A Budget Friendly Summer

These days, a family is considered “large” with more than 2 kids, so those of us parenting multiples as well as siblings automatically fall into this group. Day-to-day, I don’t consider our family of 6 particularly big, since it is our personal version of “normal,” however I can’t help but notice the costs adding up when we buy tickets for an event, museum visit, or airfare.

This past week we took advantage of early bird rates for a summer family membership at a nearby community pool. The school year can be hectic, so we’re looking forward to a loosely scheduled summer vacation– the pool will be a nice option for those pleasant lazy days when nothing in particular is on the calendar. Signing up, I did have a bit of initial sticker shock, but when you calculate the cost of admission for 6 for 2 or more visits, the numbers work out similarly; any subsequent visits over the year’s time are “free.” Memberships are available for your area’s museums, zoos, aquariums, and more– do the math, and you might find it’ll save your family some money too.

Another benefit of the up-front investment of a membership is that you won’t feel stressed to visit all the exhibits in a single day– you can pick and choose a few animals to visit at the zoo, for example, then see the rest during a future visit. This is particularly handy when you have toddler twins– too much action packed into one day can be over-stimulating, and a crew with young kids will need to head home for naptime at some point. Many museums have reciprocal partnerships with other cities’ attractions, so you can even take advantage of discounts if you’re hitting the road this summer.

We parents play many roles for our kids: caregiver, teacher, personal chef, etiquette instructor, medic, and more. In the summer, add “cruise director” to the list, planning outings and social meet-ups with friends. Having a couple memberships on hand means not having to think too hard for activity ideas; pack up a homemade lunch for your crew, and you’ve got an affordable, low-stress, fun, and educational activity for the day.