Doing things as a family becomes harder as the size of your family increases. Even the price of dinner and a movie for a modestly sized family can put a hole in your budget if money is tight. Moreover, a dilemma always occurs in the summer when structured school days are over and kids have excess time on their hands. For the summer, we will look at family activities that are enjoyable and affordable. (For more general money saving tips, check out our Special Feature: Budgeting 101.)

Summer Camps
As parents, you don't always have the luxury of staying home with the kids all summer, so summer camps are an easy way to make sure kids are in a safe environment while you get some time to yourself. All kinds of summer camps are offered, such as finance camps, computer camps, and even geology camps. In general, however, summer camps are a costly option. Camps require buildings, staff, insurance and various overhead expenses that lead to substantial fees.

How to save money on summer camps:

• The duration of the camp dictates most of the cost. Instead of sending your child to a camp for five or more consecutive days, it is usually cheaper to mix shorter two- or three-day camps throughout the summer.
• Opt for day camps that bus the children. This will cut down on the cost of food, lodging and paying full-time staff - which means those fees won't be transfered to you.
• Many camps offer scholarships and payment plans to lower-income families.
• You can often get discounts for signing up early, particularly if your child wants to go to the same camp every year.
• If the camp offers gift certificates, they might be an ideal birthday or holiday present idea for a relative that needs help picking a gift for your child.

Museums
Museums have become much more child-friendly in the last two decades. Rockets, dinosaurs and interactive displays have jump-started the imaginations of many children while also giving their parents a chance to rest their feet and watch them. If your child has a particular interest, consider becoming a member of the institution to save money on admission. Also, membership publications will give you information on new attractions and any summer programs put on by the museum.

How to save money on museum visits:

• Consider purchasing a family membership to save on repeated admission costs.
• Search online for coupons.
• Avoid costly trips to the gift shop. Make it clear before the trip begins that the gift shop is off limits - even just to "look".
• Go on free-to-the-public days. These events will generally occur once or twice a season where the exhibits try to encourage a higher attendance by offering discounted, two-for-one or even free admission.

Sports
Organized and recreation leagues are everywhere in the summer. Organized sports come with fees, time commitments and other related costs, but the recreation leagues are sometimes run by community centers and public schools, and are reasonably priced. Better yet, you might find another parent willing to trade with you by taking your child to events, which can save you time and money. The listings at your community center or local library should be able to point you in the right direction.

How to save money on summer sports:

• Opt for community leagues and drop-in sports.
• Pick a sport with low equipment costs like soccer or basketball instead of football or roller hockey.
• Buy quality used equipment instead of new. Remember, Wayne Gretzky and many other icons got their start with used equipment.
• Avoid expensive brand names.
• Carpool to save gas. (For other fuel saving tips read, Getting A Grip On The High Cost Of Gas and Hybrids: Financial Friends Or Foes?)
• Swap babysitting services to help other parents out. If they are feeding and taking your child to soccer today, then offer to return the favor another time for their kids.
• Visit "feeder" sports camps. A feeder camp is an event where a sports team holds a competition to "feed" their next year's team. These tryouts are free to join and your child may even be picked up for a team they might not have otherwise tried out for. Even if they don't make the team, they still get training and practice in their sport of choice for a few days.