Let’s be real for a minute — doing anything with kids these days can feel wildly expensive.

A simple “let’s get out of the house” day can somehow turn into parking, tickets, food, drinks, snacks, random impulse buys, and suddenly you’re wondering how you just dropped a small fortune before 2pm.

Having four kids means I feel this extra hard. If I said yes to everything at full price, we’d either never go anywhere… or I’d cry every time I checked my bank account.

So I’ve become that mum.
The deal-spotter.
The discount-hunter.
The “wait — I’ve got a voucher for that” person.
Okay, to be honest I’ve always been THAT person.. but even more so now that I’m a Mum!
….because I want us to actually enjoy life, get out, make memories, and say yes to experiences without the financial guilt spiral.

And honestly? A few smart systems make a HUGE difference.

Today is my public service announcement 😄
Here are my top ways to save money on outings with kids — without feeling like you’re missing out.

My Top 2 Must-Have Savings Tools for Family Outings

1️⃣ The Small Ideas App

This one is seriously underrated.

It’s packed with:

• Ideas for things to do with kids
• Local activities and experiences
• Built-in discounts and offers

The savings can be surprisingly good — and they add up fast when you’ve got multiple kids.

The Boost (drink) deals alone have saved me so much money. Drinks for a crew is not cheap — and those buy-one-get-one offers make a real dent in the total.

Also — sometimes it’s not just about the discount — it’s about the idea. When your brain is fried and the kids are feral, having ready-made outing ideas is gold.

2️⃣ The Entertainment Book which is actually now an app

Still one of the best value memberships for families — especially if you actually use it.

You’ll find:

• Buy one get one free meals
• Activity discounts
• Experience vouchers
• School holiday ideas
• Movie deals
• Food offers (which matter more than we admit)

Even something as simple as sushi for lunch adds up for a family — so those 2-for-1 or percentage-off offers really do turn into big savings across the year.

This is one of those tools where if you use it even a handful of times, it pays for itself.

My Real-Life Strategy When We’re Out

I’m not against spending money — but I am strategic.

You’ll usually find me doing some combo of:

✅ Packing snacks and lunch where possible
✅ Planning one “treat buy” instead of five
✅ Using app offers before paying full price
✅ Choosing supermarket drinks over café drinks when it makes sense
✅ Saying yes to the experience — but tweaking how we do it

Example:
Milkshakes from the supermarket + park = happy kids
Milkshakes at a café in glass cups + stress about spills = not the same vibe 😅

Worth it. Every time.

Check Your Hidden Perks (You Might Already Have Discounts)

This one surprised me recently — our health insurance gives:

• E-vouchers
• Discounted movie tickets
• Experience deals

A lot of memberships quietly include perks like this.

We sign up to so many things — but don’t always use the offers sitting there.

Definitely worth a quick check.

Start Here 👇

If family outings have started to feel financially stressful — don’t stop going out.

Just get smarter about how you do it.

Start with:

• One savings app
• One discount membership
• One packed snack bag
• One planned “treat spend”

You’ll be surprised how much lighter it feels.

More low-cost and free outing ideas coming soon — because fun shouldn’t be only for people with unlimited budgets.

Hang around… and strap yourself in.

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