It seemed as though we woke up one day and realized that summer vacation was almost over. My husband finally got some time off, so we planned some vacation time. Of course, we tried to do it as frugally as we could.
Here are some of the ways that we saved.
We chose local attractions, within two hours drive. This way, we wouldn’t have to spend money on accommodations, which can be a significant cost when you a family of five. Most hotels will not accommodate families of more than four in a regular hotel room, which means you either have to opt for the top of the line suite or rent a whole house. This makes the cost of gas pale in comparison.
We made sure to pack our own meals and snacks. We opted for a $10 per person food budget per adventure. This meant that we could enjoy one meal out and usually a snack, such as ice cream as well. The other meal and snacks, such as sandwiches, chips and fruit were brought from home and kept in a cooler in the car.
We included some no-cost adventures, such a a visit to the potato chip factory, where we not only got a free movie and a free tour, but each member of the family also got a free bags of chips!
We found ways to get discounts on ticket prices. We purchased most of our tickets through our local town hall for a significant discount. We could have also opted for using coupons, buying the tickets online, etc. A little research saved us quite a bit.
We also took advantage of a group discount for one adventure, when we took in a grand theater show with the extended family. We also got a savings on our group lunch together.
Finally, we planned out all of our adventures, so we would be sure to see and do all of the things on the list. For example, at an amusement park, we arrived early and made note of the special shows and the rides we most wanted to experience. We also chose to attend on a day with extended hours. Because of the extra time, we didn’t have to rush and could go back to our favorite rides and games.
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