Search This Blog

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Budgeting on Vacation

I just spent a week on the beautiful shores of North Carolina. The people, scenery, culture, and cuisine all make this part of the United States a great place to visit. While I was there, I also got to thinking how many people treat money while on vacation.Many of us keep an eye on the money the saved up for a getaway. I got to thinking, why don't more people budget the money for the vacation?
While the vacation budget will not be as strict as a normal budget, we should give each vacation dollar a name prior to our excursions. In today's economic climate, we need to be careful how we spend, no matter where we are.
When on vacation, I would recommend having three categories. You need a gas category. Unless you are flying, you need to make sure you have enough to get back home.
You also need a food category. After all you are planning on eating, right? A good way to save in this category is to eat in. The beach house we stayed at at a full sized refrigerator, as well as a spacious pantry. We did eat out, but we also saved money by buying groceries locally.
The third category will be your fun category. Like I said , this is not a normal budget. You need to have some fun while on vacation.
By having a vacation budget, you are less likely to go into debt for your vacation. Additionally, when you come home from vacation, you are not haunted by what you spent for that short time away. 

No comments: