A vacation is an important part of family life. Everyone deserves a break from work, school and home and it gives you all something to look forward to. However, planning a family vacation isn’t always easy, and it can be difficult to find those extra pennies when your finances are stretched.

Take a look at these useful tips on simple ways to save for your family vacation to help make sure you all get the break you deserve.

Start cost-cutting

What are your biggest expenses? If you’re unsure, then you should analyze your finances to see where the largest money drains are. If it’s an area like your utilities or your groceries bill, then these can help you identify areas for savings. Cut out unnecessary costs like gym memberships that aren’t being used, subscriptions that you don’t need and see if you can get a reduced rate with a different energy supplier. However much you manage to save by cutting your costs, put them into your vacation savings fund.

Make a budget

All households should have a budget of some sort to manage their finances. There are different budget templates available to help you get started, but you need to be able to stick to them to make it work. Work out how much you need to save each month for your family vacation, and fit it into your budget. You might need to cut back on certain things to allow for the cost, but it’s something worth doing so that you can afford your dream vacation.

Earn some extra money

If your current finances don’t quite stretch to cover your vacation savings, you can always earn more. There are some amazing ways to make money online that allow you to try your hand at anything from blogging to selling ebooks. Finding a side hustle that you can do in your spare time will allow you to get the funds you need to make your savings, and could help you find a new hobby that you enjoy too.

Keep an eye out for bargains

With your family vacation, you sometimes need to strike while the iron’s hot. If you come across a good deal that could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars, you need to go for it. If you don’t quite have the funds in place to grab your deal, a loan from Personalloan.co could help you make the payment while you save the rest. It’s worth doing a regular trawl for offers as you could find yourself grabbing an amazing deal on your family vacation.

Planning your family vacation gives you something to look forward to, and is a great motivator for yourself and your kids. If you’re thinking of visiting Disney this year, then this guide to planning your first Disney vacation could help you see how it’s done. Saving for the perfect vacation is all down the planning and being disciplined with your finances, so strike while it’s still early in the year and start planning your family vacation now.

Written by Jacqueline Chambers

Jacqueline Chambers

Jacqueline Chambers is the founder of TGIFguide. She uses her innate skills as a natural “connector” to serve businesses, brands and individuals in the LA area and beyond.