This year, I am going with a friend and her two teenage sons. She is a single mother. We looked at many things to save money; i.e. stopping for water in the parks will cost her almost $10.00 each time.
We first looked at water bottles clipped to our backpacks, but it just seemed kinda bulky. I also take crystal-lite-to-go, which is very refreshing in the afternoon.
I found a product that is called the "anti-bottle". It sells at Target for about $9.00. It is basically a bladder, that expands when filled with a liquid and has a bottom to it, so it stands up just like a water bottle. It collapses when not in use. You can roll it up in your backpack, but it also has a clip to clip it onto the backpack. It came in 4 different colors, so we each have our own - I let the guys decorate theirs with some stickers of the pirates. Pretty cool.
In addtion, we are purchasing granola bars, and saving our afternoon snack for something sweet....
This alone will save us a ton of money..