Beating Broke

Check Out These 7 Great Affordable Family Reunion Locations for 2025

December 10, 2024 By Teri Monroe Leave a Comment

Is planning your family reunion stressing you out? Travel costs have risen significantly this year in several categories. According to CNBC, airfare alone is up 25%, outpacing inflation. However, planning a family reunion doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank. With a little creativity, you can plan an unforgettable event for your whole group. These 7 affordable family reunion locations will help you create lasting memories with your extended family.

1. Local VFWs

Local hall for your affordable family reunion — Image Source: 123rf.com

If you’re looking for an affordable location for your next family reunion, your Veterans of Foreign Wars Post is a great option. Typically, VFWs can hold a large number of people for a small rental fee. Usually, you can hire a caterer and bartender or bring in your own food. Some even have kitchens, making it possible for you to cut down the cost even more. Additionally, the rental fee and any other fees associated with renting the space will help benefit veterans in your area.

2. Destinations with Free Activities

Washington D.C. affordable family reunions — Image Source: 123rf.com

A great idea for family reunions is to host it in a place with free attractions. For example, Washington D.C. is a great city to visit on a budget. Smithsonian museums have 17 properties, a zoo, and galleries that are free. Plus, the National Mall and monuments are great for sightseeing. While accommodations in D.C. can be expensive, the surrounding towns in Maryland and Virginia are more affordable. You can take a short drive to D.C. from your hotel or Airbnb for the day. There is also a great public transportation system, making it easy and cheap to get around while you’re there. Other destinations with a lot of free activities include Yellowstone, Los Angeles, New Jersey, and even London.

3. Ranches

You don’t have to sacrifice adventure to stay on budget for your family reunion. A dude ranch could be the ideal affordable location for your family reunion. The Dude Rancher’s Association suggests Red Rock Ranch near Jackson Hole. You can spend hours horseback riding through the trails with your family. Other activities include pickleball, team penning, and fly fishing. Heading to a ranch is typically an all-inclusive trip, meaning you will only have to shell out money once and everything else is included.

4. Budget-Friendly Beach Towns

Affordable family reunion at the beach — Image Source: 123rf.com

Beach towns are popular destinations for family reunions. With a range of places to stay, there are options for all budgets. Look for beaches that aren’t tourist destinations for the best deals. Many towns on Cape Cod are affordable, like Dennis Port. There’s plenty to do with your extended family including great beaches, biking, kayaking, and a variety of restaurants. Other possible destinations might be Topsail Beach, Mitchelville Beach, Enderts Beach, Roque Bluffs, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Mansion Beach, and others.

5. National Parks

Family at a national park — Image Source: 123rf.com

National parks are wonderful places to host family reunions. Plus, there are usually affordable accommodations in the surrounding areas, from RV parks to camping sites and lodges. One hidden gem in the Rocky Mountains is the YMCA of the Rockies in Colorado. The two locations offer activities such as archery, hiking, axe throwing, disc golf, rock climbing, and fishing. There are also meeting spaces to host your reunion.

6. Ski Resorts in The Off-Season

Enjoying a meal at family reunion — Image Source: 123rf.com

Ski resorts have many lodging options for your family reunion. Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont has cabins to accommodate the whole family. A wide range of activities make this resort a great choice for all ages, even during the off-season. The resort will help you plan your reunion trip as well.

7. Cruises

Affordable Family Reunions Cruises — Image Source: 123rf.com

What could be more fun than taking your extended family on a cruise? There are many short voyages that are quite affordable. In fact, they can be more affordable than hotels in some cases. On some cruises, kids even sail free. You can always save money with group discounts or by choosing interior rooms. Carnival Cruise Lines takes short cruises to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Eastern Canada, and Mexico. Cruises always have itineraries that will entertain the whole family.

Planning an Affordable Family Reunion

Whether you and your family are looking to stay local or plan a getaway for your family reunion, you can do it affordably. Make sure to take advantage of group discounts and book early to get the best deals. What has been the best family reunion you’ve been to? Let us know your favorite locations.

