**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.    ​​​

     Oh My Goodness! You Guys!  We have been having the BEST rain here in Phoenix because of Hurricane Rosa and the weather feels amazing!  It actually feels like we might get to have Fall! AND, this weather is just in time for Frugal Fun Day, which is tomorrow, October 6th.  So, for Friday Faves we are asking: 

What do you love to do for fun on the cheap?

At Home:

• Well, if you have been reading our blog for very long, you know that we all love to play games!  Whether it is 2 persons or a large group, playing cards or board games, that competitive side comes out.  Playing games is definitely frugal and fun. Those links will take you to posts about some of our favorite games.
• Maddy's favorite is a movie night.  I pictured Harry Potter up in the collage above, which is always a good choice.  We have suggested some favorite movies in the past.  With Halloween coming you might like to refer to this post. But, here are few super inexpensive ones that you may not have thought of now available on Amazon Prime for you to enjoy! 

              1. For a nice romantic choice, Letters to Juliet looks so good!  You can rent it for 1.99 or                               purchase it for 7.99!   I think I am going to talk my husband into this one for us to watch                         together.   
             2.  If you have kids who love horses, The Silver Brumby stood out to me as reminiscent of
                  The Man from Snowy River.    You can rent it for 1.99 and buy it for 3.99.  We just                                    rewatched The Man from Snowy River on Netflix for free. 
            3.  When Maddy and I were in Disneyland last Spring, we saw some Pixar movie shorts in the                    theater in California Adventures. One that was super cute and perfect for younger children                   was called Piper.  This cute film about a baby bird learning to provide for himself is now on                   Prime for just 2.99.

     Now, let's do some things that get us out of the house! 

• Alicia loves to have a campfire and make s'mores!  She and her husband enjoy this so much that they had a s'mores bar at their wedding reception.  We have a firepit made by my husband at our house, but if you aren't that lucky or you are renting, there are portable fire pits to purchase. 

      Besides roasting marshmallows and making s'mores, you might enjoy making and using Stuff 'em Sticks, something that we told you about here. 

• Lindsey says that her favorite frugal activity is to take a drive up into the mountains where the weather is cooler and take along a picnic! The rest of us enjoy that, too, and to throw in a hike or historical site is always nice as well.  When I think of a picnic, I always picture the wicker basket, but we know that it usually ends up being an ice chest to keep everything cool.   Look at this cute picnic/cooler basket that I found! So awesome! 

•  While your at it, if you have a couple of days, how about a camping trip? Camping is relaxing, fun, an adventure and a lot less expensive than many other getaways.  My son takes my grandson as often as he can and they usually just sleep in the car!   But, if you don't have a large enough car for that, Coleman now has a tent that sets up in about a minute! I mean it, it opens like an umbrella! My son has one of these as well and let me tell you, it is amazing! The poles are connected and you just walk it open and TAH DAH, the tent is set up.  You can put in spikes to hold it down if you want, but my son says that he rarely does, unless it is windy.  It  is also a great price! You can check it out on Amazon. 

Frugal Fun in the Phoenix Area

     Phoenix, where the weather is sometimes hot but never snowy, lends itself to many activities for everyone that are pretty inexpensive! 
*In the hot weather there are many pools available in the city parks, as well as splash pads and there are Water Parks available as well.  Pioneer Park and Rio Vista Park's water pads are two that we have been to and they are both fun and free! 
*There are lakes in the city that are stocked for Urban Fishing.  Kids under 14 can fish for free, just the parent needs a fishing license.  One day a year there is a free day when you don't need a license at all and some parks offer fishing instruction.
*The libraries offer nice places to relax from the heat and they offer story times and other activities.  Phoenix libraries also offer passes on a first come first served basis that will get you into city attractions like the zoos (We have 2), botanical gardens and museums. 
*If you aren't able to get a pass to the Phoenix Art Museum, you can attend on Weds from 3:00-9:00 pm, On First Friday (discussed farther down), or second Sundays when prices are reduced to a voluntary donation. 
*There are two super fun and free factory tours that are popular in Phoenix, for all ages!  The Stuffington Bear Factory teaches the history of teddy bears and those who attend the tour can even purchase and stuff  their own bear.  And, Cerreta Candy Company takes you on a chocolate tour and demonstration and ends with an opportunity to make and purchase a chocolate pizza! 
*There are tons of trails in all of the desert mountains, such as the White Tanks, South Mountain, North Mountain, Thunderbird Park, Camelback Mountain.  Phoenix and the surrounding areas are a hikers paradise.  Just remember to always carry water! 
*In the Spring, there are multiple teams who come to Phoenix for Spring Training at the various sports complexes!  That is a great time to take part in the Great American Pass Time at a reasonable price!  It is called the Cactus League.  Here is the link to find the teams, stadiums and schedules of the games. Bookmark it because the 2019 schedule isn't up yet. 
*The Arizona State Capitol Building Museum is an amazing and FREE place to visit.  One of the most fascinating things within its walls is the exhibit of artifacts from the USS Arizona.  
*First Fridays in downtown Phoenix is one of the nation's largest self-guided art walks.  There is also a complimentary trolley tour to the various hubs.  There is music playing and there are food trucks! I know that my young adult children have enjoyed this event at various times. 

