About two months ago I traveled from deep South West Texas to Middle Tennessee. It was kind of a quick road trip.  A family member was having day surgery on Tuesday and I wanted to be there.  Like many people, money gets kind of tight in our household and so my husband and I set a budget for me to follow on  this trip.  Normally on these kind of trips  the budget is totally blown because we don’t keep up with the receipts.  But this time I made a more conscientious attempt at keeping track of the expenses.  Here’s how we did.

1. June 10 — Total spent — $94.84 for food and gas
2. June 11 — Total spent — $10.61 breakfast
3. June 12 — Total spent — $0.00
4. June 13 — Total spent — $41.00 for food and gas
5. June 14 — Total spent — $27.64 for food and gas
6. June 15 — Total spent — $196.81 for room, food, and gas back to TX

Total for entire 5 days — $370.90

I saved money this road trip by combining visiting relatives with the actual stay in a motel on the day of the surgery and by taking snacks and bottled drinks with me.  I stayed with my mom and she cooked for me or bought meals for me on June 11 and 12.

I came in under budget which was GREAT!!!

This was just a road trip but it made me think what if it were a real vacation.  We could follow the same basic principle.  Here’s how.

1. Set a budgeted amount to spend on the vacation.  Divide the amount out by day and know this is what you have to spend for that day.
   
2. Do a little research before your vacation to find free activities to do in the area.
3. Plan paid outings and set aside a portion of the daily budgeted amount for these outings.
4. Research discount rates at motels.
5. Label an envelope — Receipts — and put it somewhere convenient in the car.  This way when you purchase gas or food you can automatically put them in the envelope instead of misplacing them.
6. Purchase snacks and drinks at a discount store and carry them.
7. Total your receipts each night.  Keep a running list by day of what you spend.
8. Relax and enjoy the vacation.  By being prepared and planning, you won’t have to worry about the credit card bills when you get home.

These are just some tips for budgeting for a vacation.  I’m sure there are many others.  Leave us a comment and let us hear some of your tips.

Till next time,

JT Locke
The Frugal Housewife

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