Editor’s Note: We emphasized in bold the seven different thrifty ideas submitted by Arlene 123 – thanks Arlene!!

When most people opt for free or cheap entertainment, they see it as saving money, because they’re choosing options that cost less than expensive alternatives. But at the end of the day, they have less money. If I drive to the city museum on the night it is free, I still spend money on gas and parking. If I go to a movie matinee, this still costs more than going to no movie at all. I still occasionally do these things, but I am more likely to look for entertainment that actually saves me money.

At the top of my list is looking for secondhand stuff at lawn sales, flea markets, or even shopping the curb. This is a fun way to spend a day with a friend, spouse or older child. Even factoring in gas, I usually come out ahead in acquiring things my family actually needs.

Instead of eating a $5 meal at a church supper, I prefer to volunteer in the kitchen for the church supper. I still get to socialize with great people, plus I get a free meal. At the end of the evening, volunteers split the leftovers. There are many volunteer opportunities that provide a nice social opportunity, and also have perks.

I like to socialize by helping friends with their projects… such as painting a room. This is a good strategy for friends I might otherwise not get to spend time with. These friends might be genuinely too busy to justify “playing,” or might typically only socialize in expensive ways, like going out to restaurants. When I do projects with friends, the quality of socializing is just as good (or better) than had we done something expensive.

This saves me money because these friends invariably find ways to reciprocate. One friend is good at finding me things at thrift shops she know I will enjoy. I also know I can ask for favors in return, like borrowing a tool they have that I might otherwise need to rent.

I like to sew doll quilts out of fabric bits that are otherwise too small for any other purpose. Even though I have no little girls in my life now, this gives me something I can barter with people who do. Similarly I know men who use wood scraps to make small items they can give as gifts or use for barter.

During the fall I like to go to u-pick orchards. It’s fun and there is considerable savings. We eat all the apples we can stand for a while, and then cook with them as they start to go by.

I like to cook with kids as a save-money form of entertainment. We might bake fun-shaped pretzels, or cookies of their choosing. A young woman I know is a Big Sister to a girl who comes from a home where no food is prepared from scratch. So baking homemade pizza is entertaining to the little girl.

If I have friends over for dinner, I will try to center the meal around surplus garden produce. We might be tired of eating strawberries by then, but strawberries are special to my friends. When they invite me over to their house, they prepare food that might be more expensive for me to prepare for my family. So I have a net savings.

I would enjoy reading how others combine entertainment and saving money.

Homepage photo credit: Tim & Selena Middletown