Every year things are getting more and more expensive, saving for families of all shapes and sizes is also getting a little harder to accomplish. We are all commonly cutting corners and trying to snag extra work here and there to break even or, if we are lucky, add to our multiple savings. With all the demands that parenting also places on our budgets, including emergencies, it is amazing that some of us are even able to plan nice vacations.
Should that really be the way though?
Should so many families go without a little needed time away from time to time?
We here at Modern Mama, and many moms just like you, don’t think so. We believe that no matter the budget, with enough planning, you too can manage a great family vacation with peace of mind in regards to your family budget.
After chatting up some of the most money wise mothers we know we managed to come up with these 5 tips to help you save for your next family vacation!
Just Like a Squirrel
We have to take a lesson from the hyper little squirrel. Over a season they will hide nuts one by one for them to eat over a long Winter. This is exactly how we have to view saving for a vacation. Start squirreling away small amounts at a time. Enough that it builds up, but not enough to notice too much out of your regular budget. After polling some of our money wise mamas we discovered that the saving sweet spot was about $20/week. With a good long term plan this does really well for creating a nice savings at a decent rate.
Points Focused Shopping
Doing any shopping of any kind focused on the points that you can gain from the purchases. This is one of the huge ways many of you save big on flights and other great travelling perks. There is nothing better than seeing your points total climb every time you buy things your family already needs on a regular basis. Maybe you’re family will have to get used to a few brand items they aren’t accustom to from time to time because you needed the points and your regular brand wasn’t going to give them to you. All those little sacrifices are worth it when you are gaining free/discounted flights, excursion discounts and way more!
Every Penny Counts
Us and many of our money wise mamas out there also agree with this: every penny counts. It comes down to not being wasteful of what you have spent money on, being choosy about what you do buy, and not taking for granted even a penny of your money. This is why change collections are a great way to build a small collection. Adding in your recycling money even to your change collection, concepts like “Dimes for Disney” are widely successful. You should never take what you have for granted.
Bidding and Battling to Vacation
We all have one thing in common. Kids. We have them and they are always growing which means we always have gently used items around that could be given a new home. The best of these items we can carefully present and put up on local bidding and selling sites. You can then put that money away as extra savings for your upcoming vacation. With a minimal planned weekly savings plan, saving every little penny as suggested above and then adding in what you make reselling kids items from time to time you can really see how things can start to add up fast.
Timing Pays Off
Timing is everything when it comes to planning a family vacation. For yourselves, your work schedules, and for better deals. But this is where it gets tricky. Sometimes you can get really incredible last minute deals. Sometimes you can get really incredible early bird deals when you are planning super far in advance. So what is the consensus in terms of what is the better way to go if we are talking consistency. The answer is planning way in advance. Yes you can get great last minute deals but you can’t always rely on that type of thing so for reliability’ sake: plan in advance!
We hope using those tips will help you on your way to that well deserved and desperately needed family vacation. It might take time but with dedication and perseverance and you can save up enough for time away no matter what your budget is. Checking out our Family Travel Guide can help you find even more great ways to enjoy your families upcoming vacation!