I know there have been many posts through the years about the joys and evils of buying seasons passes, but it’s been my experience that when used often these can truely be a blessing! We have a year round pass to the Louisville Zoo, now granted we only use this pass for about 6 months out of the year but we get our money’s worth. Both girls absolutely LOVE animals, so we drive down (it’s about a 45 minute drive) and spend the whole day there. This could get expensive if when we went we bought food, drinks, train passes, bought pictures or gifts, etc. We don’t. We bring a picnic lunch, which my girls like better anyway, lots of drinks and our own camera. Once a year, usually the last time we go, we allow KG to pick out one gift from the Gift Shop. The great thing about our Zoo is that 25% of our membership price goes to Conservation Projects all over the world!
Now, this may not be a good investment for everyone. If you plan to only visit the zoo once a year then buying the tickets out-right is the best bet for you…but for us, this saves us anywhere between $100 and $184 a year! Thats a HUGE amount of savings for us! Not only that, but if something happens and we need to buy food, drinks, or gifts while we’re there we get a nfity 25% discount on all items! This year we are planning on purchasing the Dual Family Membership, which will allow us to get into the Zoo and the Science Mueseum all year! KG is just starting to get really interested in science so now seems like the time to be exploring the Science Museum. The Science Museum is particularlly great around here because it is so geared to children and has a fantastic 3D movie theater! I am really looking forward to a summer/fall of exploring and learning with the girls and the peace of mind that I am not breaking the bank or the budget to do so! And if you save a little year round, you don’t have to worry about coming up with the up-front money it requires to purchase these passes!
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How do you save money and still provide your family with educational/fun activities?
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