HOME & GARDEN CONSUMER GUIDE

Cheap Entertainment...How to Have Fun Without Breaking the Bank

1. Host a video swap. Invite friends to bring over their videos or DVDs that are collecting dust. Most of us own several that we don’t watch all the time. Trade with each other so that everyone goes home with something new. You might end up with a Barney episode your toddler has never seen, a workout video you’ve always wanted to try and/or a chick flick for after the kids go to bed. Just make sure to mark your tapes clearly and agree upon a return date. Cost: about $10 if you provide some popcorn and lemonade for all who attend.

2. Turn your home into a spa. Make a quick trip to the discount store to pick up some new bubble bath and nail polish. The rest of this stuff you can make at home. Trust me, even little boys love facial masks and toenail polish. Check out http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11397.asp for lots of beauty indulgences made from kitchen ingredients. Once you’ve pampered the kids, tuck them into bed, light the candles and settle in for a long soak in the tub. Cost: around $10 depending on which brands you choose.

3. Watch old home movies. This is a guaranteed rainy day pick-me-up. Your kids will beg to watch themselves over and over. And you’ll get a chuckle out of watching how you have all changed. Warning: this can lead to severe nostalgia. Cost: free!

4. Grab a cookbook and pick an all-day recipe. Make anything from homemade bread to a five-layer cake. Pass out aprons and let the kids cook too. Planning the treat and shopping for the ingredients can even be a great learning experience for little ones. You might need a little patience as you watch them crack eggs, but you’ll be eating the payoff in the end. Cost: depends upon the recipe, but bread will probably be your cheapest (and best-smelling!) choice.

5. Have a magazine day. Swap babysitting with a good friend. Then head home to do something completely self-indulgent: turn off the telephone, pour a cup of tea (or diet Coke or whatever your pleasure) and pull out the latest edition of your favorite magazine. Put your feet up and read it cover to cover uninterrupted. If you don’t see this as a pleasure-beyond-words then you are obviously not a mother. Cost: $3-5 depending on the magazine.

6. Host a pajama party. This is a lot of fun with your own family, but really a blast when you invite another family over to play. Dig out the sleeping bags, make cookies and play board games or watch old movies all evening. Top off the event with a donut breakfast in your PJs. Cost: less than $10 for frozen pizza and a box of donuts.

7. Try a progressive dinner party. Instead of one person doing all the work, plan the crab dip at your house, the baked chicken at a friend’s, and the strawberry shortcake at another’s. All the fun (and yummy food) without all the time and effort. Cost: ingredients for your recipe.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that it doesn’t have to come down to being bored or broke. With a little imagination and just a few dollars, you and your family can collect memories…and that’s always better than just another shirt from the GAP.

Susanna Hickman Bartee is an Army wife living with her husband and four children near Ansbach, Germany. She is the founder and editor of www.militarymama.net.