Fun Shouldn’t Cost A Fortune!
Many peoples’ idea of a good time is usually going out to a restaurant, seeing a movie, going to an arcade, going to a theme park, going to concerts, and any number of other really fun activities. The problem with most of them is they are prohibitively expensive.
With our credit card culture things like this have gone from being the occasional fun night out, to being a commonality; a bare minimum that must be done in order for a night to qualify as being a good night on the town. This requirement has taken the genuinely fun, cheap, wholesome things and made them into boring pass times that our parents and grandparents did.
We think it is time to revisit some of the fun, cheap things of the past, and not so distant past, and take back what is rightfully ours: A Fun, Cheap, Enjoyable Time Together!
Outdoor Games
Depending on your family type, some of these games might be perfect, juvenile, or just plain out of question. Some are perfect for little kids, and others are more geared towards pre-teens to teens.
Outdoor Games:
- Duck, Duck, Goose
- Tag
- Mother May I?
- Red Rover
- Hide and Seek
- Manhunt
- Basketball
- Football
- Soccer
All of the above listed games are either free or extremely cheap. The price you pay (such as equipment purchase) isn’t a repeat cost, it is generally a one time cost that you pay. Kids and adults love many of these games and they will offer hours and hours of free, or extremely cheap fun, quality time.
Board Games
Board games, depending on which ones, are generally best for pre-teens, teens, and adults. This is because a more mature audience has a better attention span, they can understand and retain rules, and they are less apt to be upset when they aren’t winning. Board games have been a family staple for an extremely long time and have gone somewhat on the back burner due to the advent of technology such as video games.
Board games offer a lot in the way of value. They allow a family to spend time together, engage in quality conversation, joke, laugh, and actively engage one another. For around $20 – $30 a family can get a great board game with infinite playability, and have a very enjoyable time. The other great things about board games are the variety, and, if you are a young married couple, you can find a board game that only two can play.
Board Games:
- Monopoly
- Sorry!
- Scattergories
- Cranium
- Bible Trivia
- Guesstures
- Risk
- Clue
It is always best to thoroughly examine the box for choking hazards if you have young ones, age suggestions, and the number of players. Nearly all games have those basic labels and allow for you to select a game that may better suit your family, or relationship status.
Card Games
Playing Card Games:
- Match Game
- War
- Hearts
- Rummy
- Poker (hundreds of variations)
- Go Fish
- Bridge
- BS
Playing cards are an absolute must-have for your arsenal of cheap, fun, and entertaining nights.
Video Games
We ordinarily won’t endorse video games, especially over some of the previously mentioned ideas, but we can’t deny that they can offer a lot of value for the price. The upfront cost can definitely be terrifying, often times reaching into the mid-hundreds, but for the time spent this can actually be a great value compared to a lot of pass-times.This assumes that you don’t turn your video game system into a money pit by purchasing new equipment and games every week.
What’s Wrong With Video Games?
Now, some may be wondering why we don’t really care for video games. We have a few reasons but the most important is that few people can honestly interact while playing a video game. Video games require intense attention and that renders a person nearly useless for anything other than playing the video game.
Some may think that we’re being a bit harsh, but if you don’t believe us then try holding a conversation the next time you see someone playing a game. You’ll be hard pressed to get a real response beyond a simple “uh-huh,” “Yeah, or “No.” Better yet, after holding a conversation wait for the game to be over and ask the person for a detailed break down of what was talked about.
Video games are a curious thing to us, because we’ve really never seen two people be able to sit next to each other doing the exact same thing, and really never actually interact with one another. This is why we have trouble recommending video games.
Photo Credits:
Monopoly: Horst Frank
Flush: Tage Olsin