You want to take your kids to museums, indoor play places, the zoo, and many other things, but breaking the bank is not an option. The more kids you have, the more expensive things can get. That’s why saving money on kids’ activities is a must.
So what is a parent to do?
Well, what if I told you that saving money and taking your kids to places for free is possible? Yeah, I know. It sounds a bit ludicrous.
I am a mom on a budget, too, so I get it.
Below, I will share with you how I take my kids on daily adventures and don’t break the bank doing it. I save money on admission and awesome kid activities.
These are in no particular order. But you can save money while getting the kids out and burning off some energy without burning a hole in your wallet. This is precisely how I schedule my days with my kids after my morning routine. I would plan daily outings to be out and back before nap time.
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Save money: 10 easy ways
1. Groupon
If you don’t have the Groupon App, you need to join. Before we go anywhere, I always log onto the Groupon app to see if there is a deal.
Let me give you some insider tips about Groupon. If you don’t see a deal for a place you want to visit, you need to check back often. For example, when I took the kids to Bixbee Imagination Station, it has been closed down since. It was a lot of fun, though.
When the place first opened, I checked to see if there was a Groupon. I didn’t find one, so I waited a month. Guess what? A month later, there was!
I got my adult ticket for $8 cheaper than their regular price.
But the savings don’t stop there. You also want to be sure to sign up Ebates/Rakuten. You can earn cash back on the purchases you make in Groupon and a ton of other places.
For example, on this ticket, I earned cashback. See the image below.
So, let’s do some simple math here.
The original ticket price for an adult was $23 on Bixbee’s Imagination Stations website.
Groupon had the adult ticket for 16 dollars instead. So that was a $7 savings.
Then, I received a cash back bonus from Groupon of $1.28 on my adult ticket.
So, I paid $14.72 for my ticket. That’s a savings of $8.28. Now let me tell you that sometimes you can get things even cheaper beyond that.
I wasn’t able to in this example, but I have gotten even better deals in the past. I love and adore the Honey Chrome extension.
While you are in the Groupon App, the Honey Chrome extension will pop up with any coupons related to your purchases. I have sometimes gotten an additional 10-20% off my purchases. And the best part is that it is free. This is a goal for you, mama: save money.
Last but not least are Groupon sales days. During certain times, Groupon will have its sales. They will do things like an extra 20 % activities or buy more to save more.
All of that is on top of the fact that the Groupon deal is just cheaper than the normal cost. You can’t get better deals than that.
Sell Things
Selling things that you no longer use can help in so many ways. It helps declutter your house, it helps you clean less, and it makes your house more organized. Most importantly, it is an easy way to make some cash.
Continuing with the example above for the tickets that I bought for Bixbee, days before I decided to go, I posted for sale two car seat bases for $10 each, so I made an easy $20.
I used that same $20 to help pay for the admission.
You can replicate this in your own home.
I enjoy selling on Facebook Market Place and Bookoo as my top two places to make easy cash.
Here are some tips for selling: Don’t expect to make huge amounts of money, and be fair when it comes to pricing. If you don’t, items will not sell.
- Take clear pictures
- State the intersection closest to you so people know where to pick up. Sometimes, people don’t read location
- Give as much information about the item as possible so people can decide faster. I like to search Google for the product and then use the manufacturer’s details to list items.
- Always do first come, first serve
- Never invite anyone into your home/you can do porch pickup
Share membership with other moms
When it comes to places like museums and zoos, admission fees can be pretty steep. Sometimes, they don’t include the extra attractions inside.
You can easily spend $100 in one day.
One way to help reduce these costs is by sharing memberships with other moms.
For example, we have a plus membership to our local children’s museum. I and three other moms paid a part towards a family membership, which is a cost-savings for each of us.
But let’s say you have a membership or one that another mom has. Some memberships allow guests in for free or a discounted price.
If you share your guest passes you each can get into places together and with each other’s benefits.
Tag along on someone’s membership and give them a few bucks
Another way to get into places for a “cheaper” cost is to give someone a few bucks towards their membership. This allows you to use their free guest passes. Like the idea above.
But if you don’t have a membership, you can reciprocate so that they can use it to get into it for free.
