The Benefits of Having a Vacation Fund

 YOU CAN HAVE A GUILT FREE VACATION 

I know some of you may read that and think I am crazy...how is it possible to have a guilt free vacation? Vacations cost money and if you are a family the price of tickets, food, games, and souvenirs add up....and don't forget to add in the gas to get there, a hotel if you are staying overnight, and all the new beach towels, flip flops, and bathing suits everyone needed.

Now I am not going to tell you that Vacations are cheap, or to stay in a shady hotel, or to even forego a vacation all together. Instead I am going to tell you how hubby and I are having a guilt free vacation this summer simply by using these 2 tips.

Tip #1

 Take advantage of discount tickets, company picnics, and weekday prices.

Did you know that many hotels charge almost double the price for a weekend stay opposed to booking a hotel on a weekday? If you can manage it, take a vacation on a weekday or even during off peak months in order to save money. 

Also, don't forget to take advantage of discount tickets..many times if you purchase tickets online, or at AAA or grocery stores you can save as much as $5-$10. 

Finally, take advantage of company perks...some companies offer discount tickets if you simply show proof you work at Company XYZ, other companies hold their annual picnic at parks or events in which the price to go is free or heavily discounted. 

Tip #2

Start a vacation fund the beginning of each year

If you know you want to go on vacation during the summer or anytime really, start a vacation fund at the beginning of each year in order to offset costs. When vacation time rolls around you should have a decent amount of money saved up that can be used for Vacation expenses (gas, hotel, shopping, food, etc) 

Having money set aside just for Vacation can make your spending guilt free. Not using a debit card to purchase items or "hoping" you can afford the Vacation is not going to make for a fun time..and who wants to feel stressed while on Vacation and instead of having fun only thinking about the money you are spending that you don't have or should be using for something else. 

Having money in a vacation fund means once that money is gone, no more spending. This helps to stop overspending on vacation and to think before buying that shot glass etched with Miami Beach.

Now, in using both of these tips you should be able to have a pretty guilt free Vacation. Here is what hubby and I are doing:

First off, we knew we couldn't afford a big vacation, it had to be something small and only a day or two. Lucky for us that the company hubby works for has their annual company picnic at Kennywood Park every year! We love Kennywood and haven't been there in a couple years so we are very excited to go.

The perks of going to this company picnic is that all employees and their family members get to go for free. So our tickets are FREE....this saves us around $65 (Kennywood tickets online are $32.99 each)

Another perk is the fact that his company offers free refreshments during a certain time in the picnic area as well as a free lunch.....Unfortunately due to my gluten intolerance I am unsure if I will be able to eat anything, but we are def. going to check it out....

With that being said we knew that despite the fact that our tickets were free, we would still need money for gas, food, and any games/souvenirs we may want. 

So in January 2013 I started a Vacation Fund and any time we had extra money we could spare, into the Vacation fund it went. It is now the beginning of June and we have $150 saved. Now $150 might not seem like alot, but it will easily pay for our gas, food, and games. This $150 is only to be used for Vacation expenses and because we know this money is allocated for that there is no guilt in spending it.

Many times people go on vacation with no idea of how much money they should bring, how much they are spending, or any idea how they actually intend to afford all of the expenses. Money is the last thing someone should be thinking about while on vacation. No one wants to come home and dread looking at the bank account to see what damage had been done either. In taking a set amount of money with us, that has been allocated for just that, we know exactly how much we can spend, how much we have spent, and do not feel guilty or have to worry about spending money that we shouldn't be spending.

ahh the joys of having a vacation fund....and in essence a guilt free vacation.

How do you prepare financially for a vacation?