Good Times Don't Always Require A Lot Of Money

   

- Photo by Amber Cox -

On Memorial Day we spent time with family.  It was fun, memorable and cheap - very cheap. 

Let me tell you five steps Sheila and I took as we made memories with our children across the decades ... and how we did it without spending a lot of money.  

First.
Decide to take your fun with you.  Sheila and I told our kids they had to learn to "take their fun with them" whenever they went anywhere. We said, "You can be in an amazing environment and have a bad attitude, or you can bring wide-eyed-wonder, and a great attitude, to ordinary circumstances. Choosing a good attitude, and bringing your fun with you, produces far better results than trying to 'find something fun to do.'  Fun is hardly ever 'found.' Fun is a choice."

Second.
Admit "good times" usually have a price tag attached. There is a cost and you'll need to pay it willingly, or you'll undermine your family day and sour the experience. Decide you will gladly give your time (a precious commodity), your attention (a treasure to your family), and your help (invaluable to those depending on your ability to drive, to know where you are and where you're going, to know how to start a fire, put out a fire, pitch a tent, catch a fish, roll-up a sleeping bag, kill a spider, recognize Poison Ivy, treat a blister and find your way back to the car). Look for ways to add value.

Third.
Pack your food. A jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and a loaf of bread will go a long way. Take a picnic lunch and enjoy the adventure of everyone making their own sandwich. (This is not the time to obsess over jelly quantities, or control how much peanut butter the kids use.) Lemonade is cheaper than pop. (If you forget, or just want to spend a few dollars and try something new, go to the Mongo Trading Post and buy a sandwich at the same place you rent your canoe and buy your bait.)

Fourth.
State parks, Fish & Wildlife properties and county parks are easy to access, easy to find, well mapped and filled with possibilities. You can hike (like we did at Lawless Park on Memorial Day), canoe (like we've done on the Pigeon River) fish (as we have at Potato Creek) and play on the playgrounds scattered around. You can grill-out over an open fire (in designated areas) or relax beside the water with your family nearby. Bring a frisbee. It doesn't take a fortune and your family can share the wonder of creation. 

Fifth.
Remember -  a great attitude, over a period of time, has a tremendous impact on everyone involved. Where you are, and what you're doing, matters a lot less than who you are, the attitude you choose and how you interact while doing what you're doing. 

Mark my words. Building memories is worth the effort.

Sheila and I have been married since June 5th, 1976. That'll be 34 years this Saturday. We've been building memories with our family - without breaking the proverbial "bank" - for a long, long time. I hope these five suggestions will help you do the same.

Deuteronomy 4:9  -  Watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

Comments

[Jenny Deputy]

Your advice comes at a perfect time for me as our family is preparing to embark on a 3-week cross country camping adventure in less than a month. We are looking at books and online for unusual, cheap things to do along the way as we want to make this a trip the kids will remember for the rest of their lives, yet don't want to bankrupt ourselves in the process. I have a feeling I will be quoting your first piece of wisdom a lot on the trip.

[Daniel Goepfrich]

Happy anniversary, Mark & Sheila!