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Family Values

Every Tuesday, Tex-Mex chain Chevy's feeds kids for free at most locations (ChevysFreshMex.com).

Children will love the free weekly story time at Pottery Barn Kids (every Tuesday from 11 to 11:30 A.M., PotteryBarnKids.com) and the free craft sessions at educational supply store Lakeshore Learning (every Saturday from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M., LakeshoreLearning.com).

To stretch your clothing dollar, join the Sears KidVantage program, which lets you exchange worn-out children's items from Sears for new garments of the same size—no questions asked.

Tasty Tidbits

A Starbucks "tall" is not the smallest of all—the coffeehouse honors off-menu requests for its eight-ounce "short cappuccino," which costs up to 30 cents less.

AMC Theaters lets you cash in points for popcorn, and the Purple Points program from high-end confectioner Vosges Chocolates can turn the dollars you spend into a tour of Paris.

Each February IHOP holds its famed National Pancake Day and has given away more than 10.1 million buttermilk pancakes since starting the event in 2006.

Want to fill up on the cheap at home? A satiety index published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition says the most filling food is the humble—and eminently affordable—boiled potato.