Coupon craze and how it's helping our summer

Everybody's money is tight, but trying to have a fun summer on a tight budget can be difficult. Thanks to various coupons for Hudson Valley vendors, it's helped us to save some money this summer while allowing us to have fun! Of course there are still some events we will splurge on, but it's always nice to do something for free or for a low-cost. Here are a few examples:

* Thanks to my daughter's grades, she earned a few free tickets to the Hudson Valley Renegades. Compared to a professional baseball game, the Renegades are still affordable tickets. We ate dinner at home before the game so we only bought snacks and water while we were there. A fun night for $10. (Tip: Many stores are sending money saving texts now. Ask your favorite stores and venues how you can sign up for them and make sure it doesn't cost you to receive these. Once you get a text that you want to use, 'lock' it so you don't accidentally delete it.)
* At the Renegades game, a message came up on the board that said if we texted to a special number, we would receive something from Fun Central. It was 20 free arcade tokens. I have a coupon at home for 20 free arcade tokens and another for a buy one get one free miniature golf game. My children are teens so they pay their own way and it's nice to just stop by play a game of golf and have them play some games without using their own money. (Reminder: follow coupon rules.)
* The other day we gave our email addresses to Dave & Buster's and received $10 EACH in free play. We were heading to the Palisades Mall to go shopping anyway and were able to play an hour for free. It was a nice break to our day. IHOP did the same with a free meal for each person who gave an email address (18 and over). Since little kids can often share a meal, it can be an affordable night away from cooking.

Just a reminder that if you can't walk into a Fun Central or Dave & Busters and stop playing when your free plays run out, remember to either budget it in or pass it up. Of course kids are going to be upset when the free plays run out, so be prepared ahead of time and let them know how many games they'll be able to play.

What's your best money-saving tip in the Hudson Valley?