Family night in: Games to play when you're hanging out at home with the kids

The experience of raising children is priceless (most of the time). But have you ever played with online calculators that try to tell you how much it will cost to raise your children? According to one at BabyCenter, we'll have spent more than $450K on our oldest kid, assuming we'll pay for college. My eyes are slightly glazed over.

Given our current economic climate, I imagine most parents are looking for ways to adjust their spending habits. Families might find themselves spending more time together at home as they cut back on activities like going to the movies, eating out and attending other events. Let's call it "Family Night In."

It's never fun to feel like you're forcing your kids to spend time with you, especially when it's part of a plan to maintain a family budget. But you can also look at it as an opportunity to create a new tradition: Family Game Night.

Check out my picks for five games that could make your family game night an event your kids will enjoy.