Planning a Beach Vacation on a Budget

So its been almost 2 years since we took a beach vacation.  We went to the Outer Banks, NC in July, 2010.  By far the best beach vacation ever!  Last May we headed to Disney World, which was wonderful, but the boys wanted to go back to the beach this year and so did I!  So for spring break we are heading to the Florida Gulf Coast!  Here are some tips we use to keep the costs down:

1.  We drive instead of flying.  For a family of 4 it would cost us about $2,000 to fly.  With driving we estimate about $500 in gas and $200 for hotel rooms.  A lot cheaper.  Plus we have the extra time to drive and enjoy the scenery!

2.  Think Condo instead of hotel.  We always rent houses or condos when we go on vacations.  There are some great deals to be had and you have so much more space!  I am not a fan of cramming 4 people in a hotel room for a week, not my idea of a vacation.  My husband and I like our own bedroom so we can enjoy our vacation too!  Two great resources we have used in the past are Homeaway and VRBO.

3.  Pack non-perishable items from home.  We always pack everything we can from home.  It is a lot cheaper since you probably got some deals on those items anyways.  Plus you do not have to pay the inflated food costs at the grocery stores in tourist towns!  Typical items we pack include:  cereal, peanut butter, chips, dip, condiments, snacks, spaghetti, coffee, canned fruit, juice boxes, bottled water, pop, pancake mix, syrup, etc.

4.  Eat Breakfast & Lunch in your condo.  It is so nice to wake up and make breakfast and not have to worry about where to take everyone for breakfast!  Everyone can eat at their own pace and when you are ready head out to the beach!  It is also nice, to just come back to your condo and make a quick lunch and get back to enjoying the beach.  Save your eating out for dinner!

5.  Eat some dinners in your condo.  We usually find a condo that has a grill.  Who wants to take cranky kids out dinner after a long day?  If we find we have a day where we just want to eat at "home", we grill up some burgers, hot dogs, or steaks.  Eat it on your balcony and enjoy the sunset!  We also normally buy a frozen pizza or two for a really "quick" dinner!

6.  Pack all of your toiletries that you will need.  Again, no need to go shopping for items such as toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, hand soap, napkins, etc.  Pack these items from home and bring them along.  Another perk of driving, you can put all of these items in the car!

7.  Make sure you enjoy your vacation!  You are after all on vacation.  Have your money set aside on what you will spend and enjoy yourself!  These are the times to make memories with your kids!  Make sure you enjoy it yourself!

What We Did On Our July 4th Staycation

We had a wonderful, long July 4th weekend.  The weather was beautiful, it was HOT but only rained after we went to bed two nights in a row.  We did some fun things as a family and kept the budget low!

First we took in a day at our local Zoo.  The boys love seeing all the animals.  We packed a pinic lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and chips.  It made the day pleasant and enjoyable!

On another day, we were able to visit a community pool that my parents belong too.  It was hot. 85-90 degrees, but it didn't seem to bother us.  We had a blast playing in the water and going down the water slide!  My oldest who just made it to 48" went down the waterslide for about 4 hours straight!  He even managed to have his Grandma go down with him a few times!  Admission was free since we were guests of my Mom.  We packed snacks and drinks to enjoy during the rest periods.  We then enjoyed dinner with my parents!

We enjoyed swiming so much, we were able to take in one more day at a different community pool that my husband's parents are members!  We then enjoyed some pulled pork sandwiches back at their house!

The final day was 4th of July!  We had a picnic with my family and then of course, Fireworks!  This was the first time my youngest experienced fireworks and he loved it!  We also did some sparklers which was interesting with 2 young children, but well worth it!

I hope everyone had a fun-filled 4th!

Vacationing with a Budget – Plan Ahead and Start Saving

The best way to vacation is to have the money set aside and ready to go for vacation. This way you will never miss the money and when you return from your wonderful vacation with your family you will not have leftover “vacation” bills! Like I indicated in my previous post, my husband and I have committed to taking our boys on a vacation every year. We put money aside every month for that vacation. If you save just $100 a month in your vacation fund, in a year you will have $1200 for a vacation! In my mind that is more than enough for a “budget friendly vacation”! So do you want to vacation next summer? Then make the commitment NOW and start your vacation fund!


