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Family Life, the Universe and Everything with a Latte on the Side

Things To Do Together When You're Broke or Can't Get a Babysitter

Thursday, 27 April 2017

Woody and Buzz
"You've got a friend in me ..."

We like going out, but sometimes the state of our bank balance tells us we have to stay in. Other times, the bank balance is fine, but there's no babysitter.  Here are some of our best budget / no baby sitter date night ideas:

  • Movie night.  Put on a DVD or stream a film, crack open the snacks and the drinks, dim the lights ... Enjoy your film.  Lose all feeling in your lap when cat appears and makes himself comfortable.
  • Board games.  We dig out Monopoly or Cluedo.  Playing them is like being transported back to when you were 10 at a time there was no Internet or Mobiles and only 4 TV channels.  (The Tubblet always looks horrified when we talk about this).  We are all very competitive, but Rev T usually wins. Some of us have mastered their "gracious loser" face whilst others are still learning.   You can also shoot things on the games console if there are enough controllers to go round.
  • Go for a coffee.  We love spending an hour or so in coffee shops watching the world go by. It's much cheaper than going for dinner but still gets us out of the house.  We like window seats so we can sip and people watch.
  • Walking.  Beautiful scenery, fresh air whilst talking about important stuff and getting fit. 
  • Pinterest challenge.  Pinterest is full of pictures from days gone by - holiday brochures, knitting patterns etc.  Make like a model and recreate the photos.  Check out The Quirky Parent for inspiration.  Make things more interesting by having a competition.  Load the photos up onto Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to see who gets the most likes.  Loser buys coffee.
  • Dinner parties.  One friend provides the venue and the main course, the other the pudding and both contribute towards the wine.  This assumes you have friends who like cooking and both sets of children get on, but hopefully! The children borrow a bed for a few hours being taken home and the parents get some adult time.  We only had issues with this once, when we suggested it to another Ministerial couple.  They only allowed family members upstairs.  We totally got it.  Having boundaries to ensure the Manse is a family home not an extension of the church is really important. Everyone draws them differently. For them, it was who went upstairs.  It took a bit of negotiation, but everyone got their dinner, the Tubblet got a place to sleep and a great time was had by all.
  • Do stuff online.  iRazoo lets you earn points by doing tasks - taking a survey, reading a blog, watching a video, playing a game, referring a friend etc - that turn into rewards to spend at online shops like Amazon or turned into cash from Paypal.  See who can earn the most in an hour. (See.  Told you we were competitive).
Let me know what you think of these ideas or other things you've tried in the comments.

[Disclosure:  This post was done in collaboration with iRazoo but all views are my own].
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Living Brand, Fun, Life, Simple
Posted by Unknown

46 comments

  1. Celine Bell27 April 2017 at 09:42

    Going for a coffee is my fave thing to do, low investment, high opportunity for cake :)

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:52

      Indeed! Any place where there is a high opportunity for cake is a good place. As long as it's decent cake ;)

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  2. Donna Dundas27 April 2017 at 10:36

    Great ideas. I'm so guilting of never knowing what to do or always doing the same things! #coolmumclub

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:52

      Sometimes it's hard to think of something new. It took me a while to come up with some of these! Thank you for commenting

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  3. Imperfect Mum27 April 2017 at 11:42

    Really cool ideas, we love a games night and regularly have dinner parties with our friends too. But my fave has to be a beach walk. Thank you for linking up to #ablogginggoodtime 🎉

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:53

      Love a beach walk - but sadly the beach is too far away for this to be a regular thing. We have loads of country though and we get out there regularly

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  4. Musings of a tired mummy...zzz...27 April 2017 at 16:15

    Cuddling up with a bowl of popcorn and watching something together sounds perfect #sharingthebloglove

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:53

      Sounds blissful! We love doing that :)

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  5. Mrs G27 April 2017 at 20:33

    This is one to definitely pin for later use! Have to say though we recently hosted a dinner party and spent a fortune! next tie must go lower end ha ha.
    Thanks for sharing with #coolmumclub

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:54

      We have to watch dinner parties as well as it's easier to spend more than you intended. But it's usually cheaper than a take-away and we know what's in it!

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  6. Emma Island Living28 April 2017 at 10:26

    Nights in are our new nights out nowadays. That and coffee and cake. I also love a bit of people watching, especially the neighbours. I am convinced that one of them is a spy ;-) #FridayFrolics

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:55

      I demand a post on why! Totally curious ....

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  7. Feeling Mum Yet28 April 2017 at 10:38

    Good ideas, will defo try some with my 3 men :) #FabFridayPost

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:55

      Hope you enjoy them

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  8. kristin mccarthy28 April 2017 at 14:09

    with four littles we rarely get out - but we love having friends and their kids over!

