August 10-12 is the most wonderful time of the year in Texas because it is the Tax Free Holiday. During this holiday, items ranging from school supplies to clothing are available without consumers paying a tax for these items!
Check out our podcast to learn about the top items to purchase during this Texas Holiday!
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
It is the most wonderful time of the year! Amazon Prime Day!
Amazon Prime Day was created a few years ago for Amazon.com to boost sales of their products in the summertime. This event was similar to Black Friday events, but it also included limited time deals, subscribe and save deals with coupons, and deals that lasted all day. The products offered on Amazon Prime Day usually range from electronics and clothing to food products and household items.
Here are seven tips for shopping on Amazon Prime Day:
Tip #1 - Remember to download the Amazon app to receive notifications of limited time deals.
Tip #2 - At the beginning of Amazon Prime Day, remember to examine all of the limited time deals and then add these deals to your notification/watch list on the Amazon app.
Tip #3 - Determine if you need to purchase an annual subscription to Amazon Prime, Amazon Music Unlimited, or Amazon Kindle Unlimited before the day begins.
Courtesy of Amazon.com
Tip #4 - Purchasing Amazon gift cards from Kroger or other stores that offer fuel points for gift card purchases.
Tip #5 - Use online shopping portals that offer rebates or airline miles for using their link to access Amazon. These shopping portals can include E-bates, American Airlines, United Airlines, and others.
Tip #6 - Set a budget before you begin shopping on Amazon Prime Day. It is easy to spend more money than you anticipate spending.
Tip #7 - Develop a list of items that usually appear on your weekly/monthly shopping list, then look for these items when the Amazon Prime list becomes available.
These simple tips can help everyone create a strategy for one of the most important savings days of the year! Remember to prepare a strategy and you can save money on items that you will purchase anyway.
This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
Oh you guys! We absolutely love to traveling on a budget and we wanted to share our hacks and tips with all of you! A couple of weeks ago, I (Jennifer) decided to sponsor online workshops focused on "Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget".
Thursday - Chapter four, “Hotels with Kids”, focused on items to consider when booking your hotel, when you arrive to your hotel, and when checking out of your hotel.
Friday - Chapter six, “Innovative Ways to Pack for Family Travel Experiences”, highlights innovative ways to integrate binder clips and zipper bags on your trip. These everyday items can be lifesavers for families on-the-go!
Each day had a different theme and I wanted to share them with you!
Okay, what will I be asked to do?
The ONLY thing that we are asking you to do is to share a post per day on your Facebook profile about what you are learning. That's it!
If you have any questions, please let us know! We will invite you to the group after you RSVP.
@WeekendsCount Writer & Author of Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget: Keeping Your Family Organized While Traveling with Kids
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
Oh you guys! We absolutely love to traveling on a budget and we wanted to share our hacks and tips with all of you! A couple of weeks ago, I (Jennifer) decided to sponsor online workshops focused on "Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget".
Wednesday - Chapter three, “Flying, Cruising, and Riding the Rails with Children” features several tips and checklists for each type of travel. These tips and checklists are timeline-based and highlight items to consider when booking your trip, 24 hours before your trip, and when you arrive to the airport/terminal/depot.
Each day had a different theme and I wanted to share them with you!
Okay, what will I be asked to do?
The ONLY thing that we are asking you to do is to share a post per day on your Facebook profile about what you are learning. That's it!
If you have any questions, please let us know! We will invite you to the group after you RSVP.
@WeekendsCount Writer & Author of Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget: Keeping Your Family Organized While Traveling with Kids
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
Oh you guys! We absolutely love to traveling on a budget and we wanted to share our hacks and tips with all of you! A couple of weeks ago, I (Jennifer) decided to sponsor online workshops focused on "Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget".
Tuesday - Chapter two, “Traveling with Kids on a Budget”, presents tips for frugal family travelers and luxury family travelers. This chapter features recipes, meal suggestions, packing lists, and additional resources.
Each day had a different theme and I wanted to share them with you!
Okay, what will I be asked to do?
The ONLY thing that we are asking you to do is to share a post per day on your Facebook profile about what you are learning. That's it!
