Greg and Jody's vacation tip 3 - H2O is great for you-and for your wallet!!

This is one of Jody's great ideas.  One of the things that we did as part of our pre-vacation food purchases is bought a couple of gallons of water and got the girls water bottles for the trip.  This did a couple of things, it saved us money on drinks plus it didn't allow them to continually sip on juice and pop the entire trip, thus saving long-term on dentist bills.

There were times when they would get tired of water and so we would splurge and purchase a soda or juice but if you keep it cold with ice it seems to work better.  Usually when you fill up on gas you can fill up on ice to refreshen your H2O.

Send us your vacation tips that helped you or your family.  We look forward to hearing from you,

Thank you,

Greg and Jody Roche
Be Frugal Live Wealthy

Greg and Jody's Vacation Tip 2 - Mommy, Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom

You're on vacation and you've just stopped and filled up with gasoline, maybe got a few snacks, "got the wiggles out" and you're back on the road getting closer to your destination with every turn of the tires.  You've been traveling a while and you're in a hurry to see your family and relax for a while.  Then from the back of the car you hear, "Mommy, Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom."  In your mind you're thinking and might even blurt it out, "Why didn't you go when we were at the gas station?"  "I didn't have to go then." comes the hesitant answer.  What should you do now?

In a time like this and other times, instead of having to stop at a gas station or mini-mart and buying snacks you can stop at a rest area for a break.  This will take away the temptation of having to spend a fair amount on snacks.  In a mini-mart, especially one right off the freeway some products will cost you double what they do in a grocery store.  I've attached a link to a study and money traps that compares the difference between  shopping at mini-marts and grocery stores.

This thought came to mind after we had just spent $10-15 at a mini-mart.  We drove by a rest area and I realized that the rest area is not just a place to take a break but it's a place to save you money on vacation.  If you have more vacation tips please send us a comment to our blog.

Thank you,

Greg and Jody Roche

Be Frugal live wealthy

Greg and Jody's Vacation tip 1

Here's our first Vacation Tip
Before we left Jody had a great idea.  She gave the girls some money so they'd have some money to spend however they chose.  This was so we didn't have to continue entertain their questions like, "Mom and dad, can you buy me this?" or "Can I get that?"  This gave us the option to answer, "Sure, you have money, you can buy it." One of the requirements to have this money was to track it in their check register which Jody had given them.  This encouraged them to write in their register and track their expenses.

Another twist to encourage them to keep track of their expenses, I gave them a couple of reminders and then if they had purchases that weren't entered in their register I started to take some money back from them.  This lead to them not just letting money go through their hand but actually managing their money.

This worked great because it helped them to see a big picture of their expenses and helped them to manage their money more effectively.  Stay tuned for vacation tips coming in the next couple of days.  Have a great day and enjoy planning for your summer vacation.

Greg and Jody
Be Frugal Live Wealthy