Tip 30: Staycation instead of vacation

Vacations can be an inefficient way to make memories. You spend a lot of time and money moving from one place to another. When I lived on the farm, we had "work camps". We would stay in a tent in the yard and worked on projects like building a chicken coop. If you don't want to stay at home, you can visit local attractions with your family during the day and stay in your own bed at night. This allows you to skip the time and expense required to travel a great distance and stay in a hotel.

If you do decide to travel for a vacation, you can save money by staying with friends and family instead of staying at hotels. Camping is also another inexpensive lodging option while traveling.

If you are looking for free lodging, you can sleep in your car. I have stayed in my car overnight when traveling a few times. Sleeping in a car can get cold at certain times of the year, and you have to be careful to park in a safe place. One time I parked in a parking area at a rest stop in Pennsylvania under a streetlight. There was a guy nearby who was frustrated with his car. He was hitting his engine with a tool over and over, banging away for what seemed like hours. I didn’t get much sleep that night since I was keeping an eye on that guy and since the light was too bright. I thought about driving on, but by that time of night I was too tired to drive. Another time, I pulled over at a rest stop in New Mexico in December to sleep. It was quiet and dark there, but after about an hour, I was too cold to sleep- even with my Mexican blanket that I picked up on the trip. So I kept driving so I could run the heat in the car.

It is easy to spend a lot of money when traveling or on vacation. See if you can find ways to spend time relaxing with family and making memories that don’t cost so much.

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