15 Free or Almost-Free Things Families Can Do This Weekend

Family fun doesn't have to involve expensive tickets, reservations, or elaborate plans.

Some of our favorite memories have come from afternoons when we simply decided to get out of the house and do something together.

Here are 15 inexpensive ideas for your next family day.

Get Outside

1. Explore a new neighborhood park. Instead of visiting your usual playground, pick one you've never tried.

2. Take a family bike ride.

3. Go on a sunset walk.

4. Create a nature scavenger hunt.

Look for things like a yellow flower, an interesting rock, a bird, something shaped like a heart, or three different kinds of leaves.

5. Pack lunch and have a picnic.

Even sandwiches taste better outside.

6. Visit the library.

Let everyone pick one book.

7. Walk through a farmers market.

Give each child a few dollars and let them choose something new to try.

8. Explore a downtown area you've never visited.

9. Visit a free community event.

10. Find a local hiking or walking trail.

11. Have a backyard campout.

12. Let the kids create a family restaurant.

They can design menus, take orders, and help prepare dinner.

13. Hold a family game tournament.

Pick several games and keep score throughout the evening.

14. Have a movie marathon with homemade popcorn.

15. Create a family cooking challenge.

Pick an ingredient and see what everyone can help make.

Kids don't necessarily remember how much something cost.

They remember Dad trying to kick the soccer ball over the tree.

They remember Mom laughing during the game.

They remember the strange pastry everyone tried at the farmers market.

Those ordinary moments are often the ones that become family stories.

Fuel Your Life isn't just about traveling somewhere extraordinary. Sometimes it's about making an ordinary Saturday extraordinary.