The Poor Mom Revolution

     My son and  I recently got back from our trip to Washington, DC! When money is tight for the extra fun things I’m eager to do, especially my 1 on 1 trips with the kids, I make sure to start saving well ahead of time, pay off certain things in advance like accommodations and or extra excursions, have a rough plan of the day and make sure I have an allotted amount of money for the trip so I can enjoy without thinking twice for feeling obligated to say no. 

     For so many years, I thought I had to have an exorbitant amount of money to go away and experience trips throughout the year. I’ve now realized that it’s all about budgeting, making plans in advance and finding the best prices. So many people spend time couponing for the local supermarket… why not do something similar for trips! 

     The moment I decide to go away, I focus on the biggest priority, room and board. What I love most about booking the hotel or Airbnb months in advance is that in my mind It’s already paid for and kind of doesn’t count towards that weekend’s trip. I can pay just the deposit , whole amount or a payment plan to split it up. I can put away $50 to $100 biweekly and it’s already paid for before we get there. It’s that “girl math” everyone’s talking about… It’s practically free! 

     Well in advance of our trip, I decided to pay for the expensive part of it. We booked our 3 night Air BNB in Bethesda, Maryland for just over $400. It was comparable to the hotels in pricing, but had a full kitchen which we loved. It was in an adorable, quiet neighborhood outside the city, but close enough for day trips. There were fabulous restaurants and local shops. Highly recommend it! I also decided to pay for a 4 hour long group tour of DC. I opted to pay for a small group tour to drive us to each site and explain the history of the most famous spots. We drove by Ford’s Theatre, visited the White House, Washington Monument, Jefferson/Lincoln/Vietnam/WW2 Memorial just to name a few. We loved it! It was long enough to see all the places, but short enough to have the rest of the day to explore. We did the 9-1pm and started the day off with a Starbucks! For both of us it was about $170 + tip. 

     As for the heart of the trip, just about every museum in DC is free. We spent a ton of time at the Air and Space Museum and then went to the Smithsonian National History Museum. The most expensive part and what I had saved up for was food and Ubers. I knew that food would be more expensive in the city and accounted for snacks like smoothies, pretzels, coffee and fries along the way. I also was told parking was decently hard to find in the city and that we would most likely have to park in a garage during the day so we opted to Uber in and out for the two main days. We splurged, did what we wanted to and ate out pretty much 2 to 3 times a day and I spent just under $550 from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon. This included gas and our trip to the International Spy Museum $50 for the 3 hours! 

     Now obviously I am a planner. I think about these trips almost a year in advance and make sure to spread out my savings so it doesn’t conflict or overlap with bills or necessities. I have a separate savings account labeled for travel which allows me to automatically transfer a set amount each paycheck and if I don’t see it, it isn’t something I can mistakenly use on something else. I would 100% go back with the full family and visit a few more museums and it was only 3 hours from the Pocono area and we took the scenic route through Harrisburg, PA.

     Amazing Maryland/DC food options we recommend: &Pizza, Bethesda Bagels, Joe & the Juice, Hip City Veg, and Bubbies Plant Burgers at Plant Food Lab were a few favorites.

     If you’re similar to what my mind used to be like and need more of a breakdown to see if it’s possible for you and yours, here you go.

Air BNB for 3 nights: $471

4 Hour History Van Tour: $170

National Spy Museum: $50

Food/Uber/Gas/Extras: $550

The trip came out to just over $1200 to explore a new state on our photo map and a new place we’d never visited. 

Since I knew it you’re an ass. We were going to be doing this trip. I started sleeping money right away. $1,200/ 26 pay periods, as I get paid by weekly, has me setting aside $48. Now of course I could have gotten a hotel or accommodation that was a little cheaper or budgeted on food or had breakfast at home, but because this is a very rare treat for us… I set aside more than I typically need to. Since I have two or three of these trips planned each year, I automatically withdraw $150 from my automatic bill pay directly to my savings travel account. Is this something that seems doable for you? Imagine if you split it with your significant other….If so, where would you plan on traveling next?