When she was telling me about her fun (and affordable) vacation, I convinced her to write me a blog post about it. She’s a great friend and she said yes without any hesitation at all. She’s one of those friends you can always count on to help you out and we discuss our financial situations regularly, because we trust each other.

As sensitive as it can be to talk about money and our own financial circumstances, it’s a huge relief to know I have someone I can share these details with on a regular basis who won’t turn around and share these details with someone else.

I’ve never been much of a believer in “support groups” and the like, but sometimes I wish I did. I think it’s a big help to talk things out. I’ve always told my family I think better when I’m talking… :)

If I have a support group, Allie is it. I hope you enjoy her post on Monday.

For now, I’m going to leave you with my own philosophy on vacations and money.

Tips for leaving money worries behind on your next vacation

• Don’t take it unless you can afford it. There’s nothing less relaxing than worrying about money.
• Set a budget and stick to it.
• Use your credit card when necessary–it’s generally safer than your debit card, but make sure you don’t overspend. If you think you might, then just stick to cash. Pay for your hotel room or other reservable costs ahead of time on your credit card, but then make sure you leave enough money at home to cover that cost. Don’t start off on your trip owing money.
• Use coupons and discounts anywhere you can use them. Even $5 to $10 off in a couple of places can add up to a lot of money. Would you throw away a $5 bill? If you have a coupon and don’t use it, you might as well have thrown the money away.
• Finally, enjoy your vacation. If you plan ahead financially, you can leave all your worries at home.

Come back on Monday to check out Allie’s guest post.