The $100.00 Challenge

So, I recently had week off from work with my 5 year old and challenged myself to do something fun each day with only $100.00. (The budget included gas for the van.) At first, I thought this was going to be difficult to do since the child had, a few weeks earlier, been to the Museum of Science and Six Flags. To my pleasant surprise, I was wrong. We had a really fun week and I realized that my child was just as happy with simpler things to do.

Here was our itinerary:

Monday’s cost of fun: $17.00

             Mini-golf and a picnic

             Mini-golf at a course in Tyngsboro- cost: $17.00 for both of us

             Picnic at Greeley Park in Nashua, NH- free

Tuesday’s cost of fun: $22.97

            A Matinee at Chunky’s Cinema

            Matinee costs at Chunky’s are cheaper than other cinemas

            Ticket Cost: $11.50 for both of us

            Snack- We shared “Hagrid’s Big Cupcake” for $4.99 and each had a drink totaling $3.98  

            $2.50 for a tip

Wednesday’s cost of fun was a total blast and it was free!

            Boarding House Park – a children’s concert

            We sang and danced to some really great music. My daughter created a craft and we got to ride the trolley.

Thursday’s cost of fun: $18.00

            Parlee Farm in Tyngsboro

            Strawberry picking, ice cream & petting farm animals

Friday’s cost of fun: $9.98

            Clay painting at the mall

            For $7.00 my daughter was able to paint a clay kitten and take it home that day.

            We walked through the nice, cool mall and stopped by the candy store for a $2.98 treat.

The total week of fun which included a $30.00 tank of gas came to: $97.95!

So, I challenge you to challenge yourself. Give this a try and you will learn so much about what is out there plus how to save a dollar or for me $2.05.

Maybe next year, I’ll try the week of fun for just the cost of gasoline…hm I wonder how much the gasoline will cost by then?