Cost of going out: Let's just say that for your night out, you do the typical evening which is dinner and a movie. Let's say you go cheap for dinner and spend $30 with tax, tip, etc. Then you go to a movie, and you get the price of the tickets at $7.50. This means your movie is going to cost $15. So, you are looking at $45 for a night out to dinner and a movie.

If you have to pay for a sitter, the cost goes up a great deal.

Cost for a sitter: The majority of sitters charge per child per hour. This means that to pay for a sitter can get really pricey with the more children you have. So, let's say the average family has two children, and their sitter charges $3 an hour per kid. This means that to go out to dinner and to a movie is going to cost you a lot more. A dinner out usually takes about an hour. Then if you see a movie that is two hours long, plus ten minutes of drive time, is going to cost you not just the ticket price and cost of your dinner, but an additional $19-$25. This is like going to the movies again, possibly twice.

This means that instead of spending $45 for a night out, you are going to spend closer to $70.

Trading means savings: If you choose to find an alternative to paying for a sitter, you can save yourself a nice chunk of change every time you go out for entertainment, which means that you can put a lot in your cash reserve every time. So, to save money, find a couple that has the same number of children as you, and arrange to trade off babysitting. This way you and your spouse can go out once a week, and have a nice night out, and then one other night during the week you watch your friend's kids so that they can go out and you both save.

If you find a couple whose children are close to your children's ages, your kids will love it, and watching their children will not be that difficult. The savings will grow, and you will find that you will never want to pay for a sitter again.