As part of our Very Frugal Christmas special, our goal is to help you find ways to cut costs without sacrificing the festive spirit. With most nations having a Christmas break of about 3 weeks, including weekends, keeping your children entertained can be a challenge. In this series, we aim to provide you with ideas to keep your family as peaceful as possible during this time.
In this article, we delve into the world of gaming and other entertainment options. If you have more than one child, this can be a great way to keep them engaged and entertained. It’s also important to provide activities that allow your children to burn off some of their energy, while also being mindful of their sugar intake. These strategies can help you manage your children’s energy levels and keep them happy and healthy during the Christmas break.

The Sims 4

The Sims 4 takes hours to play, it’s open ended, with the base game free to play as well as regular free events. The current free event runs until the beginning of January, called the Cozy Celebrations 2024. A few free items are included with the update, to get players going. Skills need to be upgraded to achieve goals, which takes time too. This game is appropriate for children over the age of 11 or 12 due to difficulty level. Pro-tip; keep saving Sims regularly, it can crash. Hours of quiet.

Fortnite LEGO

Suitable from ages 8-10 years, depending on your Childs skill level. LEGO have a basic description on their website for parents to have a look at. The Fortnite game is big to download, so allow time for it to download and copy into your hard drive.

Fall Guys

Proven to be very popular, this fun game is also free to play. If you are using a PC for gaming, the epic store offers free games regularly with a free Star Wars game available for download until December 13th, 2024.

In-game purchases

Be strict about in-game purchases, if you allow some purchases, do not give credit card details. Every platform from PlayStation to X-Box, Apple and Google are available on a gift card purchase from grocery, gaming, and electronic stores. Check which local store for you supplies them. They are a great option, most minimum spends are between $10-15 dollars for a gift card and can’t be split over different accounts.

If you are on a tight budget for the next 12 months these gift cards will save you from losing money on a credit card blow out. A friend of mine with 3 boys used this method, she became a ninja at budgeting and it really has transformed her life.

Be open minded

To succeed over the next 12 months be open minded to what is available for free, what pocket money children can receive on their gift cards, which they earn by doing a few age appropriate tasks at home. By only allowing gift cards, you keep your credit card details safe.