Vacationing with Kids: Keeping Extra Costs Under Control

Avoid the kid-friendly restaurants that have gift shops (the initials of one that comes to mine are CB). I made the mistake of stopping at one of these places on a cross-country trip last summer with my girls (just me and the 2 and 3 year old). Lordy me....the gift shop bill cost almost as much as the lunch!!

That night we stopped at a Wamalart (ha ha) before settling into the hotel room for the night and I picked up bread, PB&J, CheezIts, Cheerios, Pop Tarts, etc. I made tons of sandwiches and little baggies with snacks and we ate lunch at the rest areas along the way for the rest of the trip, instead. The girls got to spend a lot of extra energy (yay....naps in the car, mom's favorite!) and I didn't have to buy them robotic hamsters in plastic balls to get them back in the car (said hamster has been newly christianed RHINO, of course).

The key to doing ANYTHING with kids is thinking ahead and being prepared. Even then....kids behaviors can change when faced with a lot of traveling and new places. Mom and Dad being calm and ready to change plans often helps, too!!

***I hope your week at MB was great! The photos sure look amazing. You've got me all excited for our MB beach week in June, now. I can't wait to see the ocean again.***

Your tip about finding a grocery store is always part of our travel to-do's.
Cold cereal, milk, fruit, snacks, yogurt, sandwich makings, cheese and crackers (paper bowls and plastic spoons) keep travel budgets under control.
We usually pack a 12 x 12 x12 inch collapsible, rolling cooler too. (Pack it in your suitcase or use it as your "carry-on".)
That way we can bring sandwiches, fruit and drinks along with us and keep them in the car for the I'm hungry, I'm thirsties".
The collaspsible cooler has been been a budget godsend and a great convenience too. We rarely travel anywhere without it.

Extra tip- fill empty water or soda bottles with water and freeze. Use these as the cooler ice. Bonus- you cqn drink the water when it melts.
If the place you're staying does not have a refig./freezer, take some extra heavy ziploc bags along, fill with ice and double bag for leak security.

-For the "I'm thirsties" who want something other than water, pack some pre-sweetened ice tea or kool-aid powder and add a spoonfull to their water bottle for a treat.

When I was a kid, our family rarely got to go out places because there were 8 of us total. When we did get to go to a special place, like the zoo or a museum, we each were allowed to pick one item from the gift shop for under 5 dollars. We were told at the start of the trip, and reminded throughout to pick wisely, since we would only get one thing. We went to a lot of buffets to eat, made our own sandwiches, and snacks were usually pieces of fruit from wherever we happened to stop for gas. The "I'm thirsty" plea never worked. We were reminded that we would get some water at gassing up/snack time, but no stops in between, so we always made sure to drink plenty of water, and use the bathroom, while stopped.