As a parent living in the age of Instagram-worthy curated memories and holidays, I am often caught in the mental maze of how much is too much when creating memories with my children.
As a child growing up without the internet in the 90s, my parents never felt the burden of making each day or year special. We rarely took family vacations and most of my summer was spent playing with children in the neighborhood under the hot glaring sun.
Not to mention that practicing a frugal life comes with its own set of conflicts and challenges. Being frugal was easy for me when I didn’t have enough money and needed to save to survive. But, as my net worth increases, staying true to my frugal principles is increasingly harder.
Nevertheless, I still do a few things with my kids that are more joyful than an expensive all-inclusive holiday, which can sometimes also be a stressful, check-the-box kind of plan.
Board/Card Game night
Over the years, we have amassed a wide variety of family board games and card games.
The best conversations I have with my children happen when we’re all playing one of these together. Strategizing, planning the next move, and learning how to lose graciously are valuable lessons.
Whether classic games like Monopoly or newer games like Exploding Kittens or Ticket to Ride, it’s always a fun and engaging way to let the time fly by.
Walking/ Geocaching
When we started Geocaching in 2020 during the height of COVID-19, it was getting popular with mainstream audiences.
Since then several apps have become popular that we use to walk to nearby caches. The thrill of finding a cache is parallel to that of finding a hidden treasure even if the treasure is a rolled-up scroll in a plastic container.
Biking/Running/Swimming
As an avid athlete my entire life, I always wanted to teach the love of the outdoors and running with my children.
As an adult whenever I go for a swim with my son I have to push myself so much harder.
Getting my daughter to learn to ride a bike is easily among my favorite things to accomplish.
When they see me set goals for myself, they are motivated to do the same. These habits are established in childhood and I am happy they have a headstart.
Hiking, Playground, and Picnic
On a weekend, after the kids are done with their morning activities and classes and lunch is over the dreaded 3 PM hour strikes.
This is the time when kids start with their perpetual “I’m Bored” rants.
We typically pack a picnic, which is nothing major -just some fruit, cheese, crackers, candy, and juice, and gather some sports equipment such as a soccer ball, basketball, cricket, or tennis stuff and head to the nearest playground.
Being out in the sunshine and playing a sport always brings about a happy tiredness which sets the tone for the second half of the kid’s day.
Chores
I could quote research that says that children who do chores may exhibit higher self-esteem, be more responsible, and be better equipped to deal with frustration, adversity, and delayed gratification.
But, the simple fact is, that we all live in a house together and that comes with the endless circle of chores in life.
Cooking, cleaning, dishwashing, and laundry are not something we will have robots doing for us at least soon.
The kids must be comfortable with the idea of chores as they grow up, after all that’s what being an adult is at least 80% of the time – chores and bills!
Watch and Learn Art
Since iPads and phones have taken over most suburban life anyway, why not use them to learn something constructive?
Cheap easels from Michaels or Target combined with a watch and draw YouTube channel with some juice to go around makes for quite the celebration and our very own kid-friendly version of ‘Sip and Paint Night’
Baking/Cooking together
Similar to doing chores together, cooking is a life skill and will remain so even if a million more food delivery companies surface in the market.
Using the spare time to involve the kids in the kitchen results in engaging conversations around food, mindful eating, and most of all an appreciation for the effort that goes into cooking a meal from scratch.
Movie and Popcorn
A lot of the activities I mentioned above require hands-on supervision from at least one parent.
At the end of the day when exhaustion takes over, it’s time to hand over the babysitting to good old Netflix and Disney.
Nothing can beat a good movie and popcorn to end the evening provided the kids have had an engaging and active rest of the day.
Jigsaw Puzzles
This has to be the most satisfying activity to do together with kids. I tend to give up on jigsaw puzzles when they are too big and time-consuming.
When putting together a puzzle with kids, it’s amazing to see how their mind works and how quickly they make sense of the scattered bits.
Train Ride to Discounted Movie tickets/Museum Trips
Where I live in Toronto, kids under 12 ride free on the public transport system. This is great because we are a short train ride away from various museums.
When we have overdone or exhausted all of the above options, we head downtown for an adventure.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the frugal things one can plan with the kids. We also use the public library resources to the fullest. Some weekend afternoons are spent just reading and lazing on the couch or learning faster ways to solve the Rubix cube.
There is no reason to spend a lot of money to make memories with the children since they truly value these moments of togetherness more than I could imagine.
