This is a guest post from Corrie who is a stay at home mom to 2 energetic boys and the owner of “Cents”able Momma. She loves to help her readers save money on everything from video games to groceries, as well as offering frugal living tips, great deals, and methods to earn some extra money.
Last year, I saved my Swagbucks and traded them in for Amazon gift cards. Why? So we could purchase a Wii as a family present for Christmas.
We have 2 young boys (now 7 and 4), so we thought it would be fun to have a game system that we could all play. Honestly, our boys don’t really give my husband and I much of an opportunity to play alone (unless we sneak it in when they’re asleep). But, we have managed to have fun on the Wii too.
Exercise Games
Sometimes it’s a challenge to fit exercise into the routine, so I purchased both the Wii Fit Plus and EA Sports Active.
I like how the Wii Fit balance board is versatile. You can use it for workout as well as other games, such as snowboarding, etc. However, I struggle with the exercise routines being a little too easy. The Wii Fit seems to focus more on balance, and I don’t feel like I’ve really worked out when I’m done.
The EA Sports Active game has worked better for me, since I’m able to use the resistance band to work out my arms. Plus, I find the games a little more challenging physically. For example, in one game you are rollerblading. You have to crouch down to go faster and then jump up to get over the obstacles. It makes star jumps a little more fun than doing them on your own.
Before you purchase a workout game (and there are many out there), read the reviews and do your research on which game will work for you.
Golf
My husband loves to play golf, but can’t get out in the winter months in Michigan. So, we purchased the Tiger Woods Golf game (I know…). Not only is it fun for my husband, but it’s a fun family game too. You can set the levels to accommodate varying skill sets… although my husband tells me that I always win because I set my skill set too low.
Fun Games
We also have Mario Kart and recently my 7 year old received Super Mario Brothers for his birthday. Of course, my boys love both games, but I’ve had fun playing them too.
When you play Mario Kart individually, the game unlocks additional courses, characters, and vehicles to ride as you win races, which keeps it interesting. One of my favorites, too, is playing other opponents via the internet. It’s fun to think that you’re racing against people all over the world. Plus, you can set it up that you can play your own personal friends with the internet connection.
Super Mario Brothers looks like a fun game too, but we’ve only had it for a week, and I’ve been given no access to it by the little gatekeepers at my house.
Netflix
Starting in April, we have also been able to use our Wii to stream Netflix to our TV. It’s really easy and free to get the Netflix disk for the Wii. Plus, we actually save $5/month on Netflix, because we reduced our plan from the $13.99 plan with 2 disks to the $8.99 plan with only 1 disk and unlimited streaming movies.
Although the streaming movies do not include many of the new releases, there are still some good movies and TV shows to be found. It’s easy to browse by category for instantly available movies and add them to your queue.
How do you use the Wii?
Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links.
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