Family fun on a budget

If there is one thing that I have learned since becoming a mom, it is that kids like to have a plan and know what the plan is going to be for the day.

I know this from being a teacher. Kids feel safe with routines. The plan does not need to be extravagant and sometimes it is simply having a home day and watching a movie as a family. Kids like to know what is coming and what to expect.

I see so many parents put pressure on themselves to do elaborate things with their kids. Don’t get me wrong, we are already planning on taking our kids to Disney World in the next few years and we spoil them rotten at Christmas, but I am talking more about the day-to-day.

My husband and I make an effort to try and do fun things with our kids. Let’s be honest, everything is so expensive right now and there are times when you need to get creative, so you can have a family day without breaking your budget. Kids do not need to have a lot of money spent on them to have a fun day or to feel like they’re being taken on an adventure.

One of our favorite things to do is to take a family picnic. We have so many different spots here in Hamilton County that are wonderful for a family picnic. We will go to different parks and find a nice, shaded place with a good view and set up shop. We wake up on Saturday mornings and hit up the Fishers Farmers Market and get a big bag of kettle corn. We love to get ice cream and go for drives. We recently loaded up everything we needed for dinner and went to the new Geist Waterfront Park and grilled out while the kids played on the playground. I don’t care what people say about the parking fee there – that place is awesome! My four and two-year-old go to a park for the day and they may as well have gone to Disney World. They are both at the age where most problems can be solved with a few minutes on the swings and a popsicle.

One of our favorite things to do is to go to Spencer Farm and pick berries. Of course, there’s the ice cream when we are done picking, too. My whole family loves to do this! We will load up a picnic, buy a container from the farm, and pick berries (and maybe eat a few while we pick) Shhh … everyone does it, right?

Mary and Pat picking strawberries at Spencer Farm in Noblesville. (Photos provided by Megan Rathz)

Another thing my family loves to do is to have a family movie night. We will go to the grocery store and each of us will pick out our favorite candy. Then, we will all decide what movie we are going to watch. This takes a while for all of us to agree, but we eventually get there. We have a gigantic blanket we call the family blanket that spans the length of our sectional, and we all assume our spots and get under the blanket. This blanket is literally so huge it is like folding up a tent when it’s time to put it away. My husband pops the popcorn, and we all cuddle up for the movie. This is something that costs us what we spend on candy. Everything else we already have. My kids have no clue this is a $5 night; they simply see it as special because we got out the big blanket and we are all together.

Speaking of movies, another thing to investigate is the Emagine Theater in Noblesville on Tuesdays. If you download the app, you can get $5 movies all day on Tuesdays and free popcorn!

One of the best things for our budget we’ve done is get a Blackstone grill. No, I’m not a paid spokesperson, but I should be because I love this thing. My husband and I have been wanting one for some time. We decided to get one and have saved a ton of money because we have so much fun with it that we end up eating at home more. For one thing, the food is better than when you go out (with a few exceptions), the drinks are cheap, and the wine pours are fantastic! My husband could hold his own against any hibachi chef when he’s behind the Blackstone.

My kids enjoy making s’mores. They like sitting on our patio and spotting the fireflies. They love going to the park. They think dad grilling them a hot dog is a steak from St. Elmo’s. Recently, I have been letting the kids decorate their own pizzas. I set out the naan bread for them and a bowl of sauce with toppings that they’ll each. They think this is the coolest thing ever.

I want our kids to grow up and look back on their childhoods and remember the fun and simple things that we did together as a family. I want them to marry spouses that become additional kids for my husband and me and join in our traditions, while bringing some of their own to our family. I want my kids to realize you can have fun without spending a lot of money.

Nature is affording us the opportunity to make family memories on a budget. You don’t need a big bank account to take your kids to the park or on a picnic. It’s a matter of being creative and making it a fun experience for your kids.

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.