    #fabfriday

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:56

      It's great isn't it?! We love playing catch-up with friends and family

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  9. Emily C28 April 2017 at 18:06

    A great idea for a post in these financially testing times. #PoCoLo

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:56

      Thank you :) Everything is so expensive :(

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  10. becky Clark28 April 2017 at 19:22

    Some great tips here! We're trying to save for a house so we've been playing lots of board games recently. We're also very competitive so itll be great to try so of your other suggestions! #sharingthebloglove

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:56

      Hope they work for you and good luck with the saving. Hope you get enough for a deposit soon

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  11. jodie filogomo28 April 2017 at 21:55

    Sometimes it's better to do the simple things---then you can enjoy the time together!!
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com
    #FabFridayPost

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:57

      So true! We love spending time together. (Except when we don't!)

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  12. Kim Carberry29 April 2017 at 10:44

    Great ideas! The simple things always seem better than the faff of getting a babysitter and going out, out! #PoCoLo

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:57

      We don't really have a babysitter locally so we've had to get creative over the years or we wouldn't do anything!

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  13. Katy - Hot Pink Wellingtons29 April 2017 at 20:04

    I'm not going to lie - I've always loved a night in! And a board game too, although I'm looking forward to the day my son is old enough to join in. I'd like to think we're a less competitive family than the one I grew up in though, hopefully with fewer cheaters (my sister was terrible for cheating!) Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:58

      My mum was the worst! If Grandma didn't win, no one was playing anymore! She was terrible

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  14. White Camellias29 April 2017 at 21:11

    These are fab ideas but must admit my favourite by far is the pinterest challenge. What a great and fun idea. Thank you for sharing with #StayClassyMama

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:58

      Thank you :) Glad you liked it

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  15. Rhyming With Wine29 April 2017 at 21:38

    A coffee shop is my idea of heaven nowadays, and I totally agree - You can't beat a home cinema night! I used to love board games too but the OH is too competitive and knows all the cheats! (Like all the obscure scrabble words spelled with a Q!) Great ideas! #coolmumclub x

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:59

      I won't play Scrabble with Rev T either - he's also way too good. I want to have the chance of winning! Glad you enjoyed it :)

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  16. Life Love and Dirty Dishes1 May 2017 at 08:44

    We have nothing planned today and you've just inspired me to go for a walk and stop for cake! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics

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    1. Mrs Tubbs1 May 2017 at 15:59

      Great! My work is done :)

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  17. Laura - Dear Bear and Beany1 May 2017 at 18:40

    I've always loved a night in and now we rarely have nights out. I love a board game, but they don't tend to come out that often. We must make more effort. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

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    1. Mrs Tubbs3 May 2017 at 09:58

      Rev T was laughing at me last night as he pointed out that I'd made it sound like we played board games way more often than we do! We need to make more effort as well :)

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  18. Lucy At Home2 May 2017 at 20:18

    I've never heard of irazoo but it sounds interesting! We're really competitive too and love to play board games. People watching is always good too. #ablogginggoodtime

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    1. Mrs Tubbs3 May 2017 at 09:58

      I love a good people watch. I'm so nosy!

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  19. Peachy Little3 May 2017 at 03:59

    You make me want to dust off the old monopoly board. When Peachy gets old enough I'll tell her all about Monoploy and the unbelievable world of my childhood. #PoCoLo

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    1. Mrs Tubbs3 May 2017 at 09:59

      It's great fun. The Tubblet is always horrified. Four TV channels?! No mobiles?! Eeek!

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  20. Mudpie Fridays3 May 2017 at 21:39

    Great selection of ideas :) I always struggle with ideas so its great to have a post like this. Sometimes we bake as well as its great when its raining the more chocolate thats involved the better in my book! Stopping by from #Sharingthebloglove x

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    1. Mrs Tubbs4 May 2017 at 10:55

      Baking isn't one I'd have thought of as we're not bakers, but cookery is a great idea :) Thank you

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  21. A Green and Rosie Life4 May 2017 at 06:55

    I think you have just written my life!! Especially board games - we love those and are gong to splash out on a new Settlers of Catan expansion. Cheaper than a meal out, kinder on the waistband and lasts much longer!! #pocol

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    1. Mrs Tubbs4 May 2017 at 10:56

      I've not played Settlers, but it does look fun. Enjoy the expansion!

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  22. Silly Mummy4 May 2017 at 11:42

    Good ideas! I love board games! Thanks so much for joining us for #FridayFrolics

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    1. Mrs Tubbs7 May 2017 at 20:24

      Thank you so much for hosting each week and have a good one

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  23. Crummy Mummy4 May 2017 at 11:59

    All great ideas except board games - I hate those!! #ablogginggoodtime

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    1. Mrs Tubbs7 May 2017 at 20:24

      Fair enough! We can't all like the same things

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