Vacation of Your Dreams on a Budget {Part 2}

I'd like to say my long absence from blogging has been to hold my great following of readers in suspense. To hold you on the edge of your seat, biting nails, fidgeting with anticipation....

Did it work? ;-)

My come-back blog is dedicated to all those who have been patiently waiting on new money-saving tips. I hope I don't disappoint you. Let's save some Benjamins!


Vacationing vs. Money Saving. Those two oppose each other, right? I mean, honestly who goes on vacation thinking they will save money? Although you may have every intention of sitting on a beach, drinking mojitos, and ordering the cabana boy around, (no judgment, hehe) there are some key ways you can have that very relaxing vacation and still save money.

1. Vacation with family/friends. I understand some people go on vacation to get away from family and friends. That's completely understandable. But, considering that isn't you, it can be a money-saving option to split a rental house with others. You can get all the amenities you need at a fraction of the cost. Carpooling, groceries, lodging, it can all be split and be quite cost effective.

2. Bring your own food. We drove to the beach this summer so it was feasible for me to pack a cooler and large box of food. When we actually got to the beach we did make a Wal-Mart run but only spent around $20. We planned ahead of time and brought snacks, fruit, cookies, cereal, milk, cheese, vegetables, and juice with us in the car. The cost of groceries at hot vacation spots is astronomical. What a banana costs in Destin, Florida is about 3 times more than what it costs at home. No joke.

3. Pay with CASH. Shoooooooooooow me the money!! There have been actual studies that have proven people are far less likely to spend cash. Think about the last time you paid for something with a credit card. Do you even know how much you spent? I bet it didn't really occur to you how it felt. What about when you use your debit card? You feel that more than when using a credit card, but it's still easy and quick. You don't actually see the subtraction of money taking place so it's not as painful. But pay for something with cash and you actually see the money go away. It almost hurts to see Mr. Benjamin go to another home and all you have left are a few Mr. Jackson's, a Lincoln, and two Washingtons. (if you don't know which bills those are, look it up!!) This takes some getting used to, but you will be amazed at how well this works.

4. Create a budget for your vacation and stick to it. Whatever you decide to spend on vacation, don't go above it. Research as much as you can ahead of time to see the cost of restaurants, snorkeling, boat rental, ski equipment, etc. The more prepared you are, the more realistic your budget can be. By paying with cash, once the money is gone, it's gone. You will be able to stick to your budget as well as not buying a bunch of touristy souvenirs. If paying with cash you may decide you don't really need 4 back scratchers carved out of pig skin. (then again, maybe you do...still no judgment ;-)

5. Do spend money on something nice. Vacation is about relaxing and doing things we don't get to do at home. It's OKAY to spend money on yourself. Make sure you plan a big splurge for you and/or your family. For us, we really wanted some GOOD seafood. Man, oh man, was it worth every penny. There's a delicate balance between saving and spending and enjoying and splurging. Do plan on spending your money on something good. After all, you are on vacation, right?

Vacation of Your Dreams on a Budget {Part 1}

My family recently had the opportunity to go an amazing beach vacation in Destin, Florida. It was well timed as we haven't really left town for the past two years. Budget and vacation....those two words don't seem to go together do they? "But Lili, I'm going on vacation to forget all my worries! I don't want to care about money while I'm there!!" I hear you! But if you take some time to plan ahead, you can save some serious money and hopefully get to do everything you want to do on vacation.

I can assure you that you CAN have the vacation of your dreams and STILL come home with money to spare!


Before Trip Savings:

1. Garage Sale. We had a major garage sale about a month before our vacation. We live in one of those neighborhoods where someone is always having a yard sale and the foot traffic is constant throughout the weekends. Not only did we make great money, but we cleaned out the garage!! More money in my pocket AND a clean house.....YES PLEASE!! If you've never tried having a garage sale, I highly recommend it. It is a lot of work, but so worth it in the end. Our garage sale money paid for ALL of our gas to and from Florida...about $350 worth. Not bad!