If you have any questions, please let us know! We will invite you to the group after you RSVP.
@WeekendsCount Writer & Author of Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget: Keeping Your Family Organized While Traveling with Kids
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
Welcome to Day 1 of the FREE Online Course! - "Why Travel with Your Family!
This FREE Week-Long Online Course focuses on KEY tips from our newest book: "Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget: Keeping Your Family Organized While Traveling with Kids"
Here's the schedule:
Monday - Chapter one, “Why Travel with Kids” focuses on the importance of traveling with children. This chapter includes multiple resources, book suggestions, and sample questions that you can ask your children before your family trip.
Tuesday - Chapter two, “Traveling with Kids on a Budget”, presents tips for frugal family travelers and luxury family travelers. This chapter features recipes, meal suggestions, packing lists, and additional resources.
Wednesday - Chapter three, “Flying, Cruising, and Riding the Rails with Children” features several tips and checklists for each type of travel. These tips and checklists are timeline-based and highlight items to consider when booking your trip, 24 hours before your trip, and when you arrive to the airport/terminal/depot.
Thursday - Chapter four, “Hotels with Kids”, focused on items to consider when booking your hotel, when you arrive to your hotel, and when checking out of your hotel.
Friday - Chapter six, “Innovative Ways to Pack for Family Travel Experiences”, highlights innovative ways to integrate binder clips and zipper bags on your trip. These everyday items can be lifesavers for families on-the-go!
This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.
Okay, what will I be asked to do?
The ONLY thing that we are asking you to do is to share a post per day on your Facebook profile about what you are learning. That's it!
If you have any questions, please let us know! We will invite you to the group after you RSVP.
@WeekendsCount Writer & Author of Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget: Keeping Your Family Organized While Traveling with Kids
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
I've known these two young ladies for their entire lives. They have an phenomenal mother and amazing grandparents who taught them about the importance of saving money for the future. Recently, I saw their mom's post on Facebook about beginning the year with a savings account. I was compelling to write her and ask for her family's viewpoint on saving and why others should consider saving. These were their responses.
I am QUITE impressed! So focused! :)
Jamiyah Stephenson (15 years old)
The reason to save as a teenager is because you don’t want it to affect your future. You also, don’t want to be living paycheck to paycheck because you are focusing on your wants instead of your needs. In the future, it is going to be even harder to stop spending money constantly because it has already become a habit. You shouldn’t want money problems when you’re older because you’ll have all kinds of bills to pay.
Jaterria Stephenson (13 years old)
Saving money as a teenager is important to me because it’s about growing up and being a responsible young lady. Maturity is a must-have in order to succeed at saving money. It took me a while to want to save, but now that I’m getting older I feel it’s time to finally be a responsible teen. It may take more time for other teens to want to save their money for something. Learning have to save as a teen can help secure you for the future so it’s important to save as much as you can.
Mom's View:
I stress saving because I want my children to be able to live without me, I want them to know financial security and freedom. I don’t want them to have to struggle before they learn the value of a dollar. This day and age it is imperative that our children have a nest egg or at least be working toward something bigger than themselves. We know in the black community, the struggle is rampant and it is pretty much a learned behavior. We see our parents spending money but we are never taken to a financial institution to show us the value of keeping our money. I was so proud taking my girls to the bank the other day and seeing their reactions to going into a bank, filling out and deposit slip and handing over their money.
A sad moment came when they correlated a bank as a bad thing because of the shows they’ve seen where the bank was getting robbed. 😢. My middle child said, “oh my god that was so weird but I feel so grown up now.” Beautiful moment for me as a mom. Thank you for featuring them on your blog. If you don’t mind, let me know when it goes up so I can share I with other. Our community is in need of financial gems.
Thank you for sharing your stories! I am proud of each of you and I want you to know that you have an AMAZING future ahead of you!
So... "What are YOUR tips for teaching teenagers to save?"
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
15. Have a family game night - Nedra McDaniel - Adventure Mom What are you favorite ways to make your weekend count? Let us know in the comments!
This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.
This week,
Have a great week and plan for the weekend!
