Two words parents love - quality and affordability. Quality time with family is extremely difficult as parents work to make ends meet and the children seem to have a social life that fills a calendar from sun up to sun down. And, with families stretching every last dime to help pay for necessities, frivolous expenses like going out to the movies is becoming an activity of the past.

In an effort to gain an affordable evening with the family that can give you all the quality time you definitely deserve, I wanted to offer you two ideas outside of dinner with your family, that can help bring you all together. I have implemented these two activities within my own home and they have turned out to be quite a hit!

Board Game Night

An extremely simple idea that generates a lot of fun and friendly chatter. Board games are an extremely inexpensive alternative to going to a movie and you may already have some fun family favorites sitting within your hall closet.

Try to have a variety of games, at least two to three favorites. This allows your family to alternate each week what game to play. Simple inexpensive, games such as cards and dominoes are great ideas and an be played for hours.

Did You Know…? It will cost approximately $26.20 for a family of four to attend a movie, not including drinks or snacks. Over one month, your family could spend $104.80 attending one movie per week. Hasbro’s Monopoly board game is priced around $12.00, saving you $14.20 per week or $92.80 per month.

Family Book Club

There are many ways to spin the family book club depending on the age range of the children. Families with young adults can use the same book list with classics or another enjoyable genre. Families with children of various ages can create a book list specific for each age group.

Each month, pick a new book to read and then set aside one night per week to share in discussion. You will grow to love learning about the characters from family member’s views. For very young children just learning to read, maybe a reading circle is in order instead of a discussion group.

Gather your family around in a circle and parents can read aloud to their youngsters. One week include a book that your young reader can read to you. This is a wonderful building block for encouraging reading long term.

I encourage everyone to visit their local library for a great selection of books to read that most normally cost nothing to borrow to possibly a small nominal yearly fee. Now go and have a great family night!

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