Do you enjoy having the opportunity to share some quiet time with your spouse?  Would you do it more if it cost less?  By the time you pay the baby sitter, go out for a meal, and an activity your budget is blown.  We have found some ways that have helped us cut down on the expense of going out while allowing us to still have fun.  One of the first and sometimes the most expensive costs of going on a date is the babysitter.  We LOVE our babysitters but the hours and expense add up quickly over the course of one evening especially on a tight budget.

Here are a few ways to save on the babysitting costs so you can relax when you go on your date:

1.  Free Babysitting  Options

• Grandparents may be able to watch your sweet little one(s) once a month.    Most grandparents enjoy the opportunity to spend time with the children and are thrilled that you are focusing on strengthening your marriage at the same time.

• Aunt or Cousin or another family member who is nearby will often watch the kids once a month so you can have some time to relax with your spouse.  Have you asked?  You may be surprised at how excited they are to spend time with the kids.

• Swap Babysitting with Friends – do you belong to a church, Moms group or have friends in the neighborhood?  See if they will watch your kids once a month so you and your spouse can have a Date Night then watch their kids once a month so they can have time together too.  You can enjoy it because you have a night with your spouse without paying for babysitting and your kids love it because they have time to play with their friends.  Works really well if you have kids that are similar ages and that play well together.

2. Discount Babysitting Options

• Responsible Teenager will often work for a more negotiable rate and many times they have a lot of energy which makes it fun adventure for the kids.

• Mature Tween who is wanting to get into babysitting but isn’t quite old enough to do it on her own yet.  You are giving her the learning experience and can usually do it for a discounted rate or sometimes even free.  They will watch your kids at their own house under the supervision of their parents.

• College Student – they will usually work for a reasonable rate or we have had some that have chosen to spend the night and eat a couple meals at our house in lieu of payment.  This works well for the late night dates with your spouse.  It is wonderful coming home to a house of peaceful sleeping kids!  Plus this gives you the opportunity to get to know the babysitter better as well.
  

We have used a variety of babysitting tactics with our twins.  When the finances got tight we searched for other options because we felt like time together was important.  We have used all 6 of the options listed above.  Our favorites of course are the free options and since the grandparents don’t live near us we are limited on those dates.  We are thankful to have friends who swap babysitting with us because we can have fun relaxing together and the kids have a blast spending time playing with their friends.  We look forward to the times we get to watch their kids because we get to play, have fun and spoil the kids!

Jake and I try to have at least one date night a month because it is important to us to maintain and grow our marriage.  Communication around the typical family meal is more about the kids and the events of the day then on us as a couple.  Although we may be in a season when the finances are tight we can still have a terrific date night together.  The laughter, deep conversations, and a time of relaxation is worth finding ways to make it work logistically and financially.