As a recnetly laid off mom, I can vouch for the strained pocketbook that results from going to a single income without warning, overnight. What I have learned, though, is that having a great time with my husband and our little girl doesn’t have to cost a thing. Here are some great activities to save you some cash and keep you one happy family during the recession.

Who Needs Electronics?

Skip expensive exercise games and create one with a bit of ingenuity and sidewalk chalk. Draw six circles in two rows of three, each one in a different color; take turns with your child calling out colors for each other to jump in. Use a boom box and a favorite CD to create an instant Dance Dance Revolution!

Make Books Come Alive

Remember escaping into a powerful tale as a child—visiting far off places, being immersed within a swordfight or swimming in a mermaid lagoon? Relive these memories with your kids by reading aloud, and perhaps even acting out the scenes—either with props or with your child’s stuffed animals or dolls as characters. Toddlers would love to act out Curious George or Care Bears, while older children could get swept away by Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys.

Classic Games Making a Comeback

One of our daughter’s favorite games is actually holding a clothespin (or other small object) from your nose and trying to land it in a milk jug or cup while standing straight—a party game my own mother taught me when I was a child. Though your children may beg for those video games that seem to never stop being re-released (and becoming more expensive), I bet you’ve got some dusty old board games tucked away in a closet or under a bed somewhere. Why not play marbles, or teach your kids the jump rope chants you knew when you were young (clean versions only!)? There’s also simple dots games, tic tack toe, Pictionary, charades, and countless other games that you really only need a piece of paper and a pencil for—or less!

Revive Family Movie Night

Dust out those old Disney movies that your kids may have never even seen—what a treasure The Fox and the Hound or Robin Hood will be. Don’t have the classics? Put on your own movie for family movie night. Cast your child as the director and have him or her tell you what to do. You could even use a story he or she wrote in school that week.

Use Your Library

That library card is a true golden ticket: where else can you rent movies and books for free, check out a new magazine, and get into special events like kids’ story times or craft nights without a cost? Many librararies also offer free event tickets to local attractions, movie screenings, game nights or game checkouts, and activity packs for children. We have seen newly released movies, done crafts, had our pictures taken with Santa, and played games and ate snacks at a luau all at our library, and all for free.