Saving Money on Special Events & Entertainment

Entertaining On A Budget

Budgeting does not have to mean that your fun has to end! There are so many great forms of entertainment that are either very cheap or entirely free. Why not try some of our great ideas so you can have fun with the family whilst saving money?

Budgeting doesn’t have to mean that you miss out on entertainment. If you are worried that saving money means that you won’t be able to have a good time then fear not – below you will find some great ideas on budget entertainment.

Consider a Dinner Party

Going out for the evening can be really expensive these days. The food, the drink, the entertainment – it all has to be paid for separately. However, there is a much cheaper way to spend time with your friends. Dinner parties can be fun and a lot cheaper than going out. It is also more ideal if you have children as you will not have to pay for a babysitter. If your friends have children also then they can keep each other company.

You could even turn it into what is known as a pot luck party. Everybody is responsible for bringing one thing. Somebody could be in charge of drinks, while somebody else could be in charge of an accompaniment. This is a great way to save money and to get everyone involved. You could even swap recipes at the party if you like a particular dish.

Another fun idea would be to dress up. A fancy dress party can be really good fun and you can relive the night if you take plenty of pictures.

A DVD Night

A DVD night is another great idea that can cost as little as $15. You just need a few snacks, a DVD and maybe a bottle of wine. If you would prefer to then you could also cook a nice meal. One of the best things about a DVD evening is that you do not have to get dressed up. You can stay in your comfortable clothing for the duration of the night.

Get Fit and Healthy

If you like keeping fit but you cannot afford the gym then there are plenty of free exercises that you can do. Why not turn it into a social event and get the whole family involved. You could play tennis or you could go on long walks together. If you prefer to exercise alone then why not invest in fitness DVD’s? You can even find them at your local library.

Read a Book/Write a Story

If you want to bring out your creative side then reading and writing is definitely the way to go. If you go along to your local library then you can borrow books to save money. This is one of the best budgeting tips that you can follow.

Don’t forget that there are also many free entertainment ideas that you can partake in. Is there a local museum that you could go to? Many museums are free to enter and they can provide a fun packed day out for all of the family.

Overall there are so many ways in which you can start saving money on your entertainment. Why not try out any of the above ideas today, and see just how much fun you can have while still saving money.

ENTERTAINMENT & EVENTS: How To Save Money On Special Events & Entertainment

Long Weekends can be expensive

There is quite possibly no greater enemy to your money savings than a long weekend. They’re great for relaxing and getting you back to work energised after you’ve caught up on some shows, or maybe reading or some housework. They give you a great amount of extra time to do. Unfortunately, extra time to do means extra time to spend, and too often, long weekends fall around major events so you’ll spend a good deal of money on entertainment.

How can you avoid falling into this trap and spending too much money over your long weekend? Here’s a few ideas to help you out.

Long Weekend Friday Night Drinks!

Yes! Or… no? Wait, what? I know, I know. A long weekend calls for celebration and entertainment! Time to hit the club or the bar with your friends and unwind after your long, stressful week! But why would you go out and drop $100 or more on drinks when you could drink cheaper, not drink, or have friends over to your home instead?

Instead of going out and spending a lot of money on drink at your bar or club of choice, grab some movies or put on some music and have the entertainment at your house. Bring your friends over, have some drinks and relax! Not only is it cheaper, but it avoids cab fare as well. Your friends can stay over if they need, making it the safer option as well!

Long Weekend Spending

Long weekends create an environment in which people feel more like spending – often times cutting into their money saving. It feels good to shop, that’s for sure, but is it really a great idea?

Instead of going out and spending money, go out and window shop. Look for potential gifts and make a note to look for deal online later when you get home. Then, go home, have a glass of wine, turn on some music and go online browsing for better deals!

Saturday Night Dinner

On a long weekend, the temptation to go out to eat can be huge. If your budget allows, go for it. Instead of splurging on dinner though, cook up something impressive at home. Try out that new recipe you’ve been wanting.

You can even turn it into a social even if you want. Invite over all your friends and barbecue! Or, alternatively, you can just have a nice romantic night in with that special someone. Here, we’re going back to rented movies, a bottle of wine and that new recipe you wanted to try your hand at.

There are many other things that you can do for free or cheap over long weekends as well. These are all great ideas, but you can come up with more for sure. Take the kids out to the park or go out for a leisurely stroll with your partner. Spend your day playing video games, or catching up with a good book. I know this doesn’t sound fun, but if you’re backed up at all, you can always go and do some extra work to get your workload a little lighter. It’s not the best way to spend a long weekend, but it’ll help take the stress off at work.

Cheap Halloween – Cheap And Budget Friendly Ideas

Spooky Fun the Cheap Way

Halloween wasn’t always as popular as it is today. It was celebrated in the United States and eventually moved over to other countries such as Australia over time as various countries were Americanized. Because of the nature of the event, not all children were permitted to ask for sweets door to door. On the other side of the coin, sometimes it is still a surprise to some people when the children come around to the doors and ask for sweets and while they might be just as surprised when the local children don’t like them for not giving out things that are tasty, at least they might give out something.

This being said, when the paren’ts don’t celebrate Halloween, when the children become old enough and move out, they have all of the freedom they want to celebrate the day and to give out all of the sweets that they want to.

There are of course, the children who are allowed to go around on Halloween asking for candy but simply don’t have a costume because of the budget of their family. These are some ideas that people can use to celebrate Halloween when they aren’t of age or perhaps of the looks to go around asking for candy.

Cheap Halloween Party Ideas

The Cooperative: This is an event where a group of friends or individuals get together and pool in some money and buy candy and anything else comes out of the each individual’s pocket, thus not costing the organizer as much. Of course, entry is free for such a thing as long as they are in a costume.

The Movie Night: It is always fun to have friends in for a movie but it is even better when the friend who always screams is there. This is just to add for the entertainment value. All a person needs is the scary movie, a dark room, some black candles, and they have an evening all set. Such movies as the Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Blair Witch Project, or of course, the Addams Family could be nice choices.

The Bake-Off: Halloween treats are generally cheap to make and there are many different treats to choose from. Anything from gravestone cupcakes to macaroni skeletons and everything in between is quite plausible. The bloody punch with a floating hand is a nice one as well. Of course, if there are children around one might want to be careful of how much gore is used in the treats.

The Murder Party: Hosting a murder party is a great way to have fun but also to test the ability to play tricks or think if a thick murder plot.

Cheap Halloween Costumes

Of course, even for these events a person needs a costume. Halloween ideas are not skimpy in this area:

• Ghost – cut up a sheet and pull it over and it’s done. Make sure there are eyeholes however.
• Zombie – if a person has extra toilet paper, it is the perfect idea. Just wrap up and go.
• Pirate – get a eye patch from the dollar store or make one and tie a sash around the belt.
• Miss America – A person may already have the fake tiara and the cheap jewellery and many people find beauty queens a little scary anyway.

There are many more than this of course – just see what is in the closet and use the imagination, plus a little paint.

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