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10 Fun after Sunday Dinner Ideas for Baby Boomers and Grandchildren

December 9, 2024 By Teri Monroe Leave a Comment

Baby Boomer grandparents playing card game with grandchildren — Image Source: 123rf.com

Do you have family dinners with your family on Sundays? You may be looking for some fun after-dinner activities to play with your grandchildren to end the evening. Research from The Society of Behavioral Medicine has shown that playing games together as a family promotes togetherness, positive interactions, and closeness. Your grandchildren will love spending this quality time with you after a family meal and it will foster memories that they will carry for a lifetime. Here are 10 activities you can do with your family after next Sunday’s dinner.

1. Go Fish

Game Baby Boomers Can Play with Their Grandchildren Go Fish — Image Source: Pexels

Classic card games are an easy activity for all ages. It doesn’t get more simple than Go Fish. This is especially a good option if you have younger grandchildren. All you need is a deck of cards. You divide the deck up evenly between the players and pair similar cards in your hand. The other players ask you if you have certain cards in your hand. If you don’t have what they are asking for, you tell them to “Go Fish” or pick another card up from the pile. The objective of the game is to to collect the most sets of four cards of the same rank, or “books,” and win the game. Other card games to consider playing with your grandkids are War, Crazy Eights, and Old Maid.

2. Dominoes

Baby Boomer Playing Game of Dominoes with Grandchildren — Image Source: Pexels

Remember playing with Dominoes? The game is still popular today! Not only is Dominoes a classic game, but it is great for little ones who are learning their numbers. There are several ways to play including Straight Dominoes or Mexican Train Dominoes. Of course, it’s also fun to make chains and knock them down too. Adding Dominoes into your after dinner activity list is sure to be a blast.

3. Scrabble

Another classic game to consider after dinner is Scrabble. The whole family can join in on this word game. Plus, it teaches great critical thinking skills to your grandchildren. If your grandkids are younger, there also is a Scrabble Junior version that teaches them letter-matching skills with appropriate kid-sized words. The game also can be flipped for more advanced play as your grandchildren get older.

4. Mother May I?

Baby Boomers Playing Game with Grandchildren — Image Source: 123rf.com

If you’re looking to play outside with your grandkids, but aren’t exactly up for chasing them around there are several games that you can play. Many of them require a stationary player like in Simon Says or Mother May I? In Mother May I? kids will also learn manners, as they have to ask mother’s permission before they make a move. It’s a great way to get moving after a big Sunday dinner as well!

5. Puzzles

Putting together a puzzle — Image Source: 123rf.com

There’s nothing better than spending an evening assembling a puzzle with family. The nice thing about puzzles is that you can choose one that interests your grandkids. With a plethora of difficulty levels available, you can choose an appropriate piece size and count for your grandkids. Putting together puzzles can be stress relieving for Baby Boomers and can help children develop fine motor skills and cognitive abilities.

6. Jenga

Baby Boomer Playing Game of Jenga with Grandchildren — Image Source: Pexels

Jenga is a fun high pressure game to play with your family. One wrong move and the blocks will tumble! Additionally, your grandchildren will learn dexterity and strategic thinking while having fun.

7. Monopoly

Grandchildren playing Monopoly with Baby Boomer Grandparents — Image Source: Pexels

Another game you probably grew up playing is Monopoly. A competitive game of Monopoly will entertain the whole family including Baby Boomers and their grandchildren. Like Scrabble, there also is a Monopoly Junior. This version is much faster and has age-appropriate properties and rules.

8. Chess

Playing chess with grandkids after Sunday dinner — Image Source: Pexels

Not many young people are learning how to play chess today. In fact, 43% of adults don’t know how to play the game. Your grandkids will enjoy you teaching them the rules of chess because it has become more popular in recent years. Chess promotes concentration, problem-solving, and enhances memory so Baby Boomers and their grandchildren will both benefit from playing a game.

9. Heads Up

Have you played the game made popular by Ellen DeGeneres, Heads Up? You can use your phone to download the Heads Up app and choose from a variety of categories like animals, movies, and more. Players ask questions about who or what they are while trying to get as many correct as possible before time runs out. This lively game is fun for everyone involved.

10. Spoons

Spoons can get very competitive and is a great after-dinner game for Baby Boomers and their grandchildren. It’s simple enough for all ages and racing to grab a spoon when you get four of a kind makes this game very interactive. It’s perfect for a small group to play together making it ideal for after Sunday dinner with your family.

