I Love Vacation!

Who doesn't love a great vacation?? Whether your idea of time away involves an outdoor adventure or leisurely site-seeing or lounging on the beach, this time is both valuable and necessary to recharge for the demands of daily life. Many of us don't make our vacations a priority for a variety of reasons, often due to cost. I want to share a few of my "secrets" as well as nudge you into considering just where your next vacation might take you. For me Living Large means having an annual vacation, outside of my city of residence, and I am willing to make some sacrifices throughout the rest of the year to make that a reality. In my family's first year of Living Large with Less we managed to save approximately $125/month on our groceries, this resulted in a $1500 savings for the year! We used this money for a trip to Kauai. Would you rather have name-brand groceries or a trip to Hawaii?


As one who fiercely guards my resources, I never book a trip without some planning and comparison shopping. A favorite website is www.vrbo.com (Vacation Rental by Owner) where you can find great deals on condos, homes, and many timeshare properties by the day or week. I have used this successfully for our stay in Hawaii. Another site for vacation deals that you might consider is Ebay. I managed to get a full week at a fantastic timeshare property in Orlando, brand new and very spacious unit, 7 swimming pools etc, at $500 for the week!! In this economy many people are looking to subsidize their time shares, so take advantage of this. Craigslist, Costco vacations, Expedia, and other sites make the research relatively easy, just be sure to compare prices on flights and lodging prior to purchasing. If you have any air miles available for use, don't forget about using them even for one person in the party. Every dollar saved will help the bottom line.

Sometimes last minute trips can be lower in cost, but often difficult to take because of work schedules. Personally I love having a trip scheduled several months to a year in advance. It gives me something to look forward to, a reason to go to work each day, and more importantly it gives me the time to save money for the full cost of the vacation IN ADVANCE of the trip. There is nothing that kills a vacation buzz like vacation bills without the savings to pay for them. Be pro-active in your planning, from searching for low-cost fares and lodging to saving for the fun event. But above all, don't forget to take the vacation. There are so many options for places nearby that you can have a great time even if it involves a one hour car trip and not a 5 hour flight. There are many, many great ideas out there for resourcing vacations. I look forward to hearing some of your "secrets" too.