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
Our family decided to cut our access to cable around four years ago! We LOVE travel and we had to find a way to afford it. So, we decided to save money for our family travel and activities by cutting the cable cord. After that cord cutting moment, we decided to purchase a Roku device from Amazon to view our favorite network television shows on ABC, NBC, PBS (and PBS Kids), etc.
Also, we purchased a television antenna as well. This has been a GAME changer for our family because we get to watch local TV channels. We are HUGE fans of the Mohu antenna and we've been able to watch around local TV channels in the DFW area (including PBS Kids). The Mohu antenna looks like this:
This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.
The Roku device is a simple device that you link to your television and your wireless internet. It takes around 3-5 minutes to set up and then you are good to go! It looks like this:
In fact, we have a over 294 Roku Channels (mostly free) to watch our favorite shows and YouTubers. Here is a list of our favorite Roku Channels.
1) Baby by HappyKids (Great kid's channel) & 2) Happy Kids TV
3) Tiggy and Boo by HappyKids and 4) SmartKids by HappyKids
5) Dolls n' Crafts by Happy Kids and 6) Rock n' Roll Kids
7) Phonics for Kids and 8) HappyKids Interactive
9) Girls Channel by Happy Kids and 10) Boys Den by Happy Kids
11) Little Pim - Language Learning for Kids (and great for adults as well)
12) Cocoro - TV for Kids (FREE)
Then, PBS for Kids (this is also available over the air as well)!
PBS Kids - This is one of my little one's favorite channels! Did I mention that it is FREE?
Did we miss a channel? Link it in the comment box below! :)
Have a great week and plan for the weekend!
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
Our millennial family is very focused on reducing our family debt, because we have retirement and college tuition for our kindergarten on the horizon. That is why we are very excited about this guest post from Jacob @DollarDiligence on Twitter!
It’s no secret that we’re in a debt crisis in this country.
As of 2016, the average American household had $16,061 in debt, and total debt including big ticket items like cars and homes averaged $132,529, according to media giant CNBC. Student debt accounts for a huge amount of this too, with an average individual debt of $37,000, as of the most recent data.
All those numbers mean that most Americans are swimming in debt, with student loans being the fastest growing category of debt. If you’re burdened by debt from student loans, a mortgage, or credit cards, you can take control and turn it around.
There are a ton of free tools to help you pay down your debt, too. Let’s look at the best of them.
Debt Paydown Calculator
Bankrate is a great website with all sorts of free useful financial information related to debt and investing. You can compare rates on auto loans, for example, or even get help on filing your taxes.
The site also has a whole lot of useful calculators to help you figure out what to pay on different kinds of debts. If you’re looking to pay down your debts in the fastest and cheapest way, you need their Debt Pay Down Calculator.
Pick the number of debts you have and then input type of loan, the interest rate, the minimum monthly payment, and the current balance for each one. The Calculator will then tell you how much extra you should pay on what debt to get it paid off as fast as possible.
Use Your Spare Change on Student Loans with ChangEd
If you’re looking to pay down student debt specifically, there’s an app for both Android and Apple phones that’s meant just for paying off student debt faster.
You link a bank account to the app, and then add a student loan account you want paid. ChangEd then rounds up your purchases on your selected account up to the nearest $5 and collects the extra.
Once that extra change adds up to $100, it applies that to the loan account you connected. That way you can literally use your spare change to slowly pay down your student loans.
Balance Your Budget with Mint
The financial software giant behind QuickBooks and TurboTax has created a personal finance mobile app called Mint that is perfect for budgeting, saving, investing, and managing your money in general.
You add all your accounts, and Mint shows you all your financial information in one place. You can see all your money in your banking accounts like checking, savings, bank loans, and investments.
By adding your bills, you can also see your essential expenses every month, and, depending on the company, Mint can even access your due dates to give you timely reminders when it’s time to pay a bill. This app can help you find those extra dollars in your budget to put towards major debts like student loans.
Free Spreadsheets
You may be the DIY type that likes to take your financial health into your own hands, and that’s fine too. There are a ton of free financial spreadsheets out there to load into your existing database software and do your own accounting and financial planning.
