Last fall, our family decided to spend a long weekend in New Orleans. My husband travels there for work a few times a year  and raves about the food and the architecture each time he comes back. So we decided to take advantage of a long weekend break in October to visit. We used our Hilton Honors points and treated ourselves to a fancy hotel, the Waldorf Astoria! We took advantage of the one sunny afternoon to enjoy some pool fun. As it turned out, our visit coincided with the beignet festival which made our trip even more fun. The event was free but you had to purchase the different…

When choosing a destination for your vacation, take into account the length of your stay, the location and your budget! You have several options: Stay with friends Stay in a hotel Renting a house/condo on a site such as vrbo or Airbnb Camp/rv When staying with friends, make sure to bring your hosts a gift and if you have a large family like mine, help out with groceries! Saving money on hotels If you have a credit card associated with a hotel institution like IHG or Hilton Honors, redeem points for free hotel rooms. You may need to change your plans if you realize that your original idea is too…

When we go on vacation to the beach, the grocery store options are limited or not in close proximity. We would rather spend money on a fun excursion than on paying twice the amount on our groceries for the week. Plan Plan most of your meals: what will you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which items are pricier and which items do you already have in your pantry http://passionatepennypincher.com/2017/03/free-editable-menu-plan-grocery-list/ Bring Bring your staples and more expensive items from home: I usually do a quick run at Aldi for items I know will be cheaper there and I also buy items so as steaks or what we plan to grill…

When we travel abroad, we often spend time with friends which really helps our food budget. We do try to help with groceries since we have a large family. Some thinking ahead does help with not blowing your vacation budget on food. breakfast Choose a hotel or a B & B that includes free breakfast. If renting a house or apartment or if your hotel does not include breakfast, go to a local bakery or grocery store and purchase some bread, jam fruit and pastries. Most hotels even abroad will have a small fridge lunch Limit restaurant visits. Instead buy local “fast food” or have a picnic lunch Dinner If…

Whether you are planning a trip to Disney, New York, France or a road trip, you need to prepare yourself financially. Here are some things to take into consideration: Gas, car rental, highway tolls (if traveling to France for e.g.) Food (restaurants, grocery store) Plane tickets (if flying) Lodging (hotel, bed and breakfast, rentals like vrbo or Airbnb) Here are the steps that I follow. Estimate the cost/amount for each category. Depending on the overall cost of your trip, you may want to start saving 6 months, a year or even two years before your trip. For our family of 6, I typically start saving for a trip abroad 12…