Between our move from Texas to Missouri we took a little “vacation.” It was a nice relaxing time, but it wasn’t just a vacation as we had some things we needed to get done on the car and air plane. But it was a fairly cheap vacation for the most part. I know everyone’s in different circumstances and may not be able to save in the ways we did, but I thought I’d share it to give you ideas.
Lodging
One of the most expensive parts of a trip is where you sleep every night. We were able to stay at a trailer that my in-laws own, so our housing was completely free! It wasn’t a 5 star hotel, but it was still relaxing and enjoyable.
Food
Because the trailer has a fridge and microwave we were able to eat meals at home, saving us a ton of money. We just ate simple meals, which I’m thinking I’ll make a whole post on just that. We ate out quite a bit too, but it was nice being able to eat at home some, which saved us money and was healthier. If you do go out to eat, here’s a few ideas on how to do it as inexpensively as possible.
Entertainment
Like I mentioned before, we spent some time working on our car and moving our air plane, but we also did a lot of fun things:
- Went to a train museum, which only cost $8 total and was really fun!
- We had a lake day and spent a little money to get into the state park, but it was well worth it! Gracia loved being in the water and we even had a picnic by the shore!
- We did some bike riding. It was a challenge for me to ride on the hills, since I’m used to flat-as-a-pancake West Texas, but going down sure was fun!
Gracia with her backpack ready for some adventure!
- Gracia went on at least one nature walk pretty much everyday! She’d get her back pack on and we’d go walking around looking a plants and bugs.
- We even rented a Redbox one night and watched it on our laptop.
- We played games.
Cameron flying us over the lake.
- The last day we even went up flying over the lake in our plane that Cameron just finished the overhaul on!
Anyways…we’re now in Missouri and will start our missionary training Monday. We are already loving it here! The campus is right on a lake and the people are great!
What are some ways you spend less on vacations?
PS – Here’s an old post I made on saving money on trips.
The biggest way I save when traveling is to take my own food with me. I take a cooler and stock it with fruits, veggies and some hummus or peanut butter and a package of tortillas to start. When we need to purchase more food rather than a restaurant we head to a local grocery store to buy what we need. Keeping it simple makes it all the easier.
I’m jealous of the trailer I would stay there given the chance over a hotel. I never feel comfortable in hotels as they just don’t feel like a home would. Guess I just prefer the creature comforts of my own bed and a space with a unique personality.
we save by eating out once per day, usually lunch, rather than every meal. We also try to look to nature to supply our entertainment. Giving kids their own money to spend also keeps the spending down. If I have to hold their money because of their age, they get their own envelopes. I write the balance on the envelope for them to see.
I am very blessed that in our family, we have access to a timeshare with “bonus” time weeks. If we go on a bonus week, it is a free condo with a kitchenette! Once we buy our Silver Dollar City season passes, our whole vacation equates only to the gas it takes to get there, and groceries. Plus some drinks in the parks, since I always bring some granola bars, string cheese, and sandwiches with us.
That’s great!
Not sure where in Missouri you are, but it would be worth checking to see if you have a Corps Of Engineer lake or park near you. An annual car hang tag is 30 bucks, and it lets a whole car loan in for the entire year. We use ours at least once a week while we are at home, and have used it in other states during vacations. Cheap entertainment for your whole family!
http://www.usace.army.mil/Locations.aspx