Taking a vacation with the family doesn’t have to break your bank.  There are many ways to take a wonderful trip and still stay within the budget.  Here are some ideas that my family has found helpful.

When planning a trip, first choose your destination.  It helps if you are flexible on dates or locations.  You can look online for free travel brochures such as Travel Alaska or order some from Free Travel Guides website.

Hotels:

Once you have an idea where you’d like to visit, go to Groupon and signup for that city’s deals.  We were recently able to get a deal for a suite at a hotel in Savannah Georgia with a $20 food credit for just $69 through Groupon!  We bought two nights and are looking forward to a nice little weekend getaway some time soon.  I’ve seen most of the cities offer some sort of hotel deal.  You also can use this to find great deals on restaurants and other attractions in your destination area.  Another place to check out for hotel deals is Priceline.com.  This can help you find good rates without having to call a million different hotels.  If you do decide to book through Priceline.com, be sure and click through Ebates so you can earn cashback on your trip. Consider staying at a cabin in a State Park.  We have done this many times when we travel.  It’s cheaper plus they usually have good playgrounds for the kids to unwind.  If you are really flexible with dates, check out the Cabins For You facebook page.  They offer Flash Sales quite often.  They tell you what time to call in and if you’re the first caller, you get a cabin in Tennessee for dirt cheap!

Dining:

Now that you’ve figured out where you will be staying, time to think about the next necessity- Food!  This doesn’t have to be much of a worry if you plan in advance.  Our family typically brings our food along with us, allowing to dine out maybe once or twice on a vacation.  It’s much cheaper for us since our kids are very hearty eaters.  Some ways to frugally dine out while traveling is to take along gift certificates.  You can purchase some from Restaurant.com or also from Groupon.  Also consider doing a search for daily deals in that city.  There are TONS of daily deal sites where you can purchase deals.  Also, I frequently talk on my blog about joining survey sites and Swagbucks.  That’s where these sites will come in handy!  On some of them, you have the option to cash out for a prepaid visa card or for gift cards to restaurants such as Long Horn, Chili’s, and Macaroni Grill to name a few.  A few weeks before you take your trip, cash out so you receive your prize in time.

Attractions:

I mentioned using Groupon above, but there are also other ways to save on attractions during your vacation.  Before you leave home, do a search for coupons, discount codes, etc on the attractions that you plan to visit.  Check out their facebook page to see if they are running any promotions.  Call and ask them if they have any coupons out and how you can obtain one.  You may be surprised at all the options out there to make your visit cheaper.

 

These are just some ideas that I thought up about how we make our vacations more affordable.  Do you have any ideas that I’ve missed?  Leave a comment and tell me what your tips are for dealing with vacations on a budget.

 

I know we are all struggling with how to save money on gas right now.  The prices are just ridiculous and I know we are hurting.  I hate having to decide whether or not to visit relatives, take a vacation, or even just run out to the store without thinking about gas.  I know we’ve had to reconsider how many times we go to visit our relatives and how many times I go out to the store.  I’ve spent the morning trying to find some ways to save on gas.  Here’s some that I have found.

*First off, there is a nifty website called GasBuddy.  You can go to this website or get the GasBuddy application to find the cheapest gas in your area.  Fantastic way to make sure you’re getting the lowest price around. 

*Have your car serviced.  A vehicle that is maintained properly will run better and give you better mileage, thus saving money on gas.  Make sure your tires are inflated properly.

*Try to plan your trips out so you won’t have to do a lot of back and forth driving.  Plan your routes to avoid heavily congested areas.  This will prevent idling your car and a ton of wasted gas.  If neccessary, use a GPS to find the shortest distance or a route away from busy areas. 

*If possible, drive as little as you can.  Look into sharing rides with friends or co-workers, or consider biking or walking if you are closeby a store.  Wait and snag all the deals at once – don’t rush out for every single deal that is posted.

*Use your windows more and the AC less.  I know it gets HOT, but on days when it’s not unbareable, try to use your windows. 