Whether you use Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or OpenOffice Calc, you can load these spreadsheet templates onto your computer or mobile device. Google Sheets is great for tablets and phones, by the way, because it’s stored on the cloud and accessible anywhere you can get service.
These free financial spreadsheet templates can help you plan a household budget, pay down all your debts, or focus on paying down an individual debt.
Undebt.it
This is a free resource with a ton of different methods for paying down your debt. You put in your debts, including interest rates and balances, and it gives you different options for making yourself debt free.
With Undebt.it, you can choose from six pre-set plans or create a custom debt pay-down plan. Their premade plans are geared toward paying different types of debts down first. For example, the Debt Snowball Plan pays off the debt with the lowest balance first, while the Debt Avalanche Plan focuses on the debt with the highest interest rate.
This free tool can also help you budget so you can identify how much you have to put toward your debts, and let you know if it’s time to refinance debts.
Last Word
While the whole country may be taking on more debt than ever, you don’t have to follow the trends. There’s also no reason to spend money in order to save money, so you can choose from all these free debt reduction resources and take charge of your finances.
Thanks Jacob! Follow Jacob @DollarDiligence on Twitter for more articles about personal finance and corny dad jokes.
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Have a great week and plan for the weekend!
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
We are so excited to discuss two of our passions: saving money and research! Yes, as college professors, we love research. Research that helps you save money is just what we need! We're also excited to partner with Capital One to bring you this post!
Study Background
Previous research has shown that memories can be so vivid it’s like experiencing the event again, and remembering an event, a situation, or a person can evoke a shiver of excitement, the heat of anger, or the anguish of grief. Although emotion that is activated by a memory may not be felt as intensely as the actual experience, the recall can be enjoyable or painful nonetheless. Emotional memory adds credibility to the notion that thoughts can trigger emotion just as the activation of emotion can create cognitions. One of the areas of the brain that is involved in memory processing – the amygdala – also plays a role in emotional reactions and decision making. This research led Capital One to explore the power that emotion might have on financial decision-making.
Capital One and Financial Psychologist Dr. Brad Klontz of Creighton University sought to test whether positive memories tied to sentimental items, thus powerful and vivid memories, could be harnessed to improve financial decision-making – or, more specifically, savings behavior. The Banking Reimagined Savings Study, sponsored by Capital One and led by Dr. Klontz, randomly assigned participants to one of two groups – the control group or the sentimental item group – and compared the results of the two groups. The control group received a standard financial education presentation (FE) without any emotional engagement. The sentimental item group (SI) experienced an immersive positive emotion-based presentation and exercises revolving around the sentimental item they were asked to bring with them to the study.
What They Found
The sentimental item group increased their savings three times (67%) more than the control group (only 22%) as reported in the follow-up phase.
Participants assigned to the sentimental item group almost doubled what they save on average per year at $10,020 compared to $5,838 prior to the study.
Across all five cities, the sentimental item group reported increased savings that were substantially higher than the control group as reported in the follow-up phase:
Boston: 75% increase
Austin: 40% increase
Seattle: 47% increase
Atlanta: 137% increase
Dallas: 115% increase
The sentimental item group showed statistically significant increases in their financial savings behaviors from pre-experiment to post-experiment: readiness to save, confidence toward saving and financial health.
Readiness to Save: The sentimental item group’s readiness to save increased three times more compared to the control group
Confidence in Ability to Save More: The sentimental group’s confidence in their ability to save increased twice as much as the control group
Financial Health: The sentimental group’s reported financial health increased four times more than the control group
Capital One Confidential
The sentimental item group reported that they were more significantly emotionally attached (10%) to their sentimental item from pre-experiment to post-experiment, an effect needed to change behavior from post- experiment to the follow-up phase.
What This Means
The researchers hypothesize that the sentimental items group were able, through positive, emotionally-charged memories, to develop a deeper emotional incentive for saving money. The exercises they engaged in may have enabled them to more viscerally relate saving money to the family, life values and goals that mean the most to them.
