A quick tip for you on this hot summer day. Many of you have already gone on vacation, so how can you take another day Trip and not break the bank. We’ll pretend for a moment that we have a couple of school age kids and we live in a small town that although is fun, the kids are a bit bored of it and want to do something ‘fun’.

1. Back to School shopping – this used to be an annual event for our family. We would take an overnight trip (leave early one morning, leave late the next evening) to a town about two hours away from us. Go during the week – hotel rooms are usually more expensive during the weekend. Make sure you pick a hotel with a pool (and go swimming with your kids). Before you go make sure to get coupons for the stores you’ll be back to school shopping at. We went to matinee movies – after we ate. We did get a jumbo popcorn to share. This can become one of the great traditions. My daughter who is now in college mentioned it the other day. These trips are more about spending time with your kids than anything else. Estimated cost – $200. One year I got the price down to about $100 but it was using some freebies that I had gotten here or there.
2. Day trip to a state park – every state has a state park or two that you might not have been to. Admission to the park is usually less than ten bucks, you can pack a picnic to cut down on your costs. Estimated cost – with the gas for a two-hour trip and back $100.00
3. Back yard camping – this is something fun I did when I was younger. We had a tent that was falling apart, once every month or so we would go camping in the backyard. A few keys to make the camping great. Build a fire pit, make a fire, cook some hot dogs, then for desert have some smores. Tell stories with your kids and get them to make us some of their own. When its time to hit the sack, use some flashlights to make shadow puppets on the tent wall. Cost for this outing is supper cheap if you have a tent. If you don’t have one you can always borrow one from friends or family. Remember too that putting up the tent can be fun. Cost $20 for the food.

Enjoy the time with your kids. If you have any ideas, make sure to leave us a comment.