In a few short weeks, we'll be going on our first official family vacation. We're using the 4th of July long weekend to take advantage of paid holidays from our workplaces so we won't end up using any vacation time! We're leaving the 2nd of July (Thursday) and coming back the 5th of July (Sunday). With the time away being rather short, we're not going too far. Luckily just a few short hours away is the perfect tourist trap, uh, I mean family fun destination: The W!scons!in De||s. I've researched hotels in the area and have settled on one that looks like both a good value and has great amenities. After finding that and writing up a quick itinerary, I was able to set our vacation budget.
Hotel: $347.37 - 3 nights plus taxes
Admission for attractions: $116.07 (admission prices from internet with applicable discounts applied)
Souvenirs: $50.00
Food: $150.00
Gas: $75.00
Total: $738.44
I think the food budget is pretty generous (4 people, 4 days) and think we can come in under that. Also, I'm not a big souvenirs fan so $50 might be too much for that category too. Maybe if the kids want a small toy or t-shirt though I'll splurge.
We currently have $680 in our travel fund so we're about $50 over the cash we have on hand today. We'll use what we have in our travel fund and supplement with money from the July budget.
After our trip I'll post details about our hotel (was it a good value after all?) and the attractions we went to (worth the money?). Anyone have any favorite De||s stories or places to visit?
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4 comments:
That sounds fun. I hope you guys have a blast. That reminds me that we are in dire need of a family vacation ourselves. We are all getting very stressed from school ending and work, etc. A vacation would be insurance for our sanity. But, planning like you did leads to a worry-free vacation. We still need to do that.
Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com
Wow I think your food budget sounds very low? Are you eating out? I guess I like to splurge when I go on holiday.
Have a great and restful time!
Hi Cynthia... just a little insight to Wisconsin Dells. My kids are young adults now but I took them to "the Dells" every single summer while they were growing up. It's an awesome place! We love it there! They still talk about memories there. If you are going to the water parks, most of them allow you to take a cooler in with you. This is where we saved tons of money. We would take bread, lunch meat, mayo, cheese, juice boxes, bottled water, snacks, fruit etc. You can either take the cooler in or walk to your car at lunch/snacktime to eat there. We were able to get there once or twice a summer by being a little frugal with food. Let me know where you are driving from. I have places here that sell the admission tickets super cheap.
Thanks guys! And thanks for the tips Linda. We'll definitely bring a cooler. We had been planning low key breakfasts in our room (bagels and such) so maybe we can do the same for lunch but bring it with us and then eat out for dinner only. I guess we'll see.
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