the best yard displays around town. Since my mom worked for the features section of ours, she was always handed a list to go check out. The consensus of the various reporters would create the final list. So I suppose that was more or less a holiday tradition for us.
I love the hopscotch idea! That’s also a great idea about checking the local paper for yard displays, I’ll have to see if ours does that.
Lots of fun HOLIDAY events this time of year! The newspaper is packed with ideas. We went to a free holiday market over the weekend when it was nice & sunny. Only cost us for a warm glass of apple cider!
I LOVE hot apple cider! Such a great warm drink at this time of year 🙂
My favorite thing to do in the winter is to read & watch movies on Netflix.
I’m a big fan of reading too! Nice to curl up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate 🙂
Raleigh is pretty mild, so sledding and snowmen opportunities are rare as a source of entertainment. But we have lots of bonfires! We’ve also been doing a lot of family baking.
So glad my kid is getting old enough for board games! Santa will be bringing her a few this year, and her dad is teaching her chess.
Excellent! I think board games are such a fun family activity. Our daughter is too young for them right now, but when the time is right we definitely plan to make that a regular family activity!
These are all excellent ways to stay frugal in winter time. Board games are fun, in fact my wife and I probably play them every 2nd day or so. Probably won’t be able to go sledding here in Vancouver unless we head up to the mountain.
Wow, it surprises me that you don’t have enough snow for sledding in Vancouver! I guess it is right on the coast though. Plenty of snow up at Whistler I’ll bet!
Going for a walk while watching a Christmas lights would be really perfect. Last week, we watched a fireworks display with my whole family.
Sounds like great fun!
We do nearly all of these! I’m grateful to report that we are having an oddly warm and snow-free winter here. LOVING it and hope it stays this way. 🙂
That’s awesome! A warm and snow-free winter is rare in MN I bet!!
In the winter, we try to do things that are active because otherwise the kids just get stir crazy, which is really just another word for CRAZY. 🙂 We just went on a little hike yesterday and it was great, loving this warmer weather. 🙂
Even our 17 month-old has been getting a little stir-crazy lately! We’ve been doing lots of walking outside on the warm days, and she loves it. Any way to burn off the crazy is alright with me! 🙂
I’d love to go to the cinemas and museum! I’m a move freak. 😀 Ice skating is also a good idea though 🙂
Awesome!
Hey Dee,
A great list of things for frugal fun..
I have a plan to visit Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum with my to kids this weekend. 🙂
That sounds like a great frugal outing!
Raleigh is fairly mild, so sledding and snowmen possibilities are rare like a supply of entertainment. But we’ve plenty of bonfires! We’ve been doing lots of family baking.
So glad my kid gets of sufficient age for games! Santa is going to be getting her a couple of this season, and her father is teaching her chess.
Love it! Can’t wait until our kiddo is old enough for games- that’s such a fun way to enjoy time with family.