Everywhere you turn there seems to be even more upsetting news about the economy. It’s all enough to make you depressed. You want to go out and have fun to forget about it all but then you remember how much it’s going to cost you. So what are your options, being depressed or being broke?

Before you pull out the bag of potato chips and pint of ice-cream, don’t despair. There is another choice – having fun on a budget.

Budget for Fun

First things first, the best way to ensure you have fun guilt-free is to budget for it. No matter how tight of a budget you have, you should leave room for fun. If you don’t budget for it, you will not only overspend but you will also not have as much fun because in the back of your mind you know you can’t afford it.

Set aside a certain amount each week for a fun activity whether it is a cheap movie rental or a date night with your honey.

Stretching Your Entertainment Dollars

Once you have set a budget, then you can start looking for all the fun that’s waiting to be had. Here are some inexpensive ideas:

1. Go earlier – Many restaurants offer early bird specials before the big crowds come to dine. So call your favorite restaurant and ask about their early bird specials or happy hour deals. Cinemas also offer early bird specials too. If you can’t miss a movie starring Brad Pitt but don’t have his bank account, go before noon. AMC Theatres offers tickets for 40% off before noon on weekends.
2. Look for coupons and promotions – Do a search online for your event, venue or restaurant and the words coupons and promotions. Many offer printable coupons online or you can sign up for their promotions list. If you can’t find anything online then try an Entertainment book. Entertainment books offer tons of coupons for restaurants and entertainment venues such as theme parks, museums and more.

Paying No Dollars for Entertainment

Cheap is good, but free is GREAT. You can actually have more fun not spending money than spending money. So where can you have fun for free? Actually in more places than you think.

1. See a movie for free – This time of year many communities and organizations feature free movie nights in parks and other public places. Not only is it free but a nice departure from closed in theatres. Just do a search for free movie and your city name and you should see a list.
2. See a free concert – Get on your local city or county recreation and activity newsletter/email list. Local communities plan many free or low cost activities for their residents and you just have to be in the know. Events range from free concerts, children’s art projects to free movies. You pay your taxes so make sure you enjoy the benefits too. And many times the activities are not restricted to just residents.
3. See a museum for free – Many cities and counties offer free museum admission to their residents on certain days. Check with your city and museum to see when they might be participating. If they don’t have any current dates, don’t worry you can still see museums for free. Bank of America customers with any kind of debit or credit card can see select museums for free the first weekend of every month.
4. Volunteer for free entry – Instead of paying for entrance to a celebrity golf tournament, theatrical play or other entertainment ask to be a volunteer. In exchange for an hour or two of service you get free admission. Not to mention you usually get better viewing access.

Taste of Atlanta returns to the streets of Atlantic Station on October 11 & 12!

Grab a plate and enjoy tastes from over 70 of Atlanta’s favorite restaurants like Dolce, Imperial Fez, The Sundial and more. In addition to great food there are kids activities, entertainment and cooking demonstrations from national and local celebrity chefs.

You can also catch Grammy Award winner and cookbook author Trisha Yearwood, food and wine authority Ted Allen, and Top Chef Finalist Richard Blais at the event.

As a Shopping Queen reader, you can receive $5 off your ticket. Purchase tickets by visiting www.TasteOfAtlanta.com and entering Promo Code SHPQN to receive this exclusive discount.

If you want to win your tickets instead, enter my first ever giveaway. One lucky person will win a pair of tickets to Taste of Atlanta (general admission) for Sunday, October 12th.

Enter by filling out the form below. You get one entry for providing your name and email. Here’s how to earn a few extra entries:

1. Click Here to Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment below letting me know.

2. Signup for the Shopping Queen newsletter and leave a comment below letting me know.

3. Share a link. Post a link to this contest (or this blog in general) on your blog or on discussion groups or forums you belong to (please follow posting guidelines) and leave a separate comment for each link you share. 

The giveaway is open for entries until Tuesday, October 7th, at 11:59PM EDT. One winner will be chosen at random, and announced October 8th. Good luck!

This contest has ended. The lucky winner was Jennifer G.

Free Night of Theater is back again this year with even more cities. This year, the program has expanded to over 100 cities nation wide. This is an opportunity to check out shows in your local theatres for free in the month of October.

You will need to make reservations. However, reservations aren’t currently available. Make sure to check out your city and see when reservations can be placed. Each city has their own day and time when they open reservations. Shows and theatres are being constantly added too. Here is the list of locations and shows for Free Night of Theater 2008.

This week is Restaurant Week in Atlanta and New York City. You can enjoy a three course meal at some of the city’s best restaurants for only $25 – $35. Actually New York City will run Restaurant Week for two weeks, so you can try out many restaurants that have been on list. Boston, Dallas, Houston and Washington, DC will hold their events during the second week in August. In the second week of September Los Angeles will hold its Restaurant Week. To see when your city has their restaurant week just do a Google search for the name of your city followed by restaurant week.

After your dinner, don’t forget to share your Restaurant Week experience with us.