Editor's note: It's a new year and these are tough times, but not so tough that you can't find some cost-cutting detours when spending your money. Through Sunday in Living Here, we're offering a daily dose of 15 ways to save on food and wine, outdoor activities, entertainment, home and garden, and caring for yourself and your family. Keep the change.

• Monday: Spend less on books and media

• Today: Families can save

• Wednesday: Grocery-store savings

• Thursday: Outdoor fun for less

• Friday: Bargains around town

• Saturday: Saving around the house

• Sunday: Cutting medical and fitness costs

Share your great money-saving tips by clicking here.

Let's face it: Children aren't cheap. While the smiles, laughter and joy they bring are priceless, the doctor bills, clothes and shoes, toys, dental work and college tuition add up to a small fortune.

From the supermarket to the movie theater, going out with children can be expensive, but it doesn't have to burn a hole in your wallet. This mother of two has some tips on how you can keep some of that hard-earned cash in your wallet without sacrificing fun.

Skip kid's meal

Forgo ordering a child's meal at a restaurant. If your meal includes elements your child will eat, just ask for another plate and portion out some of the food.

Think small

Order appetizers, or an appetizer sampler, instead of entrees. It's cheaper, gets to the table faster and chances are you'll wind up with something that will appease even the pickiest pint-sized palate.

Pack and carry

Brown-bag it when heading to family venues. Meals at zoos, ball games and other venues can cost a lot; some places allow customers to bring in packed meals. Bag a few homemade sandwiches and some drinks, call it a picnic and have fun with your family instead of waiting in line for a soggy, overpriced corndog.

Check kids-eat-free deals

Take advantage of kids-eat-free deals at restaurants. Many restaurants offer free meals for kids on certain weekdays, including IHOP, Chevy's and Island's. At Cabos in Rocklin, children ages 10 and under eat free Monday through Friday, through the end of the month. The promotion started in December and the offer was extended in hopes of bringing in business.

"It's also a way to help the community" by helping customers save money, said Hector Gomez, one of the restaurants' partners.

Grab take-and-bake pizza

Go for take-and-bake pizza instead of takeout. Pizza you bake costs about half of what pizza chains charge. Better yet, buy ingredients at the store and make pizza as a family activity. Maybe if the child gets to spread the veggies on the pizza, he'll actually eat them. (Well, a parent can dream, right?)

Watch for early bird specials

Go for an early dinner out and hit up "early bird specials." Small children are often hungrier earlier in the evening, anyway, and it will help you avoid crowded restaurants, long waits and hunger meltdowns.

Share movie popcorn

When heading to the movies with a gaggle of children, order one large, refillable popcorn instead of the child's box (which typically includes a child-size popcorn, candy and soda). Want to bypass ribcage jabbing and exasperated cries of "Mom! She won't hand over the popcorn!"? Bring along a few disposable bowls or cups and divvy out the snack during the previews. If candy is a movie must-have, dollar stores often have good deals. Juice boxes also provide a cheaper – and healthier – alternative to fountain soft drinks.

Clip dining coupons

Check The Bee and its Ticket and Explore sections, mailers and Web sites for restaurant coupons and deals. Frequent diner? Consider buying an "Entertainment Book," which has dozens of restaurant coupons, suggests Good Housekeeping's editors in "Good Housekeeping Good Deal & Smart Steals" (Sterling Publishing Co., October 2008). Go to www.entertainment.com for more information.

For today only, the Old Spaghetti Factory is offering super-discounted prices on six of its dinner items, slashing prices to about $2.35 to $3.45 per dinner, which includes salad, pasta entree, fresh bread and spumoni ice cream. The restaurant also is offering kids meal items for about $2. The price cut is in celebration of the restaurant's 40th anniversary, states a company news release.

Call The Bee's Niesha Lofing, (916) 321-1270.