Creativity on a Shoestring

With all the necessary belt-tightening going on these days, it’s becoming more important than ever to utilize a little creativity when planning a night out (or in) with kids, significant others, and/or friends.

The good news is…it is possible. The better news is…it can be a whole lot of fun.

Just last weekend my kids and I had a wonderful evening together for just two bucks. That’s right, two bucks…

First, we made a little dinner of favorite finger foods–pizza balls and chicken fingers (ingredients I happened to have in the house  much to the delight of my daughters). Then, in the interest of shaking things up a little, we bypassed the dinner table in favor of a picnic blanket in the middle of the family room floor. Next–and here’s where the two bucks comes in–we popped in a rented video we’d been wanting to watch together for quite some time. And finally, halfway through the movie, we topped it all off with some microwave popcorn.

To say we had fun wouldn’t do the evening justice. In fact, our two dollar evening went over so well I got a repeated “thank you” from each of my girls that night…and throughout the rest of the weekend!

So, how about the rest of you? Do you have any ideas for inexpensive (yet creative) ways to entertain the kids? How about a creative, yet low-cost date or girls’ night out idea?

~Elizabeth Lynn