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As I sit here preparing for my last post before we go on a much needed family vacation, many ideas run through my mind. Do I blog about my son's struggle budgeting his weekly allowance? Or the pile of bills waiting to be paid before we leave? What about the $200 I just deposited at Staples for the twins' school supplies (we haven't even gotten to the 14 year old's supplies yet) or do I write about how we're going to pay for our vacation without going into credit card debt? What is it about taking a vacation that creates a pool of stress?

The underlying theme is the same. How do you manage when the cost of your everyday expenses keeps increasing? What do you cut back on? I feel we live a pretty simple life but I guess it's all relative. We don't drive luxury cars or live in a luxury home. We don't take exotic vacations (this one is a road trip to the Maryland shore). Our weekly food bill has increased by over $20 a week , gasoline prices are...well we won't even go there, and even school supplies have increased exponentially! I mean what happened to the Staples August sale this year??

How do you do it without getting into credit card debt? I swear by my debit card because I feel it's the closest thing to cash. If I don't have it in the bank, I can't put it on the card, plain and simple.

Well, in reading over this post I realize I DO need a vacation! So I'll leave you with that and when I return I'll let you know how we managed this vacation on a budget.

Summer Vacations: Managing the Cost