Using your imagination and some of the public services available through your community will open an entire new world of adventure.

Most communities offer several free or very low cost activities to the public. Being on a tight budget and the cost of raising a family now days can often be a cause for many people to act much like hermits. This is because they have not yet found the secrets to the cheep and free fun.

Here are some community web pages that you can look at to find out what is available in your area.

http://www.go-utah.com/
http://www.weekendevent.com/statefairs.htm
http://www.airshows.org/
http://familyfun.go.com/
http://boston.parentzone.com/parentresources.asp?prid=647
http://www.baltimore.to/Guide/baltimore_inexpensive.html

You can find many more sites like these on the Internet that have several free or low cost options for you to enjoy. Simply do a search in a browser for "inexpensive activities". This should bring up several ideas. You can also add in the name of your city or state.

The top ten list of free or cheep fun spots

1. Discount prices to sports games
2. City Museum or children's museum
3. Free fishing day
4. Air shows
5. Dollar or less movie
6. Walk in the park
7. Browse at the fair
8. Munch at a food fair
9. Enjoy the sites at the arts festival
10. Swimming

With each activity you choose, there are other activities that come on, about, or around the same time. So planning activities so that they accommodate each other will save you money.

For instance, say you like fishing. Well the cost of the poles, bate, and license is a one-time fee in most cases, and usually lasts the year. So the cost is around $100. However, that cost can then be split between several adventures into the fresh air and sunshine, by looking up different locations, hiking spots, caves, and fun areas to see. The only cost would be the fuel, a picnic (and you have to eat anyway) and any fees to the parks if there were any.

In the instance of most of the other activities, remember that unless it is a food fair, and even then in some cases, eat prior to going. The prices for food are one of the highest expenditures of an outing. The cost to get into the show may only be $5.00 but the food is easily $20.00. Cutting costs by eating before hand will make outings so much easier to afford.

Having fun is as simple and easily affordable as we want it to be. The adventure is in your mind. What is fun to one person may not be fun to another. However, there is nothing as fun as watching you child enjoy an adventure that takes them on the tracks, then gives them new sites to see, and an ice cream to eat in the end. All of their senses are filled and you feel happy to have enjoyed an adventure that was within your budget.