Hot Fun In The Summertime-- On the Cheap!

There are 2 words that I detest and quite literally, they make my skin absolutely crawl. If the words "I'm bored" ring through this house even once this summer, I'm gonna pull out my cleaning supplies and draft some children into finally getting my spring cleaning finished. However, to thwart any potential grumblings of those words, we plan to take full advantage of some free and inexpensive things going on around us this summer.

1) SUMMER READING PROGRAMS- Only a teacher would think this is a good thing, right? Wrong! If you're about saving money, you will too! Many public libraries offer summer reading programs with incentives to reach a certain level by the summer's end (and in our case, that's in 7 short weeks as we start back August 1 -grrr-). Not to mention, many libraries also have some sort of children's hour during the summer when they read books or have performances.

Our local county libraries partner with our county fair and offer FREE tickets to the fair for the children and (this is the part I get excited about) FREE ticket for the "all-you-can-ride" wristband! Woot! With wristbands at $20 a pop times 3 kids + 1 parent (because somebody has to stay with Quatro-- at least that's the excuse I can use for now not to ride rides that can be put on a truck, moved overnight, and put back up the next morning with a handful of bolts leftover...), one night at the fair can be budget breaking-- and I haven't even taken into account all the giant turkey legs, deep fried butter balls, corn-on-a-stick, and funnel cakes we go through! :)

Most libraries offer something and even if it's not a big deal to you, it may be a big deal to your child. The thought of reading all week to get a slap-on bracelet doesn't turn my crank, but my kiddos think it's the bomb.com. Not to mention, if kids are reading during their school breaks they are far more likely to retain their reading levels and abilities. Yep, that was all teacher-like. :)

2) FREE (or inexpensive) MOVIES- Previously, we had 3 theaters within about 20 minutes driving distance that offered free summer movies a couple of times a week, in the mornings. They also generally offered $1 concessions. That said: 1 theater sat under water a year ago due to the floods in Nashville and haven't reopened yet, the second (The Roxy, in Lebanon-- schedule here) just released their plans to host free movies (Woot! Love you, Anita!!), and the third (according to my friend Donna) is just plain hateful. :)

Regal theatres is no longer offering free summer movies, but they are charging $1 per person (really, Regal? Because let's face it, it's not like you were showing the latest & greatest anyway). If you just want to take your kids for the theatre experience, great. If they just want to see a movie, in my opinion, find a Redbox or Blockbuster code to get the $1 for free and watch it at home... but that's my opinion. And hateful ol' Regal can keep their Muppets Take Manhattan (Although it is truly one of my personal faves-- partly because of this scene. Shout out to my friend Amy who's probably laughing right now)

3) SUMMER BALLGAMES & KRAFT CHEESE- I mentioned here several weeks ago that Kraft is sponsoring BOGO baseball farm team tickets on Tuesday nights with the package wrappers from Kraft singles.

4) STATE MUSEUMS- Most states have a museum that offers free admission. The downside is that museum is usually in or near the state's capital city.

5) LOCAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS- Why do tourists visit your city? When they come, what do they want to see? Many cities also boast greenways, parks (some that even have spots for wading or swimming or splash pads), and other 'hot' spots where tourists flock. I'm willing to bet you live near places you've never visited-- I know I do!

There's much to do and no reason for my kids to utter those dreadful words. And even if they did, I'm probably just gonna stick my fingers in my ears and go "la-la-la-la-la-la". :) Happy Thursday! Save on, friends!