Crawl, Walk, or Run Your Way to a Piggy Bank Vacation

Even if you don’t live in the South Eastern US, you can still apply these levels of vacation spending to your area. Just substitute the nearest big city in your plan.

The idea of Piggy Bank Vacations is to do just like when you were a kid. Save up and set aside the money for that sparkly hoola hoop that you really, really, “needed”. Honestly, vacations are the same. They are wants and not true needs. I know you are already rationalizing in your head how “needed” they are for your sanity. I’m a mom too and I hear ya. Vacations are an American tradition and they do help create life-long memories and help bond families together. However, they can also drain a savings account faster than you can throw a diaper over a naked infant baby boy.

In order to avoid breaking your budget, vacations need to be planned and saved for in advance. Try to resist the credit card temptation which could have you spending an average of $200/month with interest for the next year or longer.

Because the goal is to create memories and not to just throw money at a resort, have a vacation planning meeting with your family and make a list of the goals for the vacation. Things like; have fun together, learn a new skill, overcome a fear, discover something new, and gain a greater appreciation for something or someone. On your way back from your vacation go over this list and see if you accomplished your family goals. These lists also make great scrapbook entries for either you or give a mini photo book to the family members you visited on your vacation.

The most expensive components to a vacation are travel and lodging. So, here are three “Road Trip” sample vacations that a middle Tennessean (for example) could take this Summer and stay within a budget. Here is the Crawler, Walker, and Runner Budget level samples.

Crawler Level: At this beginner level of savings, you might spend $1000 – $1500 and probably travel out of state. For example: A 3-4 night trip to the Beach at Gulf Shores AL.

Try booking your condo on www.VRBO.com (Vacation Rental by Owner) or www.RentACondoInGulfShores.com. Both are sites where you can rent a condo from the owners so that you save money from booking through large realty companies or travel agencies. Also, owners will be more amenable to renting a three – four night stay as opposed to a full week. I found one for a cost of (before June 27th) $199/night plus fees = $750. This is for a 2 bedroom, two bath unit less than 5 years old. Fuel and food can be kept under $300. You can save on food if you pack a picnic to eat at the rest stop on the way down and on the way back.. Also plan on making at least breakfast and lunch in the condo. If you are going to stay more than three nights it will cost you closer to $1500.

Walker: A trip to Pigeon Forge for less than $1000.
Visit : www.mypigeonforge.com/special_offers.aspx to see 9 ways to save on a Pigeon Forge Vacation. This link provides ways to get an extra night free, a reminder to see the state park which is free… and a link for printable show coupons!
You can also save some money by staying further from the park at a lower cost hotel and get printable coupons at www.OIG.com (Official Interstate Guide) to print lodging coupons and to see current hotel deals.

Another great site to glean good info on this Pigeon Forge and other TN destinations is www.TNVacation.com.

Runner: Take a road trip to Atlanta, Knoxville, or Memphis and get free lodging with family or friends and spend less than $500.

Try trading houses with a friend or family members in a nearby city. If you don’t have a way to stay overnight for free, print coupons online from the site mentioned above (www.OIG.com) and you can stay at a clean family Days Inn or Quality Inn for usually less than $50/night.

You might also try a free homestay. Check out www.digsville.com. Homestays offer lodging accommodations in someone’s primary or secondary home. Sometimes there is a requirement to reciprocate by sharing your guest room with a traveler. Some folks swear by this travel method and really like that it often provides a better sense of the local people and culture.

A trip to Atlanta with a free stay at a friend’s house could cost you less than $500 for food, and fuel, and ticket price to the Aquarium,World of Coke, Zoo, and two other museums. You can buy a “city pass” that will get you to most of Atlanta’s sights at: www.citypass.com/city/atlanta. A family of four city passes will cost you about $250 depending on what time of year you go. You could also just go to the aquarium, and spend under $100 for tickets.

Also, if you are trying to live on a runner level budget, and are planning to do the “staycation” this year, here are some more money saving tips:
-Check with museum websites for free admission days
- Check your local paper for discounts and specials
- Ask your librarian if they have any discounts available
- Research any discounts available through any clubs you are in such as an auto club.

For your road trip vacation this summer, here is one more fun website for those who want to choose the best bathrooms along the route. www.bathroomdiaries.com : )

EnJOY your piggy bank vacation and send us a postcard or write me on facebook!

About the Author:
Kathy Kline Danner is the author of the newly released book EnJOY Freedom From Financial Stress – Helping moms fight the joy thief of financial stress. Available on Amazon.com, LifeWay Books.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Target.com. Signed copies available on EnJOYFreedomFromFinancialStress.com
Also, get free weekly money saving tips and a free budget calculator on: www.PBandJAHM.com