You CAN afford a vacation!

It is important to rest.  In the Bible it says:

Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

Hebrews 4:9-11 9So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.


When you live where you work, it is difficult to truly rest and find separation from work and life.  We find that to fully be out of the work mind set we have to leave the premise.  To get re-charged, rested, refreshed, and rejuvenated, we cannot be looking out the windows at all the work that needs to be done.

When I talk about vacations, sometimes I get the response of "must be nice!" or "wish we could go!" and the truth of the matter is this-you can!  Our vacations are not thousands of dollars, and they are always paid for before we come home.

Here's some tips to plan affordable, fun vacations.  Remember we're a family of 7.  Think how much cheaper you could do it for a family of 4?

1.  Travel off-season. This is easily the most important aspect of affording vacation.   One of the reasons we love homeschooling is that we can vacation in the off-season and avoid all the spring-breakers, and the competition for overnight lodging.

2.  Ditch the hotel.  We can no longer stay in a hotel unless we rent 2 rooms each night.  This costs us more than $200.00..a night!  Now, we either purchase unused time shares from skyauction.com,, or we rent a vacation rental from www.vrbo.com.  Skyauction often has travel certificates for sale.  This year, for $250, we got 7 nights in a 5 star condo/resort that sleeps 8 in February (off-season, remember) and 7 nights in a 4 star condo/resort for $450 in March (closer to spring break=more money).  Either way our per night cost are $35.71 and $64.28, for a 2 bedroom condo with a full kitchen!

3. Use that full kitchen!  We save a ton of money by having a kitchen and cooking most of our own food.  I have handled this is many ways-from precooking meat at home and assembling crock-pot meals, to bringing just the meat and milk from home and going to the grocery store as soon as we arrive and get settled.  We laugh a lot because I am a rewards member at the Kroger family of stores, the Jubilee family of stores, Food Lion...you name it, I have the card.  This also allows you to use your eating out money for a place that may be a little more special or unique than McDonald's.  When you eat out, remember the lunch menu is always cheaper than the supper menu, drinks are way overpriced (water for everyone) and its often cheaper for little kids to split an adult meal instead of ordering off the kids' menu.

4.  Do your homework!  Before you leave, check the area's travel websites for free activities, coupons, and always ask if there is a family pass to any attraction that you go to.  We are members at our local science center.  With this membership, we also receive reduced or free admission to other science centers across the country.  We also look for State parks, historic monuments, etc.

5. Pack light!  Most vacation rentals have a laundry room available, many of them with starter packs of soap.  One year, when we went to Memphis, we took a Car-Pak on top of the van, full of stuff.  This really decreased our gas mileage, and it was noisy.  Now, I make a list of the absolute essentials, starting with the baby items: Stroller, play pen, baby gate, etc.  Only bring enough diapers and wipes for the travel day.  They have plenty at the store.  Clothes are later on down the line.  We often only bring 1 pair of pajamas and 2 outfits each, and use the washer & dryer daily.

Clothes for 5 kids in ONE suitcase!

6. Entertain In!  We don't have cable television at home, and most of the time (unless noted) the vacation rentals do.  We'll throw a pizza (okay, 2-3) in the oven, or pop popcorn, and watch a movie or old TV shows (like the Duggars) that we don't get to see at home.  For Rick and I, getting to sit and laugh with the kids is great. At home, there is always something to work on-even in the house!

7. Bring Cash...or be VERY good at setting your limit.  Decide ahead of time how much you are going to spend on eating out and attractions.  You will know how much everything is going to cost because you did your homework.  Use cash.  If you stick to your plan, you will not bring home extra debt on the credit or debit card.  We put any money needed for highway tolls in a separate envelope, because we think it's nice to be able to get home (LOL).  On travel days, if we eat at fast food restaurant (often I pack sandwiches and fruit), I give each of the older kids $5, and the little kids $3.  If they want anything more than that, they have to pay for it themselves.  Often, on the way home we eat leftover snack type items.  Cash also allows you to say to them "We only brought enough money for (attraction). If you would like to do (other thing) you will have to pay for it yourself."

There are some downfalls to this plan. 

1.  When you travel in the off-season, not all attractions will be open.  The weather might not be what you dreamed of.  I think that's what retirement is for.

2.  You may have to take the kids out of school. Before you quit reading, consider this-3 or 4 days of missed school is not going to ruin your child's adult life.  Sure, the schools do not like it.  Try not to be gone on count day.  My parents took all 4 of us out for a week to go to California with the National Farm Bureau group.  Were the schools happy? No.  Did we make up the work? Yes.   Did we all turn out fine? Yes.  Were we in the running for an attendance award? No. Disneyland was SO worth it!!

Many people also tell me that they cannot afford to take any time off of work. Unless you have already been absent because of illness or family tragedy, you really can't afford to not take time off.  Without proper time to rest, your quality of work will be mediocre at best.  Remember, when we go on vacation, we have to pay extra people to do our work...but we still go.  It is a non-negotiable expense.

With some small changes and an investment of time into planning, you can afford to take a vacation! 

We hope you have a great trip!