How we saved on a day out at the Sacramento Zoo

By: Becki Robins on 5:17 PM

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Sacramento Zoo Flamingos. Photo by David Grimes.

This spring break we decided to treat the kids to a mid-week day out. We live in Grass Valley, which is about a 90 minute drive from Sacramento--it's an easy day trip and one we've done many times.

In the past we've saved by packing a lunch, which I still think is a great way to go when times are tight. But our kids enjoy a sit-down meal, too, and there are some smart ways to save if that's what you decide you want to do.

I already knew that El Torito in Sacramento has a "kids eat free" lunch special on Wednesdays, but you can easily find deals like this in your local area by Googling "kids eat free" along with your city. Be aware that sometimes restaurants don't advertise these specials on their websites, so you may need to rely on Yelp or other bloggers to pass along this information. Make sure you call the restaurant ahead of time to confirm that the deal will be happening on the day you plan to visit--sometimes the information you find online is old or just incorrect, and confirming in advance will save you some pain.

So we started our day out at El Torito. El Torito's deal is for one free kids meal free with each adult entree, which means we did have to pay for two kids meals since we have four children and only two adults.

What we would have paid without the discount:

• Total: $45.10
• Plus tax and tip: $56.43

What we did pay:

• Total $33.52 
• Plus tax and tip: $41.87
• Amount saved: $14.56

The amount saved wasn't huge, but we kept the total under $50 which is awesome for a sit-down meal for six people. The total price worked out to less than $7 a person (we kept the price down further by ordering waters for the adults, and letting the kids splurge on lemonades).

After lunch we went on to the zoo. I was armed with a $25 Groupon I bought a few weeks earlier. It was only good for a weekday visit, which meshed well with the Wednesday "kids eat free" special at El Torito. The Groupon was good for admission for two adults and two children, with four free ride tickets included. Here's the regular prices for the Sacramento Zoo:

• Standard Zoo Prices: $7.75 for kids, $11.75 for adults
• Carousel Prices: $2.50 per ride
• Train Prices: $4.00 per ride

What we would have paid:

• $70.50 admission
• $14.50 for rides

What we did pay:

• $25.00 (Groupon admission for two adults and two children)
• $15.50 (Two extra children's admission tickets)
• $0.00 (Ride tickets were free!)

• Total paid: $40.50
• Total saved: $44.50

So for a day out at the zoo plus lunch for a family of six, we kept the cost below $100. That's pretty good for so many people! Here's the final breakdown:

• Total amount spent for the day: $82.37
• Total amount saved: $59.06
• Today, our trip cost $13.73 per person

Have you got a story of big savings? Please post to the comments and share your tips and techniques.