2. Drive. Unless you find a seriously amazing deal on airfare, driving will be your best money-saving transportation option. Make sure you (or an honest mechanic) do a thorough inspection of the car BEFORE you leave. Oil change, tire repairs, etc will help ensure you don't break down on the way. If your car won't make it to your destination, car rental will still most likely be cheaper than airfare for your whole family. Driving can be so fun with the family as well. We don't have an ipad, portable dvd player, or any other fancy electronic distraction device and our son did fantastic! (More on that in another post) So, make a mix CD, make stops on the way, go to the visitor centers in each state, get off the beaten path! We had a blast!

3. Preplan road trip meals and snacks. Half the fun of a good road trip is all the junk food, right? It's nice to just eat whatever sometimes. However, as I'm sure many of you already know, stopping frequently for food on the road can get expensive....and fast! We brought a large cooler with us and filled it with all kinds of yummy goodies for the road: tuna (to make sandwiches), chips, fruit, CANDY, Pepsi, etc. It kept our food nice and cold and completely eliminated the need to stop at fast food places. We could eat at anytime we wanted and didn't have to stop driving or even get off the highway. Hands down, this saved us probably close to $100 each way in food.

4. Look for sale/clearance items months before your vacation. I was able to buy several sunscreens on clearance at Walmart about two months before our vacation. I knew we would be using it a good bit so I snagged it the second I saw it. Every little bit really adds up! In Florida it was marked up almost DOUBLE (even at Walmart)!! It is good planning to bring your own sunscreen with you and not rely on last second purchases on vacation.

5. You don't need a brand new wardrobe for a week. Unless you don't have a specific item needed for vacation, your regular clothes will be just fine for your vacation. I'm not a big shorts person so I realized I needed to purchase a pair or two. I went to Target, used a special clothing coupon (they post them on their website ALL the time) and got exactly what I needed without spending an arm and a leg. Consignment shopping is another great way to save on clothing! I got my son's swim trunks, sun hat, and sandals all at a consignment sale and believe me we have gotten our money's worth!!


Stay tuned for the next post in my vacation series. You CAN do this!!!!!!!

Price Matching

"Okay, so Lili, you told me to keep those store circulars that I get in my mailbox every week. I've seen some good sales, but seriously...you really want me to go to 3 different stores?!?!"

Perhaps you've thought just that. Great savings, but 3 stores? "I'm a mom, I have a job, I'm tired. I don't want to go 12 different places and use up my precious gas." I hear you. Believe me, I do. So what's the solution? Price matching.

Did you know Walmart and Target will match any price for any item? This means that if Delmonte ketchup is on sale at the grocery store for $1.00, Walmart AND Target will match that same price! It has to be the same size and quantities and it must be on an advertisement. Yes, this means that these stores will come down on their own prices to entice you to shop there more often. They hope you will not only buy ketchup, but also bananas, diapers, lotion, soft drinks, kitty litter, etc.

Just yesterday I was saving money at my local Target and needed to pick up some bananas. Produce is my absolute favorite item to price match! My local Aldi had bananas on sale for $0.29/lb. Yes, you read that right....WAY cheap! Walmart is currently selling bananas for $0.54/lb and Target for $0.55/lb. Keep in mind prices vary greatly by region. I brought my local ad with me to Target and they price matched Aldi's price and I got a huge bundle of bananas for $1.04! Now that's what I'm talking about!!

Walmart is a bit easier to pricematch. The cashiers will do it right at the register. But at Target, you will have to take it to the customer service desk and they will do it there. Both stores say you don't need to bring the ad with you, but I ALWAYS do. It makes it SOOOO much easier in determining exact quantities, size, and pricing.

The ad must have a price listed. Walmart and Target will not honor a "buy one, get one free" offer if a price is not listed. The savings really do add up when you have a price-matched item, then add a coupon on top of that. Cha-ching!


Walmart Ad/Price Match policy is here
Target Ad/Price Match policy is here


Happy shopping!!