Budget Savvy Lifestyle

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8 Fun Ways to Spend More Family Time with Your Teens

Once your kids hit their tweens and teens, it can become harder to get them to want to spend quality time together as a family.  School, friends, and their hobbies can take up a lot of their time and they may become more reluctant to spend more time with the parental figures in their life. 

I get it!  I was a teen once and spending time with my parents didn’t rank high on my to do list back then! 

Here are some things my husband and I have found to be a good way to spend quality family time with our teens now that they find us a little less cool to hang out with than they once did 🙂

#1 - Family Movie Night at Home

Family Movie Night – We try to have family movie night at home at least once a month.  This has become even more of a bigger deal for us all with Covid still going on and us needing something to break up the monotony of the same old day to day routine we have fallen into. 

As a family we have enjoyed watching all the Marvel movies.  We also have gotten a lot of joy out of watching a lot of classic movies such as Disney ones.  That Darn Cat, Snowball Express, and The Ugly Dachshund are a few others that have been a hit at our house!

We have a movie theater type popcorn machine in our basement and we usually pair that with some soda and candy from the store for movie night!  

#2 - Family Game Night

Family Game Night – Even more popular than family movie night, is family game night at our house. 

This has evolved as the kids have grown.  We used to play games like Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, and Go Fish!   Now we have graduated to UNO, The Settlers of Catan, and Ticket to Ride, to name a few. 

Family Game Night is always accompanied with fun snacks.  Sometimes it’s as simple as some chips and dip, while other times we go all out and make some appetizers or a fun dessert.  

Need some family game night inspiration? 

Sign up to get this free Family Game Night with Teens guide complete with game recommendations and delicious game night recipes and snack ideas to make game nights more special in your house!

#3 - The Drive-In Movie Theater

Take a Trip to the Drive In Theater – This may not work for everyone, but if you are lucky enough to have a Drive In Theater near your home, this is a really great way to make good memories with your teens. 

We have been taking our kids to Drive-In movies since they were babies and it’s something they have continued to love doing no matter how old they get. 

Although many Drive In Theaters have been torn down over the years to make way for new developments (one I went to as a kid is now a Target!), there are still quite a few that have survived.  You can check this site here to see if there is one near you.  Many places are also now doing pop up Drive In movies for the summer months.  

Another option is to create your own “Drive In” theater in your backyard.  Technology has made it cheaper to project a movie onto a screen in your own yard.  You may not drive in to see it but you can still enjoy the experience of a movie in the great outdoors whenever you want!

#4 - Plan an Outing Based on Their Interests

Plan an outing doing something they love – Another wonderful way to get in quality time with your teens is to indulge their passions. 

With my oldest some that means attending car shows and visiting antique malls for some window shopping. 

With my youngest son, that means doing anything related to video games or dinosaurs.  

It can also mean visiting a pet store to look at the animals for sale there or going to the park to fly a kite or race some remote controlled cars.  

#5 - Visit a Local Attraction

Plan an outing attending local attractions –  Zoos, museums, indoor trampoline parks, science centers, historical and living history museums are just a few examples of local attractions that could make a super fun outing for you and your teens.  

Bonus tip: There are often ways to get into some of these attractions for free or at great discounts! 

 Our library offers passes for free or at a discount to attractions in the area.  This is the case both here in Michigan and also when we lived in Arizona so I think quite a few libraries might offer programs like this. 

Also, Bank of America has a Museums on Us program for their members that gives you free admission to 225 different attractions throughout the country on the first full weekend of each month. 

Groupon is another way to find great deals on local attractions.  We use this at least a few times a year to find discounted experiences to do with our boys. 

Finally, check the website of any attraction you are interested in to see if they offer any coupons, discount days, or free admission days.

#6 - Take a Hike

Go on a hike together – This is an activity that my boys and I have enjoyed since they were little and one that they have continued to enjoy throughout their childhood and into their teen years. 

No matter where we have lived in the country, we have always been able to find a lot of amazing hiking locales and trails within a one hour radius of our house. 

Getting out into nature to get some fresh air and exercise is an amazing way to recharge everyone’s batteries and also to reconnect with your teens.

#7 - Enjoy Seasonal Experiences

Enjoy the seasons together – Whether it is visiting an apple orchard or corn maze in the fall or sledding or ice skating in the winter, there are a lot of ways to create fun memories with your teens thoughout the seasons.

 Sledding, pumpkin patch, apple orchard, corn maze, farmer’s markets, ice skating, snowball fight, build a snowman, a game of soccer or tennis, visit a beach or lake, fly a kite….the possibilities are limitless!

#8 - Visit an Amusement Park, Waterpark, or Fair

Go to an amusement park, water park, or fair  – A trip to an amusement park or a water park is always hit with our kids. 

