Join me everyday in February as I share ways to save money on just about anything you need, want, use!
Vacations are expensive! But there are a few ways you can cut down on the expense – accommodations, attractions/entertainment, food and souvenirs.
Accommodations are what they are and you usually get what you pay for. But you can use sites like Travelocity to compare prices on rooms in a certain area (this is how we picked our hotel when we went to Gatlinburg last year) and usually, the further outside a certain area you get, the better rate you get. (Just make sure there won’t be too many additional expenses like parking fees if you stay farther away from your main attraction.)
How about food on vacation? I’m all about saving money on food! Here are my tips for saving on food when you are traveling:
- If you are staying in a condo with a kitchen or a suite with a kitchenette, then take groceries! (Try not to buy too much at your destination because you’ll end up paying more! Milk is usually all I buy once we get there) Pack cereal, snacks, drinks, quick breakfast foods, microwavable meals, sandwich stuff. Also, with access to a kitchen you can take the ingredients for any ‘simple meals” your family enjoys (think one-skillet meals like hamburger helper). Aim to eat breakfast and one other meal in your room.
- If your room doesn’t have a kitchenette, try to get a room with at least a mini-fridge and a microwave. Take paper plates & bowels and plastic spoons. Take plenty of your family’s favorite snacks and drinks. You can still make breakfast in your room – bagels, cereal, oatmeal (if you have a microwave – or a coffee pot! Just heat the water in it!) You can still aim for the eat-two-meals-a-day-in-your-room with just a mini-fridge and microwave. Cup-o-soups and soup or chef boyardee bowls can be heated in the microwave. Sandwiches are still a great choice too. If we are at a beach location, I fix breakfast in the room then we go to the beach or pool and come back to the room for lunch. Then we clean up to go site-see and eat dinner out. If we are in the mountains, then we do out site-seeing during the day and eat lunch out. Then we have dinner back in the room.
- Pack a cooler for the trip down. You can save time and money by “picnicking” in the car on the trip down. Pack foods that are easily eaten in the car. Premade sandwiches or wraps, chips, cheese and crackers, grapes or bananas,
A family of four can eliminate and average $30 of spending for every meal they eat in instead of out at a restaurant. Even fast food adds up when you’re feeding four! On a 4 day trip, eating 2 meals in, you could save $240!
What about the fun stuff when you get there?
Daily Deal sites are a great way to save on attractions and entertainment. Just subscribe to deals from the city you will be vacationing in. You might get lucky and catch a deal on tickets to the amusement park or museum you were wanting to visit on your trip. We are wanting to go to Chattanooga, TN in May so I’m subscribed to deals from there. Hoping to get a good deal on Aquarium tickets!
And finally, souvenirs! Every parents worst nightmare with a price tag! How do you save money on souvenirs?
- This seems to popular among people I know that vacation at DISNEY: You can always find Disney-themed toys at the Dollar Tree (for just a dollar!) and other stores very cheap. Buy up these things ahead of time and take them with you. Then each night after the kids are asleep, lay out a treat or two for them to find in the morning. Or find some reason to have to go back to the room and get dad and the kids to wait in the lobby and you can set the treats out to be there when you get back.
- For BEACH trips: You can also score on Dollar Tree items before the trip. Flip-flops, sun hats, sunglasses, bucket and shovels, beach balls, water guns, etc. Get all these things before you go and distribute them as needed on the trip.
- Other themes: For our Chattanooga trip, we will be staying at the old railstation downtown because Bug LOVES trains! So there are a few train themed things we’ll be doing plus going to the aquarium. He’s only 2 1/2 so the pressure to buy souvenirs isn’t too bad. But I will have some train-themed goodies and some aquarium related things to pull out as needed on the trip – new things that he hasn’t seen before – so this should satiate his need to “have” something new!
- Just say no. Do you REALLY need the 64oz souvenir cup that glows in the dark? Probably not. ;0)
How do you save money on vacation?
Follow Me!