Entertainment Tip o' the Week- Part IV

Memberships, Memberships, Memberships.
A lot of people don't consider this a cheap tip. And clearly, the intial pay-out can be daunting. Bust the question to ask is: how often will I use it?
I got a membership for a great, local institution but it wasn't age appropriate for Asa and the distance was kind of far for a small child. After the first year, I dropped that membership. The zoo however is always a hit and we have the benefit of not feeling pressured to see the whole thing in a single shot. We also have a place we can always go in and utilize the facilities if we need too (restrooms, stretching legs, etc.)
Another thing to keep in mind is if the facility has partnerships with other institutions. We have a membership to a museum an hour away, but it is partner's with a nearby museum and we can use that for free now. Basically the use of two museums for the price of one. Aslo on our trip to Canada last year, we used our Portland zoo membership to get a discount at a zoo in Washington. A great benefit when planning a low-cost vacation.
Another tip-thanks to "blended families", the whole family doesn't have to have the same last name. Do you have another family you do acitivites with often? A grandparent in the area that tags along all the time? One thing my mom and I did was split memberships. I got the forestry museum membership, but put her name on it (Nick hates that place). My mom got the history museum membership and put my name on it. We got two museums, but we each only paid for one.
Also check how many kids can be on a membership. Often, the family memberships allow up to 4-5 kids. If you have a small family, you can buddy up with another small family and add extra kids onto a membership, getting at least part of the second family in for free.
When deciding if a membership is good for your family, do the math. It would cost our entire family about $25 a visit to the zoo. That is just admittance fees. Without a pass, we would go to the zoo at least three times a year. At $75, a membership makes total sense and we visit more because we have already paid for it.