Budget Mondays 7/29/2013

Monday – 7/29/2013

It’s Monday – a painful day for most people, yours truly included. Sometimes it is made even more painful as we remember just how much money we ended up spending over the weekend.

Budget

It’s one word that can make people cringe, angry and sad all at the same time; a rare occurrence indeed. There are plenty of reasons for this – people are told at work that their budgets are being cut, their ideas cannot be funded because they are not in the budget, and in our personal life, our budgets don’t usually quite match up to our desires.

This installment of budget Mondays will focus on an issue that is relevant to this time of year, and to your wallet. Going down the shore, or to LBI, or any number of beach spots is something that most everybody does at least once during the summer season. The surf, the sand, and the sun are an intoxicating combination that many people enjoy. That being said, sometimes a long shore weekend or a 1-2 week vacation can do some serious damage to your finances. I do realize it is almost August, and that we are well into beach going season, but I do know for a fact that some people have yet to get down the shore at all this summer (yours truly included), and that many people plan vacations in August to “cap” their summer season.

With that being said, here are some tips to help make these last few weeks of beach season more enjoyable and less damaging to your wallet.

1) Carpool – Chances are that someone you know is going down the shore the same weekend as you, and they might even be coming back the same day you are. Carpooling helps save on gas, tolls, and parking.

2) Bring Food – Boardwalk food is always overpriced, the beach is a tourist destination don’t forget, so it pays to bring a few coolers full of whatever you prefer to eat and drink when you are vacationing at the beach.

3) Save on the room – You are at the beach, to enjoy the sand, the water, and weather, so it makes sense to save money on accommodations if at all possible. Unless you are staying at an all-expense paid resort, it might be worthwhile to consider a room, or house rental a few blocks away from the waterfront. It saves you money, and gives you an excuse to walk outside in the beautiful beach weather.

I have attached a few links that include these tips and more.

Happy Reading!

http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2013/05/02/1014295_10-ways-to-save-money-when-visiting-the-beach.html

http://www.passionforsavings.com/2013/06/how-to-save-money-on-a-beach-vacation/

http://houston.cbslocal.com/2013/06/23/save-your-money-monday-great-beach-vacation-ideas/