Going Out? Not before you do your HOMEWORK.

        A collective sigh from all the parents, sigh...today is the final day of spring break. Next week will bring the busyness of school, homework, gymnastic classes, sports practices, lunch packing, getting to school on time chaos.  This escape from reality has been FABULOUS.  So today, on our final day of fabulous slowing down time, we want to enjoy one last activity/outing.
         Yesterday, I had posted on how little I had spent over spring break ($35 in out to eat/dessert/ice cream after the beach/ $5 in entry fees at the beach/ $15 on the movies thanks to a Stubs card discount and free soda coupon for my birthday---totaling only $55 so far.)  in hopes that we could splurge a little with a trip to Orlando when my husband is off work tomorrow and still have money left in our bank account.  But today, my husband IS at work, and the kids and I refuse to stay home on the final day of spring break. 
          Execute bargain brainstorming.  This is something you can do each time you leave your home in hopes of adventure/relaxation/or an outing.  Take stock of any free or reduced perks you might have--but have forgotten about BEFORE leaving your house.

1.  Check out your coupon spot.  Are there any freebies or deals you had tucked away in a file folder on a bulletin board. Perhaps today is the day to redeem those deals you forgot you had.
2.  Groupon?  Do you have unused Groupons in your account? Do they have a Groupon for an activity you would love to do today?  If you have never groupon, here is a link---this is my number favorite deal site on the internet. They have terrific local deals organized so neatly you can easily find what you want, and businesses never hassle me about redeeming them!  If you use this link to sign up, I get $10 in credit

https://www.groupon.com/visitor_referral/h/20dcd094-be9f-4e03-acb3-5b00de05cd5e so high fives to you if you use it! Thanks!!

   Today, bowling might be the activity of choice because I have a Groupon to bowl for 4 I paid $23 for months ago but have not redeemed yet. That would make today's activity cost nothing out of pocket today and truly it is a deal because if I took 4 of us bowling today without a Groupon, it would NOT cost $23. 
3. Gift Certificates? Perhaps you forgot about a gift from a co-worker left over from Christmas? Check your wallet...I have a punch card in my wallet I tend to forget about that allows my kids to ride the carousel at a nearby park I had bought over a year ago at a deep discount.  You may have a certificate for a meal or snack out or a movie ticket tucked away safe in your wallet, but completely forgotten.
4. Check the Calendar....  Many businesses offer discounts or deals on days of the week (kids eat free days, discount days) think of what day of the week it is. If you have a place in mind, check out their website to see if they offer any deals on the day you want to go. Our science museum here does $5 day on Fridays so we avoid going any other day.
5. Think about the memberships you have that you could use. The YMCA pool, zoo memberships, museums ect. We tend to visit the zoo often since we paid for the annual membership and with it comes discounts to many other zoos which we have used for our outings in the past.
      If you come up dry on steps 1-5, then you may just decide to go and pay full price anyways, but you can spend in peace if you know that you attempted to live the life you want with your littles for less.  There is a certain defeat that comes with paying full price and learning after the fact you could have had the same meal or experience for less --if you had done a little homework!