FearlessLeader
02-11-2010, 21:39
I wasn't sure where the best place to put this was, but though SAHMs might benefit from this, as we are living on one income and going a bit nutty at home all week :D
We are trying to tighten our belts as we'd like to buy a house in the next year, and there are loads of great threads on saving money on groceries and bills, but I sometimes find it hard to think of new activities that are either free or really cheap.
So far i have:
-playgrounds
-playgroups
-zoo/museum membership: these can be a bit exxy as a start up cost, but we have had our zoo m'ship since father's day and have already used it 4 times! It's such a great fall back activity and always feels like a treat
-teddy bear's picnic in a nice park
-children's farms
-feeding ducks
-library /bookshop storytime/rhyme time: i have looked around at my local libraries and there is an age-appropriate session on 8 times a week, so i always have plenty to choose from
-don't forget libraries often also run free activities for school aged children in the holidays and after school
-councils and neighbourhood houses also often run programmes for a small fee
-going out to the airport to watch the planes, going to train stations to watch the trains, big building sites are loads of fun to watch, too! When i was a nanny i used to joke that i could have finished war and peace while the kids watched the big diggers!
-aquariums: not the paying kind with sharks and things, just the kind that sell fish.
-toy shops and book shops often have toys out to play with, but it depends on how likely your LO is going to tantrum if they don't get to buy anything :laughing:
-soft play areas in shopping centres: they are often overrun on the weekends but during the week aren't too bad
-in melbourne, the big cuckoo clock at melbourne central
-also melbourne the city circle tram
Anyone want to add anything? Especially area-specific ones would be great :yes:
We are trying to tighten our belts as we'd like to buy a house in the next year, and there are loads of great threads on saving money on groceries and bills, but I sometimes find it hard to think of new activities that are either free or really cheap.
So far i have:
-playgrounds
-playgroups
-zoo/museum membership: these can be a bit exxy as a start up cost, but we have had our zoo m'ship since father's day and have already used it 4 times! It's such a great fall back activity and always feels like a treat
-teddy bear's picnic in a nice park
-children's farms
-feeding ducks
-library /bookshop storytime/rhyme time: i have looked around at my local libraries and there is an age-appropriate session on 8 times a week, so i always have plenty to choose from
-don't forget libraries often also run free activities for school aged children in the holidays and after school
-councils and neighbourhood houses also often run programmes for a small fee
-going out to the airport to watch the planes, going to train stations to watch the trains, big building sites are loads of fun to watch, too! When i was a nanny i used to joke that i could have finished war and peace while the kids watched the big diggers!
-aquariums: not the paying kind with sharks and things, just the kind that sell fish.
-toy shops and book shops often have toys out to play with, but it depends on how likely your LO is going to tantrum if they don't get to buy anything :laughing:
-soft play areas in shopping centres: they are often overrun on the weekends but during the week aren't too bad
-in melbourne, the big cuckoo clock at melbourne central
-also melbourne the city circle tram
Anyone want to add anything? Especially area-specific ones would be great :yes: