Frugal Family Game Nights | Family Economics

By Christina

Family game nights are a great way to connect with your loved ones, teach sportsmanship, and have fun.

Here are a few ways to have a frugal family game night.

Plan your menu. Think of Family Game Night just like you would any other party - only the invitees are your family. Plan a fun menu of easy to prepare, inexpensive foods. Consider making your own pizza, making some popcorn, buying snacks on sale with coupons, or baking cookies ahead of time.

Buy games at thrift stores, garage sales or estate sales. Check to make sure the games have all the pieces and instructions and remember to buy games that are age appropriate to avoid frustration. Dominos make a great game for the whole family, and helps kids learn their numbers and counting. 

Buy games with coupons or during sales. If you don’t want to buy games secondhand, watch for sales and coupons and stock up when you can. Games make great gifts all year round.

Card games and dice games. A deck of cards and a set of dice are two things you can purchase cheaply that will offer you an infinite number of fun games for all ages. Do a quick search for card and dice games online and you’ll find instructions, or you can head to your local library and check out a book that outlines all the rules for the best card and dice games.

Think outside the box. Sometimes the best games aren’t board games. Play a game of charades, musical chairs, or make your own memory game. Consider a video game tournament. Our local public radio station does a weekly call-in trivia show. There are no prizes - only bragging rights - but it’s a fun way to spend a Saturday evening.

Trade games with a friend or neighbor. If you get tired of playing the same games all the time, swap them. Better yet, invite your friends and neighbors to come over to play and add to the fun!

Make up your own games. Sometimes the best fun can be had when you come up with your own games, or adapting games you already have. A friend of mine and I once created a jail card in Monopoly so that we could buy the jail and charge people fines for loitering there. You could also devise a game tournament in which family members could compete for a grand prize, such as a special treat or experience.

Family game nights are an inexpensive way to spend quality time with your family. Be sure to have lots of games to choose from, and some great snacks and you’ll be sure to have fun!