You can offer to give them money so they will allow you to be their guest. But the amount is significantly less than you would have paid if you had paid the full price.
This same method can help you pay for your memberships. Offer it to others for a small fee.
Search for coupons in parent & kid magazines
Some of the free magazines you can pick up as a parent offer some awesome coupons for admissions.
You may find them throughout the magazines or on the inside back cover.
You can pick up these magazines at the library, children’s play places, museums, and even your local park districts.
You may even score some insider information to upcoming events offering free stuff.
Follower Bloggers
We bloggers, including myself, work hard to be useful to our audience/tribe. As bloggers, we often collaborate with companies and organizations.
When we do this, sometimes they offer discounts to our readers, at no cost to us or you.
Many mommy bloggers know the woes of motherhood, so we share all we can to help a fellow mama out.
There are also blogs dedicated to kids’ activities. These blogs will have insider scoops and details on discount days for certain things.
Some of my favorite blogs to follow are Redtri, Parents magazine, and mykidslist.com.
Join mom groups in your area or create your own
Did you know that you could be missing out on savings because you aren’t a member of a Facebook mom group? There are people out there who have created groups solely to connect moms in local areas and get discounts.
The admin or group leader may have negotiated a discounted rate for moms who participate in the group, resulting in a reduced admission fee for everyone.
Another reason social media is great is that it allows you to connect with others. Join groups or ask around if there are any mom groups.
Can’t find a group? Create one yourself, and then you can reach out to organizations. See if they would be willing to give a discount to a local mom group.
It could be a percentage off ticket prices or a discount on certain days, etc. But hey, they get business, and you save money—a win-win for everyone. Plus, you gain mommy friends and potential playdates.
Ask for experience gift certificates instead of toys
Are toys taking over your house? You can sell them to make some cash or do what I do: treat them as a hotel guest.
But what do hotels do to a guest who is no longer welcome? That’s right; they are banned.
A perfect way to avoid adding to the collection is to ask for gift certificates instead of toys. You can also ask for gift cards and memberships to cover admission to fun kid activities.
So when it comes to birthdays, holidays, or grandparents spoiling the kids, you can kindly ask for the gift of experiences.
Free Days
I am a huge fan of free. I mean, I don’t know any sane mom who isn’t. But free admission to places is like gold to me.
Your local museum, zoo, play place, etc., will offer free or discounted days throughout the year.
All you need to do is Google free museum days near me. The search results will come right up.
Reduced admission or free admission will be limited to residents and school-aged children. There are even free programs during the summer.
Some of my favorite ones are the free bowling and skating in the summer. Click the links to see if these are offered in your area.
Pro-tip: Free days are typically some of the busiest days for attractions. To benefit from them, you will want to arrive at least 30 minutes before opening.
Be on time
When was the last time you got anywhere on time ever since having kids? I have given myself an extra hour and sometimes still can’t leave the house on time.
On occasion, packing the day before and getting the kids strapped in their car seats before 8 am can be a huge savings to your wallet.
Some places will allow free admission to the first person who walks in the door.
For example, a play place in Chicago called Kiddie Club offers this exact thing.
If you are a mom needing to get kids out and are short on cash. You better do the door dash for these deals.
Check-out passes at your local library
Finally, I can’t rave enough about libraries. I love ours, and I think they are like heaven for moms. From books to storytimes, movies, free crafts, and play areas, they are nothing like when we were younger.
The inside of libraries are like hidden gems.
But did you know that libraries offer so much more and that most people don’t even take advantage of the extra stuff they offer?
First, let me mention a cool place that you may want to check out. The site, Museums4all.org, offers free or reduced admission to museums. They have some requirements, which means it’s for those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits). But WOW!
What an awesome program.
If you are not a recipient of any of these programs, there are still discounts and passes available for you, too.
To find passes, visit Museumadventure.org. Depending on your location, there are more than just museums on the list.
How to use this for admission to places is the following:
You check out a museum pass at your local library, and the loan period is usually for 7 days. Sometimes admission is free, if not they will offer a discount.
The passes are typically for general admission, but they are yet another awesome savings. Sometimes, they have buy-one-get-one-free tickets, too.
How do you save on kid’s activities? Share it in the comments!