Cinema Trip

Yesterday I had plans to go out with my friend and her two children. We were originally going to an NT property but as the weather was bad we decided upon a trip to the cinema & Pizza Hut afterwards. I haven't got loads of money to spend but as my daughter is the only one I have to sometimes do things for her to socialise with other children her age, so even though I knew it would be costly I agreed to go. We normally go to the cinema for the Kids Showings which are £1 each at the weekends, yesterday was full price even though we had a discount before 5pm. So it cost £5.60 for me & £5.40 for my daughter. My brother had given her £5 earlier in the day so she decided she would spend it at the cinema buying sweets. On the way over I managed to convince her the cinema is too expensive , we had a few of our own goodies and that she should save the £5 to spend another time. I don't know about anyone else but sometimes outings with other people can be a bit pressurised. What I mean by that is you can be pressurised to buy/spend that you don't necessarily want. On previous occasions I have spent beyond my means but I don't do it anymore and I think other people may find it awkward. That probably sounds a funny thing to say but that's the vibe I get sometimes. When we bought our tickets , the other family bought a few pounds worth of pick and mix whereas my daughter and I stood and watched. Then they bought ice creams, the one ice cream was a tub of Ben & Jerry's at £4.20. Now it may appear to others that I am being miserly and to the other children , a mean mom but I can't justify around £25 for us to have a film,ice cream and nibbles. My daughter although she is only 9, is quite level headed and I try my best to explain to her that in life you can't have everything you see.The difficulty for a child is that they may not understand that every family has different circumstances and that they think their friends get everything they ask for. My friend and her husbands financial situation is a lot better than ours, not that I am jealous, its just fact.  Afterwards we went to Pizza Hut for a buffet. At the moment kids eat free so I just had to pay for my meal. I can never finish a drink there as they are so huge, so what I do is I have some of my daughters drink, its refillable so she can top it up as she wants. When we were eating I asked my daughter for some Coke and my friend noticed this and she asked '' if I have been watching Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert?''. I found myself explaining that I can't drink a full drink but why should that matter? I know that she wasn't being malicious when she said this but again its all down to different circumstances. Gone are the days when I just popped it on the plastic. Ultimately we want to get out of debt and live better for less but I also want to set a good example to my daughter , I don't want her to grow up spending what she hasn't got !