Low-Cost Mom's Nights Out
By Angela Chastain

Every mom deserves a Mom’s Night Out. But with today’s economy it’s hard to justify. Here’s a list of no-cost or low-cost ideas that will provide you and your friends months of sanity on a budget:

A – Adult Ed Class
Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma both offer free classes and are available in many malls.

B – Bowling
Bowling alleys offer great specials and will often include pizza and drinks for a nominal price.

C – Chocolate
Dip strawberries in chocolate or make your own sundaes/banana splits

D – Dessert and Coffee
Go out for dessert and coffee instead of the whole meal. It’s less expensive.

E – Eat In
Have everyone bring a component of the meal to someone's house and eat in.

F – Fashion Show
Get together and swap clothing, jewelry, shoes, purses or all four! Everyone walks away with something new without spending a dime!

G – Game Night
Play board games or Wii games. The fun will last for hours.

H – Holiday Helper
Get together around the holidays to make or wrap gifts.

J – Jewelry Making
Have someone teach your group a class on jewelry making.

K – Knitting
A lot of knitting groups are more than willing to teach a knitting class for a minimal fee.

L – Laser Tag
Split the cost of renting a laser tag arena, have everyone bring an appetizer and a drink to share and you’ve got a Mom’s Night Out for under $20!

M – Movie Night
Watch a chick-flick in someone’s home theater!

O – Organize
Take a class on organizing; everything will thank you for it!

P – Progressive Dinner
Start at your house for appetizers, go to someone else’s for the main course, wrap up the evening at another’s house for dessert and coffee – everyone shares in the cost of the meal.

R – Restaurant
Watch for local coupons and snap a two for one deal to make going out affordable!

S – Spa
Make your own scrubs, swap nail polish or create a microwaveable neck wrap.

T – Take a Friend to Breakfast
Instead of dinner, go out for breakfast as it tends to be the least expensive meal of the day.

U – UFO Night
Have everyone bring their UFOs (Unfinished Objects) and work on them together.

V – Volunteer at a Local Charity Event
This is a win/win – you feel good about what you’re doing and the charity benefits from your help!

W – Whodunit Mystery Night
Play a “Whodunit” mystery game or watch a “Whodunit” movie together.

X – Exercise
Try that new exercise class at the gym; it’ll be a lot more fun with a few friends.

Y – YouTube Night
Have fun creating a video and then share it with friends and family.

Angela Chastain lives with her husband and three sons in New Milford, Connecticut. As a freelance writer, she specializes in parenting, education, travel with children and family issues.