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Saving Mamasita

10 Tips For A Cost Effective Summer Family Vacation

May 17, 2016 in Saving Money

vacations

Nothing says summer better than summer vacation! School is out for the year. The sun is shining. Kids are laughing and playing and the countdown to family vacation is on!

While you may have been pinching pennies throughout the year to make an annual family trip happen, here are some helpful tips for a cost effective summer family vacation.

1. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until the last possible minute to plan your trip. Talk about where you want to go earlier in the year, start the researching process and weigh out your options.

2. Travel During Down Time. Summer is such a popular time for families to travel, but avoid the busy roads and airports by planning your trip during an off-peak time. The beginning or the end of the summer are great times when people may not be out travelling and as a result, rates for hotels, campgrounds and flights also have lower prices.

3. Rent A Condo or Home For Your Stay Versus A Hotel. Unless you can find a decent hotel rate via thorough research, what our family has found is staying at a vacation home rented by their owners is very cost-effective. Rates for villas, condos or vacation homes can be rented directly from the owners for your desired stay. Often times, rates can be up to 50% LESS than nearby hotels. Not only that, but it will feel a little more like a home away from home.

4. Food costs can add up, especially if you are indulging in eating out for every meal or snacks. Instead of throwing your dollars out for expensive theme park snacks ($8 corn dog, anyone?), research the area for supermarkets. Doing a little grocery shopping once you reach your destination will not only save you money, but will be easier on your diet as well! Many hotels, resorts do have refrigerators in the rooms to take advantage of.

5. Make a list of free things to see. Whenever I want to go somewhere, the internet is my friend. I like to get on Google and research landmarks or things that are a “must see” in that particular area. For example when I went to New Orleans last year, I knew I had to see Bourbon Street. And, Jackson Square was also on my list. Both of these places did not cost me any money and I was happy I took the time to do the extra research and quite frankly, these are the things I most remember about my trip. Having a plan also keeps you on track.

6. Plan a trip with another family for your vacation. If you get along well with another family or can handle travelling with your extended family (yes, I’m talking about your mother-in-law), going on a trip together can help stretch your budget and alleviate some cost. Splitting cost on hotels or a condo or group discounts can be applied when you travel with a group of individuals.

7. Rely on locals. Whether you are staying at a hotel, resort or campground, the locals know best! They may know of events taking place while you are there, so do not be afraid to ask for recommendations!

8. Give the kids a budget. If you are travelling with kids, you can bet you will be asked for treats, toys and trinkets you may not be able to afford. If you can give each of the kids a reasonable amount of money to spend on what they want, then they decide how they want to spend their money for that day. Not only does it keep the money situation in check, but it teaches kids the value of the dollar.

Staycations are vacations too. If money is really tight, you don’t necessarily need to go far to have fun. Add local historical sites, aquariums, county fairs or kid-friendly museums to your family fun list. Create a theme for your staycation. How about a “city day”? A “country day”? A “backyard safari”? Pack up the car for a day and head out for some fun.

Have fun! Short on cash or just looking to save a few extra bucks while on vacation doesn’t have to be stressful. Remember the reason for your family trips. FAMILY! Enjoy the company of one another and make memories to last a lifetime.

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11 Comments
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Comments

  1. gingermommyrants@gmail.com'Gingermommy says

    May 25, 2016 at 4:06 pm

    Great tips! Traveling off season can save you so much! I always try to ask locals for the must see spots as well when we travel

    Reply
  2. annemarie.leblanc@gmail.com'Annemarie LeBlanc says

    May 25, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    I think renting a room or apartment as a transient would help cut down on costs. There is a website that lists places like these to rent when travelling. However, if we can afford to stay in a hotel, then why not? Thanks for these tips. They will come in handy this summer season.

    Reply
  3. dsargen3@gmail.com'Catherine S says

    May 25, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    These are great tips. We try to stay local and spend a lot of time at the beach.

    Reply
  4. sixtimemom@gmail.com'Jeanine says

    May 25, 2016 at 8:01 pm

    Great tips! For us we have to really plan ahead for any vacations or even small trips we take! will take your tips next time too!

    Reply
  5. bloodcravephotography@gmail.com'Lady Lilith says

    May 25, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    I love the idea of renting a home. If we travel with all of my siblings, this will be super cost effective.

    Reply
  6. Pbkourtneelynne@gmail.con'CourtneyLynne says

    May 26, 2016 at 2:37 am

    These are some great tips!!! I always love renting condos or even houses whenever possible!

    Reply
  7. annb10@rogers.com'Ann Bacciaglia says

    May 26, 2016 at 5:27 pm

    I love to check out all the free things to do when i go on vacation. It is a great way to save money.

    Reply
  8. lisariosonline@gmail.com'Lisa Rios says

    May 27, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    Summer family vacation is always so much fun & we do have special plans this year with my kids. These are some simple yet effective tips to make sure you don’t cross your budget plan. I agree that traveling during down time makes a huge difference.

