Staycation: Afford a Holiday

What?" my daughter quipped. "We are not taking a vacation this year?" I could see a disappointed look beginning to take form on her face. Her next words were, "I hate money!" I was attempting to explain to my teenage daughter our plans for the summer. Like most Americans, we are feeling the squeeze. Unexpected expenses and higher prices have left our wallets a bit empty. My husband and I decided to plan our vacation around a limited budget. We both agreed that taking a vacation and spending money we don't have is just not restful. The need for relaxation and making memories together as a family have always led us each summer to packing up the suitcases.So What is a Staycation?

Consumer Reports defines it as: Staycation is a portmanteau that combines "stay" and "vacation" and refers to a holiday that takes place either at or near home. (www.consumerreports.org)

This year our suitcases stayed home and it was one of our best vacations ever. We are already planning our next one! If you find yourself a little low in the wallet, give a "Staycation" at try. Below is our "Home Holiday" wrap up, we've included some tips for success.

1. Plan your staycation as you would your vacation.

Since most of us have to give work notice for our leave time and some of us have our time already picked out, think of the holiday as you would any other vacation. In our preparation we acted as though we were taking a trip. We made brainstormed ideas, set aside a budget, and planned activities. We kept little notes just as we would if we were going to the Bahamas.

2. Turn the phone off and don't go near your workplace!

We kept all our phones turned off. We checked messages periodically, just as we would on vacation. No matter how urgent a call appeared, we decided we would only respond to emergencies. It was important for us to let our supervisors and coworkers think we were out of the city. This helped alleviate the need to just "Stop by the office."

3. Decide ahead of time how you are going to spend your time.

If it was just my husband and I, we would have been happy to just hang out. Having a teenage daughter, we knew she needed some activities. Whether your children are older or very young plan activities that will create togetherness and adventure. Here are some of our recommendations:

• Get a pedicure or a manicure. We went at about 2:30 on a weekday afternoon. No one there! It was fabulous.
• Go to your favorite make-up counter at the mall and have your make up done.
• Set aside some money for a shopping adventure.
• Put together a difficult puzzle (buy it ahead of time).
• Read (go to the library before hand and check out books).
• Golf, fish, or play any sport you enjoy either together or individually.
• Take walks.
• Set up a "camp site" by putting a tent up in the living room.
• Find a pool. (We don't have a pool so we called around to hotels until we found one willing to let us pay to swim for the day.)
• Sit outside at night and tell stories.
• Pull out the board games.
• Make reservations for your favorite restaurant and go to an early dinner-when the restaurant is empty you will get great service and feel pampered.
• Trade off baby sitting-find some friends or family members who are looking to do their own "staycation". Take an afternoon or evening and spend some quality time alone.
• Think like a travel agent, if someone was coming to where you live what would you want them to see? Go there! We found an historic landmark and explored it and its history.
• Create some crafts.
• Try some new recipes and cook them together as a family.
• Sleep-you deserve it!
• Don't forget the tan. For some of us we love going back to work after a week of vacation to show off our tan. Spend a little time soaking up the sun.

4. Clean your house well before the time begins or splurge and pay someone to do the cleaning for you.

I decided I was not going to spend my whole vacation scrubbing toilets. I exchanged paying to get the house cleaned for a back massage. I cleaned the house the weekend before our vacation week and went to a day spa for a facial and hour massage. Yum! Since we didn't have to board the animals, my husband paid someone to cut the grass and still had a few dollars left to hit the golf course.Money and Time Well Spent

Last year our vacation cost us over $3000.00. This year with combining all our activities (along with some new outfits) we spent a little over $800.00. That is a huge savings. The best outcome from this staycation however, was the rest, fun, and memories we had. My daughter is now donning her new clothes and claiming she now "loves money." My husband and I are back at work, rested, relaxed, and feeling a little relief from the money worries. The best benefit from our staycation: no suitcases to unpack.