     Wow! The more I write, the more I realize how much Phoenix has to offer! So, if you come to visit, bookmark this list to get you started! It is funny how when you live in a place you forget about the hidden gems that are there.  I have been to most of these places, but it has been years for some of them.  I told my husband that we need to start going back and revisiting some of these.  HEY FAMILY! Come and visit!  I have a list of places to take you!  

For a nice list of frugal Fall fun, you can print off this bucket list we made last year! I hope it gets your own ideas flowing!  Be sure to comment and let us know what your idea of frugal fun is. 

     Thinking of starting a blog of your own?  We recommend Weebly! They are now teamed up with Square and really going places!  

A Cheese Crisp is a tortilla with cheese. (But wait, isn't that a quesadilla? No cheese crisps are open faced and quesadillas are folded over). Make mini ones by using a round cookie cutter to cut out small rounds out of regular flour tortillas (or just buy little flour tortillas). Lay them on a foil covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle each tortilla with cheese, and bake at 350 until the cheese has melted. Alternatively, Just make a large Cheese Crisp and cut it into triangles with your pizza cutter. You could add toppings as Gaby did over at Tasty Kitchen. Look how delicious her's are!

     One of the great things about living in Arizona is that in the winter is that we can take day trips to see the beautiful landscape of our state without being hindered by extreme weather or excessive cold.  Sure, you have to be a little cautious about what the weather will be like in the high country. (We once had a slippery ride getting away from a snow trip to Flagstaff!)  But, for the most part, the weather in Arizona during the winter  makes being outdoors and sight-seeing fabulous! 
      While my daughter and her family were here for the holidays, we realized that her husband, Adrian, hadn't really seen much of the sights of Arizona.  He was interested in seeing the red rocks he had heard about.  So, we planned a day trip to Sedona.  

        Sedona is an easy trip from Phoenix.  It only takes about 
1 and 1/2 hours to get there.  We didn't even get away from the house until around 10:30, because who wants to get up early during the holidays? You take the I-17 up to the turn off to Sedona which is exit 298 onto highway 179.  You follow a beautiful scenic drive that leads to the city that many find mystical and inspiring because of the gorgeous red rock formations.  My daughter, the geology fanatic, loves the striations of layers in the rocks and the formations from erosion.  It is all fascinating.

     We went up to The Chapel of the Holy Cross, which has the most beautiful vistas of the red rock formations the and valley below.  It is a historic site in Sedona and always very busy.  It is worth the trouble of finding a place to park because of the gorgeous views.  Here is a slideshow of our visit.

    From here, you can take the road into Sedona and then continue on 89A through Oak Creek Canyon all of the way to Flagstaff.  That is a beautiful trip.  In the Summer, Oak Creek Canyon is a great place to go because of Slide Rock!  Slide Rock is a State Park with a  natural waterslide/swimming area among the red rocks that is so much fun! In the Fall, the colors of the changing leaves in Oak Creek are magical.  
       In our case, we decided to go back the way we came to one of our favorite spots for a picnic.  If you turn right instead of left off of the I17 at the Sedona exit, you follow a road to Wet Beaver Creek.  This is one of the rare creeks in Arizona that flows all year.  It is a little oasis in the middle of the high desert.  There is a great swimming hole that is deep enough to jump into from the red rock ledge.  It can be very crowded on summer weekends.  We like to plan to go on a weekday. It is worth it to take a vacation day from work. The water is always cold and it always takes me forever to get used to it, but it is a nice relief from our summer heat.  Of course, we weren't going swimming on this trip. We were just using the day use picnic site to eat sandwiches, to stretch our legs and to give our grandson some time out of the carseat.  Here is another slideshow.

        While we were out, we decided to go to another great destination that is only around 1 and 1/2 from Phoenix as well, and that is Prescott, AZ.  Heading south on  the I17 from Wet Beaver Creek, you exit onto the 169 W. and then take the 69 to drive through Prescott Valley and into Prescott. Prescott is known as Arizona's Christmas Town.  The best place to start your visit in Prescott is at the Courthouse in the center of town.  There is almost always something going on there.  We have found craft shows and art shows there at various times and during the holidays there are beautiful decorations all around it.  

        It did rain on us a little in Prescott, but it just added to the holiday feel. When you leave the city, to return to Phoenix, you stay on the 69 and join the I17 at Cordes Junction.
​          We didn't spend a lot of money on this trip either.  Just gas money and for a few drinks and snacks.  We packed our picnic lunch from holiday leftovers. After seeing all three places, we were back home by 8:00 pm. It is great to take these frugal, memory making trips!  If you live in Phoenix, or come for a visit, give these places a try.  You won't regret it!