Now that the weather has turned cold and snowy, it’s easy to just grab a blanket, turn on the tv, and plunk yourself down in front of the TV and slip into hibernation mode. Sure, when it’s snowing and blowing it’s great to catch up on your favorite show, or plan a trip to warmer climates, but sometimes it’s nice to get out and enjoy some of that crisp winter air.
There are lots of things you can do outside in the snow and on the cheap too:
Go for a skate
Lots of recreation centers offer free public skating throughout the week. Around these parts, volunteers turn the ball diamonds into outdoor skating rinks, which are free to use too. Just call a local rec centre or ask around – you might be surprised at how much free ice time there is.
Build a snow fort
Bundle up and get building. Building a good snow fort is an essential winter activity – it’s fun and depending on your engineering skills may provide sufficient cover during the inevitable snowball fight.
Go for a winter wander
Whether you just go up the street, or head out to a local conversation area, winter walks are a great way to get some exercise and spend some time with friends or loved ones. Bring along a bird book or animal track book and have fun identifying species or grab your camera and practice your photography skills.
Make snow candy
You know what’s awesome and fun? Making your own candy. Heat up some maple syrup (the real stuff) and drop it into clean snow and you’ve got maple taffy. Pair it with some mulled cider and you’ve got yourself a real treat.
Let the snow games begin!
Try playing your favorite summer sport in the snow. Football and baseball can be especially fun. If sports aren’t your fancy, there’s lots of other games or activities you can try freeze tag, snowball tag, snowmen/animal-building contests,
Have a winter campfire
This is one of my favorite winter activities – we hike back to the woodlot and have a campfire. Don’t have a woodlot, that’s ok – just dig out your backyard pit. Bring marshmallows and/or wieners to cook over the fire or anything else you’d like to eat or drink and make a picnic out of it.
Go stargazing
Clear winter nights make for great stargazing opportunities. Borrow an astronomy book from a local library, hit up the internet or get one of those nifty stargazing apps and see what you can see.
Go tubing/sledding
All you need is something to park your butt on and a hill. Fun is pretty much guaranteed!
Check out a local festival
There are lots of winter festivals out there, so chances are you’ll be able to find one locally. Check out the local paper or community calendar and see what’s planned for the winter months.
What other winter frugal fun ideas can you think of?