The great thing about this is that even if you live in a colder environment, you can still likely find indoor water and amusement park venues that you can visit year round.  We have several different indoor water parks that are attached to hotels within an hour or so drive from our home.  This is always a favorite family adventure. 

Indoor amusement establishments are always hits with our kids.  Our favorite one has rides, games, a bowling alley, miniature golf, and laser tag. 

We also try to attend a fair at least once a year with our kids.  When we lived in Arizona, we attended the state fair every year.  Here in Michigan, the state fair is a much smaller event so we attend one our our local county fairs. You can find a fair near you on this site!

What is your favorite way to spend time with your tweens and teens?

10 Easy Grocery Budget Lowering Hacks You Can Implement Today!

The grocery budget is always one of the most flexible items in the monthly budget.  It’s where I always look first when I need extra money for something unexpected that has come up. 

Here are 10 changes I often implement to our weekly meal plans when we have to watch the grocery budget even more than usual!

#1 - Implement a Sandwich Night Every Week

 Have a sandwich night for dinner every week. Sandwiches are cheap to make and there is so much versatility here. 

You can switch up the meats, cheeses, sauces, and veggies you put on them as well as changing the bread or buns you use.  Small buns can be used to make delicious sliders warmed in the oven.  

We often break out our panini maker for sandwich night.  My kids favorite panini right now is one with ham, cheddar, and an egg on sourdough.  

#2 - Consider Breakfast for Dinner More Often

Eggs are cheap.  In fact, at my local Aldi store, they are often $0.69 a dozen.  If you don’t have an Aldi nearby, I know my other local chains often have them on sale dirt cheap as well. 

Pair the eggs with a box of frozen sausage links (usually found for no more than $1) and some toast or homemade pancakes or muffins and you have an inexpensive and delicious feast!

#3 - Go Meatless with Beans!

Beans are cheap and can be quite filling.  Think tostadas, burritos and other delicious Mexican dishes.  Other great ways to consume beans include soups or salads.  The possibilities are almost limitless!

A big batch of baked beans in the slow cooker is an easy way to get an inexpensive and nutritious meal on the dinner table on a busy day.  

Here are some of my favorite recipes to include beans into the menu plan!

Mexican Bean Salad  – combining kidney beans, black beans, and cannellini beans along with bell peppers, corn, red onion and cilantro, this bean salad also has a delicious homemade dressing with red wine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, and some spices.  It is not only cost effective, but also delicious.   And even better, it makes such a large batch, I literally eat it for days when I make it!

Slow Cooker Vegan Baked Beans  – A great baked bean recipe for the slow cooker that is both sweet and filling.

#4 - Eat More Pasta Based Dishes

Boxes of pasta can be bought for as cheap as $0.49 a box.  There are so many ways to use pasta to make meals that are both cheap and satisfying for your family.  

Macaroni and cheese is one of our favorites!  There are always great deals on shredded cheese and all the other ingredients are usually items that we have on hand already. 

One of my favorite times to make mac and cheese is when I have leftover pulled pork or shredded buffalo chicken to use up.  We just slap a spoonful right on top of our Mac and cheese.  Here’s my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe.  It’s easy and delicious!

There are so many skillet dishes and casseroles that start with pasta too.  It really is a versatile item to build a meal around.  There is always the old classic and favorite too…spaghetti!

#5 - Find a Few Favorite Tuna Recipes to Add to Your Rotation

Tuna is another frugal way to round our your dinner menu. Isn’t it wonderful when you can get a protein source for under $1?  We like tuna noodle casserole as well as tuna melts and tuna on toast. 

But by far my kids favorite tuna meal are this recipe for Tuna Melt Biscuits.  It only requires a few inexpensive ingredients to make. A can of biscuits. a little bit of shredded cheese and a couple cans of tuna plus a few other items I always have on hand.

#6 - Two Words: Pizza Night!

 Don’t be afraid to implement pizza night.  Aldi has gigantic take and bake pizzas sell for $5-$6 and easily feed four or five people.  They also have frozen pizzas for around $2.75 which are equivalent to the DiGiorno brand.

Other grocery chains often have take and bake pizzas as well in the deli of their stores. And my local Kroger often has great deals on frozen pizzas.  I try to keep some in our freezer for emergency nights when I need a quick dinner!  

Little Caesars also offers a large $5 pizza.  They aren’t as big as the take and bake pizzas that you can get at Aldi, but they can easily feed 3-4 people, especially if you have sides with it. 

Another option is to have a fun family night and make your own pizza.  You can buy pre-made pizza dough at supermarkets fairly cheap or make your own.  I use my bread maker to make pizza dough.  It really takes the work out of the process!  Sauce is usually around $1 a jar, a bag of shredded cheese is usually less than $2, and then whatever toppings you want.  Inexpensive and memorable, especially if you have little ones that love to help out in the kitchen!