Do you have any other tips on saving gas?  How has the gas prices changed the way your family does things?

A question I get asked a lot is how to save money on meat products.  I decided to write a post and tell about how our family does it.  You can decide if this method is good for your family.

The best deals we find on meat are usually in the middle of the night.  Occasionally during the day, but most of the time at night.  Yes, it’s a pain, but you do what you have to do in order to save money and stick to the budget.  I suggest heading out around 2-3 am.  Just load all the kids up in the car and drive.  The more people you have with you, the better deals you can find, since you have all of those extra sets of eyes.  Make sure to head out in a large vehicle –  I personally recommend a pickup truck or a large van.  Have the kids all look out the window and  make a game out of it to see who can find the meat first.  If you drive long enough, you will find it!

For my Athens area friends, I recommend heading to Madison County for the best selection.  Keep your eyes peeled on the road and you’re bound to find something appetizing.  The reason you want to head out in the middle of the night is that you will want to snag the meat before the vultures get to it.

Now from personal experience, I suggest staying away from anything you can’t identify, and especially ones that are black with a white stripe.  I absolutely love a good possum stew.  Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!  Here’s the recipe for that:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large possum – skinned, gutted, and cut into pieces
• 4 large potatoes, quartered
• 1 pound carrots, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 onions, sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 medium head cabbage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Throw it all in the crock pot and cook all day.  Mmm… so great to smell that possum cooking all day.   

With all that being said, just one last thing to add…..

I’ve received so many emails from you all checking on how Eliza and I are doing, so thought I’d make a quick post. 

Eliza is doing great now – she’s gotten back up to her birth weight and then some, so she’s growing right on track.  We went back to the doctor yesterday and got a clean bill of health, so she’s doing great!  You’d never know 2 weeks ago, she was so sick and in the NICU.  Can’t believe she’s already 2 weeks old!  I’m also doing well – I feel pretty good and am enjoying my sweet baby girl.  The other kids are doing great and love their baby sister.  My 19 month old I have to watch pretty carefully since she just wants to be a little mommy and try to pick Eliza up.  Thank you all for all the emails.  So wonderful to have such caring readers!  I hope the rest of you are doing great!

Hi Everyone – boy has this been an interesting week.  I really appreciate all the prayers and emails from you all regarding Eliza. 

For those of you that don’t know, I gave birth to my 8 lb, 12 oz daughter on 2/4 at 2:40 in the morning.  We are down in Atlanta.  Right after birth, she had trouble breathing and was having fluid build up in her tummy so she has been in the NICU.  I have been discharged as of today but Eliza is still in the NICU.  We are hopeful that she will come home tomorrow as she has proven to be strong and quite the fighter.  She has healed much faster than they anticipated.  The hospital here is great and they have special rooms for parents to stay in when their baby is in the NICU so we are taking advantage of that and staying right here with her.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to Amy of The Budget Mommy.  I know some of you thought I was crazy and still posting deals 😉 but she’s the one that has been posting for you all the past few days so I could spend time with my baby girl and time to heal.  Be sure to check out her blog over HERE.  Thank you so much Amy!

I think it’s going to take me forever and a day to get caught up now, but we’ll be rolling again soon.  My husband has the next few weeks off to help me out with everything.  Thanks again for being such awesome readers!

Erin

Bumping this post up for some of our new readers since I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately regarding earning money from home.

Something that my family has always battled with has been trying to afford Christmas presents. It always seems that the holiday season arrives in the midst of chaos, leaving us scrounging around the sofa cushions trying to find money to buy presents for the kids. This year, I have determined that we will not spend one cent buying Christmas presents, but that we will still have an awesome Christmas.

Already, I have over $100 in our Christmas fund from just Opinion Outpost. Opinion Outpost pays CASH for surveys that you complete. You can also refer your friends and get $2 for every friend that you refer! The money adds up quickly and painlessly!

