A Month of Saving Day 13

Fridays at the Peppler house are date night! Ever since Matthew was born, our kids have gone to Ryan's parents for a couple hours every Friday night! We are very fortunate to have this built-in childcare, but today, as I thought about saving money, date night came to mind. It is often difficult for parents of young children to afford date night, let alone the childcare to make it happen. Today's idea is to swap childcare with friends for date night. It is so good for couples to have alone time over dinner, or just a few hours to reconnect over coffee, or in our case recently, to come home and bake (last Friday we made 2 loaves of bread, a recipe of noodles, and a chocolate trifle). Regardless of what date night entails, the time together is what's important. Volunteering to watch your friends' children one evening in exchange for the same gesture in return, will not only gain your children some social time, but also allow you some downtime. If you happen to be in a season of life where you do not have young children but are capable of caring for 1 or 2 little ones, volunteer to host a young couple's children for an evening out for mom and dad. If you happen to be a single parent, I would imagine a night out is doubly important. Finding someone you can trust with your kids so you can get away and reconnect with friends or just take care of yourself, makes for better relationships with your children once you return home. Ryan and I are usually completely refreshed after just a couple hours away and recharged for the weekend. If you can save the cost of childcare by swapping sitting services with your friends or family, you can enjoy date night even more because it is saving money!!!

Happy Friday!