Staycation Ideas

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May 29, 2017 by Dian Leave a Comment

Staycation Ideas

Have you ever thought about a staycation? Vacations can get over expensive in a hurry. There are many ways to save for and on a vacation and many resources, too. But, sometimes a staycation makes more sense. Less stress in planning, less financial burden on the family, and more time to actually “cation” since there’s no travel involved in a staycation.

Sometimes we are so involved day to day in our own lives that we have to have someone on the outside from another place to remind us that there are awesome things to do in our own town and surrounding areas! Local history museums, national parks, amusement parks, landmarks, local attractions.

It just takes a little planning – which you’d do anyway if you were to take a vacation away from home. It might also take a little budgeting, so be sure to click here to get your own free printable Monthly Budget Worksheet.

Let’s take a look at how you can plan an inexpensive staycation.

Friends And Family Movie/Game Night

Allow everyone a certain number of guests they can invite and plan a movie and/or game night. Have everyone bring movies and games, snacks and drinks and enjoy! You can also order pizza if that’s more your thing. Maybe even rent a suite at a local hotel to host your night!

Midnight Pool Party

We used to do this for our kids birthdays. They loved it – we’d have a sleepover and rent the local pool at midnight for a late night swim!

Shaving Cream Fight

Another favorite of our kids. I always kept a stash of shaving cream (super cheap just don’t get menthol… not the best for this use 🙂 ) in the house. We never knew when a shaving cream fight might break out. I remember my brother and nephew were visiting during one such time. One son came running down the stairs with the second chasing him… the second had a face full of shaving cream – out the front door they went – the fight was on! The rest of us grabbed more cans and headed outside. My brother and nephew weren’t quite sure what to think. When it was over our nephew – 7 – was covered head to toe…. so, my teen boys lowered him into the pool a few times to “rinse”! lol Those are times I know they’ll remember as much as or even more than the vacations we took. Make some memories.

Turn Off All Devices

Oh MY! This will be the test of who can last without them. But, after a few hours or days with no devices, including computers you might be shocked at how refreshed you’ll feel.

Try New Things

Try bungee jumping, zip lining, sky diving, take a cooking or dancing class. Step out and of something new. You might find a new activity you can’t live without!

Ask Friends And Family For Ideas

Some of their everyday activities or places to visit might be some place you’ve never been.

Check Out Local Tourist Attractions

Find your local areas tourist attractions. Historic local places can be a great way to learn more about and fall more in love with where you live. be sure to check deal sites like Groupon to find the best deals on those local attractions, too.

Make It A Themed Staycation

Let each member of the family choose the theme and activities for that day. Whether it be all day at the movies, shopping, museums, bike riding and picnic. That way each member of the family is invested in having fun. Don’t forget the camera – there are memories waiting to be made and recorded!

For Adults

Tour Your Local Eateries

Plan lunch (to help keep costs down) at all of the places you’ve been wanting to try, or at places you’ve never heard of or been to before. You might find a new favorite place or two!

Do A Happy Hour Pub Crawl

During happy hour most pubs offer great deals on food and drinks. this is a great time to try out new places, too.

Tour Local Winery Or Brewery

It can be fascinating to see how your Happy Hour beverages are produced. Some come with great history for the area, as well as tastings, of course! When you’re at your favorite pub it’s fun to see the local beverages on the menu.

Try A Coffee Shop Crawl

Check out coffee shops you’ve never been to before – you might find a new favorite Cup of Joe!

Book a local hotel stay

I remember one time we went to a local hotel about 30 minutes away and it was an area we don’t frequent so, it was very much like being out of town.

What would your staycation look like? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Save Money Traveling At Home Or Abroad!

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May 15, 2017 by Dian Leave a Comment

Save Money Traveling At Home Or Abroad!

We’ve all heard that Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world. The costs needed to cover both transport and accommodation in the city are demanding, so it’s not hard to see why.

But, like traveling anywhere in the world – at home or abroad, there are ways around it. You can ‘beat the system’ and be frugal in your travels wherever you want to visit, even in the ‘one of the world’s most expensive cities‘.

Here are a few ways to help you save money traveling abroad:

Image source

For the purposes of this post we’ll discuss traveling to and in Singapore since it is considered one of the most expensive cities to visit in the world. You can apply these tips to traveling anywhere at home or abroad.

Your attempt at being as frugal as possible on your traveling experience to Singapore should start when you are deciding when it is you will be going. You should be aware that the city isn’t necessarily a holidaying destination, even though many do choose it as their holiday destination every year. It is a city.

Furthermore, it is a city that is vibrant, bustling and thriving all year round. Because of this, you can literally go at any point in the year and still experience the full potential that Singapore has to offer. But this doesn’t mean that you should go at any point of the year without doing research beforehand.

There are certain times that should be avoided as they induce high seasons for the hotels. For instance, in June and July the city is inundated with foreign tourists flocking there because of their summer holidays. And in November and December many Malaysians will, quite rightly, spend their national holidays in the city too.