I also am able to earn giftcards and cash from these other survey sites. My recommendation is to join all of them because when you are a member of all, you’re Christmas fund will grow a whole lot faster! Some of them, you’ll even be invited to do product studies. We’ve given our feedback and made money reviewing toothpaste, dog treats, baby wipes, fruit snacks, and more!

SayNation

My Surveys

Mindfield

Survey Savvy

Surveyhead

I am also huge on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a fantastic program. You earn swagbucks from searches that you do using Swagbucks as a search engine. I’ve earned countless Amazon giftcards, Disney Store giftcards, Starbucks Giftcards, and more, with little effort! Then, I wait until Disney Store or Amazon have something fantastic on sale. You can earn more swagbucks, too, by referring your friends. When you refer someone, each swagbuck that they earn, you also earn, so your points will accumulate very fast!

When you save all year on your survey sites, buy giftcards with your swagbucks, and wait for great sales, you’ll find yourself being able to afford a lot more than you thought was possible. There’s still several months, so start today and see if you can afford a great Christmas without paying anything! I can’t wait for this Christmas! I think it will be the best one yet!

$50 per week feeds my family of 5.

Yes, that is written right.  $50 a week takes care of my family.  This includes all groceries, diapers for the baby, wipes, paper towels, toilet paper, personal care items, etc.  Couponing and deal finding takes a while to get the hang of, but do not give up.  It is worth it!  I have gotten a lot of questions on where to get started.  This post will explain how I do it the SMART way.

Stockpiling: Stockpiling is the best way to make your money stretch.  When you find a great deal, you buy enough for your family that will last until the next good sale.  Yes, this means buying more than 1 can of sauce during a sale.  Whatever is on sale that you will use, you buy.  Even if you do not need it that week, you may need it the next.  For example, if spighetti sauce is on sale for buy one get one free, and I have a coupon to go with it making it $.50 down from $4, I buy at least $4 worth, or 8 jars.  It would be equal to buying 1 jar and getting the other 7 free!  If you waited until you NEEDED sauce and paid the $4, you would have paid out $32 compared to the $4.  That’s a savings of $28!!!!  Stock up enough that you do not have to pay full price for anything.  Watch the sales every week to see how to plan.  Ask neighbors, friends, and relatives for their unwanted coupons so you can get your stockpile growing. 

Make Good Decisions: When you coupon, you need to make good decisions.  Remember that you do still have to pay tax on things, even items that are free after coupons, so make sure you’re not wasting all of your money on tax for things you don’t need.  It’s not a good idea to buy 20 boxes of poptarts on sale and not have any money leftover for fruits and veggies.  You also have to take a fair amount of time planning.  I typically take 1-2 hours before I head out to do my shopping.  Yes, that’s a lot of time, BUT, if I save $100 on my shopping bill, it’s like getting paid at least $50 an hour to coupon and plan! 

Always Give Back:  After you have been couponing for a while, you will find that you have so much stuff that you cannot possibly eat it all or use it all before it will go bad.  This is the time to box up the extras and visit your local food pantry or homeless shelter.  Don’t be a hoarder or a shelf clearer just to have it all sit and clutter up your house. 

Responsibility: As a couponer, you can help or hurt the coupon world.  Do not abuse the couponing system.  When in doubt about a coupon, ask management before using.  Make sure that your coupon is for the product that you have.  You cannot use 2 manufacturer coupons on one item.  At Target, Publix, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS, they allow you one STORE coupon and one MANUFACTURE coupon.  The coupon will say on it what it is.  Please, please PLEASE do not abuse couponing.  No making copies of coupons, that is illegal and many stores have stopped taking printables due to coupon abuse.  Do not abuse “free item” coupons.  Just use common sense and not greed to guide you.

Teach Others: Friends don’t let friends pay too much!  Be sure to share the shopping skills with others so they can learn to save too.  Everyone works hard for their money so they should be able to keep it!  Don’t pay more than you need.