By incorporating sentiment and savings experiences into financial planning -- workshops, money coaching conversations, or even self-directed processes -- It may be possible to successfully harness a person’s emotions in order to facilitate better and healthier financial decision-making.
What You Can Do – Tips and Tricks
Most of our financial decisions are not made by our rational brain. They are made by our emotional brain – and our emotional brains are not motivated by numbers or facts. We must engage our emotional brain if we want to change our financial behaviors.
Based on the Banking Reimagined Savings Study results, people might be able to try some of the same exercises the sentimental item group experienced in the study to improve their own savings behavior.
Harness the positive emotion tied to your own sentimental items to improve your savings behavior.
Think of an item you’ve kept for positive sentimental reasons and ask yourself what kind of feelings and values are associated with that item. Is it something a grandparent or parent gave you and thus is tied to the importance of a loving and supportive family? Or is it something from a vacation abroad that serves as a reminder of a sense of adventure and the great experiences you were lucky to have and that you hope to have more of in the future? Use the power of emotion tied to your sentimental item and the identified feelings and values associated to determine how to live your values today and improve your financial savings behavior.
Come up with an exciting vision of what you are saving for and ask yourself the following questions:
What would saving for the future get you? What is it you truly want? Get specific. What does it look like? How would it feel to have it? Who might you be enjoy it with? Where are you? What do you see, feel, experience?
Consider creating some visual motivators. For example, cut out a picture from a magazine depicting your goal and tape it to your mirror. Better yet, put a picture depicting your goal as your screensaver or smartphone wallpaper where you can see it several times a day.
Get specific. Don’t just have a “savings account.” Name it. Have a “2018 European Family Vacation Account.”
When you are motivated to take action, automate it!
For example, set up a monthly payment from your checking account to your savings account, like Capital One’s 360 Savings, so you never have to think about saving for the goal again. Make it easy to keep on track.
Capital One hosted National Savings Day and officially launched #ShareMySave on October 12 to spark a two-way dialogue around the topic of saving, help propel people to their money goals and celebrate individuals who value the act of saving.
We often think saving is hard. But the truth is, most of us have been saving for years. Look around at the stuff that you treasure in your home.
Maybe there’s a box of old love letters from your great grandparents. The toy robot you played with 40 years ago. Perhaps an elaborate sculpture you made in middle school—even though it’s broken. Here's a keepsake for our family:
We hang onto these things because they have meaning. Well, now we want to take those stuff-saving habits, and turn them into money-saving habits.
In fact, Capital One is honoring the need to save – and our innate emotional drive to do so. To celebrate, we’re holding a social media contest to promote the importance of saving and people’s capacity to do so.
Capital One is launching #ShareMySave – a celebratory contest that calls on Boston, Austin, Seattle, Dallas and Atlanta residents to share images of their most treasured keepsakes and what they are saving towards for a chance to win monetary prizes up to $10,000.
Share a photo of a treasured keepsake you've saved, and tell why it's special. Follow @CapitalOne and post it on Twitter or Instagram using #ShareMySave and #Contest for a chance to win weekly cash prizes of $500 or one of their $10,000 grand prizes.
This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.
Thank you Capital One for sponsoring this post! This is a paid endorsement. All opinions are my own and were not directed by Capital One. To learn more about Capital One, visit www.capitalone.com.
This week,
Have a great week and plan for the weekend!
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!
Here's a guest post on frugal weekends from our pal Josh at Family Faith Finance:
One reason we work hard throughout the week is to relax and have money to enjoy the weekend. What you don’t want to do is spend all your hard-earned cash on a single weekend. These tips can help you enjoy your weekends frugally.
Have a Plan
With anything in life, your odds of accomplishing goals will be significantly higher when you plan. Taking a few minutes to scout out the best deals on sites like Groupon. If you plan on only going to a restaurant only once over the weekend, choosing which meal will prevent the possibility of going out two or three times because you didn’t pack a lunch or go grocery shopping yet.
Only Shop for Items on Your List
You might wait until the weekend to go shopping because you don’t have the time after work. Instead of window shopping, be intentional about the items you want to purchase by making a shopping list. In other words, make a list according to a budget and stick to it!
