The Babysitting Trade with a Friend
One of the biggest expenses of entertainment for someone that has children is the cost to go out without them. Babysitters are expensive. And, movies with children is ridiculous. Dinner with a child is not enjoyable, especially if you go somewhere nice. Most activities that adults enjoy are just not as fun with kids. So, this means that if you save money by taking your kids out, your outings will be to places like Chuck E Cheese. Or, you spend money by hiring a babysitter so you can enjoy your night out.
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If you want to save, then instead of hiring a babysitter, trade babysitting with someone else. In many cases there are plenty of other people with children who would love to save money on babysitting as well. So, make an arrangement with someone that allows you and your spouse to go out one night, and they will watch your children. Then they get to go out another night, and you watch theirs. To make it more enjoyable for you, and so that it feels fair, make sure you choose to switch with someone that has the same number of kids, and around the same ages. This will make it easier for you to watch them as they can play with your children.
If you can't find someone who will be available to watch your children as often as you need, then consider trading with multiple people. You will find that the savings make your nights out much nicer, and in addition to that, you will find that you can build your cash reserve much faster without cutting out any of the enjoyment you have and the entertainment you get to enjoy.
Let's look at how much you can free up for your cash reserve by trading babysitting.
Let's say you pay an average of $2.50 an hour per child you have for babysitting. If you have two children, and you go out to dinner and a movie, a typical 3.5 hour date, your date will cost the price of the food and tickets, as well as another $17.50. If you go out twice a month for a whole year, you can save $420 in your cash reserve that you would not save otherwise.
If your frequency is more often, or if your dates are longer than 3.5 hours, or if you have more than two children, you are looking at a great deal more savings than what was mentioned previously. So, even if it means a couple nights a month of taking care of a few extra kids, you will think it is worth it if you can build your cash reserve quickly.
If you don't know anyone that would want to trade, you can always try your church group, your or even post an ad online to see if anyone else would be interested in an arrangement. Just be sure if it is someone you do not know that you check them out thoroughly before you entrust your children to them.
