How to Cut Holiday Traveling Costs

I don’t know about you, but we do a good deal of traveling over the holidays. There are tons of tips and tricks Mitch and I use to keep costs down, so I thought I would share them! Please leave more good ideas in the comment feed so we can be crazy money saving machines . If we save money during travel, that means more cash for important things “down the road”. Bwa-ha-ha….Yeah, I very well may be the only one that thinks that was funny. *sigh*

Drive!

I guess this all depends on where you are traveling to, but we certainly would rather drive up to 10 hours away than fly. Last year we flew up north, and spent as much time getting to the airport, waiting and flying, getting a rental car and driving to our destination as we would have just driving up- And we had to pay much much more! I also felt it was more stressful. I would think any longer than a 10 hour trip might be worth flying though…I haven’t had to do it.

Gas Mileage

1. Tune up! Be sure to fill your tires and check your oil before you go. Not only will you be preventing a possible breakdown, you will also save on gas. Keep in mind that if you are carrying a heavy load in your vehicle, it’s likely that your tires need more air than usual. Be sure to check your owners manual.

2. Use cruise control. When the road is fairly level (aka, not the mountains) and traffic isn’t too bad, cruise control can save you gas $$ by keeping you at a constant speed. Braking and accelerating uses more gas than necessary AND is hard on the vehicle. Also, the maxium fuel efficiency speed is 55 MPH. The faster you go, the less fuel efficient your car becomes. So if you have something of a lead foot, cruise control gives you an extra bonus. Plus not speeding keeps you, your family, and other travelers safe. If you are driving in the mountains it is best to turn off cruise control through the wind-y, curvy ups-and-downs.

3. Pack light. Yes, there will be many goodies to bring and things you need, for sure. But if you have the choice between bringing a small stroller or a large bulky one (as just one small example), the lighter one will help you keep your MPG at a more reasonable level. If you use this mentality in everything you pack, imagine the difference it would make!

Eating on the Road

1. Pack your own snacks and even meals. Bringing your own food saves money at expensive gas station stores. Even buying snacks full price at the grocery store will beat convenience store prices. Plus you’ll have the time to really pick out healthy snacks if you plan everything out ahead of time.  Because you won’t be stopping at restaurants, you’ll spend less time on the road since you don’t need to stop as long. You’ll also have more room in your belly for yummy Christmas treats. I say, why waste precious calories on that dry bacon cheese burger that will send you to a cath lab in a few years when you could eat extra pumpkin pie? I’m just sayin! We pack sandwiches that will keep for long periods of time (like PB &Js) and easy to eat snacks like sweet potato chips, granola bars, homemade muffins and peeled oranges.

2. Drink water. Being hydrated before you leave plus drinking water in the car will actually keep you from stopping as often to go to the restroom. Soda and coffee make you have to go more (and they make you more thirsty). Mitch and I just fill up our stainless steel water bottles with ice and cold water, and that will last us the 9 hours it takes us to get up north. If we needed more water, we could even fill up at a rest stop. FREE!

3. Bring cash. In case you do decide to stop for a special treat, having cash in your pocket will keep you from overspending. According to Dave Ramsey, when McDonalds started accepting “plastic” their $$ amount per transaction increased from around $3 to $7. Bringing limited spending cash for food will save you more than you might think!

Drive at Night

Overall, I feel that when we drive at night we have better trips. There is less traffic on the road, so we save time and gas. Our little one sleeps the majority of the trip so he needs little food and care. We eat and stop less. If you would need caffeine, plan ahead and bring your own caffeinated drinks so a mountain dew at the convenience store doesn’t break your Christmas traveling budget.

So there you have it! Make this year a Holiday Season to remember- Not one where you look back and say “where did our money go?”. With all the money we’ll save, we might be able to afford an extra gift or two. Yay!

Here’s to living- happier, healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~Frugalmegan~