Memberships for Birthday Presents

I have a tip for all of us thrifty parents, whether by choice or because it's necessary! My son's third birthday is this week, and to be honest, he doesn't need a lot of new toys! We're on a limited budget, but there's a great children's museum in Milwaukee that my son just loves. It would cost about $20 for us with admission and parking costs. This doesn't include the cost of the gas to get there though (it's about a 30 minute drive for us). So it can get a little expensive!

What I did was ask my parents and sister if they'd like to go in together on getting my son a membership for his birthday instead of a toy. He's young, so he won't notice that he didn't get a material gift, and the children's museum is educational to boot! They bought the membership ahead of time, so on my son's birthday, we're going to celebrate by playing at the children's museum. All we'll need to pay for is the gas money to drive there. Now we can take advantage of the special programs that they have too, since we don't have to worry about the expense of admission and parking. It truly is a gift that will keep on giving all year!