Strapped for cash and looking for some cheap entertainment options out of the house? There’s plenty of fun stuff to do out in the world with little to no cash! You just have to be willing to put in a little effort to find the best deals out there.
You may search for activities in your area and get scared off by the high ticket price. However in most cases, there are ways to bring this price down to make it easier on your wallet.
Here are 7 tips and tricks to finding those cheap entertainment options around town.
1. Do your research
This a very vague guideline, I get that. But it needs to be said as it isn’t so obvious to some of you out there.
This tip can also be applied to many of the following tips too. A little digging can only help you!
Before you plan to go bowling or out to a movie, search for coupons online either on the establishment’s website or any of the awesome coupon sites you can find. I suggest checking Groupon, Retail Me Not, and simply just searching for coupons on Google.
See if your local newspaper has any coupons in it. Check Facebook to see if anyone has posted anything about any great deals.
Finding a discount for anything starts with effort, and in most instances it doesn’t take much to find a deal.
2. Save advertisements and coupons you get in the mail and newspaper
I mentioned this above, but want to reiterate that you can find some great savings on activities throughout town from print ads.
They may clutter your countertops and be annoying to go through. However, you may be surprised at what you might find.
Stay organized with a list and an envelope. Can’t use your coupons if you don’t know what you have or where to find them.
One of my favorite local restaurant joints has a very basic website without much to it, but that doesn’t have an effect on the quality of their sandwiches. So you bet I’m carrying around a paper coupon in my wallet for whenever I meet my wife out there for a lunch date!
3. Take advantage of local fundraising coupon books/cards
Much of the same logic from #2 applies here. The biggest difference is you have to offer up a small investment, usually around $20 in my experiences, to get tons of amazing coupons!
The best part is you can usually make your money back in 2 or 3 coupons. After that it’s all savings, which means more money in your pocket!
I’ve gotten fundraiser coupons for everything from free rounds of golf to $100 off a TV. So no matter what your tastes are, I’m confident there’s coupons out there for everyone!
In addition to all the savings from coupon books/cards, you’re also most likely supporting a great cause. Just wanted to throw that out there for those of you who like feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
4. Explore parks and other free spots around town
It’s easy to pass by all the parks and other free spots around town while going from home to work and back and wherever else your busy life takes you. Open your eyes to all those options for entertainment and you may be surprised what you can find!
Most towns, big and small, have awesome parks you can hang out at to have a cookout, throw a football around, or go for a walk while your kids play on the monkey bars.
Now for those of you out there that have to deal with cold and snowy winter weather like I do, ice skating and sledding are both free activities that will provide hours of fun. You just have to explore a little bit to find where to go.
It all comes back to #1, and if you just do your research, you will be able to find fun free activities around town.
5. Utilize employer discount programs
Finding fun things to do through work. That might not be something that you would think is possible, but there’s actually a lot of employers that offer great discounts on things to do outside of work.
I once got a $50 ticket to a waterpark for $15 through a discount program at work. Can’t beat that!
Many employers also offer social clubs, where for a small fee you can get access to all sorts of fun activities. At my previous job, I was able to get tickets to a play performance that sold out really quick for free just for being a member of the social club for a $5 monthly fee.
So do some digging into any and all discounts your employer offers. You might be surprised at what you can find!
6. Attend a local high school or college event
I know I don’t speak for everyone, but I really enjoy watching sports. And while it sounds awesome to go to a professional sporting event many times throughout the year, you can rack up quite a hefty bill by doing that.
Most high school or college sporting events have admission costs of less than $5. Super cheap and you can still get the fun atmosphere of a sporting event.
Is it the same as going to an NBA or NFL game? Probably not. But it still can be a blast and comes at a fraction of the cost.
And even though I used sporting events as an example, this can apply to other events as well such as music concerts, plays, etc.
7. Follow local businesses on social media
Would you look at that. Another tip that comes back to doing a little research. Take some time to like and follow local businesses around the area and you could stumble upon some nice discounts!
It’s always good to check back to business social media pages around holidays as many will offer an incentive to get you into their building. There may also be random times that a business will offer something that you wouldn’t have found if it weren’t for scrolling through your feed.
And when businesses post information about a contest or drawing, go ahead and give the post a share, like, comment or whatever else they want you to do to enter. You can’t win anything unless you give it a shot!
Social media is becoming the number one source for advertising these days, so use it to find out where the best happy hour is at or when the biggest sale of the year hits.
Conclusion
Whether you read the entire post or stopped after the first few paragraphs, you probably got the idea that doing your research is the most important tip to gain from this. Discounts aren’t just going to fall into your lap without at least a little effort. So just keep that in mind and happy saving!
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