If you’ve got a baby, are low on cash, but might like to see your partner sans baby once in a while, here are some tips…

Share a sitter: Make a couple date! Snag your closest friends with a child and plan a group date. Get one sitter for both kids. The price is more for two kids, but your half still will likely cost less than if you’re paying the entire amount.

Swap childcare: Forget sitters altogether. When my partner and I wanted to go on a date, we’d enlist our friends (who had a daughter our son’s age) to babysit. When they wanted to go out, we’d watch their daughter. Free childcare and cool play-dates for the kids. It’s a win-win situation.

Pay a flat rate fee: Most sitters will accept a wee lower rate at the promise of continual work. If say, you promise a sitter that you’ll pay her a flat rate per week for 2 babysitting sessions per week, she’ll be happy because she won’t have to search for jobs, and you’ll have a sitter ready to go. Just make sure the two of you talk availability while setting this system up.

How do you save money on babysitters?  Share your tips in the comments.