For when your budget is a wee bit tighter, we found ten great things to do with the whole family that are a guaranteed good time at home. Everyone will be entertained for hours...and you won't have to spend a dime.
1. Camp out at home
Grab some marshmallows and sit around the fire pit or the grill for an evening of s'mores and spooky stories. When it's bedtime, head back in for some "tent-making," using card tables or large corrugated boxes as the frame for a bedsheet tent. Throw in some sleeping bags, along with a few flashlights, and you have a do-it-yourself campout. If that goes well, you can take the little ones camping in the wilderness the next time.
2. Kick it, old-school
With the popularity of Dancing With the Stars, why not plan an old-school dance-off? Grandparents, fire up the turntable and teach the kids the Bunny Hop or the Electric Slide. The kids can haul out their MP3 players and show you the newest version of the Cha Cha Slide. Great for fitness and an evening of laughs.
3. Plan a pasta night 
Grandkids love to cook, and parents often hate to turn them loose in the kitchen. You can bridge the divide by letting them cook at your place, assembling ingredients for a homemade marinara sauce. Along the way, you can teach them about different pasta shapes. (Follow with an ice cream sundae bar, and you may get an extra hug.) If you can stand the after-mess, you've avoided the price of eating out.
Want more cheap family date ideas? Read the rest of this article at Grandparents.com.