Only visiting stores and shopping for items on your list can keep you within budget. Sticking to your list will not only help you enjoy a frugal weekend, but it will also limit the amount of clutter in your house. After all, stores are constantly putting items on sale or clearance and it can be easy to buy items you don’t need if you don’t make a list.
Use a Separate Bank Account
One budgeting tactic you can try out is creating a separate bank account that is used only for the weekends. Set the amount of money you want to spend each weekend or month by transferring that amount from your regular bank account. Once the money is spent, you stay home or look for free activities until your weekend account is replenished.
If you don’t spend all the money this weekend, you can save it up to spend more on upcoming weekends. This can be a great way to save for a weekend getaway when you don’t want to pull from your savings. Choosing an account with its own debit card can also ensure you don’t accidentally use money from your primary bank account. It makes sense to use an online bank account which can be opened separately from your traditional bank. In general, most online bank accounts come with very low to zero fees, making them a feasible option as a secondary bank account.
Don’t Use a Credit Card
In addition to using a second bank account, keep your credit card out of the equation on the weekends. Unless you can immediately pay the balance with your second account, a credit card can encourage you to spend more than your weekend budget allows. Instead, pay with cash or a debit card, preferably from your weekend bank account. *The Weekends Count Family actually utilizes credit cards for almost every purchase. However, we use coupons and online deals for every single purchase we make.
Invite Friends Over
If you typically go to the bar or restaurant to watch a sports game or converse with your friends, invite them to your house instead. By having everybody bring a dish of food and beverages, you can save money on food and still watch the game or movie on TV. The atmosphere might not be as energetic, but you can still make the best of it.
Limit How Many Times You Go Out
Even if you can afford to go out every weekend, you might decide to save money by only going out one night a week or only once or twice a month. Going to the club or a live concert can be fun, but it can also get expensive very quickly.
Reducing your nights out can be an easy way to curb your entertainment spending. You can use your free time to start new, frugal hobbies like Netflix binges, hosting game nights, or looking for free or cheap events to attend instead. If you live in a big city, you will be surprised at how many different activities are constantly going on.
Visit a Park
Depending on your hobbies, local parks often offer many of the same opportunities as private locations. Parks can be a free option to go hiking, have a picnic, and enjoy time outdoors.
To attract visitors, some parks have also contracted with vendors to provide experiences like ziplining, boat rentals, and other activities like Frisbee golf courses. These alternatives can be cheaper than visiting an amusement park that offers similar experiences for more money.
Switch to Cheaper Hobbies
Some hobbies like golf, going to the movies, or attending a theater show can get expensive in a hurry. Instead look for cheaper hobbies like Frisbee golf instead real golf or visiting an amateur theater production instead of the traveling production. You can still participate in your existing hobbies, but you might consider reducing the frequency to save money.
Summary
Having a frugal weekend doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. It just means you use your money more efficiently so you can still accomplish your other money goals. Doing so means you don’t have to stress about money on the weekends or work extra hard during the week just to afford your weekend plans.
Josh recently got into the personal finance game when he decided to start up Family Faith Finance. His goal is to introduce a unique perspective while offering solid, unbiased advice. Thanks for the guest post Josh!
Brandless is an amazing company that focuses on the needs of the busy parent (yes, we are busy moms and dads), the busy professional, and senior adult. If you fit into one of the aforementioned categories, Brandless if FOR YOU!
I live almost 40 miles from Sam's Club and Costco, so this is a great option for those who live in rural environments as well! It is incredible. You get a box, with recyclable packaging, and the products that you ordered.
You can order products ranging from household goods and cleaning products to baking goods and other food products.
Did I mention that ALL products are ONLY $3.00? Check out your video and ask any questions about our experience in the box below!
Have a great week and plan for the weekend!
About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences! Our mission at Weekends Count is to provide fun weekend activities for busy frugal families, kids' learning activities for busy parents, parenting tips for busy parents, communication tips for busy couples, money saving tips for frugal families, work/life balance tips for busy working parents, frugal family vacation ideas for millennial couples, and home organizing tips for busy families.
