Holiday Travel

It’s time to get on the road! Only things standing in the way of moms
cooking are  miles and police radars. Traveling home for the holidays
can be expensive if you don’t prepare for the long road ahead. A
couple tips for your travel this holiday to help you maintain your
"New Cheap" lifestyle.
Packing

When it comes to packing, take EVERY thing! It is more than okay to
over pack!! If you’re driving and space is available, pack it! How
many times have you bought  something while out of town that you own
back at home? If you pack everything that you could possibly need, you will
avoid spur of the moment buys.
Food

Make sure you pack your snacks for the road. Buying food on the way
home for the holidays, has to be one of the silliest things one could
do. Why would you stop and pay for crappy fast food when you’re on the
way to your personal food mecca?  To avoid wasting money, pack snacks
for the road. Pack enough to get you through the entire trip. So,  if
you require energy drinks, chewing gum or coffee buy it all before you
leave.  Go to your local grocery store to purchase these
items, or anywhere you can find your required items cheapest. Gas
stations sell items at a mark-up because they know that they  have a
monopoly on quick and accessible items when traveling. Always remember
the goal is to arrive home with your stomach on E, ready to be
filled!!
The Music
You need to prepare your playlist prior to leaving. Organize you CD’s, and
find the local radio stations for the areas you will be driving
through. What does this have to do with saving money, you ask? If
you’re distracted during your drive and get into an accident, it could
cost your more than just money… So it's important to be prepared for
this drive even when it comes to your music.
Gas
There are so many gas price monitoring apps available, there’s no
reason should settle for higher prices. Map out your trip,  find
where the most inexpensive gas prices are and stop there to refuel.
Ride share
There is no reason why you should drive all the way by yourself if you
pass a family members starting location on your route. My college was
directly in the middle of my grandmother’s house and an older cousin’s
house . Every time he went home he’d stop and pick me up. The
benefit of this,  we both could handle the driving and the cost of
travel. Since we were both going to grandma’s, only one car was necessary.
If  someone from my home town wanted to
hang, I would have them pick me up. There is no reason for you to
drive around town (wasting gas) after being on the road all day. If
people want to see you, they will drive to you since you’ve already
driven the furthest.

Eating out while home
Never do it! There’s no reason to eat out, when you have  relatives
ready to cook you a meal, just to hear about the happenings of your
life. Now I will be honest, whenever I'm back in the south I have to
have Zaxby’s whenever,  I"m out west I always get  In and Out burger. It’s one
meal, don’t get crazy here! Go sit at the dinner table and share a
meal with your loved ones and save the money!

Communicate
If you’re driving by yourself, take this time to call friends and
family who you may not be able to see this weekend. For someone who
can't make it home for the holidays,  it would be great to get  a phone
call from you! Having someone to talk to on the road helps you as
well, it keeps you alert avoiding falling asleep during the drive (use a Bluetooth!!) . As
said above, a wreck could not only cost you money but life!



Be safe and Happy Holidays!