Let’s face it, vacations are expensive. It doesn’t matter if you are planning a weekend getaway to a local state park, going on a family cruise or hitting the road for a 2600 mile road trip, it’s going to cost some money. Sure, there are many ways you can cut the cost, but you still have to figure out how to pay for time away from home. Here’s hoping that 2021 is the year to begin to travel again and make memories on the road!

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How to Fund your Next Vacation

Earn Points:

If you have a credit card that earns points or rewards, consider saving them to use at vacation. Of course, this is only a good use of credit cards if you don’t carry a balance from month to month. There are no credit card deals that are good enough to not pay off each month.

If your credit is good and you don’t carry a balance, then consider signing up for a card that gives you hotel, airline miles or cash bonuses.

Use a rebate site:

We signed up for Mr. Rebates in 2009 and have received over $900 back in rebate money! Here’s how rebate sites work. Let’s say you are planning to order Christmas cards from Shutterfly or Snapfish in the next few weeks. Before you go to the Shutterfly website, you should start at Mr Rebates.

• Click on Mr. Rebates or Rakuten. (Both sites work the same)
• Login or register (If you are registering for the first time, you may get a $5.00 bonus just for signing up!)
• Now type in the store name where you want to shop in the search bar at the top.
• A small screen will pop up telling you that you are being directed to your store’s site.
• Shop like normal! Pay like normal! Receive your product – like normal!
• In a few days, you will get an email saying “Thanks, your rebate is being processed at Mr. Rebates.” It takes 90 days after you make your purchase to have that money available and you must accumulate at least $10.00 in rebate money at MrRebates or Ebates. But then you can request a check mailed to you or have the money deposited into your Paypal account

I understand that this is not INSTANT savings – but I figure if I am already going to be spending the money, I may as well have the company send me some of it back. This is a great way to let your shopping help fund your vacation.

Save a little every week:

I know one person who withdraws a roll of quarters each week when he deposits his paycheck. He saves them up so he’ll have money ready when they schedule their next vacation.

In our house, we have a piggy bank that catches all the change throughout the year. When it’s vacation time, we cash out the change and split it between each family member to use for souvenirs or something special.

Sell your unused stuff:

If your kids have outgrown some of the toys or you no longer have need of all the baby gear, then sell it. You can take things to stores like Platos Closet, Once Upon a Child or sell things on Ebay. You may not get a lot of money out of the items, but any money is better than storing things you no longer want or need.

If you can’t sell the items, then consider donating them to a non-profit organization or thrift store. You can get a tax form that will let you write off the donation when you file your taxes. It may not be actual cash in hand, but will still help your tax bill and could end up helping fund your vacation.

Have a Yard Sale:

Many people make a lot of money by pulling out their unused items and sticking a yard sale sign in the front yard. If you have the room and a weekend free, sell your unwanted stuff and put the money back for vacation!

What are ways you can save money now so you will be ready for your next vacation? I’d love to hear!