{"id":5003,"date":"2021-07-07T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/?p=5003"},"modified":"2023-10-30T20:49:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T03:49:21","slug":"family-vacation-planning-how-to-teach-your-kids-about-mindful-spending-and-have-fun-doing-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/blog\/family-vacation-planning-how-to-teach-your-kids-about-mindful-spending-and-have-fun-doing-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Vacation Planning: How to Teach Your Kids About Mindful Spending (And Have Fun Doing It!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It has been quite the couple years \u2013 full of staycations, stay-at- home schooling, stay-at-home everything! Even though we are ready to get out of the house, we must be mindful of the financial uncertainties that continue to be part of the ongoing pandemic.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0makes it\u00a0a great\u00a0time\u00a0to provide some financial education for your money-smart kids.\u00a0 Let them help you plan a vacation that won\u2019t break the bank\u00a0with the\u00a0following\u00a0three tips.<\/p>\n

Start with Budgeting\u00a0Basics<\/h2>\n

While it might not be\u00a0age-appropriate to share with kids a\u00a0complete picture of monthly income, expenses,\u00a0and debt,\u00a0vacation planning\u00a0is an opportunity to introduce\u00a0the\u00a0\u201cbudgeting\u00a0basics\u201d of\u00a0sticking within a set budget amount, as well as\u00a0building\u00a0up\u00a0vacation\u00a0savings.<\/p>\n

Set a\u00a0vacation\u00a0savings goal with\u00a0your kids that\u00a0lets you plan and encourage each other to\u00a0make that dream vacation a reality.\u00a0If you provide kids with a regular allowance, talk over how much of that allowance can be set aside for vacation spending.<\/p>\n

Closer to the actual vacation date,\u00a0enlist the whole family to\u00a0build\u00a0a\u00a0vacation budget.\u00a0\u00a0List estimated\u00a0costs of travel,\u00a0food, activities, lodging and\u00a0vacation-related purchases. Be\u00a0realistic about what you\u2019ll spend\u00a0\u2013\u00a0building\u00a0in\u00a0a buffer\u00a0to reduce any potential financial\u00a0stress.<\/p>\n

Focus on\u00a0Affordable\u00a0Fun<\/h2>\n

Your kids\u00a0may\u00a0know more about the internet than you do!\u00a0Ask\u00a0them\u00a0to help research\u00a0destinations\u00a0online.\u00a0Pull out the atlas and make it a geography lesson.\u00a0\u00a0Ask\u00a0your\u00a0kids\u00a0to\u00a0list what\u00a0they think is\u00a0the\u00a0most\u00a0fun –\u00a0theme parks, beach or outdoor adventures, extreme sports?\u00a0\u00a0Knowing the \u201cmust haves\u201d helps the entire family get a consensus on\u00a0vacation priorities.<\/p>\n

Encourage\u00a0your\u00a0kids\u00a0to\u00a0think like bargain hunters.\u00a0 Are there special deals out there for lodging, activities or events?\u00a0Many popular destinations are offering post-COVID travel deals, so take the time to get informed.<\/p>\n

Once everyone agrees on the overall vacation\u00a0experience,\u00a0keep\u00a0the\u00a0budget in mind.\u00a0 Kids can help suggest\u00a0affordable ways\u00a0to\u00a0travel within the\u00a0budget,\u00a0whether\u00a0opting for a\u00a0theme park\u00a0campground\u00a0or\u00a0planning for affordable\u00a0picnics\u00a0instead of costly restaurants.<\/p>\n

Look at\u00a0Lodging<\/h2>\n

Over the last decade or\u00a0so, more\u00a0affordable, alternative vacation\u00a0accommodations\u00a0have become\u00a0available that can be\u00a0just right for you\u00a0and the kids.<\/p>\n

Kids might enjoy\u00a0an \u201cin home\u201d vacation experience. Ask\u00a0them to help\u00a0browse\u00a0websites such as\u202fVrbo<\/a>\u202fand\u202fAirbnb<\/a>\u202fto find just the right lodging.\u00a0 Some options come with a kitchen in order to save money by preparing meals.\u00a0You might\u00a0even get lucky and find lodging complete with\u00a0bikes, backyard\u00a0grills\u00a0or even boats to avoid costly add-on expenses.<\/p>\n

Mix it up by lodging with\u00a0friends and family\u00a0who might live nearby your travel destination\u00a0–\u00a0just try not to wear out your welcome!\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019ll hear directly from the locals about fun things to do\u00a0while you\u2019re in town.<\/p>\n

Last Minute Options<\/h2>\n

Most kids love\u00a0spontaneity.\u00a0If you have the flexibility, consider a last-minute trip. Those last-minute cruises, hotels, lodging,\u00a0attraction\u00a0and airfare deals might mean leaving as soon as 24 hours after you lock in the deals, so\u00a0tell\u00a0your\u00a0kids to keep their suitcases\u00a0packed. Check\u00a0out\u00a0online travel sites\u00a0to see what is being offered in terms of\u00a0price and destinations.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve all had to hold off on making our travel dreams come true\u00a0for\u00a0more than\u00a0a year.\u00a0So\u00a0this year\u00a0in particular,\u00a0engaging\u00a0the\u00a0kids in the up-front planning\u00a0sets everyone up for a good time.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>This article is shared by our partners at\u00a0GreenPath\u00a0Financial Wellness<\/a>, a trusted national non-profit.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Set a\u00a0vacation\u00a0savings goal with\u00a0your kids that\u00a0lets you plan and encourage each other to\u00a0make that dream vacation a reality.\u00a0 Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[110,144,145,146],"class_list":["post-5003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-finances","tag-budgeting","tag-family-vacation","tag-summer-vacation","tag-vacation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}