Our girls are now teenagers.  I have asked them to compile a list of things they like to do that don’t cost much money.  Below are some of the things they have come up with.  They are not the typical teenage girls as in they don’t hang out at the mall with their friends.  Their idea of the perfect weekend is to invite their friends over to the house for movie night, make homemade pizza, and popcorn.

1. Go swimming.  Chances are you know someone with a swimming pool, if not most places have lakes.  If you are lucky enough as we are and live near a beach, not only is it good exercise but it is fun.

2. Have a water fight, if you have some of those intense water guns they're actually a lot of fun.  If you don’t you could use the water hose or water balloons.  Check out your dollar store for some great prices on water toys.

3. Camp in the Backyard all you need is a tent.  One year when we didn’t have a tent so we used a sheet and some stakes.  We put the sheet over the trampoline and the girls camped under it.

4. Sidewalk chalk, may seem immature but with friends it is lots of fun, try drawing exaggeratedly funny pictures of your friends

5. Bonfires.  Make sure there is an adult to supervise the fire.  Check craigslist to see if anyone is giving away wood.  It is a great source for cheap or free supplies for your bonfire.

6. Ask your parents for a spot of the yard or if you know someone who has a piece of land that they will let you dig it up, you could try your hand at gardening. You may find that it is more fun to do with friends. There are several things you can do with the vegetables.  You can either supply the veggies to your families, sell them, or grow them to donate to a food bank. And seeds aren't that expensive and can ask your parents to help you pay for them. You can get books from the library about gardening, or look up articles on the internet. And it's a great skill to have.

7. You and your friends could write a play, practice it and perform for your families.  Or you could make a video.

8. Take a nature walks remember to bring along a camera.  Bring some paper and sketch trees or take rubbings of their bark.

9. Decorate your room. Be sure to get your parent's permission first. Painting is easy once you get the basic tools and check out different techniques.  Look on the Internet for ideas. Try doing stripes or different colored walls, then think about what you can move around and use to create new looks.

10. Take walks. Not only is the exercise good for you, but you'll see things you'd never notice while whizzing by in the car.

11. Learn a new skill like dance routines, cooking/baking, tie-dying or woodwork. A new hobby can eat up hours!

12. If you have a digital camera, you could take pictures of things outside and then create a website to show off your pictures. There are lots of photo sharing websites so you don't have to do the set-up work. You could put them on photobucket or just use your facebook.

13. If you live in a city that offers mass transportation like bus lines or trolleys,  you can plan to take a random bus and just explore the city. Look for all sorts of neat little shops. Don't forget your camera. You can take neat pictures.

14. Go to your local library and volunteer to help with a kids reading program. They will love you for it and you will feel good. This is also a great opportunity for you to check out some great books of your own to read.

15. Take a free class. Michael's and Hobby Lobby usually have free classes on things like beading projects, scrapbooking, etc. They also have free instruction sheets on doing all sorts of crafts.

16. You could make a CD of all your favorite songs and title it "Soundtrack of My life".   There are some great sites on the web that will allow you to download music for free.  If all else fails there is youtube.

17. Plan a picnic.  This time of year the grocery stores have a great selection of picnic items on sale.  This is something you can do with your mom or with your friends.  Make simple items like sandwiches, potato salad, chips, bottled water (made from bottles you have recycled and filled up) or lemonade, etc. 

Remember "fun" is in your attitude. Think about this quote "Do what you love and you'll never have to work." I think it is great advice.

Are you looking for something to take your children to do this summer that is free and out of the heat.  Try  taking them to a free movie.  The following is a link where you can go and find the theater nearest you that is offering this program.

http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx

Here is what the site has to say:

REG’s Free Family Film Festival is Now Showing!

We have planned a fun-filled summer of select movies for kids and parents. Regal has proudly offered this free summer fun since 1991. Oh, did we mention that it’s FREE!

Selected G or PG movies start at 10:00am every Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. Tickets and seating are first-come, first-served and are limited to theatre capacity.

The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer. Tickets for our 2010 Free Family Film Festival are exclusively available at select theatres’ box office on the day of the show.

You can also select a state from the list below to find participating theatres in your area along with what films are playing each week!

Go ahead give it a try.  We love this program, it is great when you are on a budget.  If you are planning a vacation, check and see if the city you are going to offers this program.  It will save on your entertainment budget.

Here is a listing of phishing sites, scam sites, and address harvesters.  This list came from Cafemom.com.  The ladies spent a lot of time researching these sites and compiling them so you and I don’t have to.  We certainly appreciate their efforts.  Thank you ladies.  Thanks to JHanc968 for permission to post their hard work.