Summer months mean no school and longer days and for my family that means lots of day trips.

While a single day trip is a lot less expensive, but often just as fun, than a traditional longer vacation- multiple trips over the summer can add up to a lot of money.  How to beat those budget busters?  A little planning!

For us- the three biggest costs of a day trip are : How to get there, What to do there and What to  there.

Gas can be the biggest cost in a day trip, especially if you drive a larger vehicle like a mini van (Me! Me!)  Using a credit card that offers fuel savings or earning fuel rewards from Lowes Foods’ fuel promo can help alleviate that budget buster. Lowes Foods offers $0.05 per gallon of gas savings for every $100 spent in the store. You don’t have to spend all $100 at once- it will accumulate over time. The accumulated spending never expires but the earned fuel rewards do expire in 30 days. (Find all the Lowes Foods deals- even fuel rewards here)

To save on activities while day trippin’ I use  discount sites such as Groupon for activities or attractions in the area we are visiting. Discounts on admission or tickets can often be over 50%!  Be careful to check the fine print because there are often blackout dates, minimum purchase or other restrictions.

Also look for free or inexpensive outings.  Now that I live in Raleigh- we find ourselves at the free museums downtown often.  The exhibits change and it’s like a new place to visit over & over! Pullen Park in Raleigh is also so much fun!  It’s only $1 to ride the train or carousal and the paddle boats are $6 each (up to 4 people).  Every city has a lot to offer that doesn’t cost much so start looking at what’s available around you!  Don’t forget public parks too- there are often free events going on during the weekends.

Whenever possible, we bring lunch and snacks with us rather than eating out. It is much less expensive to pack food from the grocery store, especially if purchased on sale and with coupons, however that isn’t always possible. If we are going to eat at a restaurant, I check with sites such as Restaurant.com  for discount offers for restaurants in the area. Often we can get a voucher that saves us 50 percent. Sites like Groupon have dining discounts as well. Again, checking the fine print is very important to avoid issues after ordering. Even just packing drinks and snacks can reduce the cost of a day trip significantly.  Stopping at a gas station to buy 6 individual cold drinks can cost over $10- but grabbing a 6 pk at the grocery store on sale and tossing it in a cooler with ice can be a huge cost savings.

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I LOVE remodeling houses.  I know it’s not for everyone but this is the second time we’ve bought a diamond in the rough that no one else wanted and remake it into a beautiful home. Taking something outdated or ugly and (on a budget of course) turning into something HGTV worthy is so much fun!

We bought this 1960s house last year and have slowly been updating the rooms that haven’t been touched since the 1960s!  This bathroom originally had PINK tile all over the walls and tiny little shower.  At some point, a previous owner painted over the pink tile with white paint but it wasn’t even or smooth.  This is the main floor bathroom and I hated letting guests use it.

We’re DIY remodeling the bathroom so I wanted to share how we are doing it on a budget!  This is part I- walls.

To Remove Tile:
Sledgehammer
Chisel
Heavy Snippers
Crowbar
Heavy Trashbags for debri removal

To Install Wall:
Reclaimed Look Wood
Brad Nail Gun
Jig Saw
Measuring Tape

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Many people say that couponing isn’t worth it because they end up (a) buying things they don’t need because they have a coupon or (b) are actually spending MORE money! And it’s true- with stockpiling many times you will see your out of pocket cost go up before your spending goes down.

The reason why it goes up first is that they have no stockpile- so they are buying the items to create a stockpile PLUS buying what they “need” to feed their family (and keep them clean) for the week.

There is a way to keep that from happening but it takes discipline and effort. This is my suggestion for not seeing your budget go up too much while starting out. And if it does go up anyway- analyze why and make adjustments.

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A trip to the beach is always a summer time favorite for my family but with little ones it can be nearly impossible.  Here are my must- have beach items.  We spent the day at Emerald Isle this weekend and here are a few things either I was so grateful we’d brought or something I wish we had thought to bring.

Sunscreen: I can’t say it enough. Slather yourself in sunscreen.  Skin Cancer, while often easily treatable, is extremely scarring and can spread quickly.  Don’t take chances.

Beach Wagon: It’s nearly impossible to carry everything and still keep track of kids.  A wagon makes it so much easier to transport everything on and off the beach.

 

Beach Umbrella:  Pick one that goes up and down quickly.  Not all beaches allow shade umbrellas or tents so check the rules for the beach you are visiting.

Drink holders;   Having an ice cold Coca-Cola fall into the sand is terrible if you are a die hard Zero lover like I am.  Have something to set drinks on will avoid frustration of having sandy drinks.

Phone Solar Charger:  All that fun happening!  You will want to take photos- a dying cell phone is always frustrating so harness the power of the sun and use it to charge your phone.

