In these tough economic times many families are finding that the budget just does not include an extended family vacation out of state. But that does not mean that your family cannot still have a fun “Staycation” on the cheap. A “Staycation” can be fun way to show your kids that money does not buy happiness and that there are great things to do right in your own hometown or in nearby cities that cost little to no money.

I am lucky to live in an area rich with touristy things to do since I live near the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota. Our family has been enjoying spending a day a couple of times this summer exploring the wonderful and oftentimes cheap things to do where we live. So far this summer we have enjoyed a trip to Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Custer State Park, and we took a ride on a 1800’s train in the Black Hills. Most of our trips have cost under $75 including gas for a family of 6. We also have tried to include closer excursions without leaving our town. While we have a larger camping trip planned here soon to Yellowstone National Park, we are also planning some small excursions to local venues and attractions here in our own home town. Our town offers a museum, a campground, a county fair, a water park located inside a local hotel, recreation center, and an events center that hosts everything from rodeo events to theatre and concert performances.

Following are the steps to planning your family’s Staycation

Step 1: Make a decision about what sort of things your family enjoys. Does your family enjoy camping? Are your kids into dinosaurs? Is your spouse a history buff? Are you into nature? Consider the likes and dislikes of your family so that you can plan the perfect Staycation that the entire family will enjoy.

Some ideas might include:

For the nature buff:

• A trip to the nearest state park, national park, or national wildlife preserve.
• Camping, either in your own back yard or at a campground located in one of the locations above.
• A nature museum.
• A visit to the beach or tide pools.
• A nature walk in the local mountains, desert, or whatever sort of geography you live near.

For the history fan:

• A visit to a local historical site. (Look for forts, battlegrounds, and other historical points of interest.)
• A history museum.
• A tour of a local historical mansion.

For the mad scientist:

• Tar pits
• Archaeological digs
• Natural science museums
• Planetariums

For the animal lover:

• Zoos
• Aquariums
• Tide Pools
• Animal parks
• State parks, national parks or national wildlife preserves
• Reptile gardens
• Animal rescue sanctuaries

Be creative and think outside of the box when looking for places to and things to do on your Staycation!

Also consider if you will stay in a hotel, campground or just want to plan a day trip and come back home at the end of the day.

Step 2: Research what is around you. Decide if you want to stay within your own city, county or have a travel limit of a certain number of miles away from home that you want to stay within on your Staycation and begin your research about what wonders are around you. If you are planning on staying within your own city begin by finding your local chamber of commerce. Most chamber of commerce’s these days have a website that contains lots of useful information about local businesses and attractions. Another option is to visit the websites of your city, county or state’s tourism departments. Below is a list of all 50 states tourism websites.

If you are going to stay in a hotel or campground make sure that you research where to stay and the best prices. Get your reservations early especially in the summer months as vacancies fill up quicker during peak seasons.

Step 3: Enjoy your Staycation! Pack a travel bag and cooler with the items you will need for your trip such as snacks and drinks from home, a picnic lunch, your camera and anything else you will need. Load up the family in the car and head on out and have fun being a tourist in your own city or state!

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Tags: Camping, Family, Saving Money, Staycation, Tourisim, Vacation
Posted in Articles, Frugal Living | 1 Comment »

Did you make a resolution this year?  If you did, how’s it working for you?  I made one, and I’m going to keep it!  I’ve got a secret - it’s the same resolution I’ve made for the last five years, and I’ve kept it every year.    

I resolved to manage my money to the very best of my ability, providing my family with the very best I can while saving for the rainy day that we all will see one day. 

I think New Year’s resolutions fail mainly because they are often HUGE changes in our lives, hard to maintain and depriving us of comfort and enjoyment.  For that reason, I have made some very subtle changes which when you combine them, make a big difference in our household bottom line.  There are some really simple things you can do to save money in 2009 without feeling deprived.

 If you’re like my family, a huge portion of your monthly expense is your utilities. You need to reduce that bill as much as possible, but still keep warm during the winter months and cool in the summer. The first thing I did was to call my power company and request an energy audit. Most companies provide this service for free, and they will send someone out to look at your power/gas consumption and make suggestions to lower your bill. Additionally, studies have shown that you can reduce your heating bill by 10% if you lower your thermostat 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees when you are not home. If heating is half of your power bill, and your bill normally runs $200 in the winter, you’ll save $10/month just making a small change in temperature.

 When you wash your clothes, use cold water. We do so much laundry that I wonder how in the world all these clothes fit in our closets. Normally I do two loads a day, and if I washed those in hot water, it would cost me about 38 cents each load. A load washed in cold water costs just 1.5 cents! So if you do the math, I’m saving 73 cents /day for 365 days a year, and that’s $266! See how small changes can add up?

 When you’re cooking, turn your oven off about 15 minutes before the baking time is up. The residual heat in the oven will finish baking your food, and you’ll be saving money.

 When you leave the house for an extended period of time (2 days or more), turn your thermostat to the lowest possible setting. Don’t turn the unit off; the low setting will keep your pipes from freezing. Also turn off your water heater. When you return, it will only take an hour or so to heat the water back up.

 If you have ceiling fans in your home, turn the switch on the base so that the blades push the warm air down on you rather than pulling it up.

We all love to make New Year’s resolutions, but keeping them is a different story altogether!  This year, it’s time to get excited about saving some money for your family, and keep your New Year’s resolution!

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Tags: Cooking, Energy, Frugal Living, Resolutions, Saving Money, Utilities
Posted in Articles, Frugal Living | No Comments »

You heard it here first! Hotcouponworld, the premiere online grocery deal discussion community has a new homepage.

Designed with our members and first time visitors in mind, our new homepage features the latest news, articles, insider tips and more. You’ll also find a daily deal, our Hotcouponworld video channel, coupon codes, and retail industry news about the stores where you shop.

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Best of all, if you’re a registered member, you can join in the conversation.  You can comment on any of our HCW articles.  And if you have article ideas, feel free to “contact us” with stories you think need to be covered, or write your own and contribute them!

Thanks for checking out the new homepage - we hope you find it useful, informative, and most of all, that it helps save you money!

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Tags: Coupons, HCWHotflash, Homepage, Hotcouponworld, New Site, Saving Money, Twitter
Posted in News | 2 Comments »