When more people are there, it will mean the accommodation available will be few and far between and more expensive than it needs to be. So, when planning a trip to Singapore you should aim to not go during the times we mentioned above.

During this planning stage you should also make sure to get your transportation worked out. By organizing Singapore airport transfers to pick you up as soon as you touch down you can make use of their ‘all inclusive’ and fixed prices. This means you won’t be left having to pay the ridiculous prices charged by a taxi driver that is looking to make a quick buck off of a tourist.

But, don’t think just because you got past the transportation issue when you first arrive that that’s the end of it, it’s not. To save yourself having to pay for bus and train trips over and over again, which will definitely add up, you should purchase an EZ-Link card. This card costs roughly S$12 but can be used for your entire stay and will give you cheap and quick access to transportation.

But it’s not all about the transportation, it’s about where you’ll sleep, too. Now, you’re probably not after five-star accommodation, but you don’t want to be sleeping in a cheap dive, either. This is why you might want to look into any one of the number of hostels that fellow travelers have recommended. They have been ranked as both safe and cost effective by those who have come before you: budget backpackers. And to further your attempts at being as frugal as possible, try to ditch paying for drinks at shops and restaurants and simply stick to water. The water in Singapore, unlike in other counties in Southeast Asia, is completely drinkable!

Who’s to say you have to experience the most expensive parts of Singapore to enjoy the city as a whole? Who’s to say you have to stay in the most expensive hotels? Nobody. That’s who.

You can experience and enjoy a trip to Singapore even when you’re on a budget. After a frugal trip to Singapore you will be much happier than if you had spent big on the trip, because after your frugal trip to Singapore your travel wallet will have some leftover!

The Best Travel Credit Cards For Your Next Trip

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May 8, 2017 by Dian 1 Comment

The Best Travel Credit Cards For Your Next Trip

When planning an international trip you want to make sure that you get the very best deals. Deals on hotels and travel and food. But, have you taken into account the benefits a travel card will give you? Or the extra fees you might encounter by using your debit or credit card internationally?

Did you know that you could be paying foreign transaction fees, currency conversion fees, and out of network ATM fees?! Holy cow! How do you account for all of those extra fees?!

The best way to avoid or lower these extra costs and fees is to make sure you are traveling with the best card(s).

Let’s talk about the cards you can use to save you a ton on your international trip(s).

First of all let’s look at the nasty foreign transaction fee and see if we can just eliminate that altogether.

The Capital One Platinum Credit Card

This one works for students or those who have never had a card before or those who don’t have a lot of credit history. It also has no annual fee and can help with credit history issues.

Capital One does not charge a fee for using your credit card for foreign currency transactions. Foreign purchases will be converted at the foreign exchange rate in effect at the time of processing the charge.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Back Rewards Card

This card has no annual fee and offers cash back rewards on purchases. The cash back offer pays 1.5% on each purchase PLUS you get a 1 time $100 bonus when you spend $500 in the first 3 months. There’s no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

This card offers a sign up bonus of 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points! You’ll need to spend $4,000 in the first 3 months to get that bonus, but there are ways to get there.

Pick up the tab when you go out – the staff will appreciate not having to split the bill. Just have everyone pay you.
Buy gift cards to pay your regular expenses – you can buy discounted gift cards to save money, too. If you budget $400 a month for groceries, buy a gift card(s) for the store where you’ll be shopping and use the gift cards to pay. Target, Walmart, and most grocery stores offer gift cards and stores like Kroger often offer Fuel rewards points when you buy them, too.
Pay your bills ahead
Send money to family and/or friends and have them give it back to you.

This card also offers 2 points for every dollar spent on travel and dining, and one point on everything else. There is no annual fee for the first year, but, it is $95 a year after the first year.

Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. When you use points to redeem for cash, each point is worth $.01 (one cent), which means that 100 points equals $1 in redemption value. Each point you redeem for travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards is worth $.0125 (one and a quarter cents), which means that 100 points equals $1.25 in redemption value, and points are worth 25% more than if redeemed for cash. For example, 50,000 points are worth $625 towards travel, or $500 when redeemed for cash. The cost of travel is based on the rates and fares available through the Ultimate Rewards website and travel center, and may not reflect all rates and fares that are available through other sales channels.

Don’t want to use a credit card? You can use a debit card to travel and save on fees, as well. As long as you use the right card for you and use it wisely, you’ll be fine.

The Charles Schwab Debit Card

With this debit card there are no ATM fees, at all, no foreign transaction fees and no monthly fees. PLUS, if another ATM charges you a fee this card will reimburse you for it! Nice!

If you decide to go with a debit card when travelling internationally, here are some tips to help you use it more wisely:

Don’t exchange currency especially at the airport. The rates are much better with debit or credit cards.

Use ATM machines at banks, not the hotel, or convenience stores for the best rates

When withdrawing cash always do so in the local currency as it gives you a better rate.

So whether you’re headed for Aruba or Jamaica, Cancun, or anywhere else in the world, be sure to use the right card(s) and use them wisely so there are no surprises when you return from your trip(s).

Have more tips? Please share them in the comments below.