Vacation Vault: I wish I had had this when we went this week.  I was so scared that my phone or wallet was going to be stolen.  We felt that someone always had to be at the “camp”.  This would be great to hook on the top of the tent – it would be difficult to steal this!

Beach Blanket: Gone are the days of lying down a sheet- use this nylon parachute sheet and don’t worry about putting a sea water soaked towel in your trunk!

Sunscreen: a MUST have. Having worked in a medical office that performed surgeries on skin cancer patients – I beg you to wear sunscreen. A golden tan isn’t too beautiful if your nose has to be removed due to skin cancer (or your ear…or your lip).

Travel First Aid Kit: Shells are sharp. Jelly fish sting. While the beach is a fun place- there are dangers.  You’ll be grateful for some bandaids and Neosporin if an injury does occur. I remember growing up that someone stepped on a rusty fishing hook!

Sand Toys; Throwing a bag of dirty, sandy toys in the car is horrible but getting the sand all over the car is awful to clean up later in the day.  Getting toys that have their own container that seals is a must-have!

 

A tote bag; One that lets the sand fall out and everything air dry quickly.

 

Beach Cooler: Bringing your own lunch and drinks is so much less expensive than buying lunch out!  Plus it means you get to keep your perfect beach spot!

I posted this originally last year but had several requests to repost it!

I LOVE house plants but they are expensive in the stores. So I like to grow my own! Here’s how I have grown a pineapple plant from something we were just going to toss away!

Step 1: Get a ripe but not overripe pineapple. Look for one with a tall, green crown (the leafy part at the top). Cut the top off RIGHT where it hits the base. Use a big, sharp knife because this area is very tough.

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I hate waste.  I hate wasting money.   I hate wasting food.  I hate things that are used once and tossed away so I try to limit the waste in our house.  That’s probably why I prefer to go reusable whenever possible.

Here are some of my favorite switches- that saves green (both money and trees!)  At first it seems like more work- washing things instead of the convenience of just tossing them.  Since making these switches- our family has gotten into the routine and we don’t notice any extra work.

At first, my family wasn’t on board with these changes and wanted their easy, convenient, disposables.  After a few weeks they realized that our trash was filling up less and that’s worth a little extra laundry.

Before: Paper Towels

After: Bar Rags

We switched over a year ago and haven’t turned back.  The $10 or so cost of rags is much less (even adding in the cost of water and electricity) is much less than the cost of the massive amount of paper towels we went through.

 

Before: disposable Swiffer pads

After: Reusable Spray Mop Pads

With 5 kids and lots of hardwood floors – I could go through 2 mop pads a day. Even with coupons and discounts- those things aren’t cheap! And they fill up the trash can so fast.

 

Before: Sandwich Bags

After: Reusable Containers

With 4 kids packing lunch everyday it was adding up to 20 bags a day! Since we went to reusable containers  we have only used about 10 bags all year!  And that was only because they had to have a fully disposable lunch for a field trip!

Before; Plastic Wrap

After: Reusable Glass Containers

I cook a lot – and always plan for leftovers so plastic wrap didn’t last long.  Since ditching the plastic wrap (and foil mostly) – our trash is a lot less full and the lids go back on for the items to go back in the fridge (unlike plastic wrap that always seemed to end up in the trash before the food did).

 

Other disposable alternatives include cloth diapers and wipes, even washable toilet paper- you have to draw your own line but in the long run reusable will always be the better deal- for your budget and for the earth.

The upfront cost might be more for the reusable ones than the disposable ones- but in the long run the costs are much less even calculating in the cost of washing the rags or containers.

While in the store- don’t forget to keep a look out for coupons!

Blinkies

These boxes are called “Blinkies” because there are little red lights on the side that blink.  They are found in the aisles.  Usually near the item the coupon is for but we’ve found popsicle ones near the potato chips before!   Most of the time the coupon will be in front of the item at regular price and once the box goes down the item goes on sale!  Be sure to take one or two and then use it when the item goes on sale.

Peelies

Peelies are coupons affixed to the product.  They can be attached to a new product they are trying to promote, or an older product they are trying to get to move quickly because packaging is changing.  Peelies shouldn’t be taken unless we are buying the product it is attached to.  Finding that little tell tale plastic square is so frustrating for the person buying the product with the missing peelie.  Some peelies even state “Not Valid Unless Removed by Cashier”.

HangTag

Hangtags are coupons that hang on the product.  Again, we usually see these on new products and they are sometimes used on products that the manufacturer or store want to move quickly.

TearPads

These are pads of coupons that you tear off the coupon you want.  My personal rule of thumb is to take 2 (just like the limit for a printable coupon).  If I come back next trip and they are still there, I take 2 more.  Often the tear pads are like blinkies- they are out before the product goes on sale and once the sale starts they are taken down.