It’s summer, which means vacation time is here and thriving! If you’ve started to budget for your vacation, you probably know that vacations are pretty expensive in general. We’re planning a trip ourselves, and I wanted to share a few tips on how to budget on vacation, because there are ways to cut costs and save in certain areas to be able to splurge for others!
So, pack your bags, and get ready to have fun AND save!
These are some pretty simple ways to budget effectively while on vacation, that anyone can implement, and that will allow for more spending money and more fun!
How to Budget on Vacation
Eat in Your Room!
First, instead of eating out for every meal, grocery shop and keep groceries in your hotel room. This is a huge money saver! Avoid the grocery store and have groceries delivered to you with Amazon Prime Fresh Store (in select cities)!
When creating your budget, it’s easy to forget that you need to eat while on vacation, leaving you to eat out the entire time you’re vacationing. Eating out for every meal, especially with kids, adds up really quick! If you plan on eating out, plan which meals you’ll splurge on and eat out for. This will help if you have a plan and don’t spontaneously decide on meals, which will ultimately cost more money.
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Pick a Cheaper Room
Next, you have to decide what you want from a hotel room. Often times, you spend the entire day out of your room exploring and sightseeing. So, is it really worth it to splurge hundreds on a hotel room that you’ll only be in to sleep? Probably not. If you plan on spending a good deal of time in your hotel room, especially if you decide to eat all your meals there, it might be worth it to get a nicer room. If not, get a cheaper (but still decent) room and save some of that money for your actual vacation budget.
Save Energy While You’re Gone
Another thing that often gets overlooked is things back home while they’re on vacation. For instance, if you normally have your AC blasting, turn it up while you’re gone so you’re not using as much electricity for the duration of your vacation. Make sure all lights are turned off in the house, doors are properly closed to avoid drafts of heat or cold air, and all unused electronics are off and unplugged. This doesn’t make a difference immediately for your vacation budget, but it will help your overall budget! A thermostat that can be controlled remotely is great for when you leave and forgot to turn things down!
Use Deal Sites to Save
You can also save by using deal sites. Sites like Booking.com, Groupon, and Living Social can save you a ton of money. Just enter the city you want to travel to, and browse around. Be sure to read the fine print for expirations and limitations.
Follow these simple tips to cut costs in your budget, that way you can incorporate more fun in your vacation! After all, who doesn’t love extra spending money and fun?
About Virginia
Hi there! My name is Virginia, and I am the author/owner of That Bald Chick. I am a Christian, wife, mother of three, full time homemaker, homeschooler, and ministry volunteer in addition to being a blogger. In my free time *cough* I enjoy reading, writing, taking walks with my family, and listening to music.
Reader Interactions
Comments
I never spend a lot of hotel rooms because like you said, we are only there to sleep!
Cyndi saysGreat tips, especially the hotel room. We’ve began getting hotels with kitchenettes when we travel, to avoid the high cost of eating out.
- Debbie Denny says
I usually take snacks and such when on a trip. Especially wen I have younger travel partners like the grandkids
- Debbie L. says
Great post…if I don’t watch it vacation spending can get out of control. We always take snacks and eat at rest areas…the kids and I need to run free for a while. I always give the kids a $$ limit upfront for them to spend – that really helps keeping the “Can I have this?” to a minimum.
- Tammy says
When flying, I’ve found it, usually, cheaper to book directly with the airline. Whenever possible I fly SW. My brother & I have a timeshare, so in the long run (after it’s paid off) we’ll almost always have somewhere free or cheap to stay.
- Kay Adeola says
We always do our best to get the best prices On everything when traveling,I like to pack snack and drinks so the kiddies do not need us to grab food on the way as its always much more expensive.Great post.
- Erica says
Your first tip is a great one! I look for places with kitchenettes so that I can shop and cook some easy meals to save money!
- Krystal says
We are about to go on vacation now. It is so important to plan ahead!
- Liz Mays says
When we traveled as kids, we ate breakfast and lunch with our own supplies. For dinner we ate in restaurants. I’m sure it helped my parents’ budget immensely.
- Kathy says
Not eating out is a huge money saver! Great tips!
- Jaime says
We’re staying in a condo this summer, rather than a hotel, so we can cook most of our meals. We also like to buy tickets for places in advance, so that we can save some money (our credit union often offers discounts on various attractions!)
- Krystyn says
Thank you for the groupon reminder! I actually have a giftcard to there I need to use!!! I try to remember to change our AC before we head out, too!
- Shell says
We make sure we bring lots of snacks with us. We try to only eat one meal out a day.
- Elizabeth says
This is very helpful! I need to stay more in tune with my budget when on vacation!
- Jenn says
Thank you for sharing your budgeting tips! We are beginning our family vacation next week and I need all the budgeting help I can get!
- Janell Poulette says
I hope we can take a vacation this summer. These tips should help us save money.
- MommaDJane says
Great tips. Next week we are going to the beach and sharing a condo with some of our extended family members. We each plan to bring some groceries and prepare meals at the condo during our down time from swimming and fun. We should save a lot of money this way instead of eating out at restaurants, plus there is more time for the kids to play. Every time we leave our home we turn the AC up so it doesn’t keep the house too cool while gone and make sure all the lights are off.
- Brett Martin says
Great tips! I love the “not eating out” tips. Eating out sucks up soo much cash.
- Carly Bellard says
Thanks for the tips! We are heading off on a mini-vacation soon and these will come in handy!
- Christie says
We always stock up on bottled water at the store and buy snacks! HUGE money saving tips, thanks!
- StacieinAtlanta says
We always look for vacation or condo rental deals. It is often cheaper than a hotel, you have more room, and you have a working kitchen. That means you can make proper meals that satisfy everyone and save you money.
- Tess says
We are planning a road trip soon! These are helpful tips!
- Melinda says
i hate spending too much money on hotels. It’s such a huge money such
- Veronica says
vacations can certainly add up. to save and still have fun
- Ann Bacciaglia says
Great tips! I am travelling this summer and already thinking about how i am going to budget and save for my trip.
- Angie says
Love the tips! I love to travel and I’ve been doing it a lot more recently so I love all the travel tips I can get!
- Ajackedpuppeach says
Great tips! Traveling with kids is very hard and expensive. These are great tips. We try to find a place with a kitchen so we can prepare two meals per day.
- Ashley M says
These are great tips. Our family vacations always require extensive planning so that I can stretch our dollar as far as possible.
- Lisa says
These are great tips! We often forget about our favorite “local deal sites” when we are traveling!
- Becca says
Great tips! We always pack snacks and use deal sites to save money while vacationing.
- Emily says
We have to have a fridge in the hotel now. Especially with the kids!!
- Cam says
Great tips! We are in the process of planning our trip now. So much to consider, especially when traveling with our babies!
- Debi says
I do really well with my budget until vacation time. Then I seem to lose it.