    Reply
  9. sanders4@sbcglobal.net'jamie says

    June 9, 2016 at 3:26 pm

    I’m searching airfare right now- it’s so expensive!

    Reply
  10. marielle.altenor@gmail.com'Marielle Altenor says

    June 9, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    These are great. We don’t travel much because we don’t really have funds for that. If we did though it would save us a lot of money to rent a condo or a home while we travel.

    Reply
  11. moneycanbuylipstick@gmail.com'Teresa says

    June 11, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    My boyfriend and I were going to skip our annual summer trip, but with these tips in mind I think we may be able to plan a small trip after all at the end of the summer. Food does add up SO quickly. We used the meal plan at Disney World last year, and we saved so much because usually we’re spending money on food left and right.

    Reply

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We've been loading up on protein, carbs and chocolate milk in our household!  For every Cass Clay milk you purchase, you can snap a photo of your receipt, upload it to http://www.fueltheirdrive.com/cassclay and have a chance to win up to $10k for your athletic department. Is your school on the leaderboard?  Check out the top schools for the area here:
https://fueltheirdrive.com/cassclay/en-us/Leaderboard

Again, quick recap on how you can help your high school athletic department:  Simply buy Cass Clay milk, snap a photo of your receipt and upload it to www.fueltheirdrive.com/cassclay and then vote for your favorite high school!  Help push your school to the top.  Find Cass Clay milk at a local retailer near you, including Walmart.

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Clean drinking water is even better! I introduce to you ZeroWater.  Only ZeroWater leaves 000 dissolved solids, for the purest tasting water. ZeroWater is the only filter certified by the NSF to reduce both Lead and Chromium. It also has a premium 5-stage filter versus the standard conventional 2-stage filter used by other brands.

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#FuelTheirDrive #CassClay #Sponsored We’re geari #FuelTheirDrive #CassClay #Sponsored We’re gearing up for the final weeks of cross country AND the Fuel Their Drive competition. 

We've been loading up on protein, carbs and chocolate milk in our household!  For every Cass Clay milk you purchase, you can snap a photo of your receipt, upload it to http://www.fueltheirdrive.com/cassclay and have a chance to win up to $10k for your athletic department. Is your school on the leaderboard?  Check out the top schools for the area here:
https://fueltheirdrive.com/cassclay/en-us/Leaderboard

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CASS CLAY WILL AWARD 16 GRANTS RANGING FROM $1K-$10K TO SCHOOL COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING NORTH DAKOTA! WIN-WIN! LET'S GOOO! 

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I am teaming up with @zerowater000 to give away a zero water pitcher.  This pitcher comes with a water quality meter and premium 5-stage ion exchange filter!

The Ready-Pour technology allows you to dispense filtered water as the reservoir continues to filter. No need to wait until the pitcher is full to start enjoying.

Here’s the deal and the rules. 
*must “like” this post
*follow @mamasitaal 
*follow @zerowater000
*tag a friend to receive an extra entry (the more you tag, the more entries you get)

It’s that easy to enter. 
Good luck! 

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Winner will be announced on 10/15/2021 
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#ourneighborhood #myneighborhood #fallseason #fallisintheair #fallismyfavorite #fallvibes #fallcolors #changeisgood #beautifulview #myviewrightnow #myviewisbetterthanyours #sunrise #gorgeousviews #autumn #autumnvibes
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2 cups peeled and chopped carrots (about 5)
1 1/4 cups chopped celery (about 3)
4 cloves garlic , minced
4 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth* or vegetable broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
3 cups peeled and 1/2-inch thick diced potatoes (from about 3 medium)
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🍁 Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. 
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🍁 Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes are almost fully tender, about 20 - 30 minutes. 
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For the full how to: check out Vegetable soup on the cookingclassy.com. 

#comfortfood #soupseason #soupdejour #souprecipes #nummanum #yummy #soupfordays #fallsoup #fallsoupseason #vegetablesoup #vegetablesoup #soupmaker #deliciousness #delicious #cookingclassy #comfortfoods #goatsoup🐐 #greatestofalltime #whatsfordinnertonight #whatsfordinnertomorrow #itswhatsfordinner
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Be prepared for a slew of Autumn season posts.  Fall is my favorite. 

I love the colors. I love the decor. I love the fall fashion. I love the fall food.  I love it all! I had a few floral arrangements I had created by  different local small town florists.  Here are my faves.  Aren’t they gorgeous? And how cute is that little pumpkin? 

What’s your favorite season? 

#falldecor #fallfashion #fallcenterpiece #fallcenterpieces #fallstyle #falldecorations #fallready #fallharvest #fallisintheair #fallflowers #autumn #autumnvibes #autumndecor #autumnvibes🍁 #pumpkindecor
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