Great Marriage Tip 5:
Raising children is hard. It’s exhausting at times.
And let’s be honest.
It can make a marriage grow stale if you’re not careful.
By the time you get the kids to bed, you often don’t have any energy left for your spouse. The thought of doing anything for anyone else (even when you love this person) can make you panic.
“I just want some time to myself.”
That’s what is so great about going on a trip.
You aren’t spending every moment of your waking hours taking care of someone else so you are able to invest in another important relationship.
Believe me, I understand trips can be expensive. Really, I do. I am the biggest cheap skate of all.
But with a little planning (and maybe some creativity as far as activities and meals go), a trip is absolutely doable with most budgets.*
Here are a few tips that might help you prepare for your next trip.
How to Travel On A Budget:
1. Save every single month for a trip.
Put the money in a “TRIP” envelope so you’ll know exactly how much more you need.
2. If possible, pack your own meals.
Bring a cooler with sandwiches. Or cereal bars for breakfast. At the very least, bring your own snacks to avoid airport or quick stop purchases.
3. Search for the best rates using Priceline, Expedia, or other similar websites.
4. Book your trips during off seasons.
You can save a lot of money by traveling when other people are staying in.
5. Pack well to avoid purchasing things that you forgot.
On one recent trip, I forgot aloe vera, and literally had to buy a bottle for almost 15 dollars. It broke my little frugal heart!
Trips can be marriage-savers, so I hope you’ll think about taking one.
If your marriage is already strong, imagine how much stronger it would be after taking a few days to invest in it.
And if you’re marriage isn’t so great, why not give it a try? It certainly couldn’t hurt.
To read the rest of my marriage posts from this series, click on the links below:
Tip 4: All About Love Languages
Tip 3: Making Date Nights Happen
Tip 2: Doing What You Used to Do
Tip 1: Getting Rid of Expectations
*If you’re wondering about how we travel cheap, we often go on cruises with Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We are convinced that cruising is the best way to travel-both in regards to cost and in regards to relaxation. Seriously, we paid less than 200 bucks a piece for our last cruise, all meals included! Book late – off-season – and get an interior room, and you’ll save a ton of money.
Thanks for commenting, Beth. And I love your blog! Excited to read more.
Trips alone during the child-raising years really are special. We never had more than a weekend away for the most part, but even a weekend can be enough to help you reconnect.
I'm always grateful for other bloggers who give me great money saving tips on top of great advice about marriage, Lindsey. So you've really caught my attention and I can't believe you only spent $200 a piece to go on that cruise! You must have found a great deal! I hope you consider linking up your post to my blog for Wedded Wednesday. I'd love for others to glean from your great tips!
Oh I know. Flights can be very expensive! We also have to fly to get to the ports. We usually price match all the area airports to find the best deal. We ended up having to drive 2.5 hours this time, but we got a much better price.
My problem with cruising is getting to the port. we could cruise very affordably, but getting to the cruise port, not so much. Airline tickets are so pricey and we live at least two days' drive from any port destination. 🙁 I am hoping to have the baby close enough to being weaned to do a getaway for our 10th anniversary.