cutting back

[proudmummywife]

Hi all I'm trying to lower our spending has anyone any idea what we can do fun for the kids as a day out that isn't expensive or cost much? ds1 is 7 dd is 3 ds2 is 14 months

where do you live?

Also any tips for a cheap date night with husband. We usually go meal and cinema and costs around £80

Co Armagh northern ireland

no idea then.

Not sure if any of these are in your area, but we do:
Local museum (free), perhaps have a drink in the cafe.
local library, ours has colouring materials out all the time, kids love it, as well as the usual books and DVDs.
Instead of meal AND cinema, we would alternate. Perhaps nice meal (M&S) and wine at home, with a DVD. Cinema trip but take your own delicious snacks?
sometime it is worth looking into a season ticket if you have a child friendly attraction (e.g. Farm etc) nearby.

Check your local paper/local authority website, as they sometimes list local events.

DVD night - get a film you would all like. Buy popcorn boxes, ice cream pots and sprinkles for extra treats.

Quiz night - look for questions online which are age appropriate for your children.

When you do go out for the day, take a packed lunch. I make nice food so it's something we look forward too. We still treat ourselves to ice cream and thru money we save on food goes towards a another trip.

Take sandwiches with you and do a walk in the woods. Even this time of year there will be old leaves the children can have fun kicking around and throwing up in the air. You could add a bit of fun to it by getting them to spot a bird, flower or fungi as they go along.

We always used to have a home cooked meal with a bottle of wine on a Saturday night, which was cheaper than going out. One would get the kids ready for bed, while the other cooked. Maybe you have some good friends in the same position and you could take it in turns to cook a meal for eachother or have snacks and play games, that way you do something different and get a night out for free. If you really want to go out, perhaps just do the cinema or go somewhere they do a food deal, ie two main courses for £9.95 - we do this and come back and have a pudding, icecream or chocolate at home.

BBC Things To Do page, sortable by area.

Last year we did ispot - there was a poster from the Open University webpage with nature things to find, photograph and upload to ispot.org.uk every month. This was a lot of fun. We are having a year off, but would definitely do it again.

Pack treats. If you are going to fancy an ice cream, it is usually cheaper to buy a pack of four from a nearby supermarket or Iceland than buy individually from an ice cream van or newsagent (sadly even if you only want one of them...).

Grow some veg. Cheap to do, engaging and nearly free food at the end of it.

I made the mistake of taking the children to an ice cream parlour today...over £8 on 3 ice creams and 2 choc flakes. I should have called at Iceland and got a box of 3 for £1!
I just don't think sometimes!