I usually make a veggie tray with whatever vegetables we happen to have around the house to go with our pizza nights.  A piece of fresh fruit or a salad are other easy and affordable sides for pizza night.

#7 - Take Advantage of Meat Deals

I always try to stock up when I see a good meat deal.  This can be limited by how much freezer space you have available to you. We have always kept a second fridge in the basement for this purpose.  

My favorite meat deals are when I find meat markdowns at Aldi.  Usually at the location I shop at, this happens right after they open in the morning.  It can be hit or miss so it’s really the luck of the draw but when I do find something, I don’t hesitate to jump on it.  

Typically it’s a few dollars off a package or 50% off. One time, my local store found themselves with too many hams leftover after the holiday season and marked them all down to $5 each.  I got a couple of their boneless spiral hams that normally sell for $2.99/lb.  You never know what kind of deals you might happen across.  Always keep an eye out!

The weekly loss leaders are usually another way to score the best meat deals.  This will be the items that are featured on the front page of your grocery chain’s weekly ad.  These are the items they sell cheap, often for a loss, to get people in the door.

Finally, another way I like to keep my freezer stocked with meat deals is to take advantage of special offers.  Typically around Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, my local Kroger store will offer a ham or turkey deal for a crazy cheap price with an additional purchase (usually $25).  This Thanksgiving, I was able to pick up a 13 lb turkey for under $5 with one of these promotions.  I threw it in the freezer an made it a few weeks later.  It lasted us for several meals!

#8 - Reconsider Your Side Dishes

Anytime I need to reel in our grocery budget, our side dishes are one of the first places I often look.  Do I need really that side or can I find something cheaper to replace it?

You can also think outside the box and plan your meals around the sides instead of the main course. Sometimes I plan several meals around a side that I make that I know will last much of the week.  

One example is my family’s favorite macaroni salad.  It costs me just a few dollars to make and it lasts us at least 3-4 meals.  So if I am planning to make it, I will often plan burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches for the dinner menu that week.  All three items go really well with the macaroni salad and it saves me not only money on my grocery budget, but also time.

Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes are also great sides that are affordable and filling. Fries and tater tots are another one I lean on when I need something inexpensive.  They usually cost less than $2 a bag and last us a couple meals.

Bags of frozen veggies are less than $1 and are a great way to keep your grocery budget on track.  I prefer them over fresh vegetables quite often because I don’t have to worry about them going bad before I can use them and they are quick and easy to prepare.

Bagged salads at Aldi sell for $1 or $2 (perhaps slightly more at other chains) so they are also a really good option to consider.

Finally, I add fresh fruit to our dinners several times a week.  It’s often whatever is in season or on sale that week.  Clementines, berries, melons and apples are some of our favorites for dinner sides.

#9 - Utilize Leftovers

Food waste is a common problem. I’ve had things go bad because they got pushed to the back and forgotten.  It happens.  

I try to prevent it by scaling down recipes that I know we aren’t likely to eat the leftovers on.  Some dishes just don’t reheat well.  I also make sure to freeze leftovers if I know that we won’t be able to consume them within a few days.

Another thing I do is list leftovers on the weekly menu plan for our lunch options so that my family doesn’t forget that they are there if they want them!

Often, if I know something is going to make a lot, I try to plan for the leftovers by putting it twice on the dinner menu for the week or by re-purposing them into another meal for the week.  If I make buffalo chicken sandwiches one night, a few night later we will usually have nachos with the leftover buffalo chicken on top.  Pulled pork is served on buns one day and on top of macaroni and cheese another.

#10 - Simplify Breakfasts and Lunches

I’ve talked a lot about how to lower your grocery budget by making changes to your dinner menu, but breakfast and lunch plans should also be considered.

We keep it pretty simple around here.  Our breakfast items on hand stay pretty consistent from week to week.  I keep oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, eggs, and whole wheat bread for toast in the house for breakfast.

I also usually keep a box or two of frozen waffles on hand because they are my kids’ favorite and the store brand is so inexpensive, it’s not necessary for me to make homemade ones to freeze.

Occasionally I will make a special breakfast on the week if our schedules allow for it. Breakfast casseroles, pancakes, homemade cinnamon rolls, or some biscuits and gravy are in our us rotation for these occasions.  They are affordable and often produce leftovers that the kids eat during the week.

Lunch around our house also stays pretty consistent.  I keep stuff on hand for sandwiches, quesadillas, burritos, and macaroni and cheese.  

We also always have ramen on hand because my husband and youngest son love it. Leftovers, if available, are also another option.

My kids know to grab a main course, a piece of fruit, and some veggies and that’s lunch around here!  It doesn’t cost much and I don’t have to overthink it when I am planning the weekly grocery menu.

What’s your favorite way to save money on your grocery budget?