So how do we save for our vacation? We use Smarty Pig! This site is amazing! You can set up saving funds for all kind of reasons, vacations, new home, new car, education, anything! So you can start your vacation fund today for only $25. Then all you need to do is set up automatic withdraws from your current savings or checking account to be automatically deposited into your Smarty Pig Vacation Fund! How easy is that? You will not even miss the money! We set up a monthly withdraw which occurs the day after my paycheck is deposited. So it is like the money was never there! The best part is, your Smarty Pig account will earn 2.15% in interest. I have not seen an interest rate like that at any of our local banks. Plus if you withdraw money from your account in gift cards you get a bonus!

When you get back from your vacation, start your next year vacation fund! I would even make it a bonus if you come home with leftover vacation fund money, buy something special for the family deposit it into next year’s fund!

Can you guess the beach above?

Stay tuned for more tips...

Vacationing with a Budget – Budget Friendly Tips

Welcome to my new summer series, Vacationing with a Budget! I love a good vacation. Sand, beach, pool, what could be better? My most prominent memories of childhood are often the ones we had while vacation. My family always made it a point to take a vacation every year. We often visited beach locations such as Florida, Virginia Beach, and Myrtle Beach. My husband and I have also made a commitment to take our boys on vacation every year. I believe that everyone works hard all year long, and you should definitely treat yourself to a much needed break! A vacation can get expensive, but if you have a budget and keep it in check, you are less likely to break the bank and still have a fun, memorable time! Here are a few of my “vacation-friendly” budget tips:


1. Plan Ahead and Start Saving – If you are able to put away $100 a month for a year, then when vacation time rolls around you will have $1200 for vacation spending! Check out Smarty Pig for sending up your own vacation fund!

2. Pick a location that is drivable – If you have kids that would require separate plane tickets, then your best bet financially is to drive! We live in Ohio so if we wanted to “fly” to a beach location such as Fort Myer’s Florida, it would cost us approximately $1140. (3 tickets @ $380 a piece plus 1 lap child). But we could drive to Myrtle Beach for approximately $400 (estimating $160 in total fuel costs, $200 for a hotel room stop half way and incidentals).

3. Choose a Condo over a Hotel Room – This is the only way we travel! Check out websites such as HomeAway and VRBO for condos. They are often cheaper than a hotel room and you save significantly on meal costs since you have a kitchen. We have also traveled with a group of families and split the cost of a house.  If you do choose a hotel (or need one as a stop) book ahead of time through EBATES or Shop At Home to get a percentage back!

4. Limit Eating Out – So if you follow tip #2 & #3, then this tip is so EASY! Pack food from home that you already got on sale! We usually pack a box full of boxed and canned items as well as a cooler full of meats and other frozen items. We also take plenty of water, juice, and other beverages. It is so easy to just grab cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and grill out for dinner! Plus it is so much easier than getting the kids bathed and then going out to dinner for a 2 hour affair! Watch for my next post on Food Packing for Vacation!

5. Do Laundry While on Vacation – Okay this sounds weird, but actually it will save you $$! Choose a condo with an in suite washer & dryer. You can now pack lighter and go home with clean clothes! Throughout the year I save all those free detergent samples I get in the mail and then take them on vacation with us. The last day of our stay, I do all my laundry in the condo. So we now pack clean clothes and will not have to catch up on laundry at home!

6. Limit Expensive Activities – Choose a condo that is beach front with a “cool” pool and your kids will never want to leave! We normally only do about 2 activities which involve an additional cost. We call these are “rainy day” or “break from the sun day” activities. This could include going to the movies one afternoon, a local aquarium, shopping mall, touring historical landmarks, or a dinner theater activity.

Can you guess where my son is in the picture above?

Stay tuned as I break down each of my tips further!