Oh, I understand you and didn't think you were complaining for a second.
It is tough to find a sitter, not to mention having to pay for one and the expensive night out! We finally found a great sitter, but we only use her about once or twice a month because paying for the sitter and the outing is not easy to work into our monthly budget.
One idea: Our gym (well, we quit because we couldn't really afford it) had onsite daycare. It really was utopia for us. You might have one of these wonderful places near your house?? It's more money, but it would allow you two to work out together, take a spin class, racquetball, use the spa services or have a light lunch at the snack bar... Nice!
Another tip I recently read is that the fancy hotels that offer childcare services or "Kids Clubs" are really expensive, but you can stay nearby at a cheaper hotel and use the fancy hotel's services for babysitting and activities.
One more idea: I joined a local mommy group and have met so many nice people in the same situation as us. When you are a member of the group, you get on an email list. So, everybody uses it to mass email each other for favors and advice. There are so many nice people in my group, and I know that if I really needed help someone would come to the rescue. I bet that I could work out a barter with a couple of them, too. It takes a little while to get to know each person and decide who you would trust, but the value and support is great.