The Perfect after Sunday Dinner Games to Play with Grandchildren

We hope that these 10 games have given you inspiration for fun things for Baby Boomers to do with their grandchildren after Sunday dinner. These games will help create lasting memories and traditions for your whole family. What’s your favorite game to play with family? Let us know in the comments.

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Epic AI Failures of 2024: What Went Wrong?

December 6, 2024 By Teri Monroe Leave a Comment

While many of us are still fascinated by AI’s capabilities, it has let us down in many ways this year. So, what has gone wrong? While artificial intelligence has so much capacity for good, there are inherent dangers that we as a society are grappling with. AI has spread misinformation, broken our trust, and changed industries. Here, we’ll discuss six ways that AI has utterly failed us in 2024.

1. Spotify Wrapped Disappointment

AI Fails Spotify Wrapped — Image Source: Pexels

It has become a tradition to wait for the release of your Spotify Wrapped results each year. The detailed insights are fun to share with friends and see your music listening year in review. However, this year was a huge letdown. The company relied heavily on AI to generate content which fell flat. Spotify didn’t provide listeners with their top music genres or their top albums. Instead, listeners were given a “Music Evolution” list that detailed a selection of interestingly titled musical micro-genres. Mine included Mulled Cider Folk Phase, Pink Pilates Princess Strut Pop Season, and Breakup Slow Dance Country Moment. These results seemed strange and inaccurate. Some users even asked if AI hallucinated these results.

2. Taylor Swift AI-Generated Endorsement

Taylor Swift AI Fails — Image Source: Pixabay

President-Elect Trump released an AI-generated endorsement from Taylor Swift during the election. Swift responded a month later with an endorsement for Kamala Harris. She said, “It really conjured up my fears around AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation.” But this was not the first time that AI has targeted celebrities this year to promote products, scams, and fake news. Swift was also used in a deepfake video earlier this year to sell Le Creuset cookware.

3. Netflix’s What Jennifer Did Controversy

In the true crime documentary What Jennifer Did, Netflix allegedly used AI-generated images to tell the story of Jennifer Pan. Viewers say that some of the images of Pan have irregularities in her hands, and the backgrounds contain strange, unidentifiable objects. The director, Jeremy Grimaldi, denied any AI use and said that Photoshop was used to conceal the identity of the person who provided the photo. Despite the controversy, this situation begs the question: Can viewers trust documentary films?

4. New York City Chatbot Failures

A New York City chatbot encouraged small business owners to break the law. The Associated Press reported that the AI tool “falsely suggested it is legal for an employer to fire a worker who complains about sexual harassment, doesn’t disclose a pregnancy, or refuses to cut their dreadlocks.” The chatbot disclaimer now says that it can’t provide legal advice. This is a prime example of how AI can make up information when asked specific questions that it may not have the correct information to, leading to serious consequences.

5. Holiday Coca-Cola Ad

Fast Company writer Michael Grothaus wrote that he is so over AI-generated art. He explained that the Coca-Cola holiday ads used to be magical and now they are just adding to the slop. This year’s ad was a remake of the “Holidays Are Coming” ad from 1995. Except it had the common characteristics of AI-generated art that somehow just don’t relate to reality. Here’s a look at the ad in question…

6. Shrimp Jesus Images

Social Media Likes — Image Source: 123RF

Facebook has become littered with AI-generated content and images. One of the most notable from this year is images of Jesus circulating around the platform. “Shrimp Jesus” was one image that got a lot of traction. The AI image fused Jesus Christ with underwater shrimp. Other AI-generated photos of Jesus began popping up everywhere. A study from Stanford University took a deeper look into the spam and scams rampant on Facebook. It found that the AI-generated posts they analyzed received a ton of engagement from hundreds of millions of people.

Greatest AI Failures of 2024

Artificial Intelligence — Image Source: 123RF

What does this mean for the future of AI? More oversight is needed to prevent AI failures. Left unchecked, this technology can have unforeseen consequences that are far more serious than a disappointing Spotify Wrapped. Until we recognize AI’s power and complexity, failures will continue to happen. There is still a need to create better models and improve the inner workings of artificial intelligence before it becomes something people can rely on.

Have you experienced any AI failures? Let us know in the comments.

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