Many moms and dads are looking for a nice place to hang out when the snow and chilly weather come into town. But how do you do that without spending any money you say? Well – that’s what we are here for.

Our suggestion is to look at a list of malls near your home. Many malls are making indoor playgrounds to attract shoppers. You can pack a nice lunch at home (so you don’t get tempted by over there) and then relax and enjoy the heated play area with your kids.

There are a number of ways to find free mall indoor playgrounds near you:

1.) Do a google search for  “indoor playground” “mall” “your city” and just play around with these combinations. Leave the quotes initially and then you can remove them if the search doesn’t come back with good results.

2.) Look on yelp.com or your yellow pages and get in touch with nearby malls. Ask them if they have an indoor play space.

1.) Lowes Build and Grow This home improvement store has workshops for kids regularly. Kids get wood kits to build cars, castles, birdhouses, golf ball games, and so much more. They get badges for every project they complete, which they can put on an apron they get from Lowes. All of this for FREE. Zip. Nada. Nilch. Kids practice woodworking skills, learn confidence, self-esteem and you have to pay nothing.

2.) Home Depot Kids Workshop Just like Lowes, Home Depot also has a monthly kids workshop. Same concept, kids will learn tool safety, build skills and get to take home a cool project – oh and they get that orange Home Depot apron as well.

3.) Michaels Make It Take It Every month, Michaels, the arts and crafts store also hosts a number of “Make It, Take It” events. Some of these are free, and they are really good too. This is another great way to get the kids some good art and craft activity for free.

4.) Lego Monthly Model Build Every Tuesday, Lego stores have a FREE monthly model build. Kids can make an item and then take it home. How cool is that!

Between the above four and other activities we will be posting on your kids will have fun stuff to do (for free!) in the winter and in the summer.

For example the Cascades route in the Northwest, (Vancouver, BC – Seattle – Tacoma – Portland – Salem – Eugene) you’ll save 76%.

With the Saluki line in the Midwest (Chicago – Carbondale, IL) you’ll save 68%.

For more information, details, and how-to check out this informative article on Nonstop Awesomeness by Nathan.

When you get the card just make a purchase and the points will be credited to your account in a few weeks. Then go ahead and book a hotel. Category 1 and Category 2 hotels are 7500 points and 10000 points respectively so you can get a room for yourself and 2 more rooms for friends and family. If you just want a room for your family, then splurge on the Category 3 or 4 hotel.

As of right now, Marriott even gives you an additional certificate that is valid for a one-night stay at any Category 1-4 hotel.

Keep your eye out for these hotel credit cards. They’re